Rome: Day 1

We just arrived in Rome this afternoon and I'm beyond happy here. It's great as always to have time with Stefan, but the sunny weather, our beautiful apartment, delicious foods, and a city steeped in such history makes it that much better. As we walked down the street we noticed all of the oranges on the trees - most of them were at the top due to people grabbing them off for a quick snack. The warm weather was just what we needed.

The apartment we rented is really beautiful and it was such a steal. Giuseppe, the man that owns it, was so accomodating and nice.

I felt like we were borrowing a friend's place, especically after he gave us a bottle of red wine from Sicily and stocked the fridge with beverages. The location was also absolutely perfect - right near the Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, and Via Dei Condotti (the street of all of the Italian designers).

We went past the Trevi Fountain at dusk. It was so beautiful and grandiose. There were plenty of tourists tossing their coins in.

As we walked through town today I really was thinking about my Art History courses, professors, and classes. It's so strange to spend so much time learning about something and the finally be standing there - able to see, touch, and feel some of that magic. I got a nice laugh out of seeing the Pantheon and then seeing the McDonald's directly across the plaza. It's such a dichotomy to see something so mass produced and such a stunning piece of architecture sharing the same space.

Tonight we stopped at the grocery and bought things for an authentic Italian meal. Wow! It was really delicious... wine, mozzarella di bufala, fresh pesto, foccocia. We were really impressed by the fish selection at the grocery as well. There's just something about visiting foreign groceries that is always exciting. I'm having a tough time not consuming all of the pizza that I see along the way. Stefan also discovered gelato directly across from our apartment, and it was better than I remembered. I'm sure I will be sampling many more to figure out which one is the best. I hate finding things that I enjoy so much, because I'll simply crave them for months afterward. It already looks like we'll need another trip back!

Tomorrow we are off to the Vatican, so we'll be calling it a night rather early. We did take the advice to book tickets online, so we won't have to stand in line. I can't even imagine seeing the Sistine Chapel. It truly is one thing after the next here. Yet another city that would take a life time to discover and learn about.