Eddie plays the Pantheon

And so it's with regret that we prepare to leae Rome. Wow, what an incredible, romantic city. I suppose i helped that the sun was on my back and that the people we met were awesome, but I could have happily wandered the streets alone and still had an incredible time.

The hostel we stayed in was mint; really laid back. We met some cool people; Raghu, the Indian guy studying in Milan who stayed out until 5am in the morning, Adriana from Romania and the French twins Julie and Lucy. This hostel thing really IS the future (and the past obviously), it just adds something to the whole experience.

And what of Rome? It's difficult to express what an amazing city it really is; I'll definately return at some point. I advise all those who haven't been to put it on their list of things to do. We tried to strike a balance between chilling out, partying and sight seeing. I think we got it just about perfect.

The best sights for me? The Vatican was amazing, in a bizarre way. Those who know me best know that I'm not really too keen on organised religion, I despise the conflict and seperation it causes. To see St Peter's square and the hoardes of people paying pilgramage to this place was both impressive and scary at the same time.

The Colosseum was an incredible structure. How those guys built this thing nearly 2000 years ago is beyond me. These Roman types were pretty impressive, but then I don't suppose they'd have to have been in order to have the empire they did.

And me favourite site? It has to be the Pantheon. It's a Christian temple / church built by Hadrian in it's present form in the second century AD. It's an impressive structure from the outside, but inside it's jaw dropping. It's a huge dome with the usual opulence you come to expect in Rome. The is a huge circular 'hole' (for want of a better word) in the ceiling which lets in sunlight and rain, hence the drainage holes on the floor of the place. When we got there a concert was about to begin, an English choir backed up by various strings and piano. The aucustics were from another planet. I closed my eyes and let the sounds wash over me. The feeling was beyond words. In fact it was so good I was thinking who I'd like to see perform in there. I ended up plumping for Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam); he whould sound like perfection in that place. In fact if he ever played in there I would beg, borrow or steal to get a ticket. It's not going to happen though is it?

Neil decided it would be a god idea to put his knee through my bed last night as he was leaning over to get something. Hmmmm! So I didn't get the best night's sleep in the world, but hey ho - nothing can dent my happy mood.

Off we go this morn. Through the mountains and to Innsbrook. Can't wait (again!).