Italy - Rummaging in Rome.

I left Orvieto, without any homosexual trauma's, and a full stomach.

To Rome ! (a city I had always wanted to see).

I found it pretty spectacular, it has to be said.
It got all my historical nerd juices flowing, that's for sure.

I loved the place. The whole city was just organized chaos.

I even managed to get into The Vatican, for a look see.

It is the first, (and only) building I have been inside that took my breath away.
Literally.
I had never seen this level of artistry in my life.
(I still couldn't correlate it with religion, but WOW! - what a building).

After a couple of days there, my legs seriously ached from all the walking. My feet were suffering to. I must have covered 30 miles, discovering the place. History was everywhere.

And so were fountains.
My bright orange T-shirt, with green stains, now got a whole new lease of life. You could hardly seen any green smudges!

I also took a break from my usual diet of fresh bread, and olives.
I went on a fast food run!

Having a Mc'D's sounded very attractive, (youth is wasted on the young) especially when I spoke to some other travelers I had met up with - and one Macca's in particular.

At the end of each night, they threw out all the stock. It was a city central McDonald's, and very busy.
Hence they had a lot of stock from the shelves to throw out that was unsold, at closing time.

10 full bin liners- in the dumpster.
10 travelers in the dumpster, 30 seconds later.

Everything on the menu was within these bags. Multiples of everything.
All piping hot and ready to eat.

It seemed rude not feast!

After my second big mac and french fries, and third fillet'o'fish, I decided that fresh bread, olives, and hams was a much better proposition.
(although I did keep a few apples pies, for later).

I was getting itchy feet ( well not some much itchy as downright painful and blistered).
Time to move on south, to find a way to Greece.
Being the geographical whizkid I am, I realized that I had to get onto the other coastline of Italy, to be nearer to a port with a Greek destination.
Looking on map, there was a motorway from Rome, to a place called Pescara. I had never heard of it, but it was on the right coastline.

I trudged out of the center of Rome to find a way to the correct motorway. ( my perusal of maps stopped when I saw the motorway number and the destination, so it was it's own adventure just finding the motorway)

My feet were in such a state, I never actually made it that night.
A park was a way more welcome destination, for my feet, than any road.

The morning after, I continued on my search for the said motorway.
Has it happened, it was a whole three hundred yards from where I had slept.
Good - that meant an early start, hitching. (always recommended).

After only 20 or 30 minutes hitching on the entrance to the motorway, an Alfa Romeo pulled up. A old, sporty, alfa romeo.
Not the usual vehicle I normally encountered whilst hitching.

Still only speaking a few words of Italian, I pointed to the sign 'PESCARA'

"Si, si Pescara," The very happy chappy shouted to me. Everybody in Italy shouts – all the time.
Lovers get ruptured eardrums in Italy, when whispering sweet nothings to each other.

I got a very good vibe from this guy. He was very happy. I liked happy.
I got in the car.

What I actually got into, was the craziest, zaniest hitch ride, I had ever experienced. (ever, in my life)

It was mind blowing !

to be continued...