Arrival in Rome
I’m not the best of travelers. I’m happy once I get where I’m going, but until then, I worry. Not necessarily about safety but mainly about getting to the airport on time, making connections, and getting the house in tip top order before I leave. We all know how important that last one is, right?
This trip was particularly stressful because I had to worry about other people making their flights, going through customs (which I don’t have a lot of experience with), and getting my 8 hours of required sleep on the plane.
My first spot of trouble came when I realized that I was in the security line without having remembered to check my bags. I was a little embarrassed going against traffic to get out of line.
While waiting to check my bags, I got a text saying my flight was delayed, and I would miss my connection in New York. I was proud of myself for remaining fairly calm. By the time I got to the agent, I had fortunately already been rebooked on the next flight IN FIRST CLASS.
I was giddy when I saw the semi-private seat that extended to a fully reclined position. And the food was wonderful. I actually ate and drank too much. So I didn’t sleep.
Amazingly enough, the five of us coming from three different airports arrived within an hour or so of each other.
On the way to the hotel with my bags in tow, we came across a parade coming down the street. I realized I had my camera in one of the bags, so I quickly laid the bag on the ground and opened it up to grab the camera.
While I was snapping photos, I heard Nicole say,
“Mom.”
“This is exactly what I told you not to do.”
I looked down at my open bag in the street with the contents displayed for all to see and realized I had already started annoying my daughter.
And what’s even more embarrassing was the box of Cheez-Its that was clearly visible in the bag. (Yes, Cheez-Its from Jupiter FL because my brother-in-law did not eat them when he was here.)
After getting settled at the hotel, we all agreed our first high priority stop would be for gelato. Most of us regretted our decision of going with the small.
After that we wandered the streets of Rome and popped into a couple of basilicas, or bastilles, as David called them. You can’t go too far in Rome without coming across a basilica.
For dinner, Nicole brought us to one of her favorite pizza places. When Heather heard we were going for pizza, she didn’t seem too excited. Heather avoids things like cheese, pizza, and pasta at all costs. However, she quickly and whole-heartedly gave up on this resolve for the week. Good thing. She would have starved if she hadn’t.
While waiting for the pizza, we had fun taking photos in front of a door covered with graffiti. Graffiti is everywhere in Rome. We found out in a later tour it is apparently the thing to do and ‘graffiti’ is actually a Roman word.
We didn’t last too long after the pizza. We were all beat, and I’ve never seen Meagan look as tired as she did. So we called it a day and walked back to the hotel. This is our group on the way back in front of Castel Sant’Angelo which I will talk more about in a later post.
