Monday, May 15, 2012 – 4:45 PM in Rome

Why is it that the last two-hour flight felt like it took longer than the first 8 hour flight? We had regular economy seats so there wasn’t much wiggle room and all three seats were filled. We were able to see a bit of the Italian countryside from the air after the clouds over the Swiss Alps cleared.

All of Pat’s research paid off and we had no trouble getting the train tickets, validating them and finding the train. It was a quiet, short ride from the airport to Roma Termini. A short walk after we got off the train and we were checking into our hotel. I really know how to pick my traveling companion!

Some first impressions from the trip into the heart of the city. We passed many, many apartment complexes – some really old and run-down looking and some very nice ones. On almost every block of apartments though there were gardens growing on the balconies. We noticed particularly the colours of the flowers, but I expect there were some edible herbs in the mixes.

We passed some very very old towers on the hillsides. No doubt they were watch towers from a time when Rome wasn’t as big as it is now – they were probably outside the city walls at one time. We passed under some of the Roman aqueducts that date back to ancient times. And every now and again a wall would appear that clearly was part of a very old structure. The colors of the buildings are lovely – if they aren’t brick they are that yellow sandstone color with red roofs. Just like all the pictures we’ve looked at.

The walk from the train to the hotel was an adventure. We used crosswalks but were only slightly better protected than if we had J-walked! The streets are very narrow and they are used by cars, motorbikes and train cars. In one spot there was a car parked basically in the middle of the intersection – only his front tires were anywhere near the curb. We heard a cacophony of horns from drivers trying to get around cars that were double parked. I think we were smart in deciding not to rent a car.

I can’t believe I am not fallen down tired. We will probably go to bed early tonight, but I don’t feel any worse for having so little sleep. Margaret is probably right when she says she never felt jet lagged because she was so excited. Pat is going to nap for a bit now as he slept very little on the trip. I don’t wake up very well so I think I will settle for a quiet time.