Roman Rule # 1: To go to the bathroom, you must purchase an umbrella...

Sounds a bit odd, right? Well, those are the rules apparently. We arrived in Rome yesterday and the ground was already damp. We buzzed ourselves into the Pop Inn Hostel, expecting to receive both a confirmation of our reservation and a room, but it didn't exactly flow that way. Apparently, the "confirmation" email we received was more of a "confirmation that we do have space but will see how we feel when you get there" kind of email. Perhaps that chain of events embodies Roman Rule # 1: any transaction (let's say, a reservation for example) outside Rome is only deemed valid by the whim of a Roman. After our train-lagged faces dropped, I think the hostel proprietors took pity on us and set us up with a place to stay last night and the guarantee of a place for the remaining nights we have in Rome, so long as we paid them for all nights in full ... such is life in a major European city right before the weekend.

So we managed to survive the night in what is better described as a Spartan rather than a Roman hostel, naturally with a French name (naturally), and went immediately to our hostel of choice, the Pop Inn, this morning. We walked through the doors, greeted the hostess, and expected a room, namely our room, the one we reserved a few days before arriving in this city. The nice ladies took our passport, we signed a form, it all seemed right. When we finished the work, we sighed, she sighed, it was a moment, and then ... a bit of silence. I asked, "can we see our room now?" and, in surprised fashion, she said "your room is not ready yet, come back later, you can store your stuff in the locker over there, ciao." Gah!

So we put our stuff away and went out into the pouring rain with little more than a map, an empty tummy, and a full bladder. Most of Rome's sites are outdoor affairs. And, being the genius I am, I have no umbrella. And, it being Rome (or Europe for that matter), bathrooms are not free. And the Roman bathroom, wonderfully enough, only accepts specific amounts of change. Hooray! So, to find change and to relieve Amalea's bladder, we took refuge in the nearby train station, searching for an umbrella to access the bathroom.

In sum, not only must you do as the Romans do, you also have to do as the Romans wish, even if they don't vocalize it themselves. Which leads us to Roman Rule # 2 (or 3 I guess, but who is counting?): When in Rome, do as the Romans think you should do, and develop a sense of telepathy to support such mandated behavior.

Ehh, at least I am now sporting a snappy plaid 6Euro umbrella, not everyone can boast that these days. Rome!