Day 4: Death dodged, we’re cruisin’

Not to worry: That fiery Rome subway accident today managed to avoid us. Was kinda strange, tho. We were strolling around town about 10 a.m. when I glanced in a café and saw a coupla dozen faces glued to the single TV screen. Their looks were strangely familiar – a very 9/11 vibe. So I went inside, saw the CNN International headline about the crash and then checked the news on my cel. (Wild, isn’t it, that I’m in Rome just a coupla miles from the site, and I check the net on my 214 area code celphone to figure out what really happened.)

We were already wavering about what we’d planned: A noontime subway ride to the rail station, and then hop a train to the port in Civitavecchia where our ship would launch. That $50 plan was way cheaper than the $125 hired-car ride, but the Rome subways are pretty notorious, both safety-wise and access-wise, for tourists with luggage.

This news sealed it. We’d nap in the back of a comfy van and hope to make the cash back at the Casino in Monte Carlo tomorrow. Yeah. Right.

The best part of the drive came when the driver – who didn’t even pretend to parlo Anglaise – slammed off his classic-rock-plagued radio and popped in what was clearly a treasured CD.

So we tooled up to the Golden Princess blasting Barry White’s Greatest Hits.

You can’t make this stuff up.