Stranded in Rome (Complete story!)

I decided to blog this FIRST before I start to forget all the details. Afterwards I will blog about the Coloseum day and our last "vacation" day in Rome!

Friday after a nice day we were running a little late because of some VERY crowded subways. We had to rush back to our hotels (the Barreto's were a block away) and grab luggage and then rush back onto the even more crowded subway. It was standing room only and I managed to get wedged against the door between 3 nasty italian men and one woman. It was ridiculous how close we were- inches between our faces!! We were so late getting to the main train station that we didn't want to risk taking the airport train so we decided to spend another 50euros on a taxi ride. Lots of traffic as well (we're guessing because it was Friday) so we were STILL rushing. We had 10 minutes before boarding time! We go to the kiosk to check in and it says our flght was cancelled...what?? We had no idea why so we went to the baggage counter and the lady said we had to get in the mile long line at the actual ticket counter. That's all we were told. After waiting in line for an hour and a half we FINALLY got to the counter and he told us all flights were cancelled. We explained that Matt was army and would be put in jail (didn't think he'd know what AWOL meant) if he wasn't home by midnight. He said there was nothing to do and made some reference to an explosion but we thought he was speaking metamorphically. The man said he'd put us in a hotel for the night and we would be on the 1pm flight for Saturday. Before we left we asked why all the flights were cancelled and he said "You mean you don't KNOW?!" like we were insane. I laughed and said no we don't speak Italian and therefor could not watch the news! He then informed us that a volcano had exploded in Iceland and the ash in the air was halting all airplanes in Europe and over 5 million people were stranded. We were in shock. First off we couldn't believe the number and second we couldn't wrap our minds around why a volcano in freaking ICELAND was affecting us in ITALY?! We went outside and waited for the hotel shuttle. A bunch of chinese people from China Air jumped in front of us but thankfully an employee saw I was pregnant and had the bus driver reserve the first two seats for us. Our hotel was VERY nice and it felt so good to soak in a bathtub!!! Matt looked up information online while I soaked and then we watched CNN. At least then we understood what was going on. I was picturing a massive ash cloud like in the movies but it was microscopic dust keeping us grounded? Even more annoying. But we enjoyed the hotel room and they gave us free dinner buffet style in the ballroom. Little did we know what we were in for...

Saturday: we woke up at 7am to check at the front desk if they knew about our flight. They hadn't heard anything so we got online. At first the website didn't work but finally it said our flight was cancelled. We assumed that the airlines would just keep us at that hotel (according to CNN the European Commissioners Act states that airlines must provide lodging and food until they get your on another flight) but the front desk said we had to go back to the airport to get another voucher- and pay for the taxi this time there was no shuttle. They said we could leave our luggage there but if the airlines put us in another hotel (or refuse to pay for a hotel) we would have to taxi BACK to this hotel and get our luggage. So that meant packing up and dragging the luggage around, more money on a taxi, and another long wait in the airport lines again. At this point I just broke down. I was physically exhausted from the trip and now I was emotionally drained from the stress and worry. Matt held me while I cried and finally I calmed down and we got ready to leave. As we were about to walk out the door I sneezed and ended up peeing on myself!!! Oh that was just a marvelous lesson from God: when you think it's bad it can get worse so just laugh about it. That's all we could do. We laughed and joked about our future vacation story "So one time we went to Rome and then a volcano exploded and we couldn't get back home. No, not Mt. Vesuvius- a volcano in ICELAND! Oh and then a bunch of Chinese people stormed us on a bus. And then Keeley peed herself!!" Ah well.

Back at the airport 40euros later. The line is twice as long this time. Niiiiiice. I left Matt to go get some McDonalds to eat in the line. As I get on the escalator it broke. No lie. I just laughed again. It was that or cry but I don't like to cry in front of strangers. I walked up and got the food and came back and Matt was in the same exact place. He had made some friends though that also lived in Schweinfurt- small world! We waited around for a couple of hours and only moved about 10 feet. Matt went and found a wheelchair for me to sit in this time so it was much easier on me. Poor Matt on the other hand... then an airport lady tried to come and steal my chair! She tapped on me and said "Ma'am do you really need this chair" and I told her "well unless you want me to give birth on your floor then yes I do." I know not nice but oh well. Blame the hormones. She then walked away and came back with a cushioned rolly chair and said she would try and get me up to the front of the line- score!! I told you the Italians love preggos. That or she really was scared I'd have the baby in that never ending line! We tried to get our new friends up there with us by saying we were travelling together but it didn't work. This time the counter man said that they would not pay for our hotel anymore. I said I knew this was against the law and he said that the governments had passed an emergency policy that airlines only had to pay for one night in the hotel. I don't understand the point of the law if they can just change it when they want!! He booked us on a flight for Wednesday but said there was a high chance that it would be cancelled as well. I asked if he could at least help us book a hotel then and he said no that we could go downstairs to hotel accomodations. Guess what- another mile long line that wasn't moving!! At this point I kept trying to call back our previous hotels but the payphones were not coooperating for anyone so no luck there. Then I found an internet booth that you could use for a charge of course. While waiting for this I met another american family who was trying to get back to Germany. They were taking a train up to Vicenza, Italy where there is an american post. He had friends there they could stay with but that made me think that at least that hotel would be cheaper! The family was going to just puzzle peice trains together to work their way up north. This sounded great to me! Anything was better than sitting around the airport or throwing away double the price of hotels (lots of price gouging- it's ridiculous). A couple of hours later and more running back and forth across the airport we finally got on the airport train that takes you to the main train station. Again MORE rushing because the airport train left late. We run across the huge train station and then couldn't find our train ANYwhere. An information lady told us that we had the wrong ticket and that there wasn't a train for our ticket. Apparently the ticket I bought (using the machine) was an "open" ticket and you can use it whenever- which it does NOT say when you buy it. Instead it gave me a timeline on the machine. She said your best bet is to go talk to the train conductor of the Eurostar train (the nice train) and to hurry because that train left in 5 minutes. Apparently if we waited for the train we bought it would get us to Verona after midnight in which case there would be no more trains to Vicenza. >:-( I started to panic and we ran to that train. The conductor said no it was full absolutely not. I broke down. I mean I've never cried so hard and especially not in public. As we're walking away completely clueless on what to do I was bawling hysterically. The conductor was shouting sorry to us but I couldn't even turn around. I didn't want to hear about him being sorry. The he shouted "no no I'm sorry come back come back" EEERRRRRK (*brakes squealing*) still crying and hyperventilating we turned around and walked back and he said go onto coach 3. This was the cafe cart. There were no open seats in the cars on either side of it so we stacked up our suitcases and I sat on those. We had to pay another 50euros (on top of the 121euros we already paid) just to be able to ride on the floor of this train. Poor Matt tried to sit on the ground and the cafe man asked him to get up. He literally expected him to stand the 3hrs it would take to get to Verona! Eventually we were in the way where we were so I scouted out a place for us between cars 4 and 5that were next to the bathrooms and emergency exits. We each took a suitcase to sit on. Two of the conductors came and argued and pointed at us and then walked away and finally one conductor came back and said a man had given up his seat for me. I said I wouldn't go without Matt so he moved our luggage to the wheelchair area for Matt to sit on so I could still see him from my seat. After one stop we moved to empty seats but it turned out that one was occupied so back to our other seats. Then after the next stop there was lots of empty seats so we were able to sit together for the last 45 minutes of the ride. We got to Verona and had to wait for an hour for the next train. It had gotten a lot colder and it was sprinkling but we were so close we could taste it! We finally got on our train to Vicenza and dragged our suitcases down a dozen carts before finally coming to empty seats. Phew! We got to the train station at midnight and caught a taxi to post. Taxi driver freaked us out because he said there were two posts- one in town and one out. We had NO idea where we had to go so we took a chance and did the in town one. Taxi's here aren't allowed on post so he dropped us off at a gate and we asked the very unhelpful guards if the hotel was on this post. You'd think they didn't speak English they barely could help us! Finally another guard came up and said the hotel was 700 meters down the road on post. This point it was raining and cold and both of our suitcases each had a broken wheel. And the guard lied. LIAR! It was not 700meters away (according to Matt). The hotel was clear across on the opposite side of post (and we only found it by stopping at a barracks and asking the guy on duty). We finally got to the hotel just before 1am and the man at first acted like he wouldn't have room but then he must have saw the desperation and put us in nice room complete with a kitchenette (it was probably reserved for people PCSing). After another hot shower we fell into bed and slept hard. End of Day 2 of being stranded...

Sunday: well we woke up early to eat breakfast and walk over to the car rental place. Well that was a waste since they were closed on Sundays so we decided to walk around the PX before going up to the train station. I found a Vera Bradley diaper bag that I was satisfied if not thrilled with- another lady snatched one that I really wanted right as I walked up! We also enjoyed a nice lunch of Taco Bell and finally got a break from Italian food. While in line checking out we asked about the car rental place and a couple behind us overheard and said they were currently renting a car and it was about 60euros a day. Well you can't beat that! I decided that if it was really that cheap there was no point paying for another taxi ride up to the station that day. I wanted to talk to the car place first then if that didnt work we could just go to the station afterwards. At this point I was praying for a car. I was in a lot of pain and did NOT want to have to drag my suitcase around some more and sit in straight back train chairs for 10-12 hours!!! After this news we walked back to the hotel where we curled up in bed with a movie. I stayed in that bed pretty much the rest of the day/night except getting up to check the computer and use the bathroom. My amazing husband did our laundry in the hotel and even walked back across post to Burger King to get us dinner. After the past two days it felt good to just relax in a nice large hotel room with american tv, movies, and food! However that night I was having severe pain all in my lower abs, "down there," and my lower back. There was also LOTS of pressure pushing down everytime I was on my feet. I was feeling like I was about to start my period- so much so that I kept going to the bathroom just to make sure I hadn't. I was also having lots of contractions- some hurt while others I didn't notice except my stomach was super hard. In the middle of the night at about 3am I woke up because of a bad dream but then I felt my stomach and it was harder than a rock. I used the bathroom and my stomach kept tightening up. At this point I was very worried so of course I couldn't fall back asleep. I kept an eye on everything for about an hour then finally drifted back to sleep once I went about 30mins without a contraction. Somehow Matt managed to sleep through all this: my crying, the lights on, tv on, etc. Men!

Monday: the alarm went off early again so we could get to the car rental place right as they opened. After my rough night I was NOT happy about this. Matt also woke up with a stomach bug so that set us back a little bit. We walked back down to the car rental place with our hopes high that'd we'd be leaving there in a car and not walking back. Our hopes were dashed when the man said we can't drive the car out of Italy- it has to be returned to Italy. I nearly started crying again as we left there. We went back to the hotel to check out and drag our suitcases across post again to meet a taxi. The hotel lady said there were always a bunch waiting at the gate (which is how it is here in Schweinfurt) so we didn't bother calling one (the charge extra for that). Sadly she was mistaken and there were no taxis out there. We waited about 10 mins for one to drive by and no luck. I was hot, still sore, exhausted, frustrated, and now crying again. Matt went and found someone to borrow a cell phone and call a taxi. Back at a train station- a different station from the night we arrived- we got in line for a ticket. I didn't want to risk buying a ticket from the machine and having a repeat of what happened in Rome! We had looked at the schedule online before coming (both Tren Italia and Deutsche Bahn) and there were lots of trains throughout the day that could get us to Frankfurt, Munich, Bamberg, Schweinfurt, or Wurzburg. Not the case at the station. The man at the counter couldn't speak English (or wouldn't- he seemed to have no problems understanding us) and he refused to talk closer to the window so I couldn't even hear his italian mutterings. He showed us the computer screen that said 23:30 Munich so we guessed that was the only train to Germany (we kept asking this and he kept nodding). So then we walked over to the departure board which also said the same thing. So did the ticket machine. We were both confused and frustrated I'm surprised we didn't go beserk. I was going into the corner and crying so people wouldn't stare at me but they still did. I found another car rental company (Alamo) and they also wouldn't allow cars to leave Italy plus they didn't have any anyways. Then I found an information office where again the lady didn't speak English but she printed off the train schedule to Munich then another train to Frankfurt and told me to take it back to the ticket window and buy the ticket there. We were about to do this but I didn't want to sit around the train station for 12 hours so we got in line to buy the tickets and planned to go back to post in the mean time. Now the same man got us again and for some reason (we still don't clearly know why) he couldn't sell us a ticket. We don't know if it was all booked, cancelled, only 1 seat available- who knows! All we knew is that now we have NO train ticket as well as no car. So still crying we take our luggage back out to a taxi and head back to post. This taxi driver "Misunderstood" us and took us to a bank instead of post but finally we got back. Another long, hot walk back across post- this time to the USO. There we met a nice man who explained that the Italian news said all trains were booked to Germany so that's why we couldn't buy a ticket. He also said there were no rental cars available anywhere. We explained the problem we had been running in to and he said he might know a place off post called Buch Binder that might let us drive out of country. He said he'd drive us over to them after his assistant returned and in the meantime told us to come in and cool off and get some snacks and drinks. While we were waiting on him to take us Matt left to go get us some more Burger King for lunch. During that time a family came in asking to use the phone and they were trying to do the same thing. The man offered to take matt and the mom in that family out to this place to talk to them about renting a car. Then he called the company and was talking to them about it on the phone (I guess he decided he didn't want to waste a drive if it was pointless). Turns out he spoke perfect Italian and was able to find out that the company had a car big enough for Matt and I for 220euros for three days (they didn't do one day) and one for the other family of 3 for 330euros. THe catch was that while they had a company in Frankfurt for us to drop off the car they still charged to have the car returned to Italy- same price (aka we'd be paying double- 440euros). We said we'd be ok with this (anything to get home at this point) when the mom from the other family suggested we share the larger car (a "7" seater) and split the cost. This didn't help us out as much as them but it did save us some plus splitting the cost of tolls (which are very high in Europe) and gas. We had to wait around for about 2 hours because the car wouldn't be ready until 2:30pm then Matt and the mom went with the USO man to pick it up. It was a standard and apparently the mom couldn't drive it and the dad never said anything. We got the feeling it might have been partially blind but not sure. Either way at about 4:30pm we were finally pulling out of Vicenza!! The "7" seater "van" was actually a regular station wagon (the extra 2 seats could fold up in the cargo area). The family of three (mom, dad, and a boy who was probably 13) sat in the back, I was in the front, and Matt drove the whole way. The trip wasn't too bad- very pretty scenery actually. It was very awkward though because we were strangers and we made the usual small talk about jobs, living in Europe, etc but other than that it was silent. We had on the radio (not entertaining- Europeans love their 80s music) but still very quiet. 20 euros in tolls later we were in Austria and it was getting dark (about 8pm) so we pulled into a McDonalds to eat and get gas. After that we were back on the road and the whole family passed out but it was still awkward because then you didn't want to talk and wake them up (or have them listen in) and we didn't want to turn up the radio for the same reason. Finally at about 11pm though Matt and I were both dead tired and I said screw it- if we can't sleep neither can they! So I found a rock station and we turned it up just to stay awake. We got to Frankfurt at about 1pm and had to go pick up our car at the airport (79euros in parking yikes) and then attempt to find an open gas station to fill up the rental car before we could take the family to a hotel. In Germany it's pretty much impossible to find anything open after 8pm and gas stations are no exception. I did just about every gas station on my GPS and FINALLY (30 mins and many kilometers later) we found a pay at the pump gas station! I have never seen this in Europe and it's not the same as in the states. Thankfully the boy read German so he was able to help us eventually figure out how to use the stupid pumps. Now we had to find a hotel...thank goodness for the GPS! We got them dropped off at a hotel and then had to find the car place to drop off the rental. At 2am in downtown Frankfurt we were walking all around this stinkin rental place looking for a key drop off with no luck. We finally gave up and were gonna leave the keys in the glove box and the car unlocked (thank goodness Germany is so safe) but then when we went to throw away some trash I inspected the mailboxes of the company closer and one had the Buch Binder logo on it! It was large enough to slip in keys so that's what we did. at about 2:30am we were finally on the road back to Schweinfurt. I really had to tinkle and I was starving and exhausted so I wanted coffee but it's such a pain finding rest stops in the day that I didn't want to attempt it so I just sucked it up. Matt tried to sleep while I drove (although my singing to stay awake probably didnt help that) and we got to the base a little after 4am for Matt to sign in. We got home at 5am and after unloading the car we were both pretty delirious and being very silly. I tried to get online to update facebook that we were home but the laptop had died (we had to use it to charge the GPS while driving) and I was just too tired to dig out the cord. We crawled in bed and after giggling and being just plain silly we passed out. I don't even remember passing out. One minute we were giggling and I was kicking him and the next I was waking up to him kissing me goodbye when he left for work!

Tuesday: Matt had to get up at about 7am in order to shave off his long beard, shower, and dress for work. He had to leave by 8:30 to get there at 9am. I could not BELIEVE they made him come in. He was supposed to let his motorpool sgt know when he got back so instead of calling and waking him up (which now I wish he had) he decided to be nice and text him when we got home. He asked again if he could please come in at lunch time since it was so late but the sgt never responded. I slept til 1pm (well..I got up at 8:30, 10, and 11 to use the bathroom) and when I got up I called Matt. That's when I found out that his sgt had ripped him a new one that morning for "not trying everything to get home quicker" and calling Matt stupid for this. OH NO HE DIDN'T!!!!!!! I was screaming some not so lady like things on the phone and Matt just quietly listened. After calming down I said I'd be coming up there to get him to go to housing together. We thought this wouldn't be a problem since another guy was currently doing the same thing. Then while I was pulling onto post Matt called and said this same sgt wouldn't let him go to housing- even though he let another man!! I pulled into that motorpool and got out of my car, slamming the door, and was marching in there to give this sgt. a peice of my mind. Unfortunately Matt stopped me at the door where I continued to scream (so if he was in there he heard me!) and said if he didn't let me talk to him there I'd do it at FRG that night. Matt said FRG would be better and I would only make things worse for him. Of course logically I knew this but my hormones said well at least yelling at him would make ME feel better. I ended up going to housing alone but oh well. That cheered me up because we got the house we were wanting!! I did end up talking to the First Sgt. about what happened in Italy and what was said to Matt and she was just as upset. She was also mad that her message hadn't been relayed to us. Apparently Matt could have signed in to the post on Vicenza so that way he wasn't wasting his leave dates. We were never told this..hmmm... And like I told the First. Sgt- seemed to me that anyone who thought we were too "stupid" to figure out how to get home quicker must be prety ignorant themselves. All anyone had to do was open a newspaper or watch the news to see that all the trains and cars and planes were booked or not running. However these people probably didn't watch the news- too many big words for them to understand. She liked that ;0)

So that's our story. I still don't feel like you can truly understand the emotions that we went through and while some parts are funny to me now (i.e. peeing myself) other parts still make me want to cry (remembering the pain I was in Sunday/Monday draggin those suitcases back and forth across Vicenza). Something you just had to be there to understand. Overall a very eventful Spring Break. We won't be traveling for a loooong time now. And before we do we're buying some super badass luggage that basically wheels itself!! ;-)

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Rome Day 5: Coloseum, Forum, Piazza Venezia, & Pantheon

Today we took our time waking up and getting ready- very nice! We did some souvenir shopping and browsing before heading over to the Barreto's hotel. They and his parents were taking a train in from Pisa/Florence where they had been the day before. We actually beat them to their hotel (they had taxi issues) but eventually we all met up. Their bed and breakfast was larger than ours so it was nice to hang out for a few minutes in such space! They even had a kitchenette! Tip to travelers: if you're going to spend more than a few days somewhere the kitchenette is worth it! You get tired (and broke) of restaurants and fast food. We walked over to the restaurant that Matt and I had ate at the day before. This time I had a spinach ravioli in a cream and walnut sauce- yum! Matt got a chicken breast, potatoes, and spicy pasta combo- also yummy!!

We took the metro over to the Coloseum and purchased our Roma pass- another good investment! There was no line at the Coloseum shockingly so we walked right on in. In my opinion the Coloseum was pretty neat but not something I'll go back to. It was amazing to touch the walls of something that has been around for over 2000 years. Matt absolutely loved this place though and he took some great pictures. He and Barreto kept looking everywhere in the Coloseum to purchase the toy armor and sword so they could play in the Coloseum. Boys... So fyi if you too want to do this- buy the things before coming in!

After the Coloseum we checked out the Arch of Constantine which is between the Coloseum and the Forum. We went into the Forum and walked about a hundred meters in and looked around snapped a few pictures and decided that we were hot and tired (and there's no shade there) and we still wanted to see the Pantheon. The Pantheon is not located near a Metro and we didn't know the bus system well enough to figure out how to get there. We started to walk over to the Pantheon and on the way we stopped by the Piazza Venezia (the big white building that you always see in movies of Rome). More great pictures and a long not so easy walk later we found the Pantheon. I was too tired to enjoy the Pantheon much so I hung out on the bench with the Barreto's baby while everyone else walked around and took photos. Again I was slightly disappointed..what exactly IS the Pantheon? I'm guessing a church because of the relics and altars inside but my guide book didn't really say.

Next we had to find a bus stop and then a bus that actually went to the stop near the Hard Rock. Each bus that went there was jam packed so much that we couldn't all fit even standing!! FINALLY (45mins) a bus came and we were able to get off at the correct stop this time! Since we had such luck using my preggo belly and getting a table the last time we went to the Hard Rock my friends decided to shove me inside to get the table. Surprisingly it actually worked again!! I was doubtful since they were even busier this time and the host was a woman (hostess) this time. But they gave us a large table right away- absolutely no wait! We were excited about this. We were hot, tired, and now starving. We split the most amazing nachos ($18!! this was not worth it to Barreto's parents but as we explained when you've lived in Europe for nearly a year it was DEFINITELY worth it!!) and then Matt and I each tried a different burger- mine was much better than the time before.

Our day ended taking a train and walking over to the Trevi Fountain to see it all lit up. On the walk there we all stopped and got some Gelato- not as good as the time before though. The Trevi Fountain was very crowded but very beautiful to see. We all threw in our coins while videotaping (well I threw in 2 coins since Matt missed the first one!) Rick Steve's only gave the Trevi Fountain a 2 star at night but in my book it was a 3!! Finally we all made it home at about midnight- phew! A great but busy day :0)

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Rome Day 4: Vatican City!

Today we moved back to our original hotel. This time he put us in a back room that “overlooked” the courtyard. Actually it overlooked an air conditioning vent and a ladder- you couldn’t even see sunlight or get any fresh air in the room! Boooo. The room was also awkwardly shaped but oh well. After dropping off our suitcases we walked down to the Vatican Museum. We were bombarded by people trying to sell tours and claiming that St. Peter’s was closed and the wait for the museum was two hours. THANKFULLY Rick Steves warned us of this. I knew St. Peter’s was closed Wednesday mornings because the Pope was out talking however by the time we finished the museum and Sistine Chapel it would be open again. There was also ZERO wait into the museum- awesome!!
This was my favorite thing I have seen or done in Rome so far! The museum is awesome and full of breath taking things. We took BUNCHES of pictures but that doesn’t even give you the real feel of it. The Sistine Chapel was also amazing to see but it was annoying because the guards were screaming at people and clapping really loud going SHHHHH or NO PHOTO NO PHOTO! Hello?! You’re being the loudest and most annoying thing in here! No exactly respectful! How about standing at the entrance and warning people that way. Sheesh. Oh well. Rick Steves’ Rome book had an explanation of the ceiling so Matt and I were able to interpret everything. He also had a short cut to St. Peter’s that saved 30 minutes of walking and who knows how long wait time in line!
St. Peter’s is huge but somehow it doesn’t feel as big as they say it is. Whoever built it did an amazing job. The funniest thing though was after we came around one corner we somehow were sucked into this line of people walking up to a statue of something (St. Peter maybe? No idea) and they were rubbing his feet! I was like “Ok whatever I rub the man’s feet!” so I did too. If anyone knows anything about that please explain lol. Matt thought this was hugely entertaining but refused to rub the feet- he sort of just patted it. Oh well!
Leaving St. Peter’s we were STARVED however we had trouble finding the restaurant we wanted because we came out of Vatican City at a different point but the 30 minutes of walking was WELL worth it. The food was AMAZING!! Matt had spaghetti and I had lasagna (per Nana’s request). I LOVE the red sauce here. I’m not a huge fan of spaghetti or red sauce in the states or out of a jar and it gives me really bad heartburn but here it’s to die for and doesn’t hurt me a bit!
After 3 hours of straight walking around Vatican City this preggo woman was DONE. We walked back to our hotel and curled up in bed and watched “Hook” on my laptop. I passed out sometime during the movie and woke up to Matt checking facebook at about 7pm. We slowly made our way out the door in hunt of “American” food aka Burger King. Another confusing walk that lasted 30 minutes was also worth it- best Whopper I’ve ever tasted (and I don’t even LIKE Burger King). We also got a gelato afterwards that was heavenly. Matt especially loved my Tiramisu gelato. We got on a bus and rode it to the end of the line just to do something that didn’t involve walking (I was still hurting but felt bad for Matt who was bored in our room). We got on another route to come back but missed our stop so we ended up at the other end of the bus line. Frustrated we decided to take the Metro back since it was almost 11:30pm (when the Metro stops running). Overall a very fun but another tiring day!
In baby news: Matt felt Roman kick today! He “thinks” he felt him last week but today was the first time he got a definite kick out of him (23.5 weeks)!!! :-)

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Naples & Pompei: Day 3

This morning we had to rush around and get checked out of our current hotel and move to the temporary one nighter hotel (see previous blog). No problems there- in fact we LOVED the place he put us in for the night. MUCH bigger room and comfier bed. However no internet or breakfast service (though we got a voucher for the café down the street so not a total loss). We caught our train to Naples with no problem (though it was a little confusing going from the Metro to the train station- all in one building!) The ride was quiet. Saw some awesome views of mountains and the water- and the cities built on water! But mostly the views left much to be desired. Lots of trash and run down apartments. Not what I was expecting AT ALL. Our arrival in Naples was also…different. The station looked like any other train station we’ve been to but then you step outside. Oh my goodness. You are immediately bombarded with beggars and men wanting to offer you things (I don’t know what things..I was too scared to look). I was too afraid to take out my guide book so we just walked back and forth trying to figure out the stupid metro thing. We never did really figure it out so we rode the metro for free. I also couldn’t find the stupid stop Rick Steves had listed so we got off in the Spanish Quarter which he had listed as the “most historic” um yeah. About that. Historic as in old, run down, and GHETTO! In fact on the metro ride there some old man with 3 teeth came up and tried to press a card into my hand and I said no. He stared at me and tried again and I said no. Then he bit his pointer finger in what I’m guessing was the Italian way of flipping me off and just opened his eyes all big and crazy like and got really close to my face so I said NO really loud and stared back at him. He seemed shocked and then quickly did a hurt look and then just as quickly switched to raising his hand up like he was going to back hand me!!! CRAZY!! I just stared him down and he FINALLY walked away- but still stared at me. Same ride 2 minutes later and another man- younger this time- came up and shoved his dirty hand in my face and was muttering in Italian. I tried a different tactic this time (after all- who needs an Italian slapping you- then Matt would get involved and then it’d just get ugly. No thanks.) So I just ignored him. After a minute he finally moved on to the next person who did the same. So freaking awkward. FINALLY we get out at the “historic” Spanish quarter and I was just as frightened off the Metro as I was on it! There was just trash EVERYWHERE. And the buildings are all sooo close together. And the people are just nasty. Oh and there’s stray dogs just laying around all over. Matt then tells me “Man this is like Mosul (Iraq)” um thanks Matt- that’s NOT helping my comfort level here!!! Rick Steves had said to stay on busy streets and avoid little alleys where the gangs hang out so we just followed the Metro crowd around. Again I was too nervous to take out my tour book/map and figure out where we were going. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to us than necessary. I’m not exaggerating people- it was that freaky. I’ve been in downtown Houston, Chicago, and Paris AT NIGHT and never been this scared. Even in Rome- ok you watch your pockets in the crowds but never scared. In Naples I was scared Matt was going to be killed, I was gonna get kidnapped for the slave trade and my baby be stolen away and also sold!! And that’s during broad daylight! Ok so anyways we followed the crowds and eventually I had to pull out the map. I tried to keep it discreet and even kept my jacket around it and we eventually found our way to the main “shopping street.” Um I thought Italy was fashion capital?? And for Naples being the third largest city in Italy I was a little disappointed that the nicest store on the main shopping street was the Disney Store! However the Disney Store offered calm and security for me to take out my guide book and figure out how to quickly get to the main sights so I could get my butt out of that city!
We finally found the castle, palace, and old theater we wanted to see and then we walked along the ocean road. We thought this would be a beautiful walk however you can’t even SEE the water because of all the yachts and buildings blocking it! Grrr whole reason I wanted to come to Naples! >:-( Matt got his Naples pizza and LOVED it- it was his favorite in all of Italy. Afterwards we finally made it back to the “commuter” train to head to Pompei.
Ah the commuter train. It smelled like pee and beer and was nicely packed- lovely. After a hot and stinky ride (about 30 minutes) we arrived in Pompei. Neither of us knew how BIG Pompei was! There was NO way we would be able to walk around the whole place in an hour or two so we just hit the highlights. Pompei is really neat but not fun to walk around because of the uncomfortable cobble stone roads. IMPOSSIBLE for strollers just FYI. I was getting hot and frustrated because I couldn’t look around me when I was having to concentrate so hard on walking without tripping. Despite this I still liked and Matt LOVED it. We didn’t get to see Mt. Vesuvius because the clouds were nearly down to the ground- a beautiful thing to see though! We saw the base though so I can say I saw it lol. Another meal of pizza (well my first- I was too nervous to eat in Naples) and then we left. The ride back was less crowded thankfully (but still stinky haha). We missed the first train back to Rome so we had to hang out in the train station for about an hour- hour and a half. We sat in the McDonalds and watched “Juno” on my iPod. During that time we had 2 different people come up asking for money and one guy came and asked for my half drunk bottle of Diet Coke. At first we couldn’t figure out what he wanted- I thought he was asking where I bought it so we kept pointing. Then I thought maybe he was one of the employees cleaning up. Finally (at least I think) we figured out he wanted the bottle. I don’t know if he was thirsty or just wanted the bottle to turn in for the deposit money…he snatched it up when we said he could take it and left so no clue- WEIRD!!!! We finally got home after a long train ride and we CRASHED. We were hot, sweaty, exhausted, and sore but neither of us could do anything but fall into bed. So that was our eventful day.
Recap: Do NOT visit Naples- No point! Nasty, dirty, scary, and nothing to see.
Pompei is amazing but allow at least half a day to enjoy it! Do NOT take a stroller and wear comfy shoes!! :-)

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Rome Day 2

Well today was a bust. We woke up with great spirits after a fabulous night of sleep. We were able to take our time getting ready and packing up before heading to our next hotel (hostel). The walk to the metro with our suitcases and then from metro to hostel went without a hitch. We arrived at the hostel at exactly 11am as I had told them only to find a letter on the door saying they'd be back by 11:30am due to an emergency. Ok no biggie. We hung outside for a lil while until some people came out and let us into the lobby. Then we were hanging out there until about 11:50 when finally the lady shows up. The lady who bears bad news. Another couple had shown up while we were waiting and the lady told us both that there was an overbooking and she was waiting on the manager to call back with where we could stay. The other couple talked to him first and left without arguing. I however was NOT in the mood to be dragging my heavy suitcase all around Rome. Plus I like familiarity. I had visited this place the day before so I knew in advance where I was going, etc. I did not want to go searching for a new hotel while carrying my luggage. SO I argued.
For those of you who don't know me very well- this is a rarity. Sure I'll argue with friends and family but strangers? No. I don't argue with people in the customer service industry. I'm a chicken normally. So bad actually that I've eaten the wrong food just because I didn't want to tell the waitor that he messed up my order. But either I'm getting older and crankier or my hormones were raging but I argued. The manager tried to get us to go to a "penthouse" that was 20km from Rome! Crazy man. I said I wanted walking distance- I was pregnant and not carrying my suitcase around. He said "Ooohh ok I'll call you right back." My hope was that he'd call back and suddenly there'd be a miraculous opening there at the hostel. No chance. He offered to send us to a place just one metro ride away. I said I'd call HIM back this time. Then I called our previous hotel (Holiday House Rome) and explained the situation and asked if they were still free. He said they were except Tuesday night but he'd get us in a BandB right around the corner and he'd even take my suitcase himself! He also told me to not get ripped off. The manager had offered to pay the cab fare to wherever we would be staying. The HHR man said "Oh you can get more out of him than that!" He explained that in our contract we had to give the hostel 3 days notice to cancel or pay the full cost. So why shouldn't they do the exact same?? Good point! The HHR man said we should get our 10% deposit back plus cab fare PLUS the hostel should pay the difference in hotel price for the remainder of the week. The hotel was 7euros more a night than the hostel. Well this made perfect sense to me! So another first in Keeley's life- I haggled. I called the hostel manager back and we talked money. Honestly I have to say I probably sounded like my Dad or Grandaddy...just a tiny bit of sarcasm but all truth and common sense! The manager said he'd call me back (yes we did this about 10 times over 2 hours- so annoying). He called back and agreed on the cab and deposit but not the other because he had found a place for the same price. I said I agreed however I did not know this place. I had not seen website nor visited it in person. I explained that I had booked the hostel 2 months in advance based on a website with photos. I then visited the hostel the day before to check out the area and lobby (he was surprised by this). I also explained I tried to confirm my reservation at this time but there was no one available (he apologized). Then I politely declined his offer to stay in a different hotel for the night but then stay at the hostel for the remainder of the week (apparently it wasn't an overbooking in OUR case- there was something wrong with the room. I looked in the room on a trip to the bathroom and it's too bad- it was a very nice and large room. Oh well). He apologized many times but I just said "Thank you" - I did NOT say "oh it's ok" because it wasn't. Two months in advance- and they had my phone number AND email address- it was NOT ok. Anywho I made it clear that I was not impressed nor happy with him not paying the difference. Then the lady called a cab for us and gave us our deposit back plus 20euros for the cab. She called the manager and had the taxi driver talk to him and then she got back on the phone. When she hung up she said "Mama mia Maxi!" (the manager's name- and yes an Italian actually said this!!) then forked over another 30euros (half the difference in hotel price). Success! No I didn't get the full price difference but I DEFINITELY got more than I would have if I hadn't thought to ask!! :-) Haggling is fun lol
So after a TERRIFYING taxi ride (seriously- only adventure and thrill seekers should take taxi's in Rome. Normally that's me but I tend to be more queasy at the moment so I'll stick to the Metro) we were back at our original hotel. The man didn't lie and literally booked us at a BandB right behind this building and is going to walk my suitcase over for me. He even got that manger to give us vouchers for breakfast since they don't normally offer it but it's something HE offers at his place. Score! He also recommended an amazing (and cheap!) pizza place right around the block that we tried out. Seriously. Pizza Hut is just NOT going to cut it anymore! After eating we went to the USO right down the street just to see what it had. Free drinks, coffee, snacks, and internet! Plus they have people there that will help you with ANYthing! Thank you to those of you who donate to the USO- it's a great place!!
By this time it was 3pm and we figured we wouldn't make it through the Vatican lines by the 4pm cut off time so we went back the hotel to take a short nap. MUCH needed in my case but poor Matt just laid there with his eyes open the whole time. After my breather we jumped back on our tour bus for a very jolting ride around the city again. Today was a different route because it was a week day so we saw a few different things. We rode it for about 2 1/2 hours- a full circle and a half. By the last half the lights were starting to come on so we saw parts of Rome lit up! Then we got off at the stop by a VERY large and nice McDonalds! After eating we jumped on the Metro and bada bing bada boom were back at our hotel. Love it.
Something we've noticed about Rome (as compared to Paris). It is dirtier however there are less con artists hassling you and less beggars every where you turn (I've seen two in two days compared to 20 in 1 hour in Paris). Paris is much more romantic just to stroll around (plus the tour bus went later in the night so you could see it ALL lit up) however Rome has more interesting things historical wise. I mean how many people can say they've seen a building built in 44BC?! Rome's metro is slightly cheaper and very easy to use. Neither of us can decide which city we like better but who cares? It's all amazing and surreal. I can't believe I'm in Rome right now!

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1st Day in Rome!

We actually had a smooth drive to Frankfurt airport. I was a little worried because we were going to be parking in Holiday Parking and the directions sounded iffy. However they were perfect and we got there without a hitch! Btw to my fellow travelers- Holiday parking is half the cost of parking at the airport and there's a free shuttle so totally worth it!! Flying Lufthansa was also a new experience. More leg room and better snacks (half a cheese or ham sandwich and 1 stick of a Kit Kat!! Oh and they don't charge for beer or wine!) however smaller windows and more narrow seats. Overall enjoyable though!
Upon arrival in Rome we found a taxi with no problem. He drove like a bat out of hell and the supposedly 40 mins drive only took 20mins. It was terrifying but we made it safely to our hotel by midnight. The guy running our hotel is canadian and very friendly. He sounds like Matt's Uncle Stuart! Btw I highly recommend our hotel: "Holiday House Roma Bed and Breakfast." If we could cancel our hostel reservations we would just stay here. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable and speak perfect English. There's also a mini fridge, private baths, a fairly wide (if short) bed, free Wi-Fi, and breakfast brought to your room (cappacino, juice, croisant, some other pastry, and a donut stick). Oh and tv in your room (only BBC World is in English though) and an a/c (though it's been a struggle to get it to work right). Another perk is that we're a 5 minute (at my slow pace) walk literally down the same street from the Vatican!!! Ok enough of the sales pitch.
Today we just rode the Hop on Hop off bus around the whole route (about 2hrs). Oops another sales pitch: again I recommend this for 1st time visitors! We did one in Paris as well and both experiences have been great! Anywho we actually got off at the Coliseum because we were starving and grabbed Pizza Panini's from a little stand and ate right beside the Coliseum! Very surreal. After riding the bus back to our starting point at St. Peter's we grabbed a gelati (ice cream) YUM!!! Matt had Nutella and I got the ciocolato (dark chocolate). So amazing. Our bus was still there so we jumped back on and took to the next stop at Castel Santangelo where we got off to get on the boat cruise. This was a waste of time. First off it's not clearly marked so we did some unneccesary walking up and down VERY steep stairs and second you can't see ANYTHING from the Tiber river!! The walls are too tall so you're literally staring at the graffiti or the roofs of buildings. It was also very windy so we were both miserably cold (even though it was sunny).
By this time I needed a rest so we walked back to the hotel from the Castel and took a short breather before heading to check out our hostel. Tomorrow we are staying at the Alice and Wonderland Bed and Breakfast and it looks very nice from the building and lobby. We made up a story about wanting to confirm our reservation however no workers were there and a guest answered the door. She didn't want to let us in but finally she went to go write down their phone number (which I already had) so I just followed her in to check it out. Looks brand new! Very excited to try it out tomorrow. There's also a great park area right down the street and a McDonalds! With the price of food in Rome we will be eating at McD's a lot!
After spying on the hostel we took the Metro back over to Barbarini to the Hard Rock Cafe Roma. There were a lot of people waiting for a table outside but when I went in to get on the list the host pointed at my belly and said "Oh ok we'll get you the next table" then he said something in Italian to the other host who looked at my belly and smiled and led us right to a table! Apparently Italians love their preggo women! FINALLY a perk to this pregnancy thing! I say this because I'm having awful growing pains today so it has made walking miserable.
After a delicious yet very overpriced meal we tried to catch our Hop on bus again but after waiting 15 mins we assumed it was too late (it was about 830- in Paris they ran MUCH later). It started sprinkling so we took the Metro back over to our hotel. It sprinkled on our walk back but nothing major. However flip flops and slick grounds are NO bueno and I slipped only causing further pain to my poor hips. Now Matt is passed out and I'm on my way there too. We have our window open again to let in that cool fresh air and it's raining so it's going to make for a great night of sleep! I hope it rains all night but stops in the AM :-)
More info and pictures to come tomorrow!!! Ciao!

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Crib!! 22 Weeks Today!

Happy 22 weeks Roman Mathew!! Please stay in Mommy for at least 15 more ;-)



So this weekend Matt and I put together Roman's crib and glider/ottoman. We got to a rough start on the crib because we thought it didn't come with directions but finally we found them on the back of the mattress board!! Hmm well we got it all put together. I was nervous about the drawer under the crib because when Matt and I tried to build this german cabinet with drawers (with no directions) we screwed up the drawers and now they don't work. BUT thankfully American's are smarter (ha) and pre-build the slider things on the drawers so all you have to do is attach everything! Then the glider was even easier than the crib! The ottoman was already put together and all you had to do was attach the back and arms to the glider and put on the pads! Viola! So now with everything put together the room feels even smaller but oh well. Luckily babies don't need lots of room for awhile :-) Great news was that the crib and glider match (meaning the crib was the exact color I wanted!!) so now we can buy our changing table. I want one with a drawer or two and empty space to put baskets. One of those with a cabinet would be even better :-) Just not your traditional changing table that looks like a changing table- what do people do with those once the baby's older?? So once we find the changing table we'll move the portacrib into our room where it will remain for many months! (Sorry pictures were not cooperating and turning for me no matter how many times I tried!)

As for decorating. Still no luck with finding cartoony like fishy wall decals but I am going to check out the german stores some time this week. We are going to old off on painting until July in case housing calls us to move. Now I'm considering not painting here at all so that way I won't have to worry about when housing calls. I really want bigger rooms. We have an awesome open living/dining/office area but it'd be nice to get rid of stuff into storage (on post has storage in the basement) such as our red fouton that's now in our living room. Do I think we'll still be cramped in on post? Heck yes. We are just used to having an extra room. When we move home we will definitely be living off post and in a 3 bedroom (our room, roman, and office/man room). But the advantage to all this is that I am becoming a more organized person because of this! Last night I cleaned out my drawers and closet of all my heavy winter clothes and my pre-pregnancy clothes. I am buying a couple of rubbermaid boxes. In the pre-pregnancy box I will put the larger things on top so I can start pulling things out as I lose my baby weight. Matt thought I had lost my mind because I literally have 2 empty drawers (before they were all bulging) now and half my closet is gone. I was tired of it bulging as well but I've never been organized enough to do the whole wardrobe for each season thing. Now we can put Matt's clothes in my closet and use Matt's closet (in Roman's room) for Roman!! A couple of friends who have extra attic or storage space have offered to let us put a few things at their house so that will be helpful. Right now my room has clothes piled high- pic to come! Once I get those put away in their boxes we'll be moving Roman's portacrib (which has the infant sleeper) into our room.



The mountain pile of clothes in our room. That's just my stuff. The pile has grown slightly from Matt's winter clothes. Good news is all our clothes fit in one closet now! Bad news is all of our shoes don't LOL

So I like this changing table (in cherry) but would prefer if it didn't have that top drawer and just had a shelf to put the cute baskets. Oh well. I'll find somewhere else to put my cute fabric lined wicker baskets! ;-)

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