There's No Place Like Rome.

Less than two weeks ago (and embarrassingly less than  two weeks after I'd arrived home from Berlin) I had been lamenting my lack of spontaneity and life that was (is) becoming full of Adult responsibilities. And, being a grown up, I decided that the only way to submit to all these woes and overcome them was to do what I do best: Travel. 

Cracking out my world map, debit card, and travel guide books, I decided on a lovely little city called Rome to be the stage for my performance of Running Away For A Few Days to Regain My Positivity and Happiness, and I couldn't have picked better. 5 days later, at 6.20am, I was on the plane to Rome and just three hours later I was checked into my airbnb accommodation and jetting off on the Metro into the city. 

Rome captured my heart in a way that I was not anticipating; the mix of old and crumbling with narrow, cobbled, coffee shop lined streets. Be it the sheer abundance of tourists, the passion of the Italian language, I could honestly go on, but I just fell in love. I headed straight into the centre to get my bearings and ended up walking from the Colloseum to the National Museum, to the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps...camera and map in hand I blindly walked around for 5 hours before returning back to the B&B with pizza (of course, and only €6!) and uttering a quick, 'ciao' to a cute Italian boy whilst dripping pizza topping down my chin in the apartment hallway.

Well, I'd travelled 917 miles from home but that doesn't mean I suddenly need to be all sophisticated, does it?

Market in Forno Campo de' Fiori which is perfect for not only fresh fruits and cheeses, but for an authentic Italian experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Rome and this can be attributed to mainly the food (see my next two posts!), but also to the history - and the preservation of this - and the Romans themselves (the modern, but the older too I suppose). The Italians are in the running, competing against the Texans indefinitely, for being the most welcoming and kindest people I've encountered on my travels. While my Italian is broken, and the English I encountered was fractured too, we all got along just fine. I loved Rome and despite what I was told pre-leaving, I found it cheaper than other places I have travelled to this year. For either a city break as a lone traveller or perhaps a romantic weekend away, Rome really does suit it all.