Its takes tremendous effort to cajole myself to log into this site and continue blogging. After nearly three decades of existence I dont have answers to most of the questions. So with 4 days of holidays I knew such questions would haunt me again when I'm alone and doing nothing I decided I would step out of my hotel room, more precisely my hotel bed and venture out into the streets of some city where I vent been to. So I went out to check with travel agaents whether there was any scope for last minute planners like me and all the damned tours to any known destination where I wanted to go were booked. I went to the main station, saw a big queue and it was too much of an effort to stand there and find out if I would get any tickets. I came back disappointed and called up my friend who (like me) preffered to sulk alone rather than take pains and travel around.
My senior colleague sensed this frustration and sat with me to check tickets on the net. Although I was not so keen we saw quite a few options I was in no mood to embark on a trip all alone. Just in a moment of madness (or sanity I would say) I entered my card details and I had booked flights to Rome. Now I was trapped, I could not cancel the tickets or else I would lose the money. I booked a hotel room somewhere on the outskirts of Rome and left office at 10:00 p.m. I had to get up at 2 a.m, catch the bus, reach the airport to catch the six o' clock flight. I knew this was not exactly what I wanted to do but the damage was already done. Called up home, my mom would have loved to come, may be someday I manage to do that as well.I was on the Indian equivalent of Deccan air, it is called Ryan air. I coud see people hurrying to get the best seats, so I guess its no different here as we see in our country. Reached Rome at 8'o clock, still half asleep checked out the map/directions to the hotel as if I'm a great navigator.I had no clue , went to the nearest bus stop and decided to check the maps available on the bus stop. Finally when wisdom struck I decided to move my butt around and speak to the Italian bus official and he told me I was standing right in front of the bus which would take me to the hotel.
I checked in, took another train to San Petro, yeah St. Peters Square but without a camera. Not that I'm a good photographer but there are a few people who would still want to see the pictures clicked by me.So I went back to search for a camera, bought one (some italian duped me as I found out it wasnt as costly compared to what I would ve got here) and managed to floor it as well (within 2hours of buying a new camera). Once I'd the camera, clicked and clicked for any thing that came in sight and the disastrous results have already been uploaded and shared with family and friends. The weather was excellent but I had a winter jacket with me and one swedish aunty asked me whether I was comfortable in that jacket or did I feel so cold . I told her I ve been from India last week; so its a big change for me and yeah she got the point. I was sweating inside the jacket and was cursing my bosses who'd lured me into buying that damn jacket because they told me the winter would be severe. Thanks to global warming I ve never had to experience such climes for quite a long time.
Next day I met the same sewdish couple, we were waiting for the bus and we were staying in the same hotel. Normally Indians are known as the inquisitive types, the moment somebody gets friendly questions like where do work, are you married, how many chiildren, where do you work oh how much do you earn etc. pop up in your mind. But I thought I would control myself and started talking about the weather. But to my surprise after I told my whereabouts they told me their daughter got married to a Niger in Germany and waiting for his visa clearance so that that guy could join their daughter in Sweden. And the next question from the Swedish aunty do you have a girlfriend? Why was the f* bus late? Then I came up with a lame reply, I have been travelling..blah blah..then I thought if a niger could be accepted in their family, I was tempted to ask if they had another daughter!!! Thankfully the bus was coming and I was off to Pisa.
Pisa was a small town,as soon as I stepped out I thought I could see some big tower, but it was just an ordinary town. This time I didnt have a map, so decided to follow the information (i )sign ; was thinking it so easy to find your way in these cities, just go to the information desk, tell where you want to go and you have all the information you want. Finally after 2 mins of following the i sign I reached the office and it was closed!!! SoI kept walking and went into a newspaper mall, he gave me the precise directions and was putting more than 100 percent to explain how to reach that place where the leaning tower is..but in Italian. So after walking for 2 kilometeres and following the crowd I could see the tower. Yeah the tower is leaning, so what I dont understand architecture but my mom would not have appreciated if I had made her travel this far to see a slanted tower. Sometimes I think there are quite a few buildings in India, in fact my hometown Kalyan (yeah I'm not proud of it!!) which could be interesting to tourists from outside. Probably we dont market these things properly. Apart from the tower there was a church, a cemetery and a museum. I did not waste time in the museum, took some pictures and was back on my way to catch the train. I was wondering why I'd to spend 8 hours on a train to see this.
Finally it was Easter Sunday, I would have loved to be at home. I was trying desperately to get into the St. Peters square to get a glimpse of the Pope. But I could see him only on the screen. This is the second time I'd failed to see him ; last time the Pope had stirred up a controvery by commenting about Muslims. Hopefully these kinda things will not happen in future and world can live in peace.Oh yes Í have started watching CNN again; bombings in Baghdad,they dont take a break and elections in France ..who cares, and the same stories every hour. Coming back to Rome it was around afternoon I deciced I should get back to the airport even if I'd quite some for the flight. On my way back an american couple asked me the way to Fontana di Trevi. Normally the first impressions people have about me is very good! She explained thats where we throw the coin and make a wish. Suddenly I was interested and I had more than 2 hours to waste before I could go back to the airport. On my way to Fontana di Trevi I was thinking how many coins I should put in the fountain, I' d decided I would put in atleast a dozen coins. When I reached the place it was crowded like anything, as usual I clicked, saw people putting coins, decided that these I have grown up for these things and walked away.
I was happy, I'd spent the 4 days meaningfully and my dad had called up to say that it was a great blessing that I gotta chance to spend the day at St. Peters on a Easter Sunday. He didnt know that I was just admiring what God had created more than anything else!
