Walking through Rome at night, I completely saw why the city is known for it's Romantic ambience. At night, the rush of the day ceases. Like a baby put to sleep, peace descends upon the “Eternal City.” Together, the moonlight and street lights conjointly illuminate the piazzas and fountains, where lovers kiss to the street musician's opus. It really is tranquil. This experience is new for me. I'm used to the noise and hustle of American cities, cities that never seem to sleep. Rome at night is the most peaceful time of day.
First on our night adventure, we went to the Colosseum and admired the magnificent structure aglow. We took some pictures and had some good laughs, but we also sat there and soaked it in. Next we walked by the Victor Emmanuel Monument which looks more glorious at night than during the day. We headed down to piazza Campo dei fiori, the location where we learned of Giordano Bruno, a philosopher who was burned alive by the Italian Inquisition, in this very spot. Apparently he had a lot of crazy ideas in favor of heliocentrism and therefore was considered a heretic for believing that the earth revolved around the sun. It was also at this piazza that we walked by location where Julius Caesar was assassinated back in 44 BC!
From there we journey to piazza Navona and admired the Bernini fountains before walking on to the piazza where the Pantheon proudly stands. It was by the pantheon where the most street musicians were. Lot's of couples were kissing...but it wasn't degrading. Strangely, it was “romantic” to witness. After our sight director, Kristen, pried us away from the sights of the Pantheon, she treated us to best gelato in town. I had a chocolate chip flavor along with hazelnut, I love italian ice cream! Our last main stop was by the Trevi Fountain. This was the first time I saw the infamous fountain. The shadows and lights added dimension to Neptune and the horses, making them more life-like. The clear water spewed out into the sparkling pool of the fountain, calming it's onlookers.
The night was lovely. I enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets and seeing the city in a new light. However our peaceful night was ruffled when we got on the bus to ride home. We were sitting in our seats discussing the sights of the evening when our talk was interrupted by slurred yelling from the bus doors. We looked up to see a tall, unshaven italian man stumbling into the bus bringing with him the scent of booze. He had been following after this large black man who sat conveniently right behind us. The words that leaked out of the incoherent man's mouth, we did not understand, but it was not hard to figure out that he was spewing racist remarks to the man behind us. The black man remained silent and didn't pay any attention to his intoxicated offender, not even a glance. The drunk soon gave up and somehow moved forward on the bus to an empty seat, an empty seat right beside one of the guys in our group. That hushed all attempts at conversation we were trying to make. The man soon started ranting on to our friend in Italian while chewing and spitting out pieces of the bread he was eating. Thoughts raced through our heads about what we should do. Get off the bus and walk the whole way back? We figured silence was the best route, so we sat silently and made a cautious effort not to make eye contact with the man. I felt bad for our friend Sean, who had the drunk man practically leaning on him.
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Just when we thought the man was calming down, another man gets on the bus who is higher than a kite. On his arms are visible holes where he had repeatedly injected himself. He sits in the back of the bus as well and looks like he intends to mind his own business. Until the drunk man starts raving on again to the black man. The guy who was high starts talking back to the drunk, only fueling the fire. The people in the front of the bus are by this point noticing the scene, some look humored and others look worried, like Kristen. We just sit silently and hope our stop comes swiftly. I pray that neither of the men pull out weapons. The drunk stands again, his voice rising higher, and starts fumbling in his pockets. We freeze, hoping and praying its not a weapon...it's a...cellphone. Holding onto the railing in the bus the man begins taking pictures with his phone of the two men in the back. Honestly, that was a relief. Eventually the man staggers up to the front of the bus and we all quickly stand up and move near the doors. Finally, after what seemed like forever, our stop comes and we exit the bus faster than we ever have. The bus drives off, we are safe.
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Rome really is very safe. In fact, there is a shockingly higher crime rate in the U.S than anywhere in Europe. So no need to worry. We all travel in groups and watch out for each other. It was just ironic that during our night tour we all kept expressing how peaceful the experience was turning out to be, but the end was quite opposite. The whole bus experience could have been worse in my eyes, I felt more sad than afraid. It was sad because here are these men, who to them, this is life. Getting drunk, getting high, being discriminated against...These are hurting people and Jesus wants to give them life. What makes me even more sad than these hurting strangers, is the realization that there are hurting people all around us. People who don't know what beauty or love really is like because all they've known is pain. Sometimes the pain is apparent, but often it is hidden. This is why Christians need to be sensitive. With this war and sickness all around us...what are we doing to help restore the peace?
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