Rome - first impressions.

So, you thought this was going to be an objective view of Rome did you? Sorry, this is totally subjective and based on the bias and mental meanderings of a grumpy old man.

It's funny how you have certain pre-conceptions about places, and sometimes they're spot on and other times you miss the truth by a mile. I was pretty sure that any experiences we had on the roads in Rome would reinforce the idea that all vehicles in this area have a special feature that causes the drivers to temporarily lose their sanity, become really angry, and act in a fashion that in any other city would cause them to be totally ostracised - and, I was right.

Unfortunately, it seems this form of behaviour is not confined to a vehicle's interior, but for some reason, seems to leach out into the general populace. Don't get me wrong, this is an amazingly beautiful city with buildings, art, literature and history that is unsurpassed in the world. But, the impression that you're continually faced with is one of rude and impatient people who, as a society, seem to adopt an air of superiority and condescension towards each other, and most especially towards tourists, that, in my view, totally erodes the positive and uplifting effect that the physical aspects of the city have on you.

We've only been here two days, and, while I'm looking forward to the tours of the Vatican, Colusseum and Pompaii over the next few days, unfortunately I'm also starting to look forward to catching the train out of here on Monday.

Now, I don't care what you say... if this was my car I'd be pissed off and would probably want a bit of payback when I got out by making sure I overreacted to anyone who got in my way - and so on, and so on. Here I am now making excuses for people's behaviour - such as; the numbers of tourists that pass through this city is overwhelming and must contribute towards the "don't give a shit" attitude of the locals. I couldn't imagine anything worse than having to pander to me, in various guises and personas, on a daily basis.

Anyway, enough! This grumpy old man's now going to lie down and read his book for awhile.