Day 12– Rome, Italy
We finally arrived in Rome after spending 2 hours circling one-way streets, desperately trying to figure out where to return our rental car. We eventually found this tiny parking garage on a one-way street, about 5 blocks from the railway station. Even after stopping for directions from the Hertz office inside the station, it was still hard to find. The garage had a floor for each car rental place. I guess we are not used to space being such an issue. We assumed the lot would be right there by the office. Now we know better.
After easily finding our hotel, about a 10-minute walk from the train station, we set out to do laundry, and we talked the guy into giving us free Internet while we waited. Finally, clean clothes and a chance to communicate with family!
We were grateful to unpack for the last time. After finishing laundry, we walked to the Trevi Fountain, had dinner in a great little restaurant, and people-watched. A group of Italian boys entertained us as we watched them trying to sell silver jewelry and these ugly, squishy animals. When we returned a few days later, we noticed about 20 of these guys. They’d just follow, one behind another, and put these things in everyone’s face.
One guy put one in our face, said “Three Euro,” and after half a second said, “Okay, one euro.” We were shocked; we didn’t even say a word. That’s some easy bargaining. They kept coming up to us. We tossed the coins over our shoulder to ensure our return to Rome. Looks like it worked quickly. We returned to the fountain two days later!
