The streets of Rome

Rome immediately feels so totally different from Barcelona. For example, Barcelona drivers do not seem to actively aim their vehicles at each other, lay on the horns, and screech their tires. Roman drivers would assume Barcelona drivers lacked all gonads. Yesterday, our driver decided to gamble that there was no tram coming, and he drove up a tram path.

Barcelona people don't seem to size up every person who walks by. There are people in Rome who seem to be calculating your waist-hip ratio, your net worth, and the degree to which you are willing to part with your cash, all while they stare at you and smoke cigarettes.

In Rome, if it isn't a protected monument or a private house, there's a good chance it is covered in graffiti. Some of the graffiti is really lovely, but still...it's a little sad.

In Barcelona, you can park your motorcycles on the sidewalk. In Rome, you can park anything smaller than a bus in pretty much any place where it will fit. And if you don't, you're a gonad-free idiot who should be honked at.

While there are a lot of street side vendors in Barcelona, it is nothing compared to Rome. Strangely, many of the vendors in Rome seem to sell roughly the same things. There are the wooden trains, the Prada knockoffs, and about ten styles of purses in maybe a dozen different prints. There are the parasol vendors and the sunglasses guys and the dudes who dress up like centurions so you can pay them to take a photo with you (hint: if they are standing at the top of the staircase, do not look up at them from below; just don't do it). And they are so in-your-face.

I hear a lot more English here in Rome, although when you're standing near those huge tour groups, English isn't quite the right word. "Like remember in Venice? When we were like waiting for like whatever tour guide? And Rick like wandered off?"

I've seen one truly unique thing here. Some of the peeps who were going to the Vatican had some big cardboard box-like things, all flattened out. Somehow these cardboard slabs were cut just right, and they folded up into a little seat. They were little stadiums seats, but cardboard origami stadium seats. Cool!