Non parlo italiano!

So, it's the end of my first week in Italy, and my first week at Italian school! My Italian has definitely improved (although it's still rubbish!) and my 'charades' is now excellent! I already want to stay longer than the 6 weeks I had planned. I'll have to consult my bank accounts and rethink the trip budget I think....

 

Packed and ready to go after a week's stop off in England!

I arrived in Rome last Sunday and was completely overwhelmed at first! I had gotten up at 4am to get my flight from Manchester and was still a bit hungover from my big Friday night out in Northwich (!) with Rachel. :-)  

I didn't speak any Italian because I had quit studying in April in order to devote more time to my other ambition of getting a six pack!! I failed at that too!

Crossing the road here reminded me of Vietnam. (Having been here a while now I can say it is not like Vietnam, but still, people don't exactly stop for pedestrian crossings).

Despite all this I managed to take two trains from the airport to the apartment I had arranged through my school. My room is nice, although my bed is tiny and the apartment has no living room. I don't really mind, I actually only noticed that it didn't have a living room after a few days - I spent the last month living in a van so....

Doing my homework on my tiny Italian bed!

My walk to school on my first day

A typical Roman street - very narrow and cobbly.  I'm glad I didn't bring my flip flops or there would be some serious toe injuries!

The next day was my first day of school! When I arrived everyone had to take a test to determine which level we would be put into. I didn't want to take the test really - I didn't want to get put into any level higher than beginner. I didn't need to worry, I could only answer the first 6 or 7 questions! We also had to have a conversation in Italian as part of the test..mine didn't last very long! When we got the results an hour or so later, I was in Livello 1 :-) shocker!

Our lessons don't start until 12.30 this week so I spent a couple of hours walking randomly around Rome with Kirsten (also Livello Uno).

Some ruins!?

I had not done much research before coming to Rome, I had spent my time planning the first parts of our trip so we didn't really know where we were going. We saw lots of really nice places though! It seems like there is an historic sight around every corner in Rome.
Unfortunately we walked so far that we ended up rushing back for our class so I got there all hot and sweaty on the first day. Rome is warm at the moment - I wore a cardigan, a hoody and a coat from Manchester and I was so hot when I arrived.  I didn't bring my 30+ sunscreen either - BIG mistake!

Our teacher at school - Edoardo - is very nice - he speaks so slowly and doesn't laugh at us when we make stupid mistakes. There is only Italian spoken at the school (No English or German etc). So you can't help but learn it...hopefully!

I spent the rest of my first week going to school, going out with the other students in my class - practicing our Italian in the restaurants and gelaterias, and wandering randomly around Rome because I still hadn't opened my Lonely Planet!

Spanish Steps

Fontana di Trevi

Evening in Trastevere

On Friday I meet up with Flavio and Simone who I met in Australia but are now in Rome. And on Sunday I met up with Jo who I went to University with and who happened to be in Rome for the weekend. It was so nice - who's coming to visit me next!!??

Lunch with my classmates

Dinner in Trastevere with Jo

Mini Ayr, QLD (and Perth) Reunion

Homecoming

In between returning for New York and flying to Rome I had 9 days back home in England.  This was mostly spent recovering from jet lag, eating, not studying Italian and taking my possessions to the rubbish tip and charity shop.
And for Rosie: going back to work!

Our welcome home cake mmmm - Thank you Jon and Simon.

Wearing our USA tops despite being back in England.  And why is it so warm that we have to carry our coats - weird!

An (almost) family reunion.  Why aren't you on the family walk Rach?!

Another road trip already! (To Preston)

Now that's more like what we were expecting weather-wise.

Getting looked after by Jon

Keeping warm by pretending we're at the rest home!

Healthy snacks during our PS1 Worms battle with Jon and Simon

Second (and Third) Time in New York

After returning our van to the rental company in LA we flew to New York City.  This was Rosie's second visit to New York and my third so we had already done most of the main tourist attractions, but we wanted to stop off to break up the flying, to see the Lion King on Broadway and to soak in the atmosphere of the city - because we loved it so much last time.

This time we stayed in a hostel in the Upper West Side.  We arrived late at night and by the time we had checked in it was around 1am and we were starving.  We went out wandering up and down the streets (wearing our pyjama tops!) trying to find some food but everywhere was closed - so much for the city that never sleeps!  In the end we had to settle for some snacks from the shop across the road form the hostel, it was enough to keep us going until morning.

We spent the next two days in New York - it was nice to see the city and especially Central Park in the summer, it was just before Christmas when we were here last year.

Central Park

It might be the end of the trip but I'm still "so vain that I think this whole road trip's about me" aren't I Ros?

Times Square

Sunset over the Hudson River

I had been making fun of Rosie for getting locked out of the subway the last time we were here - guess who got locked out this time!

On Tuesday night we got our flight home to Manchester - it has been an amazing two months on the road. 

Thank you to my travel buddy for putting up with all my dramas, for never letting me drive the van in car parks and for editing the photos so well and with such bias towards unflattering pictures of me! Time to save up and start planning the next adventure :-)

The End of the Road (Trip)

We slowed down our road trip pace after we left Las Vegas because we still had 5 days to get the van back to LA. It was nice to have a bit of a break from holidaying-  we've been very busy for 23 days now and it's hard work you know! OK it isn't that hard but still...!

After leaving Las Vegas we drove alongside Lake Mead. We stopped briefly to see the old London Bridge from 1831 that was bought by a developer and reconstructed in Lake Havasu, Nevada. 

Just like London...except for the weather

That night we camped by the Colorado River at Buckskin Mountain State Park. I had some apartnent admin to do, calling the gas company in Aus. It was very hot and frustrating trekking around trying to find enough reception to Skype Australia. Luckily I could jump in the lake to cool off afterwards. Ros was a bit tired so she didn't coming swimming. She helped me by standing on the shore and counting me down to jumping in the water because it was really cold at first and I was being a wimp!

Campsite by the side of the river

That's not a dog head in the water - that's me!

The next day we crossed back into California and went to Joshua Tree National Park. I don't think I need to mention that the park entrance road was closed due to road damage-we just expect this to happen to us now. We continued West and went to a different entrance. It was incredibly hot in the park with only a little bit of shade from the Joshua Trees - we are properly in the desert now. We waited until a bit later in the afternoon to go on a short walk.

Hiding in the shade

Taking our classic 'sitting in an empty road' shots!

We camped in the national park for the night but there was no water and our tank was very low. We even had to save that night's washing up for the morning to conserve our supplies - that was my excuse anyway!

We came within about 70 miles of LA the next day but instead we turned south towards San Diego. We stopped in the Palomar Mountains for the night, about 50 miles from San Diego, and drove into the city in the morning.  We have no pictures from our campground that night, because it was horrible, our worst one yet.  In fact we had to abandon camp after a couple of hours because it was so gross, and we don't exactly have high standards when we're on the road so you know that it must've been bad!  We drove back a few miles to an RV park we'd seen the sign for - it was much nicer.

We made it to San Diego after only a couple of traffic jams and found all day parking for $10!  Already we were doing a lot better than our last city outing in San Francisco.  We walked around the downtown area for a few hours then we went along the harbour and took a tour of the USS Mission aircraft carrier.  We then had an couple of hours to pass in the car park and Starbucks before we went to see the San Diego Padres play baseball.  

San Diego

Enjoying the audio tour at the USS Mission museum

I almost got a photo with this guy - some baseball player??  But the security people took him away to get ready just as it would have been my turn - oh well!

Passing the time before the game with free hot dogs and popcorn

The last two nights of our road trip we spent along the Southern California Coast on the way back to LA. We spent our time on the beach making the most of probably the last sunshine we'll see for at least 5 months, maybe longer!  I'm not looking forward to that - online coat shopping time I think!

Last night on the road - finishing up all the food and beer!

Last road trip sunset...until next time

Next, and final destination - New York City.