Back from Rome

Hey,

I'm back from Rome. It was a very good tourist trip there. We saw a lot (all of the main tourist attractions, but there is still so much more to see), and even though I was kind of sick, tired, cold, and it was rainy, we still managed to have a good time. The people who went were Lesley, Simon, Jocelyn, and Me. Rome definitely is a place you have to visit in the summer or late spring. I think they were doing a lot of work at tourist attractions for the upcoming rush. That was always kind of a disappointment in addition to the weather. I have been to Rome before, and there were things that were closed this time that were open back when I went before. For instance, last time at the Colesseum we were allowed to go on the wooden platform and even walk across the arena floor. This time, they sealed off a large staircase, undid the floor platforms, and didn't let anyone on the wood side. Eh. Oh well. Over all, we went and saw a lot of interesting things, ate at some good Italian restaurants. I still think that the atmosphere in Barcelona is one of the best. Rome had barely any night life.
One night there was this crazy guy near St. Peters and he would just curse at cars and the people in them as they came to the stop light. That was entertaining.

On the flight back to Stuttgart, I remember that Alex (a tall canadian here) says that everytime he flies he looks for the emergency exit aisles, because they provide the largest leg room. I tried to this time and I have never had a more comfortable flight in economy. Also, there was this big Italian guy who spoke some german across the aisle from me - he smelled like the Christmas nutcracker dolls we would play with and break at home when we were little. I dont know why, but it just did.

Next vacation:

California State University exkursion nach Berlin on Feb. 9-12. Look for pictures when I get back.
by the way, all the Rome pictures are up on my webshots site. The link is to the right of this.