I Roam in Rome #3

"Woke up quick. At about nine. Just thought that I maybe should see Rome this time. Gotta get up. The others girls are, too. Cause my roomie wants to go and see the ghetto of the Jews.

Cause the peo-ple of Rome were once so cruel. When that mean dic-tator was the one in rule. Knowing nothing in life but opress and shun. In the ghetto Jews stayed. No place to run."


So like I said in my Easy-E inspired rap (look up Boys in the Hood for reference--Dynamite Hack version is even better)... One of my roommates at the hostel asked for my name and we got talking and I decided to tag-along her plans of revisiting the Jewish ghetto in Rome. We hit it off great. She was super easy to talk to, we had enough in common to understand each other well,  and seemingly shared similar traveling/sight-seeing styles. We grabbed coffee and a pastry and were on our feet first to see a church she'd heard about and wanted to see. Iglasia Santa Cecilia, I think it was called.

We crosses a bridge into a quiet neighborhood to search for this notoriously beautiful church.
We got lost and were going in circles looking for it, but it was one of those moments where you almost prefer getting lost. There was so much beauty and uniqueness around us in the quiet neighborhood where we found ourselves. Tall tuscan apartments were like steep mountains placing us in a valley. Laundry tended on the lines outside windows and off balconies. Bright magenta flowers filled the window boxes. Can I just stay here for life, we both considered.

In a small plaza we passed some teenagers having a water fight with water bottles; Cooling themselves down in the burning, humid air.

Eventually we found it, right as the bell towers were struck. Time for afternoon prayer. During such a reverent and intimate time, we were unable to enter into the church, however with a quick peak through the window I spotted the nuns beginning their devote time of prayer. We hung out in the green, neatly hedged garden for a few minutes sitting beside the elegant, white fountain that sprinkled the cool water.

Time for lunch.
She wanted to take my back to the Jewish ghetto where she had lunch the previous day. We were seated on the outdoor patio. Double portions of all, as the waiter had taken a liking to her the day before. I ordered the salmon pesto gnocchi. I honestly wasn't a fan. Pesto and Salmon don't go--everything else was great.
We took a taxi back to my airport shuttle bus stop. She was sweet enough to wait and chat with me until my bus came... And she mailed my postcards for me. What a gal.

Once at the airport I go checked in, grabbed a quick coffee (which again, means a delicious and cheap cappuccino), and back to Barcelona I went.

On the plane I started to get so down again. Just feel exhausted from planes, trains, buses, and metros. Really wanting to be at home in my room on my bed with my guitar in my lap.

But "Don't stop being thankful," my Pa reminded me in a message.

When I got through the shuttle, metro, and train course to get back to Alicia and Edu's, my thankfulness came back as they greeted me with smiles and a glass of wine.

It's starting to feel like home.