Rome, Rome, Rome (Days 1-3ish)
Greetings from Rome!
I suppose I should start by saying that David and Pel will murder me if I do not keep this up. Therefore, feel free to remind me of the untold horrors that await back home if I seem to slack off.
Travel (Days 1 and 2):
British Airways treated me fairly well all told, but their entertainment options need work. When a crowd is trapped in tiny seats for more than nine hours, you need to give them more than mediocre comedy films and old episodes of "Friends." Note to self: Fly Virgin Atlantic next time around.
Aside from the plain movie fair and the sharp, leg-cramping foot rests, I really can only complain about one other thing during my cross-Atlantic adventure - Now, if World of Warcraft has taught me anything, it's how to sit still forever. The challenge this time around was doing so while being barraged by the noxious fumes of the most flatulent man in the world. EXP: 150
The Centro (Day 2ish):
The Centro is cozier than expected and everyone seems very friendly. There's a good mix of first time travelers and Rome experts -I think I just saw a bird fall out of a tree- so I don't feel completely out of place. The rooms are small and modest, but they have tons of storage space and pretty views (see top picture).
There are many extraneous bookshelves with abandoned paperbacks of past students - everything from old textbooks to a collection of Star Trek novels (It's one thing to enjoy Star Trek novels, it's quite another to bring six to Rome). Then there's the library, of course, the computer room, and a delightful garden.
The first floor has some classrooms as well, the second and third are housing, and the fourth is a multi-purpose place with lots of windows, weights, and...other stuff (or so I'm told, I haven't really checked it out).
The neighborhood is pretty quiet, reminiscent of a more residential part of San Francisco - tall apartment buildings, cafes, restaurants and a huge park (where I am now watching some ravens and about a billion dog walkers).
Exploring for Food (Day 3):
Waking up at five, contrary to the belief of many retirees, holds little charm. After appropriate amounts of internet lazing, I went out to forage for the super market. I found two cafes instead. One tomato, mozzarella, and arugula grilled panini and a warm, chocolate-oozing croissant later, I have decided that super markets are over-rated.