Andra is writing:
We landed in Rome early in the morning. While the clock shows seven by local time, it’s hard to believe it’s early morning because it’s midnight in Chile and our bodies sleep in thought. On the plane only a few of us could persuade ourselves to fall asleep, but most of us haven’t slept at all. Rome promises a hot day and the fact that it is going to be such we already feel when we get out of the plane. Since there were very few citizens of the European Union on our plane we do not have to stand in the huge queue and are quickly getting through the passport control.
It’s good to come back to Europe, use mobile data and talk freely on the phone without thinking about Chilean rates. We’re delighted to see our suitcases again, for they’ve all flown in. We open them immediately to change into summer clothes. It is 11 hours before the flight to Riga. We leave the baggage in the storage room, which is not a cheap pleasure (10Eur/bag), but no other option. We split into interest groups. Those who haven’t been to Rome are traveling by bus to downtown, while others – to the beach in Ostia.
We reach Ostia in 30 minutes. It looks like Jūrmala, but unlike Jūrmala, much of the beaches are private. We find a free beach with no parasols, but a lot of people. We are swimming in the Mediterranean, sunbathing. There is only one problem. As soon as we sit down in the sand, there is a desire to lie down, but once somebody sleeps, he falls asleep. That’s exactly what happens to Agnese. The others manage not to sleep, go swimming every now and then. Before returning to the airport, we taste Roman ice cream, which the cafe’s hostess recommends and offers us to try. It’s prepared by herself from fresh peaches and is really phenomenally tasty. Agnese doesn’t hesitate to make a reference in Tripadvisor. And it’s really hard to decide whether the Roman ice cream is more tasty or the one we tasted in Milan on the first day of our trip.
In the meantime, Dora, Imants and Juris have traveled to the centre of Rome, visited Vatican, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Angel bridge also gone to Forum ruins and Colosseum, which is impressive, given that there is 31*C hot and a nonsleeping night behind them.
Thus goes the day, and in the evening it is so pleasing to hear the stewardess greet us in Latvian when boarding an Air Baltic plane. The last three hours to Riga, thoughts are moving forward – to home, while looking stubbornly back at the three weeks spent in Chile.
We landed on the ground, speaking both directly and figuratively. Tomorrow some of us have to be back at work. Just the words and hugs of farewell.
The trip is over. Long live the trip!