Ciao! Vacanze Romane.

Here we are in the midst of our own Roman Holiday.

I arrived in Rome Saturday after 24 odd hours of travel. The flights were quite good. I sat next to a lovely Kiwi girl, Katrina from Melbourne to Dubai, which was really nice. On the flight, I was a bit worried when the seatbelt light came on. Looking out the window, we could see the lightinging flashing all around.. below us! We flew over an electrical storm, which is one of the coolest things I have ever seen..

Upon my hot and sweaty arrival at Roma Termini, I found Anita, and we headed to our hotel. It really is very hot and humid here. And so dirty. In any case, Saturday afternoon, Anit and I set off for a great big walk, probably too big a walk considering I hadnt slept well in days and she had been walking all morning. We pushed on through and saw the Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon and a few other great sights. I collapsed in an absolute heap back at the hotel, leaving poor Anita to have dinner by herself..

Yesterday we made our way to Porte Portese, which is the biggest flea market in Rome. We had alot of fun, and felt like being at home at Laverton market, with chants of cinque, cinque, cinque euros! Yes, everything seemed to cost five euros.

We then headed back for a little siesta (and to tend to our sunburn) before heading back out to Basilica San Pietro and The Vatican. Much to our dismay the Vatican was closed. Yesterday morning, they had a big mass because it was the Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul. We didnt make it to the High Mass, but they held two successive masses when we were there. The lighting was amazing, and I took some (okay alot) of photos as we wandered around the Basilica. We climbed up to the Dome and enjoyed the views before traipsing back down and finding ourselves at the Spanish Steps at sunset.

Rome is a beautiful city- if you can see past the dirt. It's hot and sweaty (and I am very excited that I just found the ' key... keyboards have a different layout here) My calves are aching and my feet are covered in blisters, but it is well worth it.

I am having a great time, and am so glad to finally be on this amazing trip. Today we're hoping to see alot of things too. Piazza Navona, back to the Pantheon, Bocca della Veritas, the markets at Il Campo de' Fiore... and tomorrow morning we catch a train to Siena.. and the Palio!!!

Can't Wait!!

1 Sleep To Go

I sit here this morning, in the same place I sat for over twelve hours yesterday at work, and am wishing the next 24 hours away. Work is long, hard and tiring.

And having shaken that off, I am SO excited. I finish work at 2pm tomorrow, will have a few drinks here before I leave, and then I am off. Everything is packed and ready to go. I just have to cope with the flight over there.

I have had a sneak peak at what movies are available, but have resisted the temptation to explore the glories of portion controlled food, of which I have heard so much about. My first flight is from Melbourne to Dubai and takes a little over 14 hours. I am in Dubai for a couple of hours as a stopover (shopping anyone?!) and then hop back into the plane for a 6.5 hour flight to Rome. It is here that I will meet Anita. (hopefully!)

I have made a decision not to bring a phone. Or a handbag. Or a wallet. I cannot wait to be free from the shackles of taking all of this crap with me every time I leave the house.

We start in Rome, and explore the sights for 2 days and 2 nights, before heading to il Palio in Siena...

I will keep updating this periodically during the trip, and hopefully soon, will have some awesome photos to share with you all..

Cheers.
Tanya

Song Lyrics and Naming My Blog.

So I have decided to start a blog on here. It's much more accessible than my myspace blog.

Choosing a name for you blog is much harder than you would think. You want something that will reflect who you are. That will hold meaning for you, but that might need to be explained to others. That encompasses all you will talk about on your blog. So of course, I turned to song lyrics. Nothing like the words of others to sum up yourself! As I scoured through my memories of my favourite songs, and those lyrics which I connect to most, I found that so many that I wanted to use were not available. I have, by no means, however, settled. I have chosen and chosen well. Welcome to my blog. Escape. Seems a fitting title, and an ongoing theme in my writing and thoughts.

Read and enjoy, and come back soon.