The good, the bad and the ugly!

Rome... the good..

Transport. The local and the Londoners think the transport is abysmal but compared with Auckland its amazing! Only two metro lines (which in a city with 4million people tends to get overcrowded) but the system is fantastic. The busses dont just go into the city.. the go across the city, from west to east, south to north and every other combination you could wish for. They are frequent, versatile and efficient. And of course its 24/7 to facilitate ones social life.

The Sport. There is always and English/Irish pub showing Rugby, Soccer, Boxing, Car Racing.. you name it if its sport it will be there! Even NZ Super14.. although it does get turned off for important 'soccer games'!!

Food. Yes its true folks eating out in Rome is cheap and gooood! In fact I think eating out is cheaper than eating it. Of course if you dont want Pizza or Pasta you could have a slight problem.. and if you drink wine with it.. well its about half the price of a coke!!

English Movies. Until I arrived I didnt realise how big and 'important' the Italian film industry is.. there are new movies coming out every week.. all in Italian of course. However there are three theatres that show movies in their original language. One has to be vigilant as the original language could be Spanish or French... but there is a reasonable variety of English movies available for those who get heartily sick of the Italian language.

The BAD...

Transport. It's always full!! You never get to sit on a bus or metro. Busses especially! They only have 20 seats to have lots of room for additional people. I read the 'rules' at the front.. 20 seated and 93 standing. However 'rules' are made to be broken and during rush hour it is quite common for there to be well over 150 people standing with the driver having difficulty shutting the doors. Everyone standing around the doors has to get off to let others on and off. One day last week a woman getting on the bus exclaimed 'Oh Sardino'!! in a very looud voice... I guess the phrasal verb to be squashed like sardines is just the same in Italian.

Accommodation is extremely expensive.. about three times that of Auckland.. and the wages are much lower. Not so in other parts of Italy.. just Rome!

Supermarkets shut on Sunday! Most of them! You had better believe it unless you want to trek into Termini and the surrounds make sure you stock up on Saturday.

Shops and Services. Italy comes to a standstill between 1.30 and 4pm. Banks, shops etc you name it and it closes. Of course the upside is you have to plan well and develop ones time management skills. Its all about adapting to ones environment.

The UGLY

Cellphones .. being a phone freak myself it seems like tongue in cheek but everyone, I mean everyone from the age of 5 has one or more cellphones. Being on public transport is one cacophony of sounds. And just in case you didnt know Italian people dont speak quietly (they are known as the Americans of Europe!) so be warned.. dont get on to the bus or metro if you have a headache... earplugs are a godsend!!

Xmas in Norwich

Jenny and I on the 'front' at Xmas... pretty rugged.. perhaps its Piha after all!
Ray and Jenny enjoying a breath of fresh air....

And just in case you thought it couldn't be that cold.. here is the outdoor.. yes folks.. the OUTDOOR skating ring in Norwich. A bit of fib.. as its a man made one and only set up for December and some of January.. but I found it impressive. It was the first outdoor skating rink I had seen.. and believe me it seemed as cold as it looks... as do the rest of the pics.
The wild North Sea!! We went for a drive one day out to Saxlingham (which incidentally is beautiful in the summer) and this rugged, murky mess was the result of winter storms and a stong undercurrent dredging up the bed. No swimming for me.. although I am told there is a 'mid winter' swimming event here too.. I guess if ever I was demented enought to try a mid winter swim it would be in Auckland at much lower temperatures.
Just thought the pink building 'suited me' lol. It was actually a Pub behind the sea front..which, once again in the summer has outdoor tables and a busy atmosphere.

A day at the sea.. Saxlingham again... but with the winter garb!!
Not the best of pics.. but the Xmas lights in the UK are just wonderful. I thought they were nice in Italy and the British teachers I work with thought I was crazy.. and I can see why. This isnt a particularly good example but almot all shops and street corners are lit up like this.. and much better. next year I will try for a better subject.

After my ordeal at Ciampino Airport the rest of my travels went well, arriving in Norwich around 5pm.. well ahead of schedules as traffic was heavy and busses were running late.. which suited me perfectly.

Unfortunately it didnt snow in Norwich although it was predicted and like a child waiting for Santa I woke in the night to check.. to no avail. BUT for about 30 minutes there were very small flakes of snow which landed on my coat.. and they were definitely white.. and most definitely snow. The snow which lasted was only in Scotland and the North of England... needless to say it was cold enough for me in Norwich.

Depsite having spent most of my life in NZ I enjoyed my first winter Christmas and it seemed very natural.. much more natural than the heat of summer in New Zealand. Christmas lunch was spent at the golf club with the most mouth watering ham, turkey, gammon and roast veges (just like the old days lol) but it was enjoyable to eat in the cold.. not cold inside of course.. but most definitely cold outdoors.

New Years Eve was spent with family and friends watching a 'live' concert from the Millenium Dome in London... eta your heart out folks.. you gugs in NZ will probably get it Next Year or as a Mid Winter thing. One great think about the UK is things are up to date... did I mention the goings on in Coro Street.. almost a full 12 months ahead of NZ. And at the risk of sounding like a sad case I really did enjoy watching English TV after three months in Italy with NO television.

I was sad to leave as it was a very special Xmas.. A Winter Xmas with family... no BBQ's.. no going to the beach.. just cosy indoor stuff... can recommend it to all.