God Bless America!

Let me just say that, since arriving back on US soil, not once have I had to pay to use the bathroom. And not once have I had to call it a WC or a toilet! Nor have I been forced to bounce up and down frantically searching the recesses of my foreign vocabulary to inquire where said facility might be located. And Internet is free! Have I mentioned airconditioning? The list does not end. I love lists.

I am getting ahead of myself. Because there was more to our trip than just reuniting with America. But seriously, God Bless America.

Roman hostel, day 2: much more restful. No engorged tongues to create the sounds of destruction in the night. Then off to Vatican City, country #12. We were transported back in time to NYC circa 1980's when the subway rumbled into the station...it was covered with some very colorful graffiti. So our 80's subway dropped us off just in time to stand in line for the Vatican Museum. For an hour and a half. There are a few different museums contained within the Vatican and, of course, we saw them all. Sculptures, paintings, relics, maps...it was overwhelming in the amount of artwork and also in the beauty of the art and of the building itself.

Included in the entrance to the Vatican Museum was the Sistine Chapel. Not what we expected, the chapel is completely covered with frescos by Michaelangelo and others. It's a pretty boring interior without the frescos, plain lines and straight walls, but the images completely obliterate that fact. And there were a bunch of Italian guards there shouting (haha) SILENCIO!! Apparently no talking allowed in this chapel. Another observation about the Vatican: there seems to be something in the air which compels people to run into, bump into, step on, smash bags upon and poke me. It almost came to blows between me and a very small boy. He's lucky I was too hot to retaliate.

From there we walked to St. Peter's Immense Basilica. This church is HUGE! Saw Pope John Paul II's crypt, and the crypts of a bunch of other Popes. Then walked up the cuppola, all 551 steps. And no, there was no airconditioning. See pic where the stairs and the curve of the cuppola do not live harmoniously.

The temperature in Rome was very high. Too high. I split the majority of our time outside between seeking the refuge of shade and the comfort of gelato, and sweating. Dan might also add, complaining. :)

Dinner was pasta with the three other girls sharing our hostel room. Too much alcohol was consumed, which necessitated a late start the next day. But alas! We made it to the Pantheon, which has a gigantic dome with an open circle at the top. Very impressive. Also visited on this day: Plaza Navona with some really nice fountains.

We made it to the train station to catch the dreaded night train to Geneva. It was hotter on the train than outside (is this possible?) and of course, in true European style, there was no A/C. So we crammed into the six bed compartment with two nice fellows from Mexico City. And proceeded to travel (and sleep? no) with the window down. This proved to be extremely loud and obnoxious. Another couple joined us in the middle of the night to fill the compartment to capacity.

Geneva! Beautifully clean city. People were friendly and the dollar was pretty strong against the Swiss Franc. Browsed all the shops with Swiss army knives and saw the flower clock. Dan was completely, obsessively enamoured with the water jet that shoots 400 feet in the air from Lake Geneva. He was personally offended when they switched it off during the rainstorm. Speaking of which, was not just a rainstorm. More of a deluge, really. Literal sheets of water and hail burst forth without warning. Cracks of thunder and lightning. We were caught under an awning making an attempt (and failing miserably) at staying dry. What could I do? I took a movie with the digital camera. Really, it was very impressive. We abandoned our plan to see the UN and scurried back to the train station like wet, beaten rodents.

We trained back to Paris, where we caught a night bus to London. Luckily the tube in London was working and we made it to the airport. By this time, we hadn't showered for two days. Very tired, very grimy. It was 7am. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6pm. UGH. Fortunately we were able to get on a flight that left at 1pm AND got to sit in the exit row with infinite leg room and excellent access to the restroom! We arrived back in Brooklyn by 5pm and I was showering at 5:01. Shower curtains are glorious, as is showering without sandals on.

And that, my friends, is the end of the Overseas Adventure.