jet lag

It's been 2 weeks since we left on our adventure to Rome but only 5 days since we got back. The jet lag is still dragging me down but each day is a bit easier (or at least that's what I'm telling myself!). On our first full day back I'd had 3 strong coffees by 4:30 in my struggle to stay awake till evening… I'd woken up at 4am that morning which was weird, since I'd been waking up at 4 in Rome as well, but neither of them matched up with a time zone that I was actually in! My circadian rhythm is doing cartwheels!

We kept busy that first day doing loads and loads of laundry which felt good to get out of the way… The suitcases are waiting on the bed for me to fold up the clothes that we save for travel once they are fully dry. Not sure what our next destination will be!

The afternoons have been brutal. Thursday I could not stay awake during the day at all, and dozed on the sofa for much of the afternoon. I was like a comatose log…

Yesterday we met up with friends at the community centre in Trudie & Leo's neighbourhood. It was a small gathering, put together by Trudie's daughter Elenaor who is visiting from Australia. I was totally worn out by the time we got home… and in bed asleep by 8:30 pm! And I slept until past 7 this morning! I could have stayed asleep for the rest of the day but we had places to go and people to see!

Today we dropped into the funeral place where Carm's parents are buried for their annual Mother's Day lunch - it's a great time to catch up with his siblings! And then we dropped by Mom & Dad's to spend some time with Mom. No mice in cages for her this year!

Carm got the lawnmower fixed and running a few days ago - he was out cutting the grass the next day… and so it begins…

I haven't done any cooking since we've gotten back except to throw some tofu into the airfryer. Soup from the freezer fed us one night, just tofu another night, and sandwiches the last two nights! I treated myself to a big slice of whole grain sourdough bread with an avocado and egg salad piled on top. One night I sprinkled some pumpkin seeds on top, last night I splurged with 2 slices of proscuitto… both were delicious! Tonight I'll just have yogurt with some fruit and pumpkin seeds - it's honestly all I have energy for!

Awesome!

“sleeping in my own bed”

“a quiet morning”

“rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds”

last supper and home again

Tuesday sometime and somewhere over the Atlantic… Five more hours to go until we land in Montreal… this is always the worst part of travel… 8+ hours trapped in a little seat with no legroom. It's a small price to pay for such a great time!

I can't remember where I left off yesterday, perhaps after our quest for the pharmacy? Anyway, June and Anthony came back from their outing to the museum late afternoon, too early for supper and too late to go to the cafe around the corner so we all chilled until 6:30. 

Earlier they had walked through an area we hadn't been to with lots of restaurants without the crazy crowds that swarmed around Piazza Navona and since it was only a 15 minute walk - doable with our aching feet - we wound our way there. They made a great pick!

It was in a cute little alley just off the pedestrian way - so pretty and full of ambience. I had Osso bucco, Carm had a veal/prosciutto dish that has a name that I just cannot think of. Brain is fuzzy with altitude! June and Anthony had fish. We ended with a fairly average tiramisu. Sadly we didn't wait to have a gelato from the shop next door - Anthony had skipped dessert at the restaurant and had a gelato which was apparently the best yet!

A final wander down picturesque streets brought us back to the apartment with lots of time to pack before turning in early for what we hoped was a restful sleep… ha ha… for some! I slept well until just before 6am - Carm tossed and turned wondering where we had tucked the car keys… 😱

I got up to start looking and frantically tore apart the suitcases… they were nowhere to be found! Finally after the third time of looking in my backpack we found them… safely tucked in the proverbial safe place. Next time we will make a note!

By then it was time to get up and get ready. We showered ourselves while Nature showered the streets with light rain - perfectly timed for our departure! June and Anthony got up especially to see us off. Then it was time to descend the slippery marble steps for the last time. Our Uber was picking us up at the end of the alley - it would be impossible to call it a road even though it had a name - only the tiniest vehicle could make the tight turns - we had an overhang into a convent to shelter from the rain while we waited. The Uber was a few minutes early which made me happy!

It was a hair-raising trip to the airport… Italians drive like maniacs and the traffic was heavy. But we made it, found the Air Canada desk, checked in, dropped off our suitcase, made it through security, through passport control, walked miles, were diverted to a bus, more walking and finally reached the gate. I'd hate to have a short connection in Rome! All in all it was 4500 steps from the apartment to our seats on the plane.

Boarding was easy with lots of room for our carry-ons… just walked up and down the aisle… lots of empty seats… we should book the window and aisle in the hope that there is no one in the middle! Some people are even lying down!!! I'm stuck in the middle, Carm got the aisle. This has happened before.

We killed a bit of time counting steps and miles to distract ourselves from the cramped quarters:

  153,967 steps

  43.92 miles / 70.27km

Not bad! I don't know if June and Anthony were expecting to be strong armed into a marathon but they did well. I'm sure that they are knackered from the forced exercise - they were good sports! It was fun travelling together.

While I am sad for our trip to be over, I'm looking forward to being home.

I don't have the brain cycles to summarize our trip except to say that the weather was perfect, our Airbnb was great with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, separated with the living room and kitchen, the location was fabulous and the surroundings were amazing. Home is going to seem so beige after the embellishments of Italian craftsmen.

I can't decide what was my favourite day - maybe the Villa Borghese and lunch in the garden. The day we went to the Bernini exhibit was the most emotional for me - my eyes tear with the memory. Our walk on the Appian way was unforgettable - I got lost in the pastoral landscapes steeped in history. St. Peter's Basilica blew me away. And I can't forget our meal at Bistro 64!

Overall the food was good although I did have a few disappointing dishes. Last night was great and surprisingly lunch at a tourist spot on our first day with June and Anthony had the best pasta.

We ate so many carbs - pastries, bread and pasta - not so many vegetables. I'm craving some fresh vegetables and even tofu! Tonight I am looking forward to some fruit before bed!

Wednesday morning… We finally made it home at about 6:30 last night after a long flight delay from Montreal. My head was spinning and my back muscles were spasming so I was pretty miserable, but nonetheless, glad to be home! After a quick unpack and an even easier supper (egg salad sandwiches), I crawled into a hot bath to relax my muscles and clean the grime of I'm not sure how many hours of travel (18 hours I think). I was treated to a spectacular sunset that I could see from the hot bubble bath! A great way to welcome us home. 😀 

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“a last dinner”

“farewell raindrops that mirrored the ones in my eyes”a good sleep”

“lots of food”

“high and low streets of Rome”

“embelishments everywhere you look”

wandering the streets

After we all woke up from our well deserved naps yesterday we decided we needed the refreshment of virgin mojitos from the little corner cafe. Sitting in an outdoor cafe in Rome, sipping sparkling water enhanced with tons of fresh mint is a great way to rehydrate! It was slightly cool and I was having intermittent hot flashes so my shirt was on and off dozens of times!

We'd not eaten there before, aside from the giant bowl of olives that's provided with drinks, so we decided to eat there. Everyone was happy with their meal - I had the worst carbonara that I've ever had! So much for failsafe pasta in Rome!

After we paid our bill, we crossed the street to the little gelato place where Carm and June sweetened their palates. Carm had a deep blue fruit mix and a scoop of peach, both delicious! I was still full from supper but Carm is generous enough to share a few bites.

It was barely 7pm so we made the trek through hordes of people to the other side of the Piazza Navona where we ate the night before (remember the tripe!)... we'd walked past a little costume jewellery shop with everything at 15 euros - June wanted something for a niece, and I hoped to find a nice necklace to add to my collection. Everything sparkled and shone with colour - I saw a bunch that I liked - I was overwhelmed with choices… I did settle on a pair of cute earrings with shiny black rimmed in tiny bright rhinestones 😀 

A pit stop at the coop for a few shopping bags and another few cold beers and we were on our way ‘home’ for a relaxing evening. Bedtime came early after such a full day! We'd walked just over 20,000 steps so it's no wonder we were all a bit tired!

I actually slept for most of the night and didn't wake up until 6:45 - a bit of a lie in compared to previous 4am starts! My body seems to have decided that I am neither on Rome time or home time, settling somewhere in the middle!

This morning our adventure started a little bit later, but we were still out on the streets by 8:45. First a stop for a coffee and maritozzo. I had asked ChatGPT the best route to the train station's food market and told it that I wanted to pass by some interesting things. It created a route for us in google maps that took us a bit off the beaten path, past several points of interest, including a few more churches! It was all a bit uphill but we made it by 10:45 which wasn't too bad after a long day yesterday.

The food market was filled with stalls selling all sorts of Italian food (with one selling burgers!). Carm and I shared a plate of chicken & potatoes, as well as two supli which are rice balls stuffed with meat. To end the meal we tried another maritozzo - probably our last one of the trip 😞 A visit to the bathroom to wash off all the cream on our hands and faces was a must.

From there June & Anthony headed back on the bus, while I got AI to map us an interesting route back to our apartment. It didn't disappoint, winding us through neighbourhoods and past sights that we would not have seen without its help. We walked into one building with a glass ceiling that was filled with decoration. 

I didn't realize before our trip how useful AI would be… I feel guilty using so many resources, but will curtail its use once we get home. 

We had a little rest when we got home and then headed out on another quest - this time for the pharmacy that we'd been in days ago… it’s a maze of roads here which makes it almost impossible to remember where we once were! Not almost impossible but truly impossible! 

There are pharmacies everywhere, all carrying a range of high end products, but even though we mapped a bunch, I never did find where we purchased a ‘value’ (ha ha ha) package of Nuxe huile prodigieuse… but we did find one that had a bigger bottle that I settled on. It will have to do!

The dry oil was suggested in a post about shopping in Italy which I decided would be nice to try. I purchased some on our first or second day and I've been using it since. I love the feel of it on my skin and the fragrance is heavenly! My skin feels so soft and nourished.

As with any good quest, it took us up and down streets that we've never been  😀 We discovered a lot of Rome today - some neighbourhoods that ‘regular’ people would live, and this afternoon an area of high shops with brands like Fendi, Gucci, Prada, Armani, and many others that I can't recall. If I had pockets, no make that giant buckets of money, I could have spent a fortune! Everything was so beautiful. The clothes, scarves, shoes, jewellery - exquisite! Our wander brought us close to the Spanish Steps which we descended on our way from the Villa Borghese 5 days ago. 

How is it possible that our trip is almost over? Tomorrow morning we have an Uber booked for 7:30 to take us to the airport 😞  Eight nights in Rome gave us enough time to see some major sites, but also some time to explore off the beaten path. Tonight we'll find somewhere local for supper - there are no lack of restaurants!

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“a good sleep”

“lots of food”

“high and low streets of Rome”

“embelishments everywhere you look”