Italy Journey Begins........tiramisu for dinner

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The anticipation has peaked into our journey to Rome. I keep asking my two friends and travel mates, 'Can you believe it ? We are on our way to Rome ?' One friend has been to Rome before and the other is taking her first adventure trip to Europe. So it begins.....

Our flight was uneventful and relatively easy, arrive at airport, get through security stuff, board with growing excitement (yes we really are doing this) and settle in for the 7 hour flight. Dinner (not bad at all) and try to sleep next on the agenda.

Arrival, after an uneventful flight we arrive the next morning in Rome. Hustle and bustle through the airport and out into the air, ahhhhh breathe that ? The air of centuries of history plus some major pollution, cough cough. Rome the eternal city, how shall we begin our adventure ? From my navigation planning at home I came equipped with Google maps printed and categorized. Let's see we were planning on catching a train to the Termini Station which is near our hotel. Hmmmm get the luggage and look around for signs of some direction to start out. Ok so once outside we are searching for direction, then a man approaches us and asks were we are going ? He says you have 20 minute walk to station and then ride to Termini, come I will take you to your hotel. Ok so a quick conference with my travel mates and ok we will do that for about 20 euros each. As we are sitting in the van and the driver is getting some other travelers to fill it up we are second guessing ourselves, 'Should we have done this? Are we getting taken advantage of? ... Then the van is full, behind us a couple (lady wearing a tiara and carrying a spray of slightly worn looking flowers) plus a young women split from her young man that is sitting in the front seat. Then we are off our driver speeding down the road to engage the busy traffic. As the drive is taking a bit of time and we are looking from side to side I am thinking this is a pretty far trip and I think I am glad I am not dragging my suitcase to the train and finding the right one. First stop, our driver whips up to a building and tells the young couple this is their stop, they look around in disbelief, nothing that looks like a hotel there. The driver assures them, yes this is their place and go inside. Then we are off again. So gathering up my courage to emulate my travel mentor I turn to the couple behind and ask, Where are you from? (I am dying to know about the tiara) They are from the US and are on their honeymoon. Awww Sweet. They are soon dropped at their place and we are off to our destination. The traffic is crazy and the traditional whipping in and out is happening. I look at my travel mates and we smile, our adventure is happening.

As we pass the huge Termini station and people are poring from all directions I am thinking, I AM glad we are being carried to our hotel. My heart is soaring with anticipation. Then as our driver turns down a couple single lane streets he says, 'Ladies, this area not safe'

Gulp, so what do we do now. My companions and I look at each other and nervously laugh. Jump out and collect our suitcases. Look at the sign for our hotel joined by several others. Each floor is a different hotel it seems. So we bravely forge forward into the opening. And the expected small but wonderful elevator is there. OK so two of us plus bags can fit, so I bravely send them to the 3rd floor. As they are ascending an older couple with suitcases arrive, "hello, where are you from" starts the conversation, in a few brief moments I discover they are traveling from Australia and used to live in Champaign/Urbana where I work. What a small world it is. So the elevator is back for me and my bags and up I go. Marco Polo is our hotel, once through its doors, we find a charming older place, off to our room with the not unusual, place your key card in the slot to start the electricity going. As long as we are in the room we have air conditioning and lights.

We are starved and excited so what to do first. We tidy ourselves just a bit and are ready to take it on. Outside we are nervous about the area but boldly press on together and decide to walk a few blocks and search out food, problem is we are way early for the normal Roman lunchtime. We find a little place that is just opening and as we are gazing longingly at the menu on the window a lovely lady with little English invites us to sit down. On the sidewalk are a few tables with one person sitting eating. So we were not the only early eaters. We order and enjoy our first Italian food, oh how wonderful it was.

During lunch we decide what we should do. We are tired of course after a little plane sleeping overnight but know we must acclimate to the time changing. So we decide to take a bus tour, one of those hop on/hop off ones. This way we can get our bearing with the city and rest a bit too. It was a good idea, and the place was just a couple blocks from our hotel at the Termini station.

After a few hours of our sightseeing tour, we go back to the hotel, the girls are anticipating an exciting dinner. Me ? Did I mention as we are making this journey I am coming down with some nose running and that feeling in your chest that means, oh no I am getting sick, I take pills and try to ignore it. But feel like maybe if I go to sleep early tomorrow it will go away. So I decide to have a wonderful shower and go to bed, bye ladies enjoy dinner, I will be fine. So after some rearranging clothes and shower I am trying to fall asleep, the window is open (three floors up so its ok, only spiderman could get in). The noises are all strange, laughing, screeching, motorcycles and finally I fall asleep. What seems like 5 minutes later they are back bringing me the most amazing Tiramisu I have ever tasted. Yum, in minutes I have inhaled its deliciousness and snoozing. Had to ask the next morning, "did I dream of eating Tiramisu last night" lol

Next day is wednesday and we enjoy our lovely hotel breakfast (does it seem like lots of food going on, well I am ALL about the food) So we decide to check out the Borghese Gallery. After finding out it will be two days before we can tour it (tickets are always bought ahead). So we purchase tickets for next tuesday when we will return to Rome. We stroll the garden area and are entranced by the beauty of it all. Back on the bus for more tour gazing and plan B. We get off near Trevi fountain, must have lunch. Oh MY! First Italian pizza, I am ruined for life ! Simple but so delicious. Trevi fountain is lovely, but the area is jam packed with people. As we are leaving we come upon a lovely woman selling water color paintings. Of course we all find one we must have. Now what to do ? Lets go to Travestere across the river, an area recommended by Rick Steves for its old world charm. Found some gelato, yummy. Little biscotti shop I had found on the internet. Walked around and admired the old world style buildings, back on the bus toward our "home base". Feeling a bit less intimidated by the area. Yes is it on the seedy side but we hang together and look 'tough'. Decide to go back to the restaurant the girls ate at last night, they said the food was excellent. Oh my I had a scrumptious spaghetti carbonara and of course a lovely wine ! We don't stay out late, still changing sleep schedule plus we are off on the next adventure, taking a train to the northern Cinque Terra area.

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