magic

Thursday, November 17 - Rome

There's something quite magical about Rome. I don't know if it is the people, the wine, the ancient air of the place, but it comes to inhabit you. At night, I sit back on my hotel's rooftop terrace, sip Spanish wine, and listen to the sounds of the city. It's a busy city, minitature cars flashing by, vespas dashing about in and out of lanes. Young people speedwalking to some important destination or the older ones strolling off a mountain of dinner. It's a city that has a huge sculpture in a Piazza by one of the best the world has ever seen next to a store selling Fendi and Gucci. Egyptian obilisks rise above massive stone elephants. Roman columns line the way to the grocery store.

I sit back and enjoy the sounds, the buses trundling along, the merchants hocking wares, the singing cab drivers. Yet it doesn't stop with the sounds. Wafting scents of dozens of pizza joints envelope you. Smells that make your mouth water just before you are hit with even more: the daily fare from the corner tratorria, freshly made cappiccino, constantly fresh-baked bread, pastries that fulfill every kind possible.

It is a place that breathes inspiration. Many parts of Europe have affected me in different ways, but Rome has trumped the rest. I won't know the extent for a long time, but for anyone who needs revitalization or inspiration, book a flight to Rome. I cannot stay here for very much longer however, or I won't leave.

- a c-note