Insert clever "When in Rome..." title

I arrived in Rome with no reservations but fortunately found a place in no time, 7th floor of a hotel for cheaper than a regular hostel. SCORE! The first thing I did was "Do as the Romans do" and did some sink washin and left my clothes to dry on the balcony. Rome was definitely filled with out of towners, I saw more Americans there than I have in the rest of Italy. But fortunately Rome is a big place with lots to explore. I spent 4 days there and saw everything I wanted to (that's not to say everything there) with time to hang out with a guy from Chicago. The farther south in Italy I go the more stereotypical it gets. Lots of scooters, hectic driving, and an increasing amount of hand gestures while talking. It's also hot. One cool thing about Rome is they have public water fountains that flow cold free water where you can fill up and continue on your day. One night Italy was playing a match in the European football tournament and the entire city exploded with everything that their team did. It was intense.

St. Peters in The Vatican was simply astounding. It was a breathtaking building. After seeing so many amazing cathedrals it seems though that at some point "for the glory of God" became a spitting match between the different cities in Italy. Naples post soon. I'm excited to tell you about it.

There was some sort of protest. They had balloons.

Pantheon

St. Peters

Outside of St. Peters

Two cities in too few time or How to get lost in Venice and Scooter demons of Florence

I decided the time for Italy was upon me so I headed south to Venice. I shoulda planned that move out a little better. It turns out it was a weekend. Every hostel in the city was booked up. So after literally getting the run around the whole city over I was directed to a small hotel. Another old lady, not as nice as my host in Nesselwang. A hotel in Venice cost way more than a hostel would have. It just highlighted my already dwindling budget. I spent most of my time getting lost in Venice, mainly because of my propensity to just take a random turn and explore. I started to get the hang of the cramped alleyways and little canals at the end of my 2 days there. I don't know how many Venetians actually live in Venice but it didn't seem like many. It seemed the whole city was filled with tourists (20 million a year). All of which were lost and trying to figure out which way was up. Venice was a gorgeous city and it's reputation is well earned. Two nights and I was out of a lodging there so I headed off to Florence. Same story. Two nights and I was moving on again. The Duomo in Florence is breathtaking to see. The art museums are out of this world as well and the gelato is tops. This post doesn't begin to describe my time in either city but I'm beat from cooking in the sun today so have some pictures.

The rain from Bavaria followed me here on my first day/night. 

View from the Campanile at Piazza San Marco

Go to Venice, they have pigeons!

Last Venice picture

Florence

Sweet sweet gelato

The Duomo