DAY 81: Jesus+Dale=BFF

Good Friday, I suppose. No class, bluebird 65 degrees and nothing to do but pack for Ibiza and catch a train to Rome… no prob Bob. In Italy? Yeah-right… muesli e banana to start the day off right… breakfast used to be my least favorite meal, now it is #1. Perhaps it is the consistency of subject matter, or the fact that it reveals my caffeine addiction, and sits, longing and waiting to please me every morning. Dilly-dally, dilly-bar... I did a little writing, a little daydreaming and a little solving of the world’s problems before I got bored and joined some peeps up on the roof for some sunny lounge action. There is a fab terrace on the roof of the classroom- potential for a serious (and perhaps dangerous) dance party one night before we leave the villa… but for now, those who smoke the hookah, smoked the hookah and those who don’t, enjoyed the sunshine and ironically the smell of apple flavored tobacco smoke- gross and delicious at once, it was an oxi-moron for my nostrils. I decided that Roo has been the most well behaved of all my bags, so he gets to come wid me tada i’land mon. He can only eat about 6 articles of clothing, 2 of which are a swimsuit top and bottom… good thing I’ll be living in it for the next week.

Lunch was salad…BTW, when I say salad, it is torn lettuce tossed in olive oil. If they are feeling saucy, they’ll throw in shredded carrots and a tom or two… and pasta with peas- peas please! I went on a quick 3.5 mile run before showering and joining my Ibiza crew (Jesine, Jessie, Katy, Kate & Becca- you don’t know any of these people) and two guys (Taylor & Devon) who were going to Rome as well to catch a plane to Prague. We walked down to the bus stop to go to Ellora to get the bus to Perugia where we catch a train to Rome… the transportation involved getting you to the transportation you need is a Mother Francis. Oh, and remember it’s Easter “month,” so there is a holiday bus schedule… after 15 minutes of nearly getting dismembered by dump trucks whizzing by, we walked back up to the villa to divide and conquer our present dilemma. Little Bibi to the rescue! Four of us crammed into her tiny little sardine can of a car and booked it to the Ellora bus stop, to sit and wait for her to shuttle the rest of the crew. 45 minutes later we got on the G1 to Perugia where we had a good 1.5 hours until our train left… in the spirit of Spring Break, our mission was this: BEER. We saw a COOP grocery sign across the street, which took a good 20 minutes for 4 of us to find… good thing too! Not. This ghetto, basement processed food hell was a real treat- Come one pedophile, come all! I was scared for my first-born and “its” just a figment of futurism. I opted out of standing in line with potentials for “Wal-Mart’s Best” and found myself with a few Heinekens in the station café- the brave souls found some treasures in the underworld including Jagermeister, Jack Daniels, Prosecco and Red Bull. Shall I hurl now, or later? I don’t know what it is about trains and booze… it just spells fun.

Nearly 4 hours later we found ourselves (or our alter egos) in Rome. Being in Rome Easter weekend rivals Larry the Cable Guy showing up at the Mahone Creek Mobile Home Park in Notasulga, Alabama… it was an absolute dog and pony show. Roman’s consider Jesus their savior, Redneck’s consider Dale Earnhardt Jr. theirs… thou shalt not turn right. (Don’t hate me, those two are totally partyin’ together up there.) Thank God (or GM Goodwrench) Jessie found a hotel close to the train station- Hotel Roma, 2 rooms with 4 peeps each, big comfy bed with my name on it with an “American” breakfast included. Speaking of food, it was already 9:30 p.m. and we needed a little substance besides liquid… Voile! A resto on the corner had food (shocking), which was good enough for us… I got a tuna salad while others opted for pancakes, pizzas and pork. Interesting fare, but it did the trick and revealed my exhaustion. Back to the comfy bed I head, while others walked around the Eternal (Annoyance) City. Up early tomorrow to enjoy Italy’s transportation options once again!