I arrived in Rome just before 9pm. I had arrived to the one place I wanted to be the most. I'm not even sure why I wanted to see Rome so badly but when I get my mind set on something I won't let it rest until I do it. California was my dream to live and Rome was my dream to visit. I pulled out my camera and zoomed in to Mitch's directions of the hostel Hotel Beautiful that I had snapped a picture of earlier. The directions said once you exit the train station via Marsala street and turn right. I memorized the next few steps so that I wouldn't have to pull out my camera again. I had been told that around the Rome train station was the worst area for crime and pick pocketing. I repeated the streets over and over in my head. Out via Marsala, right out of the station, left on via Milazzo, number fourteen. When I reached the streets of Rome, I released a big sigh of relief. It was everything I was hoping. The streets were lined with canopies hanging off every restaurants and outside seating. Each building had beautiful colored shutters and flowers on every corner. Now I know why my stop in Naples was so necessary. I had went from The magical city of Florence to the slums of Naples, now I'm back to beauty. I think I may have under appreciated Rome had I not just come from a poor, high crime, high anxiety area. My comfort level elevated back up to perfect. I walked the streets unafraid and strolled over to see how beautiful Hotel Beautiful truly was. I wondered if the hostel would be too big to find Darragh and Mitch.
I counted the numbers until I reached fourteen and read the big sign Hotel Beautiful. I entered a large entryway with marble floors. I climbed the staircase that led me to the reception and laughed. This was nothing close to beautiful. Calling it beautiful was a cruel joke. The walls were a tacky green sponge paint and the common area was a tiny room with one loveseat. At the hostel Becca booked for me in Florence our common area was a beautiful terrace with flowers and a stone water fountain. This would be an interesting experience for sure.
Walking to the check in counter I saw what appeared to be Mitch turning the corner just as I was walking up. I yelled his name and he popped his head back around. He was happy to see I made it. It almost seemed unsure if I would survive on my own without them. Mitch and Darragh were headed to the market to pick up beer so I handed him five Euros and put in my order.
While waiting in line to check in, a couple from Holland said they were hoping to get a room because the last two hostels they checked were full. I suddenly didn't care just how not-beautiful this hostel was, I needed a room. When Becca booked my hostel for Rome, we didn't know what day I would arrive so reserved it for August 4th. Hopefully I got in this one just for tonight.
The host called me next and luckily had a room. He was very mean and careless compared to all the other hosts. He was no Roberto that was for sure. Usually you get a tutorial, free breakfast, Wifi instructions and a tour. He slides you a key tells you curfew is at 2am and that you're lucky you get a room because it's very full and he gave me the best one. I asked for a locker and he said in a very upset voice "NO- no locker, very safe" I asked for Wifi and he sighed a very aggravated sigh and wrote down the password. I handed him twenty-five Euros and he took my passport to write down my information. He threw down my passport and said "Today is your birthday?!?" I nodded and he pulled open the drawer and handed me back five Euros. "You do not tell your friends I do this for you!"
Well it turns out the crab actually has a heart. I thanked him and headed up to my room. I had to climb the old stone staircase to the fourth floor. When I reached my room I knocked. The host only gives one key and the other travelers had checked in already.
As the door swung open there was a man standing before me. He looked at me in a way as if I was at the wrong room. I said hello. He said hello back. After an awkward pause, I told him this was my room too. Instantly the other two ran over and all three piled on top of each other. They did it in a way that was a bit predatory. Great, until now I was lucky with room mates. Now I was sharing a room with three slimy men who dressed like they were on the jersey shore. I asked where they were from and they said France. I walked through the cloud of cologne and set my pack down on the last empty bed. They asked what I wanted to do about the key situation since there was just one. I had never encountered this scenario before. Every other hostel gives each guest a key. I told them let's brainstorm. They stared at me and said nothing. I proposed that whoever leaves the room last will leave the key with the host at the front desk. They said it would make most sense if we just all go out together and come back together. This idea I did not like. It was my birthday, my friends were getting me beer. I just wanted to shower and meet up with Mitch and Darragh. I told them I had plans with friends and to go on with out me. I explained that I would be sure to just leave the key at the front. They asked where I met my friends. I went to respond and went blank. The last two days felt like two weeks. In one day I had been in Florence, Pompeii and Rome. I went to answer and replied "Venice- no, Pompeii-wait no- sorry" I got so confused and by the look on their faces they now thought I was crazy and made up the fact that I had friends. I finally blurted out "Florence" and then they headed to dinner.
The next guy I date is going to be happy. I have mastered getting ready quickly and efficiently. Every guy dislikes when girls takes forever to get ready. This trip has taught me how to shave my prep time in half. Traveling teaches you this little trick because you want to minimize the time spent in your room and maximize your time exploring. You don't want to waste a minute perfecting the curls in your hair. You want to shower, through on some clothes and eat gelato as soon as possible.
I headed back down to the common area to look for the boys. I turned the corner and five people were jammed in this little room. Mitch pointed to the fridge where my beer was waiting for me. I asked the host if he had a beer opener and he used his teeth. I laughed and told him it was not necessary to break a tooth to open my beer. He waved me away and proceeded. I thanked him for the very romantic gesture (jokingly). The boys toasted me another "Happy Birthday." We met a girl Chrissy in the common area. She asked where we had been traveling and we started telling her all the things we had done in Florence and Naples. Mitch and Darragh began sharing stories on silly things I had said over the last few days. Laughing, he told her at the station in Florence I proposed we take the train to Tuscany. This was an ongoing joke at my expense. They ragged on my geography because Florence is a city in Tuscany, where we currently were. I had thought Tuscany was a city and suggested taking the train there. Chrissy told us she was from Maine so the boys asked how she pronounced the word herb. While we were in Pompeii I was going on and on about how in love with the pizza we had in Naples. I boasted about how mozzarella, the prosciutto and the herbs were so flavorful. They laughed at me and corrected me on the pronunciation of "herbs" and how it included the letter "H". I told them in the states, the "H" is silent. They thought this was absolutely ridiculous. They said so do you pronounce it "Appy Birthday?!?" Now they were quizzing Chrissy on how she pronounced this ridiculous word. She replied "herbs, the H is silent" the boys threw their hands up in the air with disgust. Any opportunity they can prove that the Australian way is the best, they take. The boys went on to tell more stories about our hostel and the cheap wine we had and I had another moment. They had really become my friends and I was so happy to be drinking with them tonight on my birthday. The fact that they were recapping funny events from the trip, it made me really good inside.
I went back over to the counter and asked the host if he would open another beer for me. He raised his hand for me to wait and ran off around the corner. He brought back a bottle of what he called "special" vodka and handed me a cup. He made me a shot and wished me a happy birthday. I tried to shoot all of it but it was entirely way too strong. I thanked him and went back to my friends.
We drank a few more beers and then ran up to my room to put away my camera. As I was looking my door I jumped to the shuffling of the someone behind me. It was the host. He asked if he could talk to me for a minute. I told him I could not because my friends were waiting for me downstairs. He said in a pushy tone "only for one minute!" I repeated that my friends were waiting but he would not accept no. I took my hand and led me to the common area around the corner. He told me no one had made him feel this way and that I was very special.
I couldn't believe the level of creepiness this host was taking this conversation to. I cut him off and told him I was sorry, but I could not keep my friends waiting any longer. I dashed down the hall and hurried down the four levels back to the boys. They asked what had taken me so long and I told them I would explain en route to the bar.
We headed out to see what Rome's night life entailed. Mitch's tour guide position was temporarily off duty so Darragh led the way. We drank are beers as we got lost in the streets. This was so crazy to me that you could walk and drink in public. I told the boys about the host and Mitch said "You are like a sister to us" Confused, I asked him what he meant. He said that they look at me as a sister who they protect so noticed instantly when the host was being seedy. They said he was seedy as well as the French guys I shared a room with. I thought it was cute they referred to me as their sister because I felt very much like they were my brothers looking out for me. It was comforting to know that I had met such great people. What if the only guys I encountered were the French guys?
There was a reason Mitch generally led the way. We were now lost in the streets of Rome. Too proud to ask for directions, the boys were beginning to give up on finding the bar, it was approaching 12am. I asked an Italian and he immediately replied he did not speak English. I pieced a few words together and he said "Ahhh Si!" and pointed us in the right direction.
We approached a huge outdoor bar with neon green lights, tables and a Dj. Darragh ordered a few drinks and we sat down at a table with some Italians. At first they wanted nothing to do with us. They seemed annoyed. I asked where they were from and they were local. I told them I was traveling from California and now they grew really excited. The girl hit the two boys on the arm and said "California!" I was beginning to feel like a celebrity living in Cali. Everyone in Europe loves to hear this. They light up as I would if someone said to me that they live in Paris. Margo asked many questions and I told her she could visit me when she plans her next visit to the states. The Italian guys said they did not speak much English so we kept going through the Margo to translate. As the night went on, we all got better and better at having a conversation with each other. The guy was actually a lot better at speaking English then he led on, but told me he did not want to make errors and sound stupid. I told him I would never think he was stupid. At one point I looked around and it was quite the sight to see, we were all drinking and talking in each others language, sometimes even using Spanish as a common ground when we couldn't translate a word. The night had turned into something really unbelievable with our new company.
We had been talking for hours when I finally asked what time it was. It was a little past 3am. I asked the boys what we were going to do, it was past our 2am curfew! They were in disbelief. They grew very upset wanting to know why the host did not tell them this hostel had a curfew. We would be locked out and forced to sleep on the streets. I have no idea why they were not told this but I had no concept of time anyway. I had purposely not brought my watch or my phone to Europe. My job is constantly based on a tight schedule. Every minute of every day is dictated by my blackberry. In California, I always feel like I'm rushing. I go from the gym, to work, to every hour filled with conference calls where I'm rushing one person off the phone to join the next call. I leave from work to volleyball or to golf or whatever activity I have planned with my friends. I'm never not aware of what time it is and so one big thing I wanted for these next two weeks was to not know. Not be on an agenda, not be held to obligations. The hardest part of this new method was that I had to listen to my body on when it was time to eat. I have a set schedule of what time I eat breakfast lunch and dinner at home. Here, I would start to get weak and know it was time for my daily gelato. This was a fun way of doing things however it was not fun at the moment because in this particular moment, it meant I would be sleeping on the sidewalk.
I could read the severity of this situation on their faces. Throughout this trip the boys were always cool, calm and collective. They seemed really stressed about this curfew ordeal as we rushed through the city to get back. We reached the door at half past three and rang the door bell several times with no response. Mitch had the idea to ring the other hostel in the building in hopes they didn't have a curfew so they would buzz us in. He rang the buzzer once and the door instantly opened.
We now were much more at ease knowing we would not be homeless tonight. The boys walked me to the fourth floor and I confessed that I was very uncomfortable sleeping with the French. They seemed a little concerned to but promised me I would be fine. We reached my door and they hugged me goodnight. I quietly opened the door and I tip toed in the room. I heard the guys bed creak as they woke up from my entrance. I always trust my gut, and my gut was not liking this scenario. I raced out of the room and sprinted for the stairs. I called down to the boys to wait, they had already made it to floor two but came back. I told them I didn't trust sleeping in the room and they said they were talking about it on the way down and it didn't rest well with them either. Mitch told me he would sleep in my bed with the French and I would sleep in his bed next to Darragh.
Darragh and I climbed into bed and we whispered for a little bit because there were two other girls in our room asleep. He leaned in and gave me a birthday kiss. I've never kissed an Australian so this was a first. I kissed back and couldn't believe all the events that had happened in the last few days, hours even. We kissed a few more times and then he wrapped his arms around me and we fell asleep curled up together. Birthday officially ended.