we got to the train station bright and early this morning...realllllly sad to be leaving cinque terre so soon...but we had to get out before the strike! so we got to rome around noon, walked to the hostel, they couldnt actually check us in because all the comps had just stopped working, so we went and got some lunch and came back. still couldnt get into our rooms because they were being cleaned...so we STILL couldnt take showers...this is what...day 3?? gross

but we decided to forget about our stink and do some sightseeing...we walked over to the area with the colosseum and the ruins and got an audio tour of the colosseum. so neat! you really didnt want to leave through the south entrance if you were a gladiator...

and then we ran into more people we knew! two separate groups of people we had stayed with in florence! crazy small world...

then we walked over to the ruins and unfortunately decided against a tour..because we walked in and were just like, hmmm, thats an old thing, thats another old thing...oh dear. and NOTHING had signs!! but we did get to see some really neat old stuff! we made it up to the Palantine hill where there used to be ancient palaces and the home of Romulus! and we got to see the courtyard (pretty much the only thing left) where the vestal virgins lived...so pretty. we also ran into something that tiff said was a ring where they learned how to 'ride'...well what i heard was a ring where they learned how to 'write'...seemed a little fancy to me! the whole horse thing made it make a little more sense...

we walked till the police started blowing whistles and making us leave and then made the loooooong trek back to the hostel. finally we were able to get back into the room but it was 830 and free pizza time! ok...postpone showering for juuuuust a little more...

nina