A Whirlwind Tour

10/25 - San Felice Circeo to Terracina - 9.47 miles

Waking up early, I powered through the entire day's walk without stopping for water or food, and ended at the train station. From there, I hopped a bus to Monte San Biagio, a train to Roma Termini, a bus to Piazza Mancini, and one more bus back to Greg's house. In three hours of walking plus four hours of public transit, I was back where I had just been one week before. Why did you go back, Pat? Couldn't take it anymore, wussy? Of course not. I came back for the best of reasons: a party.

Dressing and showering in a hurry, I barely spent fifteen minutes back at Greg's before we hopped in his car and headed in the pouring rain (good thing I stopped when I did!) to his friend Marco's house, who was throwing a birthday party for our friend Sabrina. Coming back to Rome after a week felt a bit like a homecoming, and amidst the warm greetings and playful banter, I experienced a sense of belonging that was truly delightful. Glad I came back!

So, between manning the BBQ (a place of honor, second only to manning a keg, given to me because "we Americans do this all the time"), eating, dancing, champagne toasting, chanting, and general partying, I managed to pull another 5 AM night, even with the strategically placed Saturday evening extra hour. The picture to the left says it all, I think.

10/26 - A bonus day in Rome

Well, there was no way I was going to do any walking, not after the previous night's debacle, so I took full advantage of a lovely sunny Sunday in Rome. First, I had my first taste of home with Morgan, a friend from San Diego and an exchange student in Rome. Wandering around the city, I filled her in on some of those cultural secrets that one only earns from long hours spent "on the ground," chatting with locals in their own language. She gave me a fresh student's perspective on this crazy town, and I was proud of her for eschewing the Florence Amusement Park student experience for the real deal. After a few hours, I let her go study for midterms, wandered a bit by myself, and at 4PM joined up with Greg for Sabrina's Palazzo Spada tour.

When that was over at around 7PM, Greg and I sped to his friend Claudio's house, who was throwing a small get together. Since Claudio had a working piano, it was like flies to you-know-what for me, and I soon was a hit with the other guests, who warmed up to that eccentrically dressed American kid. I ate extremely well, talked surrealism with a high-school art history teacher, told the (abridged) walking story, and generally had a pleasant evening, a sorely needed change from the crazy party the night before.

And that, my friends, was the Rome Whirlwind Tour.