Rome, Italy

My posts are completely out of order at this point. Here are the places I’ve visited in order: Reykjavik, Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Istanbul, Athens, Barcelona, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Interlaken, Bern, Milan, Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome, Privas, Paris, London, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Dublin, Killarney, Galway, London and back to Reykjavik.

My first and foremost memory of Rome will be the fact that I was flashed. For the third time in my life. As my friend Christina told me, “If I had a nickel for every time you were flashed, I could afford to replace your stolen wallet.” Or as my friend Kristy asked, “What is it about you that make men want to flash you?” But we’ll save that special kind of analysis for another blog post. Let’s make this blog post about my bike tour.

I really wanted to rent a bike to see one of the cities I was visiting, and figured Rome was as good as any. So I signed up for the “Unseen Sights” of Rome bike tour. After four hours on a bike, I now know why they’re unseen. Those seven hills are mighty and fierce on a bike. If I were ever trying to conquer Rome, I’d quickly back down after facing those hills. I’d revise my strategy for a flat city. Like Florence. Thankfully, my lot in life is to be a tourist and not a gladiator.

I ended up being the sole participant in my bike tour. When the other participants noticed it was pouring rain, they used good sense and decided to stay home. What I lack in good sense, I make up in this new found love of adventure. Plus, I read in the brochure that they had rain gear. And rain gear they had. Bright (and I mean bright) yellow track pants and jacket. I looked like an escaped convict. Or a member of the fanny pack brigade. I’d rather look like the former. West Side for life.

The brochure also promised that there would be helmets. There were none to be found. I say this without hesitation or jest that darting around a bike in Rome traffic without a helmet was far more dangerous than hang gliding in Bern.

Afterward, my tour guide asked me for drinks. But at that point, I was ready to crumble. They say riding a bicycle is a skill you never forget. “They” have never met me. A six-year hiatus from riding a bike did me in. But in all honesty, a bike is one of the best ways to see a city, and I ended up renting bikes in Dublin, Amsterdam and Reykjavik as well.

A picture is worth a thousand words. I could have spared you this blog post with the picture after the jump, but I’m a blogger. And bloggers like to hear themselves write.

Tagged as: Bike tour, Italy, Rome