Rome

Ok so the overnight train is definitely not my favorite way to travel. Jake says I was snoozing on the tray table (elegant!) and I know I wasn't sleeping much later on, fully clothed, on my bunk. Then we transferred trains in Milan at 5:45 am - ugh. When we finally got settled on the final leg of the trip the sunrise and countryside views from the train windows as we made our way to Rome were gorgeous, making up for the rest of the journey!
We cabbed from Roma Termini at about 9 am to Piazza Venezia to pick up Will (my good friend Cynthia's son, he's in for a few months finishing high school on line, living with her) so he can guide the cabbie to our condo. Cynthia has invited us to stay with her and Will but first her other guests have to leave (more on them later); therefore C's found us an adorable 2 day rental, just about 3 blocks from her apartment on the Piazza Venezia. We are in the heart of Rome! Trevi Fountain right around the corner! Our condo has a very modern bathroom, great shower and, bien sur, a bidet. Exposed beams in the lofted bedroom. We feel very lucky to be so well connected and, even tho I've never been to Rome I feel right at home.
We shower and Jake goes exploring - I have to do some work and take advantage of a decent internet connection. He reports back that there is no dearth of souvenir stands and tourists, but also plenty of restaurants and cafes - altho not as many as in Paris.
For dinner we are invited to dine at Cynthia's with Will and Tomas and Monica. Tomas is a Czech that did some carpentry in Shaker Hts at Cynthia's home here in the states. They have stayed in touch and he and Monica and her 2 daughters (none of the 3 speak English) are visiting Rome. Tomas is a real character and we all hit it off immediately. He's brought slovovitz - a Czech version of moonshine, and homemade pickles to share and, along with delicious appetizers of sliced sausage, cheese, olives, cherry tomatoes and peppers we begin to feast and communicate in broken English and sign language. Lots of laughs and lots of fun. C's prepared chicken pot pie for the main dish and we stuff ourselves on a home cooked meal! We toast, several times with Limoncello , having moved on from the moonshine. Ice cream with truffled honey for dessert. Have I mentioned how much I love this European lifestyle!!?? A long, slow, wonderful meal with old and new friends. And we can walk "home" to boot.
xxoo La