So, approximately this time 10 years ago – fuck now I’m really showing my age – fuck - fuck fuck fuck – I was backpacking around Europe.
I wrote a diary (I’ve written diaries for everything basically), so thought it would be interesting to see what I did in Rome in 1999.
The diary was written mostly in the back of a tent or on a train, the writing’s pretty jerky. By the Rome leg, we’d been travelling for over a month already. Word for word:
16 August.
C2 and I passed out on the ferry trip all the way from Greece, GOD we were so hungover. I am so in love with Joffrey. It’s hard to leave Greece, shit!
Got to Brindisi. The thought of having to take a 5 hour train to Rome made me want to cry.
While waiting for the oke to pick us up for the train, we were eating gelato, and these two Italian okes in the tightest jeans you’ve EVER seen drive passed on a moped, and then suddenly do a u-turn when they see us sitting there.
They stop and make these shlurping noises while we’re licking our ice creams. Then making these very vulgar hand gestures.
We had to pretend we were lesbian, but they wouldn’t go away, and thought we might have to pull each other to make them go away. [How naive was 18-year old Peas??]. ‘Ah LESBI! WE LIKE!’ he reckons. FINALLY they left.
Oh my god, that TRAIN.
We were sitting in a full on smoker’s cabin, no windows and the air con was bust.
Saw something so classic though. These two Italians having a fight, and their hands were going everywhere.
Got to Rome and we booked into a unisex dorm, cool whatever. Pissed this one Chinese guy off though with all our giggling and shit. Rome is HOT man. It’s full on steaming in this place. Like Florence.
Was craving chocolate milk last night. We ate dinner in a parking lot. How did that happen?
17 August
Woke up fucking early. The heat. Also to go on this Vatican City tour.
On the day we decided to wear our shortest shorts we plan to hit the Vatican. We were shunted back to change, these Catholics are fierce with showing no skin. Who knew.
So ended up going in my cargo pants and this long t-shirt, bloody sweltering man.
And run all the way back to the hostel to change! God!
Plodded on through passt all this Micahelangelo/Christ/Raphael history that this woman was telling us about. We’re running out of money. All I could afford was a phallic shaped ice cream. Not cool for the Vatican either apparently.
Went to St Peters, this huuuuuuge church, the square, the museum and we SAW THE POPE!!! HE COMES OUT ON WEDNESDAYS, AND IT’S WEDNESDAY!
The oke looks a bit frail, spoke in 11 languages to us in this hall. English was the tenth speech. Felt quite emotional, why? How weird?!
They need guards from Switzerland to be the security of the Vatican, because Italians can’t do it themselves/organise a piss up in a brewery. That’s quite funny I think.
The Sistine Chapel was completely overwhelming and just incredible that one man could do all that. Everyone is just looking up at the Finger Of God. Couldn’t believe I was seeing all this. Even though my neck had spasms afterwards.
Afterwards we took a metro to the Colosseum. Well it took about 5 tries, we took a few trains in the wrong direction a few times. I couldn’t believe I was seeing that in real life either. These horny Italians, GOD! These okes dressed up like ancient Romans wanted us to take pictures with them and were lifting their armour to show us their packages.
Can you believe it.
‘C’Mon baybeee take a peekshire…’ I won’t forget that in a hurry.
Wow. I have a feeling the next diary on Rome will be quite different.
8 comments:
Im sure your next diary will be different... you will see things slightly differently.. (closer to the lawn mower) but you will be you!
Im still 18 inside!
Levi - I'm hoping it'll read differently too - more eloquently at least :)
I wanna go backpacking and see the pope!!!!!
Serial, teaching English in China next year is seeming more and more attractive - then I could also write fabulous dairies about ladyboys and stuff.
Hey Peas.. off the topic but something for you? need to signup today cos there are only 7 seats left :)
http://www.27dinner.com/about-27dinners
Secrte - China, I'm sooo excited for you - you HAFTA to do it ok? If not for you, for me :) I'm hoping to do China - Hong Kong at least - end of year. DO IT! :)
Kate - thank you :) Yip have attended a few 27Dinners, but it HAS been a while since I geeked out at once, admittedly. Will look into it - thanks for the reminder! :)
Jerky writing in a tent and on a train???
Now the train I can understand, it moving, stopping and starting all the time...but the tent?
Like how boring was the nookie in Rome back then that you were able to Dear Diary while horizontal and superimposed???
Rev - hahahahahaha, I was WAY too innocent to even contemplate such a thing [with a stranger].
I left SA to go backpacking in 1993 and eventually settled down in Aus two years ago. I filled up a small box of travel diaries in that time, only to have my ex destroy them all when we split.
Now all my memories are in my head, in photos and in a small address book that got aftershave leaked all over it. Thanks to Facebook, I've caught up with some people that I travelled with!
Post a Comment