Day 2: Italy

Should I stay or should I go? Kenny and I had clicked on the plane. He had even told his girlfriend about me and the situation while we
were in baggage claim so he seemed safe. A cheaper place to stay and
an interesting person to hang out with for a few days... How could I pass that up?

I called to postpone my Florence hostel stay and then we headed for Plus Camping Roma, which is called simply Camping by all the Italians. After a little difficulty finding the place and walking on what looked like highways meant only for cars (we thought this was crazy but an Italian man giving us directions said it was fine), we arrived at our bungalow. I checked for bed bugs and then lay down. That's when I noticed that the entire room was swaying back and forth. Any time our neighbors or us walks or shifts in bed, the whole place rocks. I wonder if I'll get sea sick at night. Luckily, I've brought my
Dramamine.

We head out to the bus stop to head into the city and are surprised to
see the Mexicans from the train. They are staying at a hotel across the street. We all decide to find a nice place to eat even though it's about 3 pm and not a typical Italian eating time. After some searching and sightseeing (the Spanish steps were right outside our metro stop), we find a nice restaurant. Kenny and I split the special, which is a nice salad and some sort of rice-like dish. The Mexicans also order a cheese plate for us to share. The food is great
and so is the company. Luis and Ginette are from Cancun and Mexico City. They are in Italy for their 20th anniversary and have been together for 26 years. Every once in a while I turn to Kenny to see how he's coping with all the Spanish speaking. He says it's fine and manages to get into the conversation every once in a while (apparently some people actually learn in high school language classes).

After the food, we decide to split up and wander around. Then we will meet up at 7:30 at Pizzeria da Buffetto, which my Lonely Planet has recommended. Kenny and I have a great time getting lost, especially when we run into the Pantheon. It's awe inspiring from the outside and the open hole in the ceiling is hard to believe (who puts a hole in a ceiling???). All is well until we go searching for a bathroom, which takes forever. We rush to meet our new friends for pizza and get lost along the way. By the time we reach the pizzeria, our friends already have their pizzas but they've also managed to save seats for us despite the crowds. I order a margherita pizza, which I enjoy very much. Kenny gets the house pizza and is overwhelmed by all the toppings, which even include a fried egg. We are tired so we split a cab ride home. We all decide to wake up early and head to the Vatican, hoping to run into each other again.

It takes me a while to get to sleep but the rocking isn't as bad as I had originally suspected. I decide that 21 Euros a night is such a good price that we might as well stay longer (we'd only booked one night). All in all it was a very good day. A great way to start my trip.

Lesson of the day: Whenever there's a bathroom, use it... even if you don't have to because who knows when you'll find another one.