EuroX Trip: Day 24

Well, it is our last full day in Europe.

Today began nice and late. Just how I like it. Now that is a holiday - you sleep in, and do shit-all, and then get up and go have fun. The important thing on the agenda was that we visited a famous gelati shop called San Crispino.

We first visited the Spanish Steps, which had a church at the top. There were sketch artists at the top, as well as dodgy Nigerian types who try to use the friendship string scam on you. What they do is walk up to you and act all friendly, and then hold out a piece of string. They then tie the string to you, and then ask for a 'donation.' It is all friendly, but you can sense the threat behind that request for a 'donation.' It happened to me in Milan, but I acted like I only had some spare change, so the scammer only got away with 2 euros instead of 10. Nowadays, I am much more wise. As soon as I see a dodgy guy come up to me, up comes the hand, because the face ... it ain't listening.

After a visit to the Spanish Steps, we wandered down along until we hit this huuuge square with an obelisk in the middle, I forget what it is called. But nearby, up a rather tiring climb of steps, was a huge park. It being Sunday, there are lots of people out enjoying the customary day off for many people. There were also places you could hire bikes, roller blades, and tandem bikes.
There were also pedal-powered golf buggies.
Henry and I saw a few people zipping around on them, and decided to hire one for ourselves to try. At 10 euros for an hour, it is a lot of fun.
They basically convert the pedalling you do into electrical power, which then turns the four wheels ... I think. There are two steering wheels, but one is for show, while the other one actually steers. Henry and I had a lot of fun zipping around the park, riding offroad through the bumpy and less levelled parts of the park, as well as powering our way through the soft gravel, and terrorising other parkgoers with our whoops and yells of delight.
Well, my whoops and yells of delight.
Our fun was magnified when we decided to take some of the asphalted roads, and went down a long tunnel. Unsure of whether it was actually for pedestrians or cars, we ended up going down that way before we realised which it was. It was a long, sloping tunnel, which meant that it was a nice, downhill zoom to the bottom of the winding tunnel. However, once we got to the bottom, we found out one very important fact about that tunnel.
It was a carpark tunnel.
As we turned around to go up the other tunnel, we saw ...
A car coming up behind us!
We both screamed 'OH SHIT!!!' and pedalled as fast as our legs could pedal. We were both pedalling desperately, trying to outrun the car that was close behind us going up the tunnel. It was getting closer, closer ...
And it was keeping a leisurely distance from us. It seemed that the owners had a look of real amusement on their faces, as we both desperately pedalled to get up out of the tunnel and where the road would be a bit wider.
Just as it seemed the driver would speed up and run us over, we made it.
We got out of the tunnel, and veered off to the side and let the car pass us before stopping and trying to catch our breaths. We found out it was one way, so it would be hard to go back the way we came without a way to stop oncoming traffic.
In the end, I had to brave the dangers of returning through the tunnel, stopping most of traffic by using myself as a shield, and Henry bringing the buggy back down and around the way we came.

After those hijinks, we hooned around some more in the safer areas of the park, complete with more whooping.
After that misadventure, we decided to leave the park alone, and get some lunch after pedalling hard for an hour on that buggy. A trip to San Crispino later, we were contentedly munching on gelati while we headed for the nearby Fountain of Trevi, which apparently has magical powers. Supposedly, if you throw a coin into the fountain, from your right hand over your left shoulder, and it lands in the fountain, you will return to Rome. If you throw two over, then a wish will be granted. Henry thought it meant that you will be either married or divorced. I did at first too, and first refused to throw a second coin in because I didn't want to be destined to get tied down. However, on consultation of the Lonely Planet guide we had with us, it turned out that a wish would be granted.
After lunch at Burger King, we went to try to find a stone face which supposedly eats your hand if you lie. You are supposed to put your hand in. If you lie, the face supposedly slams shut. Surprise surprise, when we arrive, there is a long line of people wanting to test that theory. In front of the Church of St Valentine, no less. Unwilling to wait in line, we ended up wandering through the streets of Rome until we hit the Altar of the Nation again, and took a bus back to our room.

For our last night in Rome, and in Europe, we will be eating out.