On to Rome

With regrets, we left Florence today. We are now in the worst hotel on the edge of the best section of Rome! A few blocks away are the Savoy, the Westin, the Regina and several others of Rome’s best hotels. We’re in the Priscilla. Two large airmail stamps could cover the portion of the floor not already covered by the bed. However, this room is larger than the combined space of both rooms we had at the Atlantico, just six days ago! And, we are together.

We hoped that the last three days of our trip would give us an opportunity to get a better look at Rome than we had in 2005. Then, the weather conspired against us and it looks as though that will happen again. The forecast for tomorrow and Friday is rain!

The best I can say for this hotel is that the bed is soft, (by Italian standards – limestone instead of granite) and the shower is good. The website advertised Internet availability; this was overstating the case. The availability is two blocks away at an Internet café that has just two working computers that are old enough to have grandchildren; and no wireless connection. I tried to configure an ADSL connection, but the manager didn’t know their DHCP client I.D., so the effort was fruitless. I’ll try, tomorrow, to find a wireless Internet point.

It’s hard to believe that the weather, tomorrow, will be as bad as predicted; today was beautiful. We walked to Spanish Steps, then Trevi Fountain. Jane insisted on tossing a coin in the fountain; she’s an incurable romantic.

The crowds are huge. I guess tourist season is 12 months a year. We’re in this terrible hotel because there are no rooms. Six days ago, after finding the room in Florence, I searched for a room in Rome. I probably wouldn’t have sprung for the Savoy or the Regina, but I might have gone for the Westin; I didn’t have the option, there were no rooms. I was on the verge of giving up when I found this. The photo on the website looked bright and airy – they lied! You don’t want to be suicidal if you check into a room like this; it will push you over the edge!