And so it begins... Buses, Metros and Trains Oh My!

  Ciao family, friends, and readers! My friend, cohort, travel guru, and classics nerd has previously stated our mission and why in the name of all that is good in this world we decided to spend 24-7 together over the coming months. For the sake of not being redundant I shall jump straight to the point... Italy/Italians/and all that those two encompass.
  Mission: Conquer the Italian language, gorge ourselves and in the process possibly gain an additional butt cheek, create (always legal) mischief, and to live in the moment with one's best friends.
  Current Status:  The package was successfully delivered... On 1/11 Andrea claimed an over packed, ravenous, extremely good looking, Portlander from the Trastevere train station in Rome, Italy. Having left the rain of the Pacific NW 28 hours prior, the subject was caught off guard by a head of curls flying around the corner. Luckily, I had fallen into good hands.
  Thus far we have been together for a week and have many things to share. In order for you to feel as if you are here with us, I wanted to share a few key observations from this week.  
  Two words... Public Transportation. Our daily lives involve a lot of it, including three different modes of it: bus, train, and metro.  In case you were concerned we were not receiving enough close up and
personal time with the Italians, no fear because every time we step foot on a moving vehicle of some kind we get to canoodle with many of them. Several things have become evident: 1. Italian men prefer being
the big spoon. It doesn't matter if you are sitting or standing they will find a way to spoon you. You may be asking yourself “How my fair lady can one spoon you when your bum is upon a seat?” Very good question. The technique used most frequently is a hand on the seat in front of you and one on the seat behind you. Consequently you turn to pretend to stare at something old out the window. The man then proceeds to rub his wine belly against your back... and you continually check how many more stops before you can say scusi to 20 people, who don't move out of the way, and can jump off. All forms of transportation are so full that the spooning while standing is completely ok and not noticeable by others.  2. Italians don't like to wash their hair often which leads to a very interesting and horrid smell. My favorite are the men that stand next to you with bad smelly dandruff, and you can see the flakes flying off their scalp and onto your backpack and water bottle. I now understand why Italians don't like washing their hair- it is the cost of shampoo and conditioner. Holy monkey butts it is expensive over here. 3. I don't think deodorant is as commonly used here as in the States. 4. Italians love to smell the hair of those who do wash it everyday... especially while spooning. 5. I think Italian babies come out of the womb smoking. I am not sure how the mother avoids her cervix being burned, but there are many Italian things I don't understand... the point being Italians have many things to offer the world: food, sculpture, history, and lung cancer via second/third hand smoke. If you come to visit you have this to look forward to. And keep in mind the fun continues for about 1 hour each way... Yea 2 hours a day of canoodling.    
  On the topic of transportation something rather funny happened to us today. We got off the train in Siena and bought a bus ticket. There was a bus sitting in front of the station which read city center, so we jumped on. Well it did in fact take us to the city center... only it took us to three city centers and then the center of Siena. Ergo our 3 and 1/2 hour train ride was than extended by an hour and a 1/2 bus ride. Best part of the day was that our hostel was within sight of the train station. The joys of traveling! At least we got to canoodle, smell like smoke, and wish we had brought shampoo with us from the States.
  Note: Please be aware that I in fact love Italy, Italians, and all the quirks that come with travel. I tend to be sarcastic and find humor in much of our daily lives. Thus, if you are Italian or of Italian heritage all complaints are in good fun.
 Signing out- Kristin