It was great to wake up and head to breakfast and see some familiar faces of the crew from last night. The bar is also the restaurant so it’s a central meeting place. One by one more arrive and we are all buzzing from the night before. I also get my first glimpse of where I am staying in daylight.
There’s a couple of new faces at the table who were other friends of the group they’d made previously during the day. The conversation moves to today’s plans. I had thought about going for a wander through the city to see some of the sights. It seems that there is a couple of girls going together and they invite me to tag along.

Alice the Russian is the only face that is familiar and she introduces me to Maria (German) and Chiara (Argentinan). It seems that Chiara loves Rome and is very good at finding her way around. She is out designated tour guide for the day. So we set off with her in the lead and find the bus stop.
It’s a warm day so it feels like an eternity before it arrives. There’s no such thing as a bus shelter over here. When we get on the bus we chatter away and Chiara tells us her plan of attack. So many solo travelers here in Rome which is very cool. We use my internet access to find a couple of addresses of places. Including a gelato stop, but more about that later.
We wander to Piazza Navona first and it’s no surprise that the architecture here is stunning. We decide to capture a pic of all of us at the beginning of the day.

The more we wander the more I’m getting to know everyone. We weave our way through the busy city. Chiara has us find places to taste test limoncello, see fresh pasta and of course all the sights to be seen in the city.

There was a couple of great stops along the way between tourist attractions. This included visiting a gelato shop with a crazy 150 flavours. To walk in and see it is actually enough but the way it entices you is ridiculous. The selection is crazy. From Basil to Nutella, from Lemoncheese cake to traditional flavours.

I wasn’t initially going to actually buy one, but I was keen to have a look only. But then I thought better of it. It’s called Della Palma.
Earlier in the day and last night when I’d introduced myself I’d say my name is Hannah, like Hannah banana. This is a word association technique to make it easy for people to remember who I am. There’s so many names to digest in a hostel environment so it’s something I do in my own head too when someone introduces themselves to me. So there was a bit of a banana theme for the day as a result.
This sprung to mind when I was searching for the right flavours. I settled on 2 flavours which were Champagne and Chocolate/Banana. We are all grinning and sit outside enjoying trying each other’s flavours. We chat about how we wish finding a boyfriend was as each as browsing that gelato shop. These girls are all so funny and are making my day so enjoyable.

We move on to our next stop and follow Chiara who also stops in at a Limoncello shop where she knows you can taste test samples. She has been such an asset.

Eventually we check the clock and it’s nearly 3.30pm, so we thought we’d better stop for lunch. Our fearless leader has a place in mind that she had been to on another trip so led us all there. We sit inside in the air conditioning and are treated to a free prosecco.
Because inside the restaurant is very quiet it’s seems like we have our own private dining room. It’s so quaint with old wine bottles lining the walls and old looking furniture. I also notice trays and trays of prepared antipasto. It’s all looking amazing.

We tell the staff it’s Alice’s birthday and they prepare a shared dessert plate with a candle for us to sing happy birthday to.

We have one last stop and that is at the Spanish steps. We’ve all gone into a food coma. But it’s important to us all to get as much as we can into the day.

Once we’ve ticked that off the list for the day we make our way to the Metro/Subway. We are guided by Chiara in how to buy tickets and what to do with them. She explains the two different lines and points out the names of the stations where the sights are if needed for another day.

We head back and the subway is just like what I’d experienced in both Paris and London. It’s only a few stops before we’re back at Roma Termini (the central station of Rome). As we walk through the terminal Chiara points out how we can buy tickets for the train out to the airport which I take note of for the day I depart.
It’s only a few blocks walk to the hostel from the Termini and the rest of the group are keen for a nap. I was too but spotted Jeff and thought I’d pop over and sit with him at the bar and see how his night was. I’d also met a lovely Italian girl called Ilaria who also I’d chatted with for a bit too.
Seems that spot at the table outside became the meeting point for the rest of the night, yet again. Slowly one by one the crew arrived and we continued telling each other about their travels and stories about their family. Many of us leave in the next two days so we have all decided to party together.
While we sit I see a girl arrive who is looking for somewhere to sit. I invite to sit with us and she is Bella from New Zealand. So our group grows.
Earlier today while we were sightseeing we’d discussed having a late dinner and having had lasagne for lunch I wasn’t really hungry. So I decided to skip the dinner plans and stay sitting outside with some of the crew on this beautiful night. Bella and I excuse ourselves momentarily to change from our day clothes into our night clothes. I’ve chosen my red dress I wore back for Moulin Rogue. I laughed so hard when I returned cause Eryck didn’t even recognize me. I’d been so casual and wore no makeup that to arrive dressed up for the night seemed to be shock for them all.
I sat down and my British friend Richard said “Omg is anyone seeing what I’m seeing?”. He points behind me and there is a red Vespa and he says I just HAVE to have a photo in front of it. The boys oblige by taking a picture. Such an iconic image for me to be in Roma (red) in a red dress next to a red Vespa. Love it!!

Bella and Richard were talking together and I look up and see them both staring at me. I asked them why they were looking at me. They wanted to tell me that I was an inspiration to them, that they thought I was a great person. Omg I am so humbled, and cry (well it’s been a while since I’ve cried so I was probably due). Gosh these people melt my heart.
I also spend some time talking with Ilaria who asks me to keep an eye out for her. She thought we were all friends for a long time and traveling together. I explained hostel life and how we all have been friends only for a short time. I happily reassure her I will be making sure she’s ok.
From here the night is filled with fun, laughs, hugs, dance and a LOT of prosecco. It was another incredible night. It’s amazing how the people make a destination more enticing. I will always have incredible memories from my time here. The night (well actually morning) ended around 8-9am when I eventually fell into bed exhausted. I had only a few hours to recover as I have my bike tour tomorrow at 11.30am. Eeekkk.