Day 27

Quiet day really.  Went running by the Tevere river to try and get rid of the Italian gut I am getting.  Definitely going to be looking forward to American food when I get home.  I've had enough pasta and pizza to last me a while.  I'm looking forward to some real steaks and most of all some southern cooking!  Collard greens, bbq maybe some corn bread.  Mmm.  I might even have to go to Moes and get a burrito when I get home too.

Spent the day catching up on what I missed from the weekend before.  Starting to adjust back to Roman life, it feels like I've been gone from this culture for a month or something.  I realized that I really did appreciate being able to speak English anywhere I went in Amsterdam.  One thing is for sure, I don't miss having to try and guess what they were speaking behind my back in Dutch.  Trying to slow down and appreciate the last 10 days in Rome.  It's crazy that it is wrapping up so fast.

One thing I have figured out from Europe, is that America knows two things.  Capitalism and Customer Service.  Weird to say both of those in the same sentence, but true.  America may not always have the best customer service, but it's better than Europe.  There are not many places in America where you have to pay money to use the bathroom, while there are not many places in Italy where it is free.  We also have figured out the brilliance of up-selling and making objects appealing and desirable.  No one can catch onto a fad like our great nation can.  You also have to make sense. You can't charge 4 Euro for a Gatorade when the grocery store behind you sells them for .79 cents.  In addition to as far as capitalism goes, there are so many street vendors here that are selling the same exact thing, within 10 feet of each other.   Some may collaborate, but not these guys.  For goodness sake, spread the hell out.  Even 3rd graders in America realize that you can attract a bigger crowd setting up lemonade stands across the city then all focused in one place.  Good for us.  That is why America continues to be the top nation in the world.

No one in Italy can ever accuse Americans of being lazy.  Let me make it clear-there are alot of really hard working store owners in Rome.  I mentioned once that there is one guy who runs a general store who works by himself from 7am-9pm, 7 days a week.  The public sector workers here are lazy.  Sometimes they show up for work, sometimes not.  Why not take a thirty minute break when you are driving a bus?  From what I understand, like Spain and Mexico, Italians used to take a few hour break and go home in the middle of the day.  Ridiculous.  That makes almost as little sense as Chick-fil-a not being open on Sundays.  I love that you have the chance to do that, but that's not how you work your way to success.  Apparently the hard times across the world have taken their toll though, and many have ended that practice.  'Bout time.

Towards the end of the night went back with a few buddies to the top of the nearby hill that looks over all of Rome.  Still loving the legal drinking on the streets.  Definitely something that doesn't make sense.  Tons of smashed glass bottles on the streets from late night drinkers.  Would never find that in Amsterdam.

Rome is beautiful though from the top of that hill.  You can see all the way from the Colosseum to the Spanish Steps, then look to the far left and see the lights of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel.  Very cool to look over what was the greatest city in the world for many centuries.

Sorry for having a boring and more conversational piece today.  I can only endure so much action!  Can't skip a day though.  Like I said, tomorrow is the Pantheon.  Really excited to go into the piece of architecture that Michelangelo considered the most amazing in the world...despite it being 1300 years old at that point.  Thank you all for reading!