Zeb and I recently enjoyed a 10-day stint in the great country of Italy. It’s amazing how much can be done in 10 days, and how little is done at the same time. Whenever I travel, I get struck by the vastness of the world. How I covered thousands of miles on an airplane and hundreds by train, and still, have barely even skimmed the surface of one country that is roughly the size of Arizona is beyond me. Can you imagine it? Plus, there are other countries, continents, hemispheres, planets, galaxies to consider and fathom. But I digress.
We started in Rome, hopped on a train to Cinque Terre, spent the bulk of our time in Florence and came full circle in Rome on days 9 and 10. But first, we start in Rome.
We arrived in Rome around noon on very little sleep. After a quick catnap of 4 hours, we set out into the city. We somehow managed to catch a bus (and meet some exchange students on it) from Roma Termini to Piazza Navona, where we had delicious pizze, vino and birra. After the meal, the waiter, Matteo, provided us with free drinks. This happened a lot on our trip, and I’m convinced it’s because Zeb becomes best friends with each person he meets. How else would I know all of our servers’ names?
We had a drink at a hopping bar, and were confused again when we had to pay for the drink at one counter, then order it again at another counter, receipt in hand. This is just the way they often do it. We walked over to the Pantheon, had a macchiato at midnight, then hung out by the Trevi fountain where gypsies tried to sell us roses and take our photo. One actually did take our photo and when we did not want it or to pay for it, he became furious with us. Well, sir, you took the picture without our consent! Note to self: never smile at or for anyone.
Our first night came and went and we were excitedly off to the coast! Stay tuned...
