By Gabrielle Bremer – Through the Lens Photography
Rome is a huge city full of many different types of people, transportation, and smells. Being from a small town of about 800, going to a city with 3-4 million residents is a huge change. I had to learn how to become aware of my surroundings at all times, use public transportation, and communicate with people who know little to no English.
Style: One of the first things I noticed was style and how differently Europeans dress. They dress so much better here we would consider some of it semi-formal. Some people from these different European countries would wear heels. I kept thinking about how much their feet must hurt because they do so much walking. People can also tell right away when you are American because of our clothes. We wear t-shirts, leggings, and sunglasses while people over here don’t usually wear those types of things.
Street vendors: There are so many people over here who will try to sell you stuff. One time a guy with flowers came up to me and shoved the flowers in my face while talking in a language I didn’t understand and if I had accepted the flowers I would’ve had to pay him. And don’t look too long, otherwise the vendors will start chatting and it’s difficult to get away.
Transportation: I have a love-hate relationship with public transportation here. The busses here are nuts. Their driving is horrific, its amazing how they don’t hit anyone. The subways are so crowded in some places. Its pic-pocket heaven there with all of the tourists. People are pushin and shovin to get on or off the subway. And if you are unfortunate enough to be in a crowded subway you better not have space issues because people will be touching you where you do not want to be touched.
Food: They know how to eat here. Everything is so fresh it makes American food look pathetic. The coffee here is so much better than what you could get at Starbucks. It is also very strong, one cup and I felt like I was going to start bouncing off the walls. Here they also tell you if anything has been frozen, other than that, everything is fresh. One thing I noticed is there is an abundance of alcohol and it’s so cheap compared to the stuff back home and it’s so good. And it was so cool when a waiter asked me if I wanted a beer.
Churches: One of my favorite things about Rome is their churches. They are so big and beautiful. My favorite church is St. John (the church of Rome). It has this beautiful painting on the ceiling. If it was acceptable to lay on the ground and stare at the ceiling I would have.
Ancient Rome: Definitely a good one to visit. The Colesseum is huge and there’s only a third left, it’s hard to imagine it at it’s original size. There are some great gardens with orange trees and my favorite tree here the Cyprus tree.
Fun times in Rome but now it’s time to go to Florence. More posts to come. -Gabrielle
0 Comments