So it's been a few days since I've blogged. And admittedly I've been pretty much full, tipsy or sleepy since I arrived in Rome. There's one thing for certain and two things for sure about this city: you are going to eat and drink well here! When in Rome...well, you know the rest.
The one thing I haven't really done here is a lot of touristy sightseeing. I've never vacationed where I had friends and I've discovered it's a totally different experience. Having friends here means that I've had more of a local experience, the visit has been more ordinary, there's been no tour schedule to keep, I've met friends of friends and I have an open invitation to come back.
As I sit here in a sports bar in the middle of Rome talking music and sports with a cool bunch of folks from Pittsburgh, I'm reflecting back on my time here. The main takeaway is that it's an awesome city. The architecture is breathtaking. It's really sleepy at night, the food is good, the people are...just ok. All in all, I'm really blessed to have a good friend here because an experience that would have been great became amazing.
Of course I did the obligatory bus tour, but didn't really get off to visit any attractions but the Colliseum. It was pretty amazing. I saw the Vatican, Spanish Steps, Vittoriano, museums and several other places. Most of what I saw was how people around here live:
- People hit the streets rain or shine.
- Dogs are all the rage. I had to stop myself a million times from swiping a dog and adding it to my existing gaggle of pups.
- Any designer store you want to see is here for the browsing (Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Pucci, Herve Leger, Hermes, Jimmy Choo).
- Pizza is everywhere but it's not all made equal. But it's all better than the pizza in the U.S.
- There are not many black and brown faces here.
- Italians don't seem as excited when you attempt (and fail) at speaking their language. They snort, laugh and correct you.
- Every single building here is just a sight to behold. I mean really.
- Italians on TV are an almost accurate depiction of those in real life - loud, hand gesturing, passionate people with men who call you words like "treasure" and "flower" upon first meeting.
- I've never been kissed and hugged this much by people I don't know in my life...and I loved it!
- Some of the best food I've had in Italy came out of Tamara's kitchen...this girl can cook her ass off. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, veal, frittata, spaghetti..DELICIOUS!
- The street artists are top notch and so talented.
- The best street vendors are the ones from Bangladesh. They negotiate hard but at the end of the day, they want to sell, sell, sell!
I will definitely be back Rome and perhaps next time I might make it to the Vatican...or just eat and drink again and connect and talk again. Either way, all these experiences are as Roman as the other. And that kinda works for me.
The Vatican
Me in front of the Colliseum
I was trying to be artsy with this picture...FAILED!
Vittoriano
Spanish Steps
Yay! A new post. I was going through withdrawal. :-)
ReplyDelete