When in Rome
Roman public transportation is utter shit. Went there last summer as part of a university program. This resulted in many oh-so-humorous incidents involving the Roman Metro and/or bus service.

Our apartment was on one line of the Metro (there are only two), so we hopped it every day to go out sightseeing and finished our day about 10 in the evening. Then, we headed back to Termini station, where the vast and complex system that is the Metro originates, only to find out that our entire line has been closed for maintenance starting a 9 o' clock. Did they have this sign posted that morning? Of course not.

So, we milled around a while trying to decide what to do and finally boarded a bus known as Rome's Pickpocket Express. Fortunately, however, the bus was only at about half capacity, and no one was robbed or seriously groped. After that, we walk about an hour trying to find a bus line to take us home. It was about midnight at this point, and we finally happened upon the correct bus. Upon seeing us, however, the driver shut his door and sped away. So, we embarked on a three-hour walking tour of residential Rome, which is surprisingly boring at 2 in the morning. Oh, well, no one died, which is a shock really.

The same week, was riding a bus with my face in the armpit of some Italian man who apparently had not showered since Mussolini was in power. The driver stops and tells everyone to get off. Grumbling and muttering and headed for the nearest Metro station, we happen upon a giant open-air concert put on by MTV. Fucking James Blunt forced me off my bus! It rained torentially an hour later; I laughed.
(skinchanger97, Mon 11 Sep 2006, 2:56, Reply)