London Bridges

Leaving Rome was an interesting trip. After dropping off our bags at the university in Rome we caught the Metro to Ciampino, Italy then a shuttle to the Ciampino Hotel...well, not really to the hotel because when the driver dropped us off he pointed in some vague direction and told us the hotel was just around the corner. So, off we went, packs and all, hiking with hopes of seeing our hotel sometime soon before we dried up in the heat like the grapes in the vineyards guarding the roads of Italy. Two times we stopped to ask for directions. Our Italian is by no means great, but I think we may be getting better! Once in the Hotel, we all essentially passed out from exhaustion and jet lag. Yet before we called it a night and while the sun was setting we all shared a bottle of red wine to celebrate our safe arrival in Italy.

The next morning we took a cab at 5:15. for a 5 minute ride to the airport he charged us 20 Euro. What a rip-off! But it got us there when the shuttle was not running so we cannot complain too much.

Admittedly, we were a bit worried about our less than $100 dollar Ryan Air flight to London early that morning. However, it was pretty decent for the price. It reminded us of a Southwest flight marinated in a pool of capitalism. They tried to sell us everything from bottled carbonated water to European lottery tickets! After landing safely it was a relief to be able to ask for directions to the St. Christopher's Village Hostel without having to ask if they spoke English. Well, English in Britain is not exactly what you would expect. More of our adventures in London to come soon!