One Last Week

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s officially one week until I leave behind the place I’ve called home for the past two months. I won’t be returning to England straight away though, oh no, first there is a mighty lot of sight-seeing, eating and partying to be done with my friends in Rome.

However, before my parents come to visit me on Friday, before I leave for Rome on Tuesday and before I head back to England in two weeks, I have to face…Results Day. The dreaded 19^th August. The day when I discover my fate; will it be Royal Holloway or will it be…well I daren’t think about the other possibilities. So in the early hours of Thursday morning please do think of me, crouched over my laptop, waiting to hear the news which my entire future depends on. Yes, I might be a little bit stressed.

Now on to happier thoughts. So what have I been up to this past week and a bit? Well, I’ve met up with Hattie once more since last writing when we rendezvoused in Terracina. In fact, the most interesting part of the whole day was not the beautiful views over the town from the Roman vantage point, neither was it the delicious ice cream we ate in the late afternoon sun. No, the most exciting part of the day was the way in which I got to Terracina: on the back of a motorbike. After waiting for hours in the unrelenting midday sun for a bus that never came and then after discovering that no nearby bars sold tickets for it anyway, I was about to give up on ever getting to the town.  (NB. now is a good time to apologise to any English buses I might have moaned about in the past – in fact you’re all wonderful compared to the incompetent Italian transport system). However, once again we have to thank the hospitality and generosity of the majority of Italian folk, as the children’s’ visiting Uncle offered to give me a lift on the back of his motorbike. So there I was, dress flapping wildly (and rather immodestly) in the wind, finally on my way to Terracina. When we made it into the town the Uncle insisted that he come to pick me up a few hours later and with the promise of another exhilarating motorbike ride, I simply couldn’t refuse.

When I finally met up with Hattie we headed in the direction of the Old Town. We climbed the steep streets, past stone remnants of Ancient Rome that blended so effortlessly with their surroundings, as if they’d simply fallen onto the ground long ago and a town had sprouted up around them.

We walked past stone columns that littered the street and a beautiful fountain which is now the home of stray cats. In one basin, where water no longer flows, a black and white cat was sunbathing and in another a ginger tom drank the ice cold water cautiously. Could you have any better sign of the fall of an ancient empire than when its fountains are left to crumble, with only cats grateful for its precious offerings?

So we found ourselves in the midst of ancient Terracina, where only one small cafe in the corner of the main square offered respite from the strong sun. The view from this height stretched over the new town below and spilled out over the glittering ocean. Oh, what a vista.

After a bit more exploring we descended from this preserved antiquity and returned to the hustle and bustle of modern Terracina. One gelato later and it was time to return home, on the back of a motorbike, through the soft glow of the setting sun.

So since that day what have I been up to? Well, last weekend it was the celebration of summer in the Santa Monica estate so there were games for the children, volley ball competitions and on Saturday a feast by the beach with fireworks and a midnight swim. However, I did not attend. Instead we went to the circus and watched men eat fire, tigers do tricks and clowns attempt to amuse (actually, hats off to them, they did a better job than most of those pitiful creatures I’ve come across in my lifetime). On Sunday however, we did participate in the Masquerata which is basically a fancy dress competition. There were hippies, princesses (of which Sofia was one), toothbrushes and aliens and all in all it was a very entertaining evening.

So now I must go and until next time: ciao….