March 3: Rome to London

St Peter's in the rain

Amanda and I must have either used up all our luck in the first days of our trip or seriously offended some Roman god. We had a new roommate in the snorer's bed, and were really excited. Unfortunately for us, turns out he was just as bad! He got in at 2am and within 30 seconds was sawing logs like Paul Bunyan. Unlike the other guy, shaking his bed, slamming the door and opening the window had no effect. He just kept on snoring. It was so bad. He, mercifully, shut up around 4:30 but started again at 6 so I just got up, took a shower and used the computer till the proprietress set out breakfast at 7:30. I read my wonderful book, one I got at the international bookshop at Termini Station, called "Inkheart" while I munched on the excellent croissants the proprietress had set out for me along with different yogurts, toast, orange juice, chocolate flakes cereal and tea and coffee. It was such a lovely breakfast after an awful night. Amanda came out at 8:30, shaking her head and saying he had gotten worse after I'd left. Yikes. That just can't be healthy. We packed up and left our stuff to the side and left the hostel around 10. It started raining just as we walked out the door (figures-again, sorry to whatever god we displeased!). We walked to St Peter's Basilica, just because we had time to kill and had done just about everything there is to do. When we got there it had just started pouring. The line, we were surprised to see, wound all the way around the bare space outside the church. When we had come last week, the line had been minuscule. It must just be super busy on Saturday mornings close to Lent. Instead of waiting for hours in the pouring rain, we snapped a few pictures then hit the tourist shops for souvenirs. I got a cloisonne bracelet for myself, a St George medal for Erin, and some pretty little charms for my little girl cousins. We walked to the Frigidarium for one last cup of gelato for "lunch" (by this point it was noonish) and I had cookies and double dark chocolate, dipped in chocolate. It was so amazing. We wandered home slowly, stopping for a green and yellow Carnivale mask fridge magnet for our collection of foreign magnets on our London fridge.

St Peter's

This is the amazing apple pastry I bought because
 I had way too much small change and needed to lighten
my purse. It was incredible.

We had literally nothing left to do in Rome and it was pouring so we picked up our stuff and bought tickets to the airport. As luck would have it, there was a train about to leave at the far end of the station, so we ran all the way over to catch it. We were at the airport by 2. We had hoped to get earlier tickets back to London because our flight didn't leave till 7 but the nice lady at the desk couldn't change them because of a new rule, so now we're camped out here in front of a window. It's sunset and very pretty, and a young Muslim man is praying on the floor nearby. This has certainly been quite a trip! Italy is quite the place and I have had a lovely time here, though now I am pretty darn exhausted and very ready for home sweet London.