A Trip to Paradise: Roma , a post by Jill!

I don't even know where to begin!!!  Everything about Rome was wonderful, beautiful, visually exciting and romantic...I know I say this all the time, but I never dreamed my sailor would one day wisk me around the globe to see and experience the wonderful world of Europe!  Who would have thought we would be sitting across the street from the Colosseum just after dusk with all the city lights aglow, drinking a glass of red wine...sitting in awe and wonderment!!!
 
To be honest neither Mark nor I could remember too much about Rome except for the obvious...the Colosseum, the Pantheon and of course, Vatican City.  So we bought a guide book and did some research...jogged our memories a bit and off we went.  The fountains, statues, and obelisks where around every corner.  It truly was a delight to the eyes!!!  And unlike my sister, Jean, or Kyrstin, art history was my least favorite class in college, but even I could appreciate the archetecture!!!  The Romans seem to embrace all things old...buildings are built on, over or on top of something from the past incorportating whatever into a new design!  The forums or ruins have been excavated and left where they were found...they haven't been moved to a new location or put into some museum~they simply are a part of the city and amazing to see!
 
One of my favorite areas of Rome was the Piazza Di Spagna.  In this piazza, the beautiful church of the Trinita Del Monti sat a top a gorgeous flight of stairs that follow the slope of a hill.  In front of the chuch is an obelisk and at the bottom of the stairs the Fountain of the "Baraccia".  From my understanding the stairs are gorgeous when all the flowers are in bloom~we were a bit early in the season for that!  When we arrived at the Piazza I looked around at the little market place while Mark took pictures and video.  There was one artist there who painted the most beautiful water colors of the church and spanish stairs(as they are commonly called)~I just had to buy one!  We walked down the stairs and continued our wanderings.  I felt we cheated by only walking down the steps, so we made sure we walked back to the hotel in the same direction and walked all the way up to the top...it felt good! 
 
The Fontana di Trevi was also very interesting.  Since I have assured our return to Rome by throwing coins into the fountain, we will be able to explore parts of the city we were unable to visit!!!
I think I threw enough coins for Mark's return also but I'm not sure if it works that way.  You may have to throw your own coins into the fountain and if that's the case, Mark is out of luck!!!  We will see...
 
Of course, the Pantheon was great and beautiful in the evening.  The Vatican City was awesome!  Hopefully Mark will blog about that since it was his most favorite. We really enjoyed the Piazza Navona with three magnificent fountains and the many artists selling their paintings~watercolors and oil on canvas.  We sat in a restaurant in the Piazza and had a pizza for dinner one evening...it was very nice!
 
The food in Italy was always good and there were never any surprises!  I can't say that... one restaurant surprised us with delicious bruchetta, a glass of sweet wine and cookies on the house~we went there twice:)  I can't say that any of our meals were "yummo", but we may not have eaten at the best places.  We really could have used a "Carlos"  in Italy!!!  I really enjoyed the simplicity of true italian pizzas~thin crust, tomato sauce, a sprinking of mozzarella and a dash of oregano...Perfecto!!!  I had one meal of homemade pasta made with local brocolli and a simple sauce of parmesan cheese.  It wasn't creamy or oily so I'm not sure what it was made of, but it was very good.  The texture of the pasta was delicious~can texture be delicious???  One night, I had veal scallopini and grilled eggplant that was very good,also.  We were surprised by the italian bread.  It wasn't anything special!  Nothing like the yummo italian bread we can get back home at Marticello's Bakery...I must comment on the wine.  While the italian wines were enjoyable, I am partial to the french wines!  Am I turning into a wine snob??? 
 
Italy, or Rome to be exact, was a magnificent place to visit.  It was easy to get around on foot, the maps were easy to follow and most everyone spoke english!!  I would highly recommend Rome for those of you looking for a European vacation...after a visit to Paris of course!
 
Back in Paris...It is starting to feel more comfortable here!  I go for walks by myself and stretch my personal boundries each day.  If I go somewhere I am unsure of , I tell myself I can always turn around if I'm uncomfortable or nervous(hasn't happened yet)!  The gee-gaw guys(you know  the ones-with the eiffle tower statues, the barking dogs, the dancing cows...) don't even bother me anymore.  I walk with a purpose, act like I belong and am no longer a tourist~a small victory:)!!!
 
Thanks for reading...A bientot!