Rome I

Some quick observations from my first 24 hours in Rome...
1) There's no place like an airport (or indeed an airplane) to confirm my belief that 99% of all humans are raving, ranting, slobbering idiots. The inability to comprehend even the simplest instructions or procedures to smoothen various processes from check in to security to ordering something from the airplane food trolley boggles the mind. Five minutes at an airport and you'll realize what a miracle it is that our civilization ever progressed beyond the hunter-gatherer phase.

2) The first sound I heard when exiting the train station at Roma Termini? Angry, drawn-out honking from dozens of cars. It's the unofficial Italian national anthem, and there's nothing like it to say "welcome to Rome". It's somewhat less amusing when it goes on well into the middle of the night and you're trying to sleep though.

3) It should be legal to execute - on the spot - people who talk loudly in hotel corridors after midnight. Italians are a noisy breed at the best of times and their antics can be tolerated, even seen as charming in small doses. But hollering at the top of your lungs in a hotel at 3 am should be a capital offense everywhere.

4) It's still good to be back. I like Rome, warts and all. It has a charm, an atmosphere and a pace that quickly gets to you in a good way. Friday and today have been quite lazy, but I'm looking forward to a lot of sightseeing in the coming days. Watch this space!