All Roads Lead to Roma

They have long said that "... all roads lead to Roma" and indeed that classical sentiment was of its time most definitely true.

However, what they certainly do NOT tell you, is that there is more than one Roma in this world and that the difference between these can be somewhat profound!

Take Roma, Australia for example; a gas and oil town, well within the rural flat scrub land of Queensland. Its certainly very different from the Eternal city that I was planning to see!

Roma may not have an abundance of classical culture, but it does have its own distinctive feel to it and there is no doubt that it also has a more than valid history of its own.

The local pubs are pretty scary and full of real no-nonsense working men who look like they live tough physical lives. I cannot say that anyone in Roma was mean to us exactly, but I cannot say that they were friendly either. At best they projected a kind cold disinterest or taciturn suspicion.

One of the few people who would speak to us was the local bar manager who was an outsider himself. It would almost be an understatement to describe him as a deeply unhappy man. He made it pretty clear that he hated the town and was literally counting the days until he could get out. We guessed that this situation had not been helped since the locals had badly smashed up his hotel bar the week before; apparently more the result of rough excitement rather than any intended malice.

Elements of Roma are pretty weird and it certainly seems to be the kind of town where everyone drives a Ute (pick-up), with dog tied to back being a compulsory accessory. I would also guess people own guns as many of the local road signs seemed to be liberally perforated with shotgun holes. However, we did not see any trouble at all.

We stayed in a really shabby drive-in motel where the landlady tried to rip us off on the room rate within the first 5 minutes. We ate at the recommended 'best' restaurant in town and the food was shockingly bad! I can pretty much guess what a Latanist snob such as a Cicero, Pliny or Tacitus would have made of the place, yet despite all this, I loved it!

[I love the local trees - they make me look so thin!]

It was a culture shock rolling up into this wee town out in the endlessly flat scrub land, but it was well worth it for the experience. The shape, colour, fauna and light of this landscape is pretty special and not at all what one would be used to from a European perspective.

You see some pretty obscure sights as you drive along for hours on endlessly flat straight roads in which you might only pass a handful of cars in a whole day of driving.

[So that's why I'm always waiting on the No. 42]

I'm still not exactly sure how I managed to get to the wrong Roma? I must have a wee word with the Imperial travel agent when I get back. I don't think my Imperial forefathers would have taken kindly to this kind of mix-up: Caligula and Nero would have gone mental!

Still, I will just need to take it in my stride and make the best of it from here on.