Rome, if you want to!

Great; now I'm going to have that stupid song in my head all day!

So, I am in Roma, and have been for two days after a very comfortable sleeper train bought me here from Paris. I have no idea why anyone would ever take a train sitting down, when they can lie there, and wake up just as the train is pulling in to the station. I will never do so again!

I've had a very pleasant few days, beginning in Paris and meeting Bridget, where we did all the things one is supposed to do when in Paris: the Louvre, Versaille, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Dy Lysee, eating cheese baguettes, eating chocolate croissants, and absolutely stuffing yourself rotten with creme brulee and a nice Bordeaux. The highlight of day one was being lasciviously perved at the whole time we were eating, by the old-man waiter, who then politely informed me that 'I had nice woman'. Shudder. I wish it were actually permissable to be like Grace Kelly and slap people across the face; that would have been grouse!

Versailles, by the way, is just fantastic. It's so decadently gorgeous, it made the many long, wrong turns we took to get there very worth it. More gold in each room that I've seen in one jewellery shop! Bridget and I have each reserved wings for ourselves, and encourage everyone to come and visit, for it will be our summer residence! (Our winter residence in the Louvre).

Arriving in Rome, I also did what any good tourist must do (after majorly cracking the shits and bursting into tears because, though I was AT the hotel, I couldn't figure out how to get inside it. There was no door. I guess sleeper trains don't actually provide you with a great nights' rest, for I should never have been so emotional otherwise - and the nine serves of dairy that made me vomit in the middle of Paris. That didn't help either!) Anyway, I did what any good tourist would do: I jumped on a hop on/hop off bus - HELLO! What else was I going to do?! There are Manolos at stake here! - for a tour of grand old Rome. Then I got over it, and walked. And ate the weirdest assortment of food ever, including pizza with apple, mushrooms and gorgonzola (yes, it was vile) and these delightful pork and spanish olive meatballs that will haunt my dreams forever. I'm salivating right now! Followed by more dairy in the way of vanilla gelati - though I'm limiting my dairy intake to one serve now, lest I vomit in the middle of Rome too.

Why does dairy hate me so? When all I want to do is marry it and have its children: chocolate, cheese and creme brulee children? That I will then eat. Sick.

Anyway, today I roamed the Colisseum (sic. How the hell do you spell it?) which was very cool; strolled the forum, which for my mind has always been even cooler, and ate some more pizza. I have decided that for the next three weeks in which I make Florence my home, I am not allowed to eat pizza every day, or I will come back as doughy as one myself. It's amazing I haven't turned into an Oompa Lumpa yet - must be all the walking.

Anyway, to Florence I go! To learn to speak me some Italiano!

Ciao!