Bella Roma

It's my first full day in Italy and I am exhausted. I set my alarm for 7:30 but I kept hitting the snooze. In the middle of the night I was awakened not by the German party boys next door but by the night manager banging on their door telling them loudly it was 4:08 in the morning and people are trying to sleep. I had breakfast at around 10:30 at a streetside cafe that had mist blowing out of the umbrellas to keep the patrons cool. It was a gimmick that many of us fell for and it felt great on a hot summer morning.

I easily got lost for over an hour trying to find my way back to my hotel. Roman streets have an odd way of changing names at any turn so Via Candia suddenly becomes Vialle Giulio Cesare and you would never know unless you had your head in a map or on the inconsistently labeled street signs.

Getting lost in Rome is a blast though. I came across a huge market with super fresh looking fruit and veggies. The seafood section was really interesting and not stinking the way you might expect although it did have an odor. They love their octopus and squid here and many other fish you don't see at Byerly's or even Coastal Seafoods. And if you want to see the Italian language expressed with the hands, the market is the place to be.

The gesture with the fingers touching the thumb going up and down in front of the chest is my new favorite. People always look intense when they are using this gesture and they tend to look back and forth as if they are checking to make sure no one is missing out on their important words. When you really mean what you are saying you use both hands pause when they are both at the top of your gesture then throw your hands outward and down with the fingers spread. Nothing tops this one for a dramatic effect. I would guess it means, "I want you understand my point of view" (here's the pause) "and there is nothing you can say to convince me otherwise".

In the afternoon I went to the Pantheon which I stupidly missed on my first trip. Later I did some exploring of this incredible city. Across the river is an area called the Trastevere. It is a neighborhood that is a little more raw and a bit more relaxed than the rest of Rome. Most of it is less touristy but there is still plenty to see and believe me the gelato is every bit as good. I tried some shaved ice with cantaloupe juice, very refreshing. The Jewish Ghetto was a small area near Trastevere that has a fascinating history. Rick Steves has an app that I downloaded and it was extremely helpful for navigating both of these areas. It had excellent information, maps of the areas, suggestions you wouldn't get from wandering around on your own. Best of all it was free!

Right now I'm eating in an excellent seafood restaurant that I found in another app that never failed me last year. This app brought me to The Pizzararium last year, a restaurant where I had baby rabbit pizza among other things, it tastes better than it sounds. Tonight I had fresh octopus and grilled sardines on top of seaweed. It's always fun to have something you wouldn't necessarily get back home. The dessert was a funky Sicilian cheesecake with candied fruit. Also better than it sounds but I preferred the cheesecake I had last night. So now I'm off for a walk or passeggiata down the famous Via del Corso for some people watching.

Buona notte