i'm so angry right now...

so, we left the comfort of kelli and dan's home on sunday morning for the airport. then we flew from kc to detroit (the girls were excited, so we started joking that we were flying into detwa, europe, you know, like the french?). after a lovely four-hour layover in detroit (we were also threatening to take a quick tour of the city, "and on the left is the tour of '82...on the right, '84...), we loaded up to fly to amsterdam. this was to be an eight-hour journey.


when we checked in, i found a seat up front, in front of which were no seats. to my right was a nice little italian couple and a baby, to my left, a gentleman of average husky stature. the girls were many rows back, sitting in the two-seat aisle, evidently getting no sleep on the trip whatsoever while i was practicing my mantra: be small. be really, really small. evidently this did not work for me when, after waking during my many catnaps, the gentleman on my right was no longer there...i didn't look at him when i saw him leaving the plane while i waited for kelli and erika...


anyhow, our layover in amsterdam was long enough for us to get our passports stamped and rush to the gate (which was really kinda stupid because we had to go through so many twists and turns and walk what seemed like an eternity before we got to our gate...which was glass-walled off from where we stared...jerks...).


our flight was not too long, almost two hours, to rome. the girls napped a little, much more than on the flight over. once at rome, we receive new directions to meet with someone they know, sarah, at the train station. we buy our train tickets to florence and the train station in rome, and we're off...there was a train there and it was a little after 10:06, the departure time...


a few stops in, i start thinking that maybe this isn't our train after all...so, i tell the girls to get off at tiburtina, a station i was familiar with from my last trip, as sam and i departed from there). we're now delayed by about a half-hour, plus whatever train time to the right stop. less than 10 minutes after the train takes off, we arrive to roma termini. now i'm third-guessing myself. erika goes to find sarah to no avail, so we walk around the terminal looking for a place to dump our bags.


this seems to take an eternity too, walking around the terminal while it gives us three different ways to get to the same thing, but guiding us in circles until we realize that there are multiple paths to baggage storage. the girls are cracking up, telling me that people are staring at me in awe - you know, for my size - and shock - you know, for the painted nails...i think g-dub had it backwards - it's not shock and awe, it's awe and shock. i think the tally was around 14 by day's end...oh, and i put on my shoes and socks for walking around the city.

after all is said and done, we're ready to hunt for food, water, and a bank. the bank gods were really hating on us yesterday, 'cause we couldn't find a bank - and when we finally did, the atm was out of cash! sooo stupid!


we did find food, right close to the colosseum. then we walked up to the front of it. wow. just as i remembered it: wow. the girls were going nuts, it was so beautiful.


then we headed back to the train station to get our stuff (and found a place for cash there; don't worry, i'm not embarassed), and wait for the train. we got there early, which was fine (i got a little nap in while waiting), then we headed for florence. the three of us cashed out for almost the entire trip.


we get our directions. i'm voted to be the navigator (hey, i was here before...for three days...two years ago...so i clearly know what the heck i'm doing...right?). after a quick lesson on navigation (both of the errors i made yesterday were in the vein of the difference of where something is versus where i want something to be...where something is won out both times), we start on the journey to the hostel.


the paper says 10 to 15 minutes, but it really seemed like 93. as we make the turn to get there, i ask kelli and erika if they would like to look for another hotel tomorrow, closer to where everything is. kelli says, "if it's on this street, no!" well, it's on that street, so we're staying. our room is humble (it's a hostel, no soaps, no nothin' extravagant). they're hungry, so they don't even sit down before they're off again.

i, on the other hand, decide to take it easy and hang out for a minute. it was nice, 'cause i had the place to myself. that's important when it comes time to do a man's business. it let's the bathroom air out and stuff before the ladies return.

i also took the opportunity to trim my fingernails (no, we didn't get the mani-pedis, just a pedicure in kc) and shave my noggin. then i got to take a shower.

"why are you so angry, then, justin? sounds like you had a decent trip, sure, maybe a couple of hiccups, but, you're in florence, italy, for goodness sakes! what the hell is your problem!?!"

our shower was like the one i "enjoyed" in rome, only not as pretty. made of plastic, the thing is maybe two and a half feet long and two feet wide. i'm writing this blog 'cause i'm a big dude. here's how it goes: big dudes + small spaces = not happy big dude. simple math. now i get to bathe in this tiny little thing.

one thing i remember from bathing in a tiny box in rome was that it was much easier getting out than it was getting in, but the second time getting in was easiest of all. "second time?" that's right: i squeeze in, wash my face and shampoo my goat, then turn off the water and step out. condition the goat, lather up, and pop back in for a thorough (?) rinsing. grr.

sleep felt sooo good...