Made it to Egypt Tuesday

The flight from Rome to Cairo is really short! Not even two hours, but it still takes all day to travel. I caught the bus to the Rome airport this morning, did all the checking in business, sat on the plane for three hours, got off, got money, got a visa, got out into Cairo, found my driver and made it to my hostel. Phew!

I arrived after dark, sonic glad I had a driver, but I had a good look out the windows as we drove in, and the area of town I'm in is very well lit and lots of people around, so I think I'd be all right out there at night. I'm in the downtown area of Cairo, and there are a lot, a lot, a lot of shops! All selling like a million versions of the same thing. Like the shoe shop has so many shoes there's no room for customers.

My hostel is pretty run down, but I can deal with it. I'm glad I have earplugs. Honking car horns seems to be a national sport. I've got a room with three beds in it... I'm assuming that since I booked, a private room that I'll be the only one in here. And, as an extra bonus, because I'm staying for 4 night, my airport pickup was free!

I've organised a private tour to Alexandria with a guide on Thursday, for only $100, which seems very reasonable. It's an all day thing, so should keep me busy. I'm pretty scared of Egypt, so I'll have to explore gently tomorrow. The museum seems like good idea?

I'm so tired tonight! I then I'm getting the cold everyone had on contiki. I blame you, Frank.
So, Sam's top five things about travel days:

1) Not having to plan to entertain yourself, all you have to do is go where they tell you.

2) the excitement of going somewhere new.

3) the feelings of 'moving forward' that come with this kind of travel.

4) spending the last dregs of your currency on candy.

5) finally getting where you're going and being able to go to sleep.

Slightly melancholy Monday

Just a quiet day today. I've been feeling a bit lonely and sorry for myself after yesterday's impressive display of upbeat enthusiasm. I went for a big last walk around Rome, which is just as beautiful as when I arrived, only now it's filled with memories too, making it really special. I took one last walk around where I ate my first gelato, where I laughed with Ange and Vicki, and where Frank and I made wishes on coins in the fountain. Pretty awesome :) I miss my friends!

Sometime it seems to me like 2012 has been a year of goodbyes. You'd think that would have been 2011 when I left for Korea, but I have had to say goodbye to so many amazing people this year. Courtney, Amy, Laura, Brook, Andy, Ange, Vicki, Frank, Mum, Dad, Matt, Jessie (dogs totally count), and Jen. Some of them are gone from my life almost entirely, but others have stayed, and I love you for that!

But anyway, enough on that. I'm off to Egypt tomorrow, which is cause for celebration! I've just been doing a bit of research online, and I've got a few activities in mind to keep me busy for my 3 alone days. I'm foreseeing a trip to McDonald's in my near future though... I'm not sure why, but I want a hamburger. I NEVER eat it at home, but when travelling it can be a weird comfort :) Other than that, I'm gonna get me some goat meat, and all kinds of Egyptian food! I want to do a day trip to Alexandria, which is apparently beautiful, go to the Egyptian Museum, and visit the Kahn el Kahlili markets. And I need to take more photos! I'm not taking enough. I came across a tour you can do in Cairo that's a photography day trip and they take you places and teach you how to take better pictures. It was pretty expensive for what it was, though, so I might not do it. Depending on how things go in the next little while, I might need all the money I can save.

Speaking of that, I heard from Frank and he is genuinely interested in going to Thailand with me, which is simply awesome. Have to wait and see if he can get the time off work and start planning from there. I'm trying (mostly in vain) not to worry about it. How on earth is it that you can be more concerned with a crush on a guy than the fact that you're about to go to Egypt, see pyramids, and ride in a freaking hot air balloon? My brain confuses me sometimes!

And you guys remember negative Nathan? Well, I got back in touch with him a while ago because I thought I was going back to Korea and still wanted to be friends. Well, I don't think I want to be his friend at all. He really is just too negative, and he actively hates all things Asian, specifically Korean. So, what's the best way to dump a friend? Tell him, or just taper off the communication? Yeah, I know. If it was me I'd want to be told. So, That's two guys I have to tell that I don't want to really know them anymore. Ugh, year of goodbyes!

Ok, I'm off for my last meal in Italy. I'm going to the airport in the morning to fly to Egypt just after midday. Actually, on closer analysis, I am really very excited :)

A holiday from my holiday Sunday

I had a great Skype chat with mum last night :) I'd cheered up a lot by then and was feeling pretty good, so I went to bed happy. Today I've emailed both Jen and Matt to catch up, cos I've been a total communication slacker during the tour. I was too busy to email!

Today's been a really relaxing day. I've been just reading, walking, sleeping, and eating. I'm trying to sit as much as possible to rest my knee.

But, mostly what I've been doing today is thinking. So much thinking! Why is it that some decisions are so hard to make and others just fall into place like it was all just what you should have wanted in the first place? All That worry and fuss over Andy and now I'm trying to decide how to best tell him I wont be coming back. The thing that really gets me is that I'm not sad about it. Hugely guilty, but not upset. Even if Frank wants nothing to do with me ever again, he's opened my eyes to how things could be, and I want a part of that. I'm certainly having some adventure, that's for sure!

Here's five things I love today:

1) My friends and family. You guys are so crazy supportive of all my life! I love ya.

2) Hot showers. They can temporarily make just about anything feel ok.

3) My puzzle ring from Florence. I'm not sure why I like it so much, but I love wearing it.

4) Photos! I've just been looking back through a bunch of picture from the last 5 or so years. So many good things to remember.

5) Looking forward. Just like I've been enjoying looking back, I've also had some fun looking forward today. The future is completely uncertain, and I'm strangely ok with that. I have no concrete idea of what I'll be doing, or even what country I'll be in in three weeks time, but that's ok. Am I finally learning to deal better with change? Wouldn't that be nice!

Contiki Catch Up

Please forgive all the horrible typos. I'm writing this on my tablet while on the bus, and the autocorrect paired with a moving vehicle mean this post is a disaster area. I'm too lazy to fix it all though. So, just the best you can :)

Right, so where was I up to on the days? Did I tell you about Pompeii? Well, it was awesome! The amazing history's all so visible and available to seemed feel. The guide was interesting and passionate and the whole day was great. The next day was in Naples too, and I went on quest to find the eat pray love pizza place. The internet told me it was amazingly life changing pizza, but I was super underwhelmed. I had the magherita with extra buffalo mozzarella and itdidnt really have that much flavour. It was also a littleburnt from the wildfire pizza oven.it was verycheap, but not really the experience I was expecting. However, I made up for it by going to an amazing gelato store. First I walked down all these alleyways and came across a big section of market selling stuff to make your own Christmas nativity scenes. There's so muchstuff, just like for townhouses, only it was Christmas. It was pretty cool! Anyway, then I found the gelato place and had a chocolate one and a caramel nut one. Very good ice cream! Then I walked to the botanical gardens, but they were closed :( so, I wandered the city a but then called it a day.

Then the next day was Saturday. I caught the train back to Rome then found the starting hotel for the contiki tour. Now, I'm just going to give a bare bones description of everthingnive done since joining up with the tour a couple of days ago because it's too much to write otherwise!
So, I made it to the hotel without much trouble and met my room mate. She is awesome, we are about the same age, and she's doing her PhD, so we have lots to talk about and she and I seem to enjoy similar things and get on well. She's really nice and not annoying at all :) so, that's great! And there's another girl, Vikings from Canada who's lovely too. Oh, my room mate is Ange from NZ. I've also met a really nice guy from California named Frank... I know right mum? Haha! Anyway, he's a real life doctor! Nice guy, great sense of humour :) I've spent a fair bit of time with him and it's quite refreshing because he likes to talk about all kinds of things, not just sport and whatever like a lot of guys you meet. Plus, a lot of the people on this tour are like 18, 19 years old and I feel so old! Haha, they seem so young (not to mention a tad dumb at times). But there's plenty of peeps my age too. Some really nice fun people!

So, Saturday we met up in the afternoon and had a tour meeting. Then we went for dinner at pizza place in Rome.there was live entertainment with a piano player and an old dodgy guys singing sleepy Roman love songs. It was funny, and the pizza was nice.

Then, on Sunday it was time to see the coloseum. We had a local guide, a lovely old granddad called Pietro. He took us through colosseum and the Roman forum, both of which were awesome. I especially liked the colosseum, it really easy to imagine the emperors and gladiators and everything. Amazing buildings! After that it was lunch time so the group went to a cafe high on the hill to look out over Rome. Then we had a walking tour Moffat all replaces
I'd already visited, but I went anyway because they are so awesome. I got another gelato from the great gelato places and threw some coins in the trevi fountain tainted for luck and some wishes. I also bought a small watercolor painting of the fountain because it's my favourite thing in Rome. After through walking tour we had some free time. Ange, Vicki, Frank and I hung out together and went to an amazing old church, then frank and I wen4 to a museum, then we met back upland went back to th3 hotel to meet for dinner. Some of the group, US included, went to dinner at a restaurant where there was live entertainment, opera singing! We had a 4 course meal of eggplant and mozzarella, then two types of pasta, 4hen veal and veg, then creme caramels. The meal was mediocre, but fun. The creme caramels sucked!

Ok, big break in writing here! The next section was written a few days later:

Ok, now I don't remember wherein was up to. The start of contiki? The second day? I don't think I wrote about Florence.

We got on the bus in the in the afternoon after the Vatican. The paintings in the Sistine chapel were simply amazing, I really enjoyed it! Then we hopped on the bus to Florence. Florence was great too. Apart from the rain! We went on a walking tour of Florence. It's so beautiful! But it starTed pouring with rain. Ange, Vicki, Frank, and I walked around lots, and got really really soaking wet. We went to a pretty cool museum in a palace during a thunderstorm - was awesome :) we had a group dinner of meatballs and then went to a karaoke bar, which was fun. I didn't sing, but I did dance.

The second night in Florence was a special Tuscan dinner. I sat with a really fun group and we had four courses: bruschetta and salami, some pasta, roast pork, and tiramisu for dessert. It was a lovely meal, made all the better by the friendly waitstaff. If there's one complaint I have about Italy, its that nearly all the restaurant staff are a bit rude and abrupt. It makes the nice ones really stand out.  

The next day was a medieval village and a wine tasting. I tried it all. I had no idea what I was drinking, but some of it I liked and some not so much. That night Frank and I shared a really big t-bone streak, and it was super yum! Then we went for a walk around the city and hung out for a while. He is amazingly easy to talk to. I haven't talked to a guy this much, with this much mutual interest and understanding for a very long time. Frank has sort of made me realise that a relationship with a guy doesn't have to be so much work. With Brook there was so much work to keep myself happy because he couldn't do it, and with Andy there is so much work just communicate normally. Or at all really. We've never talked like I've talked to Frank these past few days. And I've also come to realise how serious Andy is and how I don't bring up certain subjects with him because I know they will make him grumpy or upset, or I don't bother because I know he won't understand. Not just from a language barrier point of view, but just because he won't understand on a personal or cultural level. I'm thinking this is not what I want in a life partner.

But anyway,  back to the tour...   Today we are back on the bus headed for Pisa and Verona, and finally Venice. I'm happy we've got two days left but also sad. But, it's possible Frank and I might do some more travel together in the future, which would be awesome.   But, I'm starting to get a bit bummed about my career prospects in Korea. They're really not that great and I'm not sure what to do about it. I might do some online teaching and work on my writing. If I can make enough to live off that way. But the thought of teaching kindergarten with only 10 days break in a year is a bit disheartening.

*   *     *  

Ok, it's now Saturday and the contiki tour is over. I'm on the bus headed back to Rome. Vicky left yesterday, Frank left this morning, early, and I left Ange at the hotel. So, where was I up to? I know this is an extremelybare bones account of my tour, but there is just too much that went on, both in terms of travel and emotionally to sum up here without writing a novel!  

So, on the bus headed for Pisa, Verona, and Venice. We got to Pisa and it was really cool. I took about a million photos of the leaning tower! Its really, really leaning! Frank and I hungout together again (are you seeing a theme here?), and explored one of the churches near the leaning tower. Man, if there's one thing Italy does exceptionally well, it's churches! After some free time exploring Pisa we were back on the bus bound for Verona.   Sadly, by the time we made it to Verona it was, again, pouring with rain, and also dark. And cold! But, rain, darkness and cold are excellent, and valid, excuses to cuddle certain people :) we saw a few of the alleged places from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a pretty swollen river, and stopped off in a church where a choir was singing. I really liked that, the choir was lovely and I can see why they have them. The sound of the singing in the beautiful space of the church is really special.

Then we joined the group for dinner. We had a selection of pastas and stuff. It was ok. Then, back on the bus headed for Venice. We arrived at about 10.30 at night, and Ange and I just went straight to bed.   The next day, Friday, was cold, dark, and wet. We got the bus to the ferry and then the ferry to Venice, which was flooded! They put out all these platforms to walk on above the water so you can get around. It was probably coldest day of my life! I should have worn my big down jacket, but I didn't want to get it wet and then have to transport it. So, I was just wearing a jumper and it was COLD!   Anyway, we got to Venice and went to a glass blowing demonstration, which was amazing! The artists, or whatever you call a glass blower, just casually put together these beautiful glass things like a vase and a horse. It was like magic to watch. Then we went to the shop section and I bought a glass necklace, which I love. It's red and gold, which are currently my favourite colours.

Then we had walking tour which was really lame because too many of the streets were flooded, so it was long, cold, and not that interesting. When we'd finished that, Frank and I, once again, teamed up and explored the city. We went to another amazing church, which had beautiful mosaic murals on the walls and ceilings. Then we went up the bell tower, which in hindsite was a bad idea because it was open up there, and the wind and rain were fierce. It was so, so cold! But the view was amazing. We stayed up as long as we could bare it, then headed down to go to a museum.   The museum was actually great, but full of stairs, which really hurt my knee. But, I made it upland down about a billion stairs to see some amazing paintings, some huge swords, and some creepy dungeons. The museum was in an old palace, which certainly makes for an impressive setting!

After that it was time to meet up with the group for a gondola ride. Ange and I chose not to go, and I'm glad we did. It was so cold a dark! Instead we went and did some shopping for Ange. Then, back to the group for dinner.   It was our farewell dinner, and everyone was in a good mood. I had an excelent night and nice food. I haven't laughed as much as I haven this tour for so, so long. Andy is a lot of things, but funny isn't really one of them. Anyway, laughing is great :) after dinner caught the ferry back to the bus, and drove back to the hotel. Because it was the last night, everyone wanted to hang out together. I don't think the hotel was too keen on it, but we all managed to get together for a while. Ange left quite early. I really like her, but I don't think she's a very social person, and has a bit of a bad habit of looking down on people who she doesn't like much. But anyway, I hung out with Frank all night, until he left at 5.30 this morning. So I didn't sleep at all apart from a couple hours between 5.30and when the bus for Rome left at 7.30. I did pretty well saying goodbye to everyone, and managed not to cry. I kind of had to leave Frank waiting for his bus alone though,  because if I waited with him would have cried. So, sorry Frank, I wasnt running away from you, I just didn't want to cry all over you.  

So, I'm now about halfway back to Rome. I'm looking forward to being back there, I really love that city. I'm going to take it easy for a couple of days before I fly to Egypt, both to recover from contiki and to rest my knee. And to try and sort myself out emotionally. I seem to be wanting something very different now from what I thought I wanted a week ago. Possibly its time reassess the plan. Or make an entirely new one.

*      *      *

Ok, made it to my hotel in Rome, and now I'm crying. Feeling the comedown from such fun group travel, I guess. And, of course, saying goodbye to Frank. I'm not sure what to do about that one. Well, I know what I want.

Ok, Sam's five things on contiki Italy:
1) Frank, hands down.

2) Ange and Vicki, awesome friends.

3) Thunderstorms in Florence.

4) Gelato.

5) the Vatican

Naples Thursday

So, I actually arrived in Naples yesterday, but didn't feel like blogging. I caught the train down from Rome, it only takes two hours. I was actually kind of scared to come to Naples as everyone I spoke to was like "you're going to Naples alone? Watch out, I got pick pocketed there!", or something similar. Or yelled at or followed or whatever. Well, it is WAY different to Rome, but I don't feel that it's all that much more dangerous. I was halfway convinced half my stuff would be stolen and I'd be harassed by men before I even left Napoli station, but I haven't had a problem so far. It's much more tightly packed than Rome, and much more run down and scrappy. A lot of people in Rome smoke, but walking down the stretch in Naples is like having your own cigarette! Seriously, the secondhand smoke is intense. There's also, much to my surprise, and crap ton of black people here. Like, really really dark skinned. Not what I was expecting at all. They don't seem to be tourists, either. Not sure what that's all about.

Anyway, I got to Naples no problem and found my hotel without fuss. It's ok, not amazing, but clean and there's a bed and hot water, so no complaints here. I checked in and thenwent for my customary checking out the area walk. I ended up in these twisting tiny back alleys full of rundown shops, motor scooters, and people's washing hanging from windows and balconies. The Naples you see in pictures really does look like that! My knee was starting to hurt again, so I walked home, bought a pastry dinner and called it a day.

Today was the day of my Pompeii tour! I went and got this special Nepalese pastry for breakfast called sfogietelle. It's sort of like many layers of file pastry around ricotta cheese. After much examination, I think my ricotta had orange peel in it. I liked it at the time, but felt Carrick very soon after, and now even the thought of eating any type of pastry is making me feel nauseous :( after eating I went to thick up point for the tour and hopped in the van. There were three other people on the tour, one guy from New York, and a mother and daughter from New Jersey (but actually from Colombia). They were all really nice. The guide was Italian, but he spoke excellent English. At first I though he was going to be no good, but he turned out to be really, really great! I never got the chance to ask him, but I think he might have had a degree in Roman history or something because he was amazingly knowledgeable and passionate about the ruins at Pompeii. I was impressed.

The ruins themselves, from 2, 000 years ago, were equally amazing and impressive. I can't really explain what it's like to see, touch, and walk on history like that. The paved streets, the pillars, the mosaics, the walls! All really very intact and you could tell what they were. We saw restaurants, houses, gyms, a spa, and a bordello! Inside the bordello there were even fully preserved pictures of sex positions that apparently acted as a menu. Men just popped in after the spa, pointed to the picture they wanted, paid, and off they went. I really loved the ruins at Pompeii and would definitely go back again.

Oh! And I almost forgot. We also saw two statues of people from ancient Pompeii. When they died from the volcanic ash, it covered their bodies and made kind of a shell. Scientists used these shells as moulds to makes replicas of the people. They are pretty creepy because the people knew they were suffocating to death so they're no exactly laughing and smiling, but they are just grey statues not realistic wax models anything, which I'm grateful for.

After the ruins, we had lunch. I had pizza and it was total crap. Then we drove up mount Vesuvius, which was EXTREMELY long and windy. I got super car sick :( Again. But, anyway, then we walked about 20 or 30 minutes up to the crater. It was a bit of a steep climb, but not too bad. It was cold because it was so high. The crater was awesome. It's still active, so there is steaming up out of it. Also, the hole it blew in the top of the mountain... through all that rock. It's like just a big direct hole in the top of the mountain. You can clearly see all the layers of rock going down into the earth. Pretty awe inspiring.

Then the drive back down the mountain, another round of car sickness, and we were back in Naples. I'm still feeling pretty nauseous, so maybe no dinner for me tonight. But in the morning I have plans to visit 'da Micheles', the famous pizzeria from Eat Pray Love :) Apparently you often have to wait for over an hour for a table but the pizza is simply amazing. After that, I'm going to a top notch gelato place and then going to check out the botanical gardens. I'm o.d-ing on the history a bit, so a park might be great :)

And last, but not least, I bought a brace for my knee. It really helped today, though the walk down the mountain was not so good. I will keep mountains to a minimum and hope it gets better :)

Food tour Tuesday

Oh my gosh, today was amazing! I went on a day long walking tour of an old Roman district with a focus on trying real, high-quality Italian food. Man, was it worth it! I got to try real versions of everything I wanted to eat in Italy! And it was all so so good! The group of people was also great, everyone had a real passion for food and was really interested in it, and were friendly and nice. I waste only one who was travelling alone and everyone seemed to think that made me super brave and super interesting. I guess when I sum up my current life in a few sentences, I do sound rather unusual. One lovely Canadian Chinese couple took a real shine to me, and actually asked me atone of questions and it was so refreshing to speak to people who wanted to have a conversation rather than just talk about themselves. Great!

But, on with the food! Well, first of we went to a bakery and tried a cornetto, which is a little bit like a croissant but not really. It was lovely! And then we had mini tiramisu cups! It was little tiramisu in tiny chocolate cups, all edible. They were delicious! Then we walked around the corner to one of the top 3 pizza places in Rome and tried a slice of pizza magherita. They drizzled it with olive oil before serving it, olive oil that had been pressed fresh only 10 days ago! It was so good!

Then, back around the corner to the first ever specialty food store in Rome. We tried pecorino cheese, which is from sheep's milk. It had real truffles in it, I really liked that one. Then we had real parmesan, prosciutto, and salami. My fave, fave, favourite was the prosciutto. It melted in your mouth, it was amazing! Then we went into the store and some people bought some stuff, but I just tried some samples of 5, 10, and 15 year old balsamic vinegar. Oh my god.it started out great, and the older it got it almost became magical!

After that we went to see some sites nearby like a beautiful cemetery, the old abattoir, and a couple of other things. Rome and it's history are really fascinating. Then we went to an outdoor market where we tried some bruschetta - and learned how to pronounce it! And then tried some for real buffalo mozzarella! It was so different to anything I have ever eaten that's been called mozzarella. Then we tried canoli. It's a fried pastry tube filled with ricotta and chocolate chips, then lightly dusted in crushed pistachios. I'd never had it before, and it was on my list of must try things for Italy. Everyone raves about it and how great it is, and while it was nice, I didn't think it was that great. These were apparently very high quality ones. Guess it's just not my favourite thing.

Anyway, then we went and tried suplli, which is a kind of fried rice ball. I'd describe it as a risotto croquette. The flavour was great! They were beef and parmesan. Then it was lunch time. We went to a little pasta place and tried three kinds of pasta, but I forgot all their names. One was a cheese and black pepper one, one was a spicy tomato one, and then a more classic tomato one. I actually didn't find them that great. They were my fourth attempt pasta now, a d I think I'm going to have to conclude, I just don't like it that much. They just seemed a. It bland and had nothing exciting in them.

Then, out last stop was the oldest gelatteria in Rome. They've won government recognition and been making gelato for 4 generations! I had two Labour's, which is normal here. I got chocolate and pistachio. Both were wonderful. The texture is what really does it. Thick and creamy and amazing. Though, the place I managed to find yesterday was pretty close to the same quality as far as I could tell.

And that wrapped up the food tour. I walked back to the station with the Canadian couple, and then I went back to the cemetery we had visited to take some photos and get followed by a very beautiful cat :) Then I made my way home. I am not going to need dinner tonight!

Fantastic day in Rome! I'd definitely recommend doing a food tour of some kind quite soon after arriving, just so you know whatnot should be looking for! I know so much more now! So good!

Pantheon Monday

I didn't make it to the restaurant I wanted last night because it was closed. I ended up at a different one and tried the spaghetti carbonara. It was ok, but not very exciting. I don't think it was a very good quality one.

This morning, for breakfast, I got a slice of pizza to go from a 9lace just across the road. I got garlic and rosemary potato pizza, just like mum makes! It was really nice, they sure make good pizza bases here. Then I went and caught the subway back to the Trevi fountain area. I had a good walk around and managed to find the gelato shop I couldn't find yesterday. Good reason I couldn't find it, for such an acclaimed place, it barely had a sign outside, just a single door and a tiny sign. Not what I was expecting. Anyway, I was to early, it didn't open until 12, so I went and hung out by the fountain some more, and then walked to the pantheon.

The pantheon was really cool. It's the biggest reinforced concrete dome in the world, and parts of it date back to 2, 000 years ago! For real. It has these huge pillars outside and inside is a big dome with a hole at the top to let light in. It used to be a church to the ancient Roman gods, but about 500 years after it was built, the Roman Catholics took it over and made it for them. It's lucky they did, because a lot of the buildings they didn't take over got destroyed. The pantheon is really very cool! I had a walk around the dome, and then just sat in the pews for ages. The space was so huge, and it's low season for tourists, so it wasn't too crowded at all.

After all that, it was about 12.30, so I went to get some gelato! I chose just simple chocolate flavour, because a lot of the rest were sorbet, and I don't go a bunch on fruity ice cream. It was such good ice cream! It was like really good quality chocolate mousse turned into gelato. Thick, but also light, and the texture was so smooth. I enjoyed it a lot. Then, I was still hungry, so I went to a restaurant for lunch. I finally had some gnocchi! It wasmy 3rd pasta dish here, and while it was pleasant, I'm starting to see a pattern. None of the dishes I've had so far have any real distinguishing flavours. Theye are nice, but ma tad bland and tasted the same the whole way through. Mum, your gnocchi, ravioli, and carbonara are nicer than what I've tried here! I've a suspicion that is probably because I'm eating in tourist areas, though.

It's a bit difficult not to eat in tourist areas when you are a tourist! So, tomorrow I've booked a walking tour of a district of Rome, and the focus is on trying a whole bunch of good food! I have high hopes for this and am really looking forward to it. Tonight I'm going back to try the restaurant I wanted to go to yesterday. I'm not very hungry, and I saw they are serving prosciutto melone, which is prosciutto wrapped around melon pieces. I've read it's good, so I'll go try it.

Ok, off to get some of that now!