Has anyone noticed I use the word "apparently" way too much lately... So apparently, there is this beautiful little beach town just an hour outside of Rome called Santa Marinella. (Thanks for the head's up Jack. It was amazing.) And apparently... both Jack and Yan lived there for a bit, and so I was told to check it out. So, as everyone else made there way to the closer, but more crowded and tourist infested Ostio, Amber and I, made the journey to Santa Marinella.
Oh boy, was it a journey! The original plan was to wake up at the crack of dawn and leave the apartment by 7:30am at the latest. Well... that didn't quite work out. It was a little chilly in the morning, and our beds were just soooo cozy and warm and... we ended up waking up at 8:30am. Still, not bad, if I do say so myself. We were told to jump on the metro and when we get off a line of blue buses would be waiting. So, we jumped on the metro and took it in the opposite direction we're used to only to find a lack of blue buses waiting.
After asking a travel agency that was conveniently enough outside this metro stop where to go, they pointed us in the "right" direction. We found a bus stop! CO.TRAL formatta. Co.tral being the name of the buses, and formata means bus stop. :) Now, all we needed to do was get on the right bus. lol Seems simple enough right. And so, every fifteen minutes we asked the bus driver of the blue buses that passed if they were going to Santa Marinella. Now, keep in mind. I speak about as much Italian as a new-born baby... maybe less. My roommate, Amber, speaks even less than that. Santa Marinella? Santa Marinella? Most of the responses were a simple, no, in an Italian accent of coarse. :)
Finally, a little old woman, g-d bless her, came to sit at the bus stop and I over heard her say Civitavecchia, which happens to be the last stop before Santa Marinella. Again, I began to put together some words and attempted to communicate with this woman who spoke no English. Santa Marinella? "Si,... blah blah blah blah blah," is all I heard. Alright, so we knew we had to follow this woman who so desperately was trying to help us get to our location.
We jumped on the bus and sat just behind her, hoping she would lead us where we wanted to go. An hour or so later, the elderly woman stood up and attempted to get our attention. As we followed her to the front of the bus, it appeared as though she was about to get off. Should we follow? And then, she began to speak with the bus driver. From what I understood, she told him where we were going and to make sure we get off at the right stop. Then, she attempted to tell us the same. What a sweet little old lady?! She was like a little gift sent from up above. :)
When we finally got to our destination, it was breath-taking. This charming little beach town was clean, beautiful, and definitely no tourists. We might have been the only ones. We paid our two euros, and set up shop. The day was made for the beach. It was just hot enough. The sky was a perfect blue, and the water was unreal! It was crystal clear. I went in and it seemed to have some sort of magical healing powers. It was refreshing, and de-stressing, and simply wow. :)
Unfortunately, Amber and I became hungry rather quickly after our long journey, and so, we didn't stay on the beach as long as we had hoped. After lots of swimming, pictures, and some tanning, we began our hunt for food. This seems to be a simple enough concept right? lol Not in Italy around 1:30pm! Ever hear of something called Siesta? Everything shuts down so that store, restaurant, and any other establishment owners can go eat and nap. Meanwhile,. the rest of us are left out in the cold scrounging around for some scraps to ease our starvation.
After finally locating a small place, up a hill, where we could eat... we grabbed a little something, and decided it was time to go. And so, we found ourselves again walking up a hill in the direction of a street we hoped would eventually lead to a bus stop. Of coarse, Amber and I did find a gelatteria on the way. There's nothing like Italian gelatto, and its healthy. It's made with real milk and fruits and deliciousness. haha While at the gelatteria, we asked the lady about our bus stop. Again with our broken language skills, we attempted to communicate our point, and she did as well. She told us about some train that goes to Roma, though that's about as much as we got out of that conversation. :)
We left with friendly good-byes and finally found our Co.tral formatta. Now, it was time to find the right bus. How hard could it be? Weren't they all going back to Roma? lol They do say all roads lead to Roma... The other issue was the route. Even if they do all go back to Roma, how long would it take? We jumped on the first bus that was kind enough to stop, and hoped for the best. I fell asleep, and Amber kept watch.
I awoke to Amber telling me it was time to get off the bus. We had made it! We were back in our beloved Roma. It really is starting to feel like home, or at least a home away from home. We re-enter the city, and it just feels right. We took the metro to our also beloved Cipro stop, and felt quite accomplished. As we got off, I bought a dress from one of the vendors. How ironic... I bought an Italian style dress in Italy that was made in India... go figure. I like it. :)
Before heading back to the apartment, I stopped by the supermarket. I had to give in. We were cracking McDonald's jokes all day. Apparently, it's a big deal over here and we were craving. Since that didn't work out, I decided to go for the next best thing. Extremely over-priced supermarket sushi that tastes like eh... but hey you can't find it anywhere else. Apparently, in Italy they eat Italian food... ONLY. lol
I came back to the apartment, dug in, was pretty un-satisfied, and began to feel home sick. In America, I could have any and every Asian delicacy I could dream of for a reasonable price, at almost any hour of the night... especially if I go to Wegman's. ;)
As friends and family from home comforted me, I decided I needed to get out of the apartment before I blew my brains out. And so, I decided to pay my boys a visit, and give them a pep talk before they went out. It's nice to have somewhere to go in those situations, and I was told that I'm always welcome. I prepped them and dressed them, and sent them on their way. haha
I was almost thinking of going out tonight, until I realized I have to be up at 7am for an 8 hour walking tour... maybe another night.
Just before finishing this blog, I also FINALLY heard from Bff Larry T. haha... And so, here's your shout out. It's about time!
Missing everyone. Don't be a stranger. I keep you all posted with this blog. Keep me posted with what's going on back home. Otherwise, I think you've all forgotten about me.
Kisses from Abroad x0x0
Signing off,
Ciao Bella...
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