When in Rome...

... do as Romans do.  So what does that mean?  In my opinion, from three days:

• Eat massively delicious food and somehow keep from becoming morbidly obese.  I haven't figured out quite how they manage.  
• Drive like MANIACS.  Holy crap.  On a road with two car lanes and one for buses, they drive 5 cars wide, and that's not including the motorcycles driving between the cars.  We're talking like an inch or two from their handlebars and the cars' mirrors.  Eeep.
• Live totally casually among ancient (ANCIENT) ruins and beautiful architecture.
• Spray graffiti on anything modern.
• Drink Acqua Panna.  Yummmmm.
• Learn how to "Ciao bella" at women if you're a guy and learn how to deal with it if you're the bella.  No one said "Ciao bello" to me.  :-P
• Wear tight pants.

I loved Rome... no way I could drive though.  I'd never get anywhere because I am no good at forcing my way through traffic.  That's why Jose's always good for driving when leaving big events like concerts.  And there's only two metro lines downtown because of the multiple levels of ancient ruins under the city.  

Rome II

From France and Italy 2010

Our second full day in Rome had us taking the bus to the Vatican (no students - they were probably all hung over).  The line to get into the basilica was INSANE.  Perhaps even a mile long.  We took some photos and browsed some cheesy tourist shops around St. Peter's square (there was even a calendar of hot priests!).

We walked around the wall of the Vatican to the other side where we got into the Vatican Museum with no line... but there were old people tours everywhere and at one point it was really bad - packed like the bus was!  We forced our way through and pretty much ran through the museum to the Sistine Chapel, pausing ever so slightly in the hall of maps, which was probably my favorite room.

The chapel was pretty awesome - lots of people, some occasionally taking a photo and getting yelled at, and guards shhhhing people.

We found a little pizzeria and had some pizza and some crab things I love so much.

We did some shopping and I got a bunch of great shirts from a store called David Saddler... really great stuff - contrasting inner cuffs you can flip out, cuffs that have both buttons and holes for cuff links... they took a lot of my money but the woman who helped me, Andressa, was really sweet and from Sao Paulo so we talked in Portuguese.

The Castle of Angels and the Piazza del Popolo were next and by then my feet were ready to fall off.  Home and then dinner at Pomodoro which had good food but Jose and I agreed our favorite restaurant was the one we went to on our first night... Mmmmmm that carbonara.

Rome I

Patty, Jose and I got up and went to a whole bunch of places around Rome today.  We had lunch in the Piazza de Campo del Fiore and I had a really great fettucini with truffles - first time having those and they were so good!  We walked around some more - the places are generally documented in my photos.  Then we came back here for a little to take showers (it was kind of warm today) and rest up before going to this concert of famous opera arias that Patty got tickets to at the Pantheon.

From France and Italy 2010

We rushed to get there in time, taking a bus and a train (there are only two metro lines in Rome because of the archaelogical sites), and the concert was very... entertaining.  The singers were generally only OK and the orchestra was crazy.  The violinist tuned to the harp and I knew at that point that it was going to be weird.  Then he was waving his bow around whie they were playing like he was conducting but he was just following them, I think.  He would wave it at the singers like he was tapping them on the head.  It was crazy.

For dinner we ate at this place that used to be the studio of a famous sculptor and they had original plaster "tryouts" all over the restaruant.  I had linguini with lobster which was very good.  We got rushed out because they were closing fifteen minutes after we got there.  It was tasty stuff though.

We walked and did some window shopping and then took a bus home.  A whole bunch of college-aged kids came on to the bus and packed it solid.  And while we were moving, this drunk kid sitting directly across from me started to throw up - thankfully he didn't have anything to eat.... it was just liquid and spit.  Patty and I jumped onto our seats in time and road on the backs until they all got off.  They were, of course, American.

Quick note from Rome

From France and Italy 2010

Hidy ho from Rome - just a quick note because I'm not using my computer while here, I probably won't post much more until I get back home.  Rome is crazy though - it's amazing how the old and the new are so integrated. 

Jose, Patty and I have gone a WHOLE bunch of places, so far mostly in the southern part of the center (I guess) - tomorrow there is a parade for their equivalent of the 4th of July in that area so we did that today and tomorrow we'll be hanging out in the general area of the Vatican.

Tonight we're going to see a show where they'll be performing famous arias.

The food here is incredible.  I'm glad I'm only here for a short while, otherwise I'd gain 500 pounds.

From France and Italy 2010