As White As White.

Right...

So.

The other day my wedding dress came in the post. I kid you not, it came in a standard size USPS box. Like really thin. So I was spazzing thinking it was going to be a disaster.

I left it in the box, and went to the airport to get my cousin to bring her to my other cousin's house. All in all I had the dress for over 10ish hours before I opened it.

When I did I was none too impressed. Turns out the images that I used to base my purchasing decision had been photoshopped. DAMN IT.

Nothing too over top just lighting and the colour of my dress.

What I thought was going to be a white, crispy, angelic looking, 50 year old vintage amazing find, was actually something that looked its age. The colouring was well off, and non consistent. You could see where the different parts of it had aged quicker. And you could see where it had been in a bag or box with other clothes because there was rust marks from 'another' zip on small areas. It sucked.

So, I was having huge dilemma of whether to spend time trying to get it looking amazing, but run the risk of ruining it and not being able to sell it on, or just selling it on there and then.

I opted for the former.

Washing began on Wednesday. I left it in the bathtub with normal washing powder and some bicarbonate of soda. It was in there for pretty much 12ish hours. The water was a disgusting yellow colour when I took it out. Seriously, it was gross.

I forgot to mention that the dress originally smelled like it was 50 years old too.

So this yellow water was 50 years of musty stench. So gross.

While I was out (for that weird interview) I went looking for some Oxi clean stuff. I was in mini-Sainsbury's in the town and they had vanish oxi action which you could soak clothes in for 1hr if it was colour or 6hrs if it was whites. However it specifically said not to put anything with metal fasteners in it. Hmmmm. Dillema.

The only other product like it was Sainsbury's own 'Oxy action stain remover for whites'. There was no time limit mentioned on this, and nothing about zips. In fact, the product was made in Turkey, and actually just had the bare minimum of instuctions on the back. It seemed totally dodge, but I bought it anyway. Take the risk.

So I came home to the yellow water and my wee brother was black from playing rugby so I had to let him in the shower. I was wondering what to do about the oxi action stuff, whether to use it or just keep on with the washing powder. It was a risk.

The genius that is my wee brother suggested I do fabric test with the ends of the sleeves that I was planning to cut off anyway. How he remembered that I was going to cut the sleeves off I don't know, but the problem was solved.

I put the end of the sleeves in for 2 hours, and then did a secondary material test with the other types of fabric on the dress for 1 hour.

It seemed to be alright, and you could honestly see where the chemical stuff had reacted and had whitened the sleeves. There was a definite line. It was crazy.

I downed tools and went to bed.

Thursday was Oxi action day.

Around 10:30am I put it in the tub with the same level of concentrated oxi action as the night before. One scoop to one bucket.

It was in there for 11 hours. I kept a close eye on it checking every 40-60 minutes. I would always check the sleeves that I had done the night before, because they were two hours ahead, so if they were still in tact and not having an adverse effect then it meant the rest of the dress could keep going for another 2 hours.

As I said before, the brother is a genius.

At around 11pm I took it out the bath tub, made up double strength (2 scoops to one bucket of water) oxi action and threw the dress in the bucket for an hour/90 minutes. Then I rinsed it, and left it in between towels to dry.

This morning I looked at it and it was so white, I couldn't believe it. Seriously... Success!

I'm just after putting it back in the bathtub with washed powder to make sure all the oxi action is officially out of it. Because if you leave any detergent in any fabric it apparently turns it yellow or something. So I thoroughly rinsed, and it's now inside out drying on my mannequin.

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE having a mannequin. Seriously. Best free gift ever. Laura my flatmate used to work in top shop and she got us all mannequins when they were chucking them out.

The mannequin will be going on sale though in the next couple of months. It's just something that's too heavy to keep and immigrate with. Ahhh. Married, wedding immigration. Eep.

So the end of story is that the dress is spectacularly white, it does fit in a tiny box. It's very light, and it needs an awesome petticoat. Hmmm. Need to source one.

I seriously can't believe how white it is. Thank you Sainsbury's.

Now to make it my size :)

it's like a size 12-14 just now... and I'm an 8-10... hmmm.

Wedding Chat #1

Ai'ght.

So, it might be new news in the blogging world, but It's a month old news for me.. and I have a folder on the desktop called Wedding, Marriage, and Immigration.

In that folder in another one called Wedding, and in that folder is 8 folders titled:

cake
dress
flowers
hair
invites
lists
photography ideas
quirky ideas

So, yeah... let's get cracking on the ol' wedding chat... Oh yeah!

I've been scouring many websites but my two favourites so far have been:

Rock N Roll Bride

and

Off Beat Bride

It's not because I think i'm so rock and roll or so crazy... but those sites are real, as opposed to the 'magazine' sites where the designer of a dress means more than the marriage itself.

Anyway.

I want this girl to make my dress. I want to have one of the ones in stock modified with possible colours and collars and sleeves and all sorts of excitement... pleased.

But for some awesome 'wedding porn' images I'm going to show you all the enjoyable photography ideas i've sourced over the past month... Ready?

Okay.. so I had 80 images in there so far... i've cut down to 45 so it's a little more manageable.





I love the Colour in this one.



When I first saw this movie (Control.. about Joy Division) I turned to my friend Mary the Skills Mills McIlroy (she just got married on Thursday) during this scene and I said, I want my wedding photos to look like that. I just love the angle, the focus, and the deep contrast.

Sadly it's the scene in the movie that Ian tells his wife he doesn't love her any more, but that's not the here nor there.







Can't beat a bit of the Chuck Taylor love.

Question: Will you be wearing Chuck Taylor's on your wedding day?

Answer: Although it's been done, it's very possible. It's a very 'me' thing to do. Wait and see my friends wait and see.



Turquoise... Yes.

Umbrella... LOVE IT.



Shapes, words, soft focus... love it all.



Type again. Random strangers love it... chalk drawing... AMAZING.



This is Max Wanger's section now.. the rest I can't remember where I found them, but Max Wanger is my current love and I am hoping I can make enough money to hire him, he's seriously the best I've found in the LA area. Amazing.

In this picture I love the play park, the way the girl isn't really in the shot, brilliant.



And the groom answers with his swing shot too.



Hand, objects, cuteness, I LOVE IT.



Sweeties.. best idea ever. Giant lollipop even better.



Hobbies and interests, random places, normal situations, strangers, poses, public transport. I can't get enough of this shot.



Again, strangers and public transport... it kind of makes the couple's love seem like a world of its very own. Like they're in a bubble of love.



Pirate Kite... Heck yeah... enough said.



CAT! Zero will most likely be moving with me to the States.



Shoes.. Kitsch shoes... SHOES!



Brilliant shot... public transport... different focus... juxtaposition... oxymoron. PERFECT. Pure dedication to the shot as well.



More public transport and oxymorons.



This reminds me of Roald Dalh's the witches... and the wee girl that lived in the painting. I love it. It also reminds me of innocence or little red riding hood or something. I love fairytales.



Flowers good.



Hollywood hills... it reminds me of the end of Singing in the Rain.



This one's a bit cheese but I like it.



I really love those hills. I just love the focal point and the way that Wanger knows people don't have to be close up to be in a picture.



EVERYBODY KNOWS VIKKI LOVES TYPO-GRAPHY!



Cutest Idea ever... I want my wedding laced with cuteness.



Asians always get the kitsch down to the K.



TYPE.



Personality comes from all of the person not just the face.



As I just said.



Type.



Love, smoochies... but dulled down a little so their kids can one day see the pictures.



Sparklers bring the pretty.



Hula Hoop... Rings... bond.



Type and Urban and the colour is immense.



The angle blows my mind.



More Type and words.

Say it by saying it.

Here endeth the Max Wanger... his stuff his here

I love it... seriously.



I love the different colours and textures of the petticoat.



This girl's hair is amazing. It reminds me of onion rings.



Doughnut wedding cake.



Coca Cola bottles and lollipops instead of flowers. I'm all about the alternatives.



I like the forrest, and the pose reminds me of a smashing pumpkins video or something.



I can't get over the perfect shape of the Silhouette. I've seen silhouettes before for wedding photos but none as amazing as this one. The stripes and stuff are perfect.



Can't beat the sunglasses.



I don't plan on jumping in water... but if it happened I would still look amazing and juxtaposed haha.



Mother cleaning a son's trousers... I just love how old it looks... and movie-esque.



I think that's what I'm going for is some kind of old movie star, vintage, tea party style or something. With colour, sugar, sparkle, cuteness, joy and sweets.

I love it. LOVE it.

Done and Done: A New Ending.

Yo... my most favourite Eilidh in the world ever just wrote this:


Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.


This is why I love her.

I can imagine that she will help me to make my wedding be filled with dreams, sparkles, and pure love.

That's right I said wedding.

I think that's why Eilidh's quote is so fitting... I'm making a new ending.

At several differnet points in my life there have been different opportunities and choices that would have led to completely different endings. This ending makes me feel really warm and happy inside. It's possibly the healthiest ending I could possibly ever have been given.


Senor Juanathan McDonald proposed to me on the 1st of July 2009 with the most creative, and unique proposal ever.

Remember my post 'The best proposal in the world ever'? Well this one was actually the best of the best. Yes I am bias, but I am also a critic in the world of creativity and I say it was the best.

The evening started with me, sitting on the couch on my own watching some random TV stuff... Jon was playing golf and I was sitting. He came back for me around 6ish and then we went back down to the American Fork area to have dinner with the wonderful Dane and Amy and his other friend Bubba and his wife Jess (whom I'd never met before).

We ate sushi and had of the friendly banter and I splashed soy sauce all over myself because I'm cool. Toward the end of eating we were discussing which movie to watch that evening and it was decided that it would be Seven Pounds. At this point I had no idea anything was different or unusual. In hindsight I can see certain points of pure amusement when Amy said 'I'm going to guess that 4 or 5 out of the 6 of us will cry at the movie tonight.' At the time I thought nothing of it.

For some reason Jon has managed to develop odd allergies in his later life and he was having a terrible time trying to see because his eyes had completely blood shot from being outside playing golf. We jumped over to Wal Mart on the way back to Dane and Amy's house and while we were checking out Jon got a text from Dane asking to get ice cream or something.

We ran back to the aisle and picked something out and then came back to the self service bit.

While we were waiting a man (who I have now replaced with the Albino kid from Me, Myself and Irene) started beckoning me and looking right at me. At first I thought he was going to accuse us of stealing eye drops. So I said to Jon (without breaking eye contact with the odd Wal Mart man) I think that man wants us to go over to him.

Jon, being less paranoid than myself, realised the guy was just going to scan our items and let us pay with him.

So we were off to Dane and Amy's again.

I've hung out with Dane and Amy a lot and feel quite comfortable around them, Bubba and Jess I'd never met, so when we got into Dane and Amy's everyone was acting slightly odd... sitting strangely and with very strict posture. I just assumed that was the way Bubba and Jess interacted and how others interacted with them.

I kind of hesitated about where to sit because I realised one couple would have to sit appart for the movie duration, and I was willing to take the hit. Jon made some comment about getting the movie started and then seats were taken and I was left to sit in my 'usual' seat.

I felt terrible that all the couples were dispersed and was going to comment on maybe having a rearranging of people, and then I was going to suggest dishing ice cream, but everyone was so quiet and so filled with concentration it was totally intimidating so I just kept my mouth shut and let it happen.

Jon excused himself with a phone call and I commented 'Ahhh he's faking it' thinking it was a real call, and I was just being facetious. Little did I know it was a fake call and I was so right it was unreal haha.

The movie trailer started and one of the muppets from sesame street appeared... I was about to say.. Oh my gosh Jon would love this we should wait so he can see... but being intimidated by the room atmosphere I left it. I did look for him and think that he would love the muppets.

The muppet was bang on perfect, but he started interacting with people who looked a bit rough and i started getting a little suspicious, but thought nothing of it, just that it might have been a low budget movie. I started racking my brains about whether or not there was a muppet movie coming out and why Jon wouldn't have had me watch the trailer before. Then he appeared on the screen.. Jon himself was on the screen.

For a normal human that would be fine.... me... I'm still messed up, every night I'm convinced the TV characters will come alive now. I've always have difficulty determining the reality of Television. So he appeared on the screen wearing the same clothes he had been, it was as if he had walked outside and was now being filmed live or something. Crazy.

He started talking to Elmo and Super Grover the muppets and engaged in some pretty awesome conversation about how fantastic I was.

At first, my gut instinct was that he was in the movie and this was his way of telling me of his movie success... in actual fact, he made the movie, and the muppets, and wrote and staged the whole thing with the help of his awesome friends.

During his conversation with the muppets he mentioned that the next stage of our relationship would be the proposal, and he continued on to say that he had a hard time remembering what to do and how to do it.

At this point, I was slightly panicked, filled with pure adrenaline and having one of those semi-outer body experiences where it all feels like it's happening to someone else. It was happening to me though, and because it was on a TV screen I had a hard time believing it was real.

Jon and his muppet pals decided the best option would be for him to come back to the 'audience' and for the muppets to assist.

I might add that at one point the muppets pointed straight at where I was sitting, which makes it even more real and even more thought out.

My Love himself appeared back in the room and continued to interact with the muppets. They told him to first take the ring... at which point Jon said he didn't have one, and then the muppets threw one from the TV screen to Jon's hand. FROM THE TV TO HIS HAND... if nothing else messes you up that does.

And then they further instructed him and Jon himself my wonderful love and man and boy got on his knee (just like in the movies) and asked me to marry him.

At which point, with my ear sticking out through my hair, my face beaming with a huge smile, and my eyes almost tearing up (almost) I nodded and agreed with a uh-huh. Definitely lost for words.

The muppets congratulated me on saying yes, and then it was done.

Shell shocked and utterly pleased. I actually had to confirm a few times that it was all real and serious. It honestly didn't feel real at all, and then after the pure excitement and adrenaline rush I crashed into a quiet contemplative shell.. very happy though... very.

I must admit though, it was one of the easiest decisions i've ever made. Easiest.

Then a few days later I was on the plane home. Very sad.

When the Moon Hits your Eye Like a BIG pizza pie, that's Italy.

I have vanished into a land of nothingness (the nothing like in the never ending story) since I got back from Italy.

And now, it's time, for, the, Italy, blog. , , ,

I set off from my house at around 7am, I was catching the 7:30am train to Prestwick... which got me in so SUPER early that I could have had another 30 minutes in bed at least. Doh.

I always leave packing to the last minute which means I don't get to bed until a crazy time and then I don't want to go anywhere any more because all I want to do is sleep. I am a fool.

Prestwick were being idiots and they made me pay £1 for four plastic bags from a vending machine to put my lip balm in. What a joke. It doesn't even have to be in a bag. I actually had to ask a lady for a pound coin for two fifties and we were all totally held up then by the stupid bag rule. Man I was so mad. I got over it though, and went on with my life, that involved sitting. Luckily Kate called me at the airport and I was able to kill some time.

The best part about being British and flying with an airline that has no assigned seating is the strange fascination people have with queuing. It's great to sit there and watch Brits queue when they've not been told to. It happened with the Dublin flight, and then again with my own flight to London. People just started queueing because someone, around the time of boarding, got up for a wizz. It's madness.

Anyway, everyone started queueing, my flight was called, and then I hung up with Kate and nipped to the loo. I've never had to use the toilet on Ryanair and I hope I never have to.

There were perhaps 4 people behind me, the queue went by quickly, and I was one person from the front. I had just walked past a middle eastern looking man who was out of the count and a half. He was pretty much comatose on the seat. I had this overwhelming feeling that I should wake him up. So I left the queue and skipped back to him and poked him and prodded him. For a while I thought he was dead, but he finally woke up and he was, indeed, meant to be getting on my flight. So I was pleased that I had helped him not to miss it.

I had a million hour lay over in Stanstead, which I filled with buying the Catcher in the Rye (again) and eating in Pret a Manger. I love that shop so much. Their food is beyond amazing.

I also took some pictures of Donkey and Oinker. Yes I took them with me, yes I photographed them a lot, and yes they now have their own blog.

On the plane to Naples I was sitting next to a man and lady, who switched seats half way through the journey. The man was reading the easy jet book so I offered him my Times magazine, he declined. I continued to sleep randomly in a strange and odd curled up position. I will damage my back one day sleeping the way I do on planes.

We got to Naples and I thought I saw Alexis, Donna's friend from Edinburgh, but I decided it wasn't her and then set about getting my own bag. I then bumped into the man and lady I had been sitting next to on the plane. And then I just took off.

I got outside and was looking for the tourist information or the bus depot but instead found a taxi man who bundled me in his car without my 100% consent under the pretence that he would take me to the train station for 2 Euro???

I know.

On the way there I started wondering if he was even a taxi driver. The air was so warm, and he was driving like a crazy crazy nut. He kept asking if I wanted him to drive me all the way to Sorrento for 120 Euros. To which I told him to bolt.

Rather than taking me to the big train station he took me to the dodgy one. Thank you taxi man, which was further away, and which had scarier people.

After charging me THIRTY Euros and me getting really nasty and cowish towards him – because he pretty much robbed me – he brought me into the train station and spoke to the lady behind the desk to get my ticket. I paid up and then he gave me a hug goodbye. I forgot to mention that the entire time in the taxi he kept being sleazy and weird, and kissing my hand.

So when we were parting he kissed my cheek, and gave me a half hug... THEN... THEN he went for it... he went for a proper kiss. I totally shoved him away and he was like...' no no no kiss? how much how much?'

To which I replied, NO MUCH... and then ran off down the stairs to the train station.

Downstairs wasn't much friendlier. It was vacant, vandalised and very unfamiliar.

There were four backpackers over in the corner so I sat with them and kind of eary wigged their conversation. They were heading to sorrento too, so I just decided to follow them.

The train station looked like this:



and I think this turned out to actually be our train.
The inside was basic - plastic seats, lino floor and dirty windows. I sat and read the catcher in the rye with my headphones on and any scariness was gone. There were a bunch of Londoners on the train too.

We arrived in Sorrento and I walked to the hostel, couldn't find it, and kept wandering about. I found Donna and Daniel's hotel, which was pumping 'YMCA'. Amazing. And then I finally worked out that the street my hostel was on went underneath the road I was looking for a right turn. It was more of a right turn and jump. When I arrived the man at the desk knew me by name. Crazy. I went to my room and after making beds and rifling through bags I was pretty much asleep instantaneously. Man it was so hot, the air conditioning was on and at about 7am I woke up freezing. It was so odd. I had to put on a hoody while sleeping.

There was no window, so I slept in quite a bit, had a shower and then wandered about the streets of Sorrento.



Everything that is an Italian stereotype is true. It's insane. Scooters everywhere.



and tiny tiny streets with cars driving up them regardless of people. It's really crazy.



And a lot of Jesus. :)



After wandering for a bit I headed down to the shore and paddled around in the Mediterranean sea. Amazing.



On my journey I found an amazing cat, which spoke to me in Italian. I swear it did. You have to listen to the little bits the cat actually says and not me... its high pitched and slow... Very Italian sounding. Well to me anyway. Haha.

I hoofed it back to the hostel, got changed for the wedding, then set off to the most beautiful wedding either. I swear it was amazing. So pretty. How many people are ever married with grapes growing behind them. Seriously. Amazing.

I'm so pleased I went, I would have regretted it if I didn't.

While we were waiting for Donna to arrive a man and lady walked into the cloisters and I swear I knew them from somewhere. And it turned out to be the couple I was sitting next to on the plane. SERIOUSLY. And then Alexis and her friend Alexis showed up and it WAS the girl I had seen at the airport. So the majority of the non-family guests were all on the same plane from London to Naples. How crazy is that? Haha.

Amazing.










Wedding feet.

There was dinner, there was drinks, there was chatting, there was everything amazing. It was such a good day.

The next day, much to everyone's worry, I set off for Naples via Pompeii.

Pompeii was pretty cool, and they had a free left luggage, so I didn't have to drag my backpack all around that sweaty place. It was so hot, so dirty and so BIG.

I ended up following the Chinese people all around, I kept loosing them and walking off but I would always find them, or they me. It was amusing. I wish I could have spoken Chinese so I could hear their tour guide.



I hadn't eaten anything for breakfast and just kept drinking water. I had a packet of polos that I'd bought in London and kept chewing them. Then a familiar logo flashed before my eyes and I got really mad. WHEN DID NESTLE TAKE OVER POLO. That's why he spearmint flavour no longer has green bits in it. I was so mad. I still finished the packet though, and then raged about it for a while.






One of the Chinese tourists stopped and showed me a picture of a petrified person, and asked if I had seen those people anywhere. I told him, I was looking for the same thing.

Sure enough, when we parted ways, in different directions, and when I found the people, he was there too. I tell you, I was with them the whole way.

While I was taking pictures of Donkey and Oinker this lady walked past me and said 'Tiene un psycho.' I don't have to be able to speak Spanish to know what she saying about me. HAHA.






Pompeii bogging feet.

I then caught the train the rest of the way to Naples, and there was a guy on the train that kept looking at me strangely, but then not. It was one of those 'you're a backpacker, I'm a backpacker, we should be friends, we have stuff in common' kind of looks. It killed time watching him watch me though.

I then walked around Naples, here's a thought, when you give directions give people the real name of the street rather than the local made up name. Man I was so mad. I found the street, but it didn't match the name I had so I kept walking around and about. By the time I got to the hostel I was sweating to death. I swear, from the second I stepped off the plane until the rain came down I was just constantly sweating and too hot. Utter madness.



The hostel was really close to the train station and I seemed to have walked the most scenic route to get there. It was run by a nice man who gave me a map and a guide to the quick walking tour of Naples.



I felt like there was so much life there, so much character. After being in tourist spots this felt like home. It was amazing. I loved it.



The hostel man also told me where to go for pizza, and I tell you, I have been spoiled, never again will I ever taste pizza like that. Not unless I go back to Naples. I swear it was the best thing I've ever had.



And it was all wood burning fire cooked by this man. He was so amazing.



After filling myself, I wandered around the streets. There was a lot of people begging for money, and a lot of people performing. I met this man who clocked me for British as soon as I stood next to him. I think it was because I was so pale.



I ended up at mass, I sat in real catholic Italian mass for about 15 minutes before going back out onto the streets. I think the secret is to not behave or act like a victim, not to stare too much at people, and pretty much use common sense, it's like being in Glasgow. Seriously.

I was walking down a main shopping street and I was so impressed that there were no major chain stores or anything. It felt so nice. I saw 0 starbucks'. I tried to communicate with a lady asking me about donkey and oinker. Spanish and English were no good. All I was looking for was the word art. But I couldn't explain it.



I wandered further down the street and these two men spoke to me for about 10 minutes. The one on the left spoke english and Italian, the one on the right spoke Italian and Spanish. So I spoke to the left one in English, The right one in Spanish and they spoke Italian to each other. It was one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life. I loved it. And I even got to say the words 'El Policia' to the Spanish speaker, because I was talking about the left guy who was a service guard or something. It was amazing haha. Just like Ben Stiller in Anchorman.



Feral Dog.



This was the outside of the pizza place I was at earlier. It was totally full when it got later. Amazing.



But I was going for Gelato.


The dark alley.



When I was leaving a Japanese girl called Masami asked if we could travel to Rome together. I said I would meet her at the train station and that I wanted to wander through the market outside. While wandering through the stolen and fake trainers and bags and people heckling me to buy their things and me telling them I had shoes and I didn't need any, there was an eruption of panicked chatter. One word repeated over and over echoing down the market. Then every dodgy person grabbed their goods and started running. They had everything in/on an easily liftable bag or table. They just started running, and then seconds later a cop car drove down the market. It was crazy. Once the cops had left all the men came back.

It was a crazy market and I couldn't resist whipping out the SLR to try and photograph it. Idiotic move.

Just as the market had erupted in chatter before, it did again, but this time to the word photographia. Now, whether they thought I was the fraud police, or whether they wanted my camera, I don't know. Needless to say, after two shots, I quickly exited.



I met Masami at the train station, and we travelled to Roma. After a 20 minute hunt for the tourist information place, we went to my hostel which was crazy, and filled with European boys half-naked in the bathroom. Shared multi cubicle bathroom? It was weird. Very weird.

I changed my shoes and set about Rome. First to the colosseum, which was large, interesting, and old.





I did seem more enthralled with my M&Ms though. The M&Ms I had to buy to get changed of a 10 Euro because the shop man refused to sell me a twix for change, and before that I had to get a 10 Euro from the bank because the machine in the station wouldn't take a card for a 4 Euro 24 hour ticket. I just didn't understand. And I couldn't locate my change purse. I decided I'd left it in the hostel. I still haven't found it, so either I was pick pocketed in Naples, which is unlikely, or I left it in the hostel in Naples. Meh.

It was a rigmarole trying to get the ticket nonetheless. When I finally got it I went to the colosseum. Then to the Vatican, and then to the Trevi fountain when it was just getting dark.

The Vatican was ace. Although it was totally the wrong religion, it was still interesting and Jesus Christ was on top of it, right above where the pope gives his wee talks.



Jesus Christ IS on top of that building, with his twelve disciples.



The inside of the Vatican.



The outside of the Vatican. (This is where I was being blasphemous.)



This shop was amazing, it was filled with Baby Jesus'. I'll let me tell you though in the video.

I then went over to the Trevi fountain and found this man:



on the way. I love that he is using a shoe on his hand. That's innovation.

The fountain was swarming with people, it was pretty and all but I was Hunger-yyy. So I started wandering the streets looking for eats. I knew that if I stayed near the fountain I would be charged a fortune for Western Italian food, and I was dying for some pasta. I've never been able to have pasta that topped the stuff I had in Little Italy in New York in 2006. So i was looking and trying.

I finally settled on a restaurant because 1. I was weary, 2. The man at the door told me what the best thing on the menu was, 3. He didn't lie.

I sat outside and they sat me next to a table with three people at it, but I was slightly outside the canopy. There was thunder and lightening and then it started to spit... the waiter told me that it was fine and there would be no more than that. As a precaution the three Americans at the table next to me invited me to sit in with them. I was pleased to, and moment later the heavens opened and the sea poured out of the sky. It was mad. The whole right side of me was wet from the constant splashing of water.

The three people were so interesting though. They were from the university of Tennessee and they were there for a diabetes conference. I was telling them all about me, my life, my research etc etc and they were discussing mormonism with me and how one of the guys they work with is a member and they used to work with another guy who moved to Idaho so his children would marry members. It was brilliant, and there was never any awkward silences, and the pasta was incredible. IN CRED IBLE. And then I ordered hot chocolate. The air was warm, the rain cooling and hot chocolate was a perfect weight, temperature and flavour that just made the moment I drank/ate it the best of my life. I swear.

One of the Americans walked me back to the Metro station because he was going the same way, we ran through the streets of Rome soaking wet with the cities finest entrepreneurs selling us umbrellas that they must have had in reserve at home waiting for the rain to pour. Amazing.

I think I can honestly say that I will never run through rome again soaked to the skin, with a university lecturer from American that I met 2 hours before. It was brilliant.

We parted ways at the Termini station and wished each other those fake pleasantries for future travelling etc etc.

I headed back to the hostel and almost died I was so tired.

Masami had spent the day getting her plans together for the future days. She is my utter hero. She's 34, she was an office worker, and one day she quit and she's been travelling since May with no real time of when she's going home. Possible October, possibly not. She's been to Cambodia, Thailand, India, England, and now Italy. I'm not sure where else in Europe she'd been but I'm sure she had been other places too. She is my utter hero.

I met a tonne of solo backpackers. People that would just quit and travel, Australians and Americans mostly. It inspires me to do it. The leaving would be the hardest, but once I was on the road, I would be fine, I think. Amazing.

While I was brushing my teeth that night I stood at the open window which opened onto a bit of a balcony. I stood there and watched the rain trickle down, and I watched the beginning of 'Snatch' on a TV through another open window, and I watched another person hang their clothes in their house. It's moments like that, that make my life I think. When things are so peaceful and the world is just getting on with it. I think it's beautiful.

While I was away, the entire time I was worried that I might have been talking in my sleep. On the fourth night in Rome I woke myself up about 6am when I was trying to say some kind of long sentence, what I remember saying was something like 'well, I don't think that's very nice at all, you... '

I can't remember how it was going to end though. But I woke up and got really embarrassed haha. But then I got over it and went back to sleep.

When I woke up for real for real Masami and I got ready and left together, and I decided that I had six hours so I could see a couple of things and get another hot chocolate a pizza then hit the road for the plane station.



My left foot hurt a little, but I thought nothing of it, Masami and I parted ways and I headed towards the Trevi fountain again to see the Pantheon.

As I was walking off the metro my foot started to agonise. It felt like nerves were catching in the bone. It was the sorest pain. What took me 5 minutes to walk the night before took me about 20 because the pain was so much and it kept increasing.



I ate some random pastries outside the Trevi Fountain where I chatted to a man from Holland. And then continued my walk to the Pantheon via pharmacies and sports shops. Finally I found some kind of bandage for my foot, which I put on outside a church that someone was getting married in. I'm lovely.

My foot was lovelier. Haha.

I ambled my way to the Pantheon where this amazing video was filmed.



I then thought of trying to go to the park near the colosseum, but by the time I got back to the metro there was only really time to go back to the hostel, eat some pizza and catch the bus. While eating pizza I happened to chat to two Australians, again solo travellers that had found each other, one was hanging about until he went to Johannesburg, the other was off to work in the UK for 1 - 2 years. Either London or Glasgow. He was nice, I wish I had been a true Scot and given him contact details in case he was up this way. I suck. I never even got his name. I think that's the beauty of backpacking though. People start to get realistic. They realise that they can't keep in touch with everyone, so they enjoy each other's company for what it is, a few brief hours, one night, and then just keep the memories. No complication, its like the unwritten rule of backpacking. It's just like wee John told me, It's easier to get from A to B if you make friends along the way. That drunk man knew his stuff.

I then got myself tipsy in the airport on a liqueur. AND if you thought Prestwick was bad, try flying out of Ciampino. It was horrid. After getting tipsy, the plane being delayed, and the travel pills kicking in, I was almost unconscious in the airport.

I finished reading the Catcher in the Rye on the train to central, where I had my mum come pick me up because I was in so much foot pain agony.

I even met another solo traveller on the train to Central and he had a strange accent, but he was actually English, living in Inverness, and was in Rome for the diabetes conference too... AND I kid you not, he said the reason he had a strange accent was because he had been in Italy for those few days and he picked up the accent. OH SHUT UP. No one picks up an accent that quickly...

but apparently he does.