Resting in Rome (A Brief Layover)

Layovers can be fun, but more often than not, for me at least, they're brutal.

This picture really has nothing to do with the post, but it was taken in Rome, and I like it.

At the end of a long traveling day, I just want to rest and refresh. And layovers are the types of things that stand in my way of exploration and rest. Because, really, can you rest during a layover?

Not I.

Our layover began with getting into another black van, this time with three strange Italian men. Then we got into a traffic jam outside the airport. Then it got dark. For a while there, we seriously thought we were goners, and that this...odd, possibly bad decision could be our last.

But it wasn't. We got to our bungalow just fine, and the men promised they would come get us in the morning. After a night in the coldest room ever, the men kept their word. They were back, and they got us to the airport on time, only accepting their payment after their full job of taking us to and from the airport was done.

Shame on me for judging circumstances too quickly.

The campsite where we stayed was huge. During the summer season, it would have been a resort for families. It still was, but many of the amenities weren't open, as it was very cold. We were in the middle of a gorgeous Italian forest overlooking the city, the trees growing to the stars.

It was also cheap, which is always a good plus.

The staff were friendly, if not a tad flirtatious, and the attractive man at the front desk kindly called a van to take us to our bungalow, as it was on the other side of the campsite. The beds were great; Rachel, the early riser, got her own room and didn't have to worry about night owls Kalli and I bothering her.

Our time at the bungalow was all too short, we had to wake up before dawn to meet our van, and our hair was still wet from the night before. But we knew that Spain was coming soon, and that was something to look forward to.