WE WAS ROBBED!!!

WE all saw it... Lucas Neil´s sliding tackle... NO WHERE NEAR HIM!!!

Ah well, we made it that far...

We found a plaza with heaps of little bars and may i say the best sandwhich shop i have ever been in, like Subway, but gourmet, and real food. So after having my T-Riffic chicken shnitzel sanga and tucking into a couple of cheeky ones before the game started, we nestled into the small pub with a stack of I Tais and an hand full of Aussies...

I actually couldnt watch the penalty... i walked outside the pub when Totti lined up... i heard the screams and new that our World Cup was over... No tears... for me, but Em was balling (sorry Em)...

That night, walking the streets, still dressed in our green and gold (very proud Aussies we were), was similar to Chapel St on a Saturday nite... I think every car had some sort of doof doof and they just kept beeping their horns!!! I think we were gracious in defeat, and decided to lay low, it was a quiet evening and we found a small bar...

One thing to look out for is the guys selling roses all over Europe... I cant work out how these guys make a living... I think maybe they would sell, two or three a night... all for what 5 euro take home... doesnt add up... I was told to wait till the end of the night and buy the whole bunch for like 6 euro... i didnt, i had no one to give them too... awwww.

Did the Colleseum tour the next day and walked through the Forum to the Mussolinis Palace... Truly a spectacular day... And something i recommend everyone to do, just once...

It started at a small cafe, a stones throw from the Colleseum, and while eating our grub (i say grub, cause it was a bit av'), a lady came in claiming she was about to faint... So an ambulance rocks up and this is the part i love... The ambulance officer, is smoking... Obviously being educated enough to know the dangers of smoking, and dealing with sick people every day, never mind, he was in absolutely no rush to get to this woman until he had finished his smoke... That is Italian, that is Europe. Love it.

The next day was a scorcher and Luka had promised to take us down to the beach... About 30 mins away... He showed me where he had come off his motorbike at about 150km/hr... massive scars...

The wind was blowing a gale but we managed to make the most it and spent the day just getting some rays and having a dip.

I walked around town that night, eating proper pizza and found some massive italian concert in this square twice the size of Federation Square, and saw some wicked Opera singers... they love em over there.

Oh another thing, whilst trying to find a cab the nite before, i hollered down a BMW 7 series, thinking it might have been a private taxi... We hopped in and he told us, he was just a guy on the way home from work... he was headed the same way as us and agreed to give us a lift... Stop It!!! Random. Never underestimate the kindness of strangers... But never take candy from them... ok?!

Later That night we went to one of the beach clubs, which was pretty much a resort with deck chairs and heaps of little pagola's scattered around this pool... cost us i think 10 euro to get in, with a free drink, and every drink was 10 euro after that... not great for the thrifty back packer but it was "the place to be"... very stand off-ish crowd at the start, almost like a high school dance, girls to one side, boys to the other. So i hit up the dance floor with some killer Aussie moves, the sprinkler, the lawn mower, and may have even chucked in a reverse park later on...

Once the DJ sparked up, this girl, started singing along with the house beats... Very cool... It was her first night there and she was the bomb... She even let me sing a couple of tunes with her... We had that place rocking!!! Such a wicked night, good times had by all.

Off to Venice the next day... And may i say a big thankyou to Em and Nic, my big sisters, They made sure i had my bags with me and my shoes tied tight, and that i wouldn't get into a fight. It was a Saturday if i can remember and i had just put some more cash on my travel card... Note to everyone, it takes two BUSINESS DAYS for money to be transferred onto the card... Lucky EM lent me some cashola, or i woulda been up the preverbial creek without a paddle when i got to Venice...

So i gave them all a hug and a kiss (european style of course), told Luka he was a "teste di cartzo" (sorry in joke) for the last time, and jumped on board the train to the city of love... would i find love here? Accomodation was higher on the priority list... Good bye Roma and bye to my travelling buddies... Thankyou for everything...

The next time i would see a familiar face would be in Barcelona when i would meet up with my Mate Doff and some of his girlfriends... Wicked... that was a week from now...

The adventure continues...