Leaving the lovely sites of Venice and heading in the direction for Rome. Having glorious weather the whole trip so far has helped, and looking outside it's fresh and clear.
I'm seated alongside Liese and playing cards with the hobbits, making them laugh as much as humanly possible.
Gerry is up the front chanting about how Rome is built and Barbarians and the like, old news to me, but Kodak Kenny is filming the whole lot once again.
Arriving in Rome you are greeted by strings of aerials atop of housing units and low rise buildings. Rome doesn't have the high skyscrapers as most cities these days and it was pleasant to see the tourist sector not ruined by modern height.
It's heading towards evening when we arrive at our run-down hotel outside central Rome. Kirt and I manage to score this great room with 2 double beds, a kitchen and a huge living room area. We both laugh hysterically knowing that there will be parties to be had tonight and tomorrow.
Rome is our first x2 days. Tonight is a guided tour with Gerry through some of the sites, so after a triple S we are all on the bus to drop us off at the train station.
The Spanish Steps are the first stop, these are large ascending steps which basically have some historical value, although now it's filled with teenagers and young adult Italians trying to pick up. I have noticed the Italian males all wear sunglasses even in the dark.

The sun is setting as I climb to the top of the steps and bird's are circling over many of the aerial infested rooftops, in the background you can make our ruins and other exciting places to visit.

I stray back from the crowd of Contiki and just walk alone amongst the throng of crowd, I find it1s great to do this as much as I can and seem to take in a lot more atmosphere. Also is good too collect your thoughts now and then and recap on who you might get drunk with tonight.

(Writing this 3 months down the track I keep running into memories that flood back to me and I hit my forehead thinking that they are memories I1m trying to stop remembering.. I just remembered one)

I DIGRESS... Pantheleon.. We have stopped off at some other places, however I'm feeling very tired by now and just wanted to get some sleep. However this place is one of the last stops.. well it was the last stop for me. The Pantheleon is a massive place, indescribable in taking pictures.

Fell in love with it straight away, with its wonderful acoustic sounds as you walk in it and the massive dome you look up into.

Gerry tells us we can go get some dinner and meet up with him to go to the Trevi Fountain . I'm not too hungry and I find myself with Malks and Missy in a pub close to the Pantheleon, the pub is suppose to be Irish or English design and with its tacky ornaments on the walls and a very old television blaring out Italian football to the bartender we become accustomed to cold beer instead of being the only patrons in the place. We decide to go get a pizza and sit down and wait for what seems like a hour for it to be served, we find also we are the only people in this place as well. It is 9pm and we have missed our pick up with Gerry and quite possible the bus back to the hotel. This we don't mind, and I'm not really caring. So the three of us after what seems like a good few hours of drinking white wine and pizza.

We then head out and wander around, eventually ending up at the Trevi Fountain, where we toss our coins. They say if you toss a coin in behind your head you will return to Rome. Somehow I find myself kissing Missy by this time too, possibly all caught up with the romantic nature of the place or just me being drunk on vino (probably the latter).

The three of us end up in another pub, what looks to be full of roaming backpackers and more Americans then Italian's watching NFL on the tube. We sit taking the piss out of these yanks and some of them are jocks yelling at the TV and trying to impress the girls near them for some reason. I think after a while Malks and I have become quite pissed and we look to find the bus to get us back to our hotel at about 1am. Easily found.
Arriving back at the hotel I walk around to different rooms, as it seems the segregation of the bus has spread out a lot of groups and people are drinking themselves to death. I find myself dragged back to Missy's empty room and flee after 10 minutes of gross misconduct with the loss of one button, close call!
Arriving back at my room I find beer bottles and empty spirit bottles scattered about the place. Kirt is wandering around the room in a daze and I'm going..
'What the hell!'
With a slur, 'Where tha ferrruck have yous bin?'
'Stayed in the city, nearly got eaten by man-eater, slightly drunk, had a party did we?'
'Yeh wes got hammered.. yous shhhhould of bin ere'
'Rrrrright.. you look...' Out of the corner of my eye I see Drunk Meg. An American and rightly so… drunk. She smiles up towards me.
'Should I go?' Acknowledging the door for Kirt..
'Don't be stupid.' Kirt says.
I sit down and help polish off some vodka while Kirt fires up the last of Amsterdam. Now when most men are faced with this situation they decide on courses of action which could effect outcomes and situations for years ahead. But I’d just like to put the story straight ---> I never had sex with Drunk Meg! I'm still brainwashing the memories of what happened from my brain though.

In the morning Kirt is shaking his head at me.. and I say.
'There is this saying in the Army.. it's a joke saying.. but I'm going to use it in my defence. While in the bush it's legal after 5 days.'

Kirt says 'Well I'm going to use this defence for you. It's what you said to me last night before you left the room. You said "Kirt.. you've never had a fuck until you've had a fat fuck."

From this moment onwards - Jane starts calling me a Dirty Slut.

Day 2 in Rome has sunshine and I have a hang over and memories to repress!