Rome wasn't built (or found) in a day

It was inevitable that during nine weeks of traveling we would endure at least a few of the glitches that can occur when one launches out without a tour guide and (let’s just admit it upfront) rookie travel skills.  So July 30 and August 1 will go down in Chapman history as two very long, very bad days.  

Waiting for our ferry

It all started when we arrived much too early in Durres, Albania, a large port town six hours northwest of Erseke, because we were nervous about getting lost somewhere in Albania and missing our ferry.  We had to kill six hours in this hot, less-than-lovely town with only limited lek (Albania currency) to spend.  Our ferry was supposed to leave at 11 p.m., and we had splurged on two sleeping cabins so we would get to Rome refreshed (cue the foreshadowing).  However, when we passed through customs around 8:30 p.m., the security guard told us our boat was delayed, and wouldn’t even arrive in Durres until 11:30.  So we were shuttled into a long line of cars and massive trucks all waiting for the same boat.  And our kids endured yet more waiting, with the choice of either trying to sleep in our very packed car, or sitting on filthy, cigarette-strewn pavement for several more hours. The boat finally arrived at 12:30, and we didn’t board until around 2 a.m.  Can you sense the state we were in at this point?  

Needless to say, we got a very late start driving through Italy (five hours late, to be exact).  Which is the moment when we discovered the cell phone we had borrowed from our friend Ruth did not have service in Italy, so we couldn’t call Giuseppe, the man renting us our apartment in Rome, to tell him we'd be late.  All along the five-hour drive, we stopped at small towns and rest stops, trying to find a working pay phone or Internet service.  No luck.  Finally, around 5:30 p.m., we entered the Rome area, with our Mapquest directions clutched in our hot little hands.  We had poured over these directions for at least an hour back in Albania, mapping out the most ideal route, but the directions were off, or we missed something, and suddenly we were driving through the outskirts of metropolitan Rome, with only our inadequate tourist map to guide us, and very little patience in our tanks.  We’re not really the “Be quiet, you kids! We’re trying to drive here!” types, but this was survival, people.  Our best parenting techniques had flown out the window somewhere back in Naples.

We stopped at several pay phones to call Giuseppe; no luck.  We stopped for directions, (“First you take a left-e...or is it a right-e then go some kilometers, then a right-e at the second light-a, near Santa something or other...”)  Oh, it was miserable!  Finally, around 9 p.m., we spotted a hotel and begged the man behind the desk for two minutes on his phone.  “Giuseppe, so sorry, so sorry, we’re very lost!”

And, wait, there’s one more thing, our ATM card was not working in Italy, so we couldn’t pay Giuseppe for the room.  As we found out later, our bank had put a stop on our account because we’d made a number of quick withdrawals in Albania to stock up on cash.  Poor Jeff had to stay up past midnight sitting in the car in an internet “hot spot," Skyping our bank to work out the problem.  

Well, now we’re here in Rome, day two, enjoying all the wonders of this amazing place.  Our apartment is located in one of the best neighborhoods in the city, Trestavere, and last night we literally groaned as we ate the most fabulous pasta with bacon and fresh pecorino cheese, crusty mouth-watering bread and, later, the most remarkable gelato you could imagine.  We were absolutely giddy in our relief and delight.  All good things come to those who wait, I guess.

Yesterday, we sweated through the Colosseum, which was fascinating and remarkable.  Today we'll coax our kids through the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica.  (Don't worry, we're paying them off with pizza and gelato.)  It's worth all the pain in getting here, but oy what a journey!  I hope that will be the last of the big bumps in the road.