When in Rome - September 15, Rome (part 1)

Catching up with work this week was a little nutty, so I'm a little behind on the blogging. I'll try to be better, followers!

September 15

We're here. 

As soon as the plane was over Europe, both Brendan and I started peering out the window like a couple of kids. When I finished Water for Elephants just seconds before they turned off the in-flight movies, I knew luck was going to be on our side for this trip. 

We did the immigration/customs/baggage claim dance pretty quickly, and less than two hours after we touched down (and a few minutes of where-do-we-catch-the-taxi confusion) we were in a cab headed for ROME. 

I love the first few moments after arriving in a new country. The foreign language billboards, the different cars (Fiats! Peugeots!) and the landscape all seemed exotic and exciting. 

Driving into Rome was an experience in itself. Busy, yes, but traffic rarely came to a standstill and never crawled as slow as Seattle's I-405 does during rush hour. As we approached the city, the mixture of ma-and-pop immigrant-owned stores brought back memories of multi-ethnic London. I wish I had unpacked my camera so I could have taken photos of the ruins and medieval buildings we passed just on the way to our hotel-- this was going to be an adventure. 

We arrived at the hotel a little before noon, and were told our room would be ready within an hour (still before the official 2 p.m. check-in time). They held our bags and we headed out to find some lunch. 

And what does one eat for one's first Italian meal? 

PIZZA, of course!! 

We were fortunate to have chosen a centrally located hotel and were surrounded by shops and restaurants. While we were still a little early for lunch by Italian standards, we hadn't eaten a real meal since our sandwiches on the Philly tarmac, so we picked the first place we found: a corner trattoria a couple doors down with outdoor seating across the street from a belltower. 

Yes, it's a miracle I came back to Seattle. :)  

 

Our first Italian meal! Pizzas and Sprites. (We considered wine, but were still pretty dehydrated from the plane ride. Disclaimer: This is also pre-nap and shower.)

The view from my seat at the restaurant. Thanks for the great welcome, Rome!

View looking the other direction.

We began people watching and saw this little elderly Italian lady with a cane trying to cross the street. She was obviously a little hesitant to step across the busy throughway, and this younger couple came up to her. After exchanging a few words in Italian, the younger woman took the lady's arm, and with the younger man flanking her other side, the three of them crossed the street. After the older lady was safely across, the younger couple crossed back and continued on their way. 

Rome, I think I'm in love with you.
 

We returned to the Hotel Artemide and after showers, we crashed for a few hours before the exploring finally began...

Hotel note for travelers: We stayed in a deluxe double, about 400 sq ft. Very happy with the hotel and it included a free mini bar with water, beer and soft drinks and a decent continental breakfast.