No Touching the Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is a picturesque masterpiece located just minutes of walking distance from Barberini Station in Rome.  The fountain has appeared in quite a few movies and is featured in just about every single tour book known to mankind that covers anything remotely Roman.  Honestly, if you are in Rome, you better see this location, as you will never live it down if someone finds out that you missed it.  

Photoshop Much?

Photo Credit 1

One of the best things about this area in my opinion is the streets.  In my most uneducated opinion, the streets in this quarter feel older and more lively.  Even thought there are almost a million options on how to move around this area, I would highly suggest taking the time to wander from Barberini Station and enjoy taking in the old shops.  You will pass leather shops, gelato parlors, delicious coffee-houses, and all the sounds and smells that go with them.  The streets are narrow, the cobble-stones are a patchwork of two-by-two inch squares that have been tessellated together since before time began.  While a trip to the Trevi is an amazing highlight to this section of Rome, you should never underestimate the beauty of the surrounding area when you travel.  

See, Quick Walk!

After arriving at the Trevi, you quickly realize a few things.  The first is that any picture of the Trevi Fountain was taken on an extremely nice day, and that they must have cordoned off the tourists.  That shit is crowded!

Off Hours

Photo Credit 2

After a few minutes, you just have to decide to leave the manners at home and shove your way to the front in typical tourist fashion.  When a person travels thousands of miles to toss a coin in a fountain, no freakin' tourist is going to stand in your way.  I am only glad that I ventured to the Trevi Fountain before selfies came into vogue, I cannot even imagine how much worse it must be now.  

After shoving your way to the front, you make a harsh realization - any picture that you have seen was taken by a crane and a wide angle lens.  

  No Photoshop :(

Besides the obviously amazing view of some extremely naked people made out of marble playing with some sea-creatures and horses and shit, the thing that really stuck out to me are the signs that are located around the fountain.  Touching the water is a crime.  You will get fined close to a gajillion euros and probably be publicly ridiculed or something else as deemed appropriate by the police officer.

I wanted to touch the water.  If there is one thing that I cannot handle, it is being told not to do something that silly.  You can throw coins into the fountain but you cannot touch the water?  Obviously it is not a bacteria worry.  I highly doubt you are going to contaminate the water supply of Rome by touching the fountain...

I was going to respect the wishes of the all-knowing sign.  I mean, when in Rome, right?  Then I noticed these assholes...

Hand Clearly in Water!

Yeah, I touched the water.  I am such a rebel.  I would have been able to resist had it not been for that person in black.  Seriously.  What the hell were they thinking?  Violating the sign?  Causing others to do the same thing?  If this case were to go before a judge, it would have been thrown out solely because that asshole made me do it.  I am who I am, and I could have done nothing else. 

Photo Credit 1: http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/toss-your-coins-in-the-trevi-fountain-rome-mark-e-tisdale.jpg

Photo Credit 2: http://www.tropicalisland.de/italy/rome/trevi_fountain/images/FCO%20Rome%20-%20Trevi%20Fountain%2004%203008x2000.jpg

Common Themes in Traveling

As I am sure anyone who has traveled can relate to, there are certain themes and commonalities that one runs into regardless of location and culture.  While most of these themes are simpler things like hospitality, running into certain types of people, or perhaps in this global age, Starbucks and McDonald's, I have decided to highlight the weirder of the few common themes that I have run into while abroad.

Theme 1: Godzilla
There seems to be some sort of international appeal to a giant lizard that wrecks shop on a city.  I mean, it is infinitely more likely that some race of aliens would destroy a city than a giant lizard, but there must be some appeal to combining elements of the Cretaceous period and massive world-wide destruction.  

Location: Japan
Godzilla seems to be enjoying his time hanging out with Kikaida in this shot.  Not sure why someone pit those two together in some sort of bizarre fan-fiction mash up, but it does seem to work.

Location: Italy

Godzilla seems to be enjoying his time with these stylish older gentlemen.  Nothing says an amazing CD release like Godzilla with some old-school headphones, and three white guys in awesome clothing.  I feel like that one of the left is really making it with his mustache. 

Theme 2: Mouth of Truth

As anyone who has seen Roman Holiday would know, the Mouth of Truth exists to bite off the hand of someone who lies.  Basically if you are truthful, you are not going to lose any appendages that you might stick inside of of the mouth of the giant stone disc.

Location: Italy

I am guessing this is the original location, as Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn visited this location first.  I am sure there is some long-standing local history or something that dates back well beyond the 1953 release date of the aforementioned movie, but I doubt any of that is relevant.  This is also the location where I lost my hand.  Or is that a lie?  Boy, did I just dig myself a hole for my next visit.

Location: Japan

No trip to Japan is complete without finding some form of knockoff Italian artwork.  It goes without saying that while you are eating your sushi and drinking sake, you should naturally be wanting to mesh that cultural experience with Caligula and Caesar.  Obviously. This is also the location where I lost my other hand.  Pretty sure that is a lie as well.  I am really screwed if I ever find a third one of these in the world.