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”

along the way

I'll start where I left off yesterday after my nap! We did go for a gelato - I had mango and chocolate which was rich with flavour. It was getting close to supper so we skipped the patio and came back here to get ready for dinner. We went to a little hole in the wall about a 15 minute walk from here with some traditional Italian dishes on the menu.

Carm had spezzatino which was veal & peas - he loved it! June had a much enjoyed beef dish with arugula. Anthony had stewed rabbit which was moist and flavourful. I had… wait for it… TRIPE! It was on my list of things to try so I can cross it out and never have to eat it again! The taste was fine but I found it incredibly rich and faced with a giant plate over-flowing with food was a bit overwhelming. I ate about half. Plus we shared a plate of cacio pepe - third time having it here, this one was the best.

Back at the apartment I got some snacks ready for our picnic while Carm cracked open a bottle of prosecco to celebrate the anniversary of our first date! We scandalized June and Anthony with the story of our beginnings and had a lot of laughs 😉  

We tried to have an early night as today was another crack of dawn morning, but I didn't have a lot of luck with sleep again… I eventually fell asleep but was wide awake at 4am. My sleep schedule is totally f'd and all these sleepless nights are eventually going to crash my mental health but there’s not much I can do - missing my sleep aid from home!

So awake at 4… stay in bed until 6… get up and out the door by 6:45am… final destination: the Appian Way! The coffee shop that we were aiming for wasn't open so we continued on to the bus stop, passing an open cafe on our way. Carm and I missed seeing the cream puff things (I'm not even going to try to remember the name of it as I'm still groggy from a long nap), so had an Italian style croissant which of course has some other name.

We ended up waiting for the bus in the wrong spot so missed the first one… found the right stop and waited 20 minutes for the next bus. It was a quick bus ride to the start of the Appian Way - we got out right at the beginning, walking down a narrow and somewhat busy road with high stone walls for what seemed like ages, before the traffic died down and the walls shrunk.

As we walked, the landscape started opening up in front of us. We passed wide open fields with the city in the distance and the mountains on the horizon. The path was dotted with ancient ruins. It was bucolic. We mostly walked on uneven cobblestones but there were stretches of huge rocks that required a lot of attention to avoid twisting an ankle - why didn't I take a photo?

There were private estates dotted along the road with high gates, set in acres of land. I wonder how many billions of dollars you'd need to live in this amazing spot! As the day wore on, more and more bicycles whizzed by, and we were even passed by a few horses!

The weather was perfect, slightly cool with not a cloud in the sky! Perfect for a 5.5km walk following the path of the Roman legions from years gone by. The air was thick with history and the scent of flowering hedges. Wild poppies dotted the fields with red, perhaps representative of the blood of soldiers.

We walked on and on until we hit the road where we could catch a bus back - sadly the bus stop was over a km down a narrow and busy road, but we made it in one piece. Actually, there were lots of times where I flattened myself against the high wall to avoid being crushed by a speeding car.

Carm was happy to have made the journey - we almost skipped doing the walk, which would have been a shame as that's partially why we chose Rome for this trip! It was on his bucket list! I enjoyed myself immensely, often walking ahead of everyone, lost in the atmosphere. My brain was busy watching my step and taking it all in, no space for the distraction of conversation. I find that's often the way for me - I don't have the brain cycles for everything all at once! Not to mention, in much of the walk it was very much single file, praying to not be hit by a car!

The early start got us ahead of the crowds and the heat. Our way to the bus was peaceful with hardly any tourists - on our walk back we had to press through thick crowds to get from the bus to our apartment. We made a quick stop into a little grocery store for a few things for lunch, making it back around noon! It's been a good strategy for us and even June & Anthony have been onboard with our pre-dawn alarms!

We all made our little lunches and then disbursed to our rooms. I may have been asleep before my head hit the pillow… I vaguely remember the noise of passing pedestrians under our window… I was asleep for almost 2 hours!

We haven't decided on a plan for tonight - I don't think we'll venture very far!

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“the Apian Way!”

“another day with incredible weather”