95 degrees. Literally. We stepped out of our little apartment in Trastavere only to be met with immediate heat, and to make matters worse it was already smoking hot in our building. So we were sweating. A lot. It was the first week of this trip and we had no idea how heavy our packs would be, which was a really unwanted surprise. So on this non travel day and we were grateful we didn’t have to carry everything to where we were headed. We walked along the sidewalk for around five minutes until we reached a little cafe where we bought some croissants and coffee and headed on our way.
We waited for what seemed like forever for the bus to roll up, we almost hopped on one. At this time, we were covered in sweat, and the only water we had was gone, we weren’t even halfway into the day yet. Finally the bus arrived and we stumbled on. It was around a half and hour ride to where we were planning to go. We rode up to our stop, hopped off, and we had arrived. The Basilica of St. Peter stood a couple of hundred feet away from us, towering over us so that I could barley see the top.
The Vatican is considered it’s own country apart from Rome. This decision, which was a deal made a long time ago, was when Rome was trying to conquer the world. The Christian church asked only to keep the Vatican, and named it Vatican City, now considered a country with it’s own laws, so as not to be controlled by the Roman government. We entered the new country with every intention of exploring immediately. But instead we found ourselves collapsed on the entrance while my dad went to go get us tickets for the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican.
We were maybe into ten minutes of waiting when all of the sudden we hear, “water water, cold water”. This was something you hear a lot in Rome. There are always a lot of immigrants from the middle east who work as street vendors selling water on the hottest days of the summer in Rome. A lot of people end up buying water because it is so hot outside and the sightseers are usually drenched in sweat from walking around in the 100 degrees weather mid-day. So naturally we had just ordered some water and the vendors had moved on. Then out of nowhere we see all of the vendors running and furiously texting on their phones. We heard buzzes and more vendors running around the corner, picking their way over people to get out of the Vatican. We were so confused, but suddenly we saw a police car roll up. But we had seen these vendors selling everywhere else in Rome and not getting chased by police, we were so confused. Apparently, it was illegal to sell anything not authorized inside the country. These men, were risking their immigration status to make a few extra euros. The thing we found even more boggling was that as soon as the police car had rolled away, the men came back, again an again and again. I guess the few extra euro really was worth it, and the hot tourists were eager for the water. A cycle that a police car filled with one or two men or women probably wouldn’t be able to rid the country of.
We waited for what seemed like forever for the bus to roll up, we almost hopped on one. At this time, we were covered in sweat, and the only water we had was gone, we weren’t even halfway into the day yet. Finally the bus arrived and we stumbled on. It was around a half and hour ride to where we were planning to go. We rode up to our stop, hopped off, and we had arrived. The Basilica of St. Peter stood a couple of hundred feet away from us, towering over us so that I could barley see the top.
The Vatican is considered it’s own country apart from Rome. This decision, which was a deal made a long time ago, was when Rome was trying to conquer the world. The Christian church asked only to keep the Vatican, and named it Vatican City, now considered a country with it’s own laws, so as not to be controlled by the Roman government. We entered the new country with every intention of exploring immediately. But instead we found ourselves collapsed on the entrance while my dad went to go get us tickets for the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican.
We were maybe into ten minutes of waiting when all of the sudden we hear, “water water, cold water”. This was something you hear a lot in Rome. There are always a lot of immigrants from the middle east who work as street vendors selling water on the hottest days of the summer in Rome. A lot of people end up buying water because it is so hot outside and the sightseers are usually drenched in sweat from walking around in the 100 degrees weather mid-day. So naturally we had just ordered some water and the vendors had moved on. Then out of nowhere we see all of the vendors running and furiously texting on their phones. We heard buzzes and more vendors running around the corner, picking their way over people to get out of the Vatican. We were so confused, but suddenly we saw a police car roll up. But we had seen these vendors selling everywhere else in Rome and not getting chased by police, we were so confused. Apparently, it was illegal to sell anything not authorized inside the country. These men, were risking their immigration status to make a few extra euros. The thing we found even more boggling was that as soon as the police car had rolled away, the men came back, again an again and again. I guess the few extra euro really was worth it, and the hot tourists were eager for the water. A cycle that a police car filled with one or two men or women probably wouldn’t be able to rid the country of.
Now you know why many locals leave Rome in July and August. I find the solution to the heat is Gelato not water :)
ReplyDeleteDear Rowan, Lovely to read your thoughts. What you described is the "human condition", and what you are meant to experience on this journey. We live for the few precious moments, and I know you are having those as well. Love, OMB
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