Sara and Nadine in Rome

(2.18.15) We were out really late the night before because of The Kooks concert, but we still managed to get up and out of my apartment at the time we planned. Unfortunately, my phone was giving me wrong directions or the bus dropped us off too early or maybe both (I’m still not entirely sure what happened here,) but we ended up walking about 20 minutes to Port Maillot where we were supposed to catch a bus to Paris BVA. (Tip: If you’re planning a trip, just stick with CDG and save yourselves the heartache.)

When we finally got to the station much later than we expected, we found that the bus wouldn’t even be arriving for another 30 minutes. We were going to miss our flight. Luckily and profitably for the taxi drivers who counted on this happening to stupeeed amehricanz, we were charged a *mere* 130 euros for the taxi ride to the airport.

The pros of this happening (and believe me, they are slim, but a girls’ gotta look on the bright side) are that I was so frantically trying to get us to the airport that I discovered I can rapidly discuss itinerary details and even haggle a bit (though however unsuccessfully) in French, with the taxi driver who would not stop talking to us for the entire hour ride there. The con is that I had to hear Sara, who couldn’t understand us but who was sleep deprived, broken footed, cranky, and now out 65 euros; telling the lady to ‘just shut up and drive’ under her breath for the entire ride.

It was an overall weird taxi ride. After she shut the door and sped off I panicked realizing we could be headed towards sex slavery as there was another young girl sitting in the front seat and no “taxi” sign on top of the car. The lady offered us sugar crêps which I took but refused to eat, assuming they would be laced with heroin. (Can you lace food with heroin…?)

Anyway, eventually we did get there. And it was beautiful, though not at all what we expected Rome to be. You know The Lizzie McGuire Movie? Yeah, it’s really nothing like that. And the Trevi Fountain was under construction. Not what dreams are made of at all.

Posts and photos on the Vatican, Roman Colloseum, and St. Peter’s Basillica up next.