I walked narrow alleys where the smells of piss and sewage were overpowered by fresh pasta and a multitude of cheeses. I needed food but I also needed to piss.
I was venturing to my third and final hostel in Rome. Hostel Trastevere, in the district of Trastevere, pronounced “Trast-ev-er-eh,” is my nicest hostel yet, but I’ve still got my grievances. It’s got a large dining area and a kitchen to cook in. But the bathrooms don’t have any locks and I’ve pulled a muscle getting down from my bunk because there’s no bloody ladder. I’m sharing with a Japanese woman called Erika and her Welsh husband Aaron. I quickly figured out that Aaron is a pro when it comes to traveling. He’s been around a lot and speaks Spanish and Italian fluently. He’s simultaneously relaxed and extroverted, and started giving me advice for Athens, telling me where to go, what hostels to stay in and where to eat.
Bought some rice and lentil soup from the nearby supermarket and heated it in the hostel kitchen, also treating myself to a bottle of Tenet strong. (Yet another beer I thought was Italian but which Aaron informed me is in fact Scottish.) Seems the Italian’s have a thing for Scottish beer. I don’t blame them; Tenet Strong is tasty stuff and rocks up a 9% alcohol content. Aaron had loads of beer and kept opening more bottles, pouring glasses for Erika and I. An Argentinian guy who could only speak Spanish, joined us, and Aaron engaged us all in conversation, translating where appropriate. What a skill to have! The Argentinian guy would tell him a story, and then Aaron would relay it to me, and the Argentinian guy would watch my face as Aaron told me the story – presumably trying to guess which part of the story was being told. And then I’d do the same when Aaron relayed what I had to say back to him. It’s a situation I’ve never experienced before.
Aaron took Erika and I to a nearby bar called Calisto – named after St Calisto whose Cathedral stood opposite. We got 3 drinks for 9 euros which shocked me. Erin stressed how difficult it is to learn a second language. How you really need to have the necessity to learn it, rather than just personal motivation. We talked about Greek. It’s the language I’m trying to learn and it’s also next up on Aaron’s list.
‘Maybe you’ll like Greece and want to stay there. Maybe you’ll like the Greek women – that will give you the necessary motivation you need to learn the language,’ Aaron told me, not for the first time assuming I’m straight. I’m too polite to correct him. Too polite or too shy. It doesn’t matter. Meeting Aaron has made me realise I don’t have to let myself feel robbed by Rome.
