Rome, Ruins and Rooftops

 Time to take a little vacation!  After over 2 weeks mostly spent in my house, I need to get out...even if it is virtually!  I have been saving our trip to Italy for just this purpose and I'm going to spread it out over several posts to make it last even longer.  Come along with us if you like, the pizza and gelato were excellent.  We spent 9 days in Italy at the end of March (and it is very hard to imagine that was a month ago!) with our daughter, her husband and their three sons on their spring break.  I think I can safely say, "A good time was had by all!".

How much do I love this?
I could end the blog right here and feel like all the bases have been covered!
Being up there with Capri, David and candy is high praise!

TJ and I arrived in Rome a day earlier than my daughter's family because we have more time these days and wanted an extra day to acclimate...so we could keep up with the youngsters.  We arrived at 7 a.m. and could not check into our Airbnb until 4 p.m.  A minor inconvenience which resulted in us dragging our luggage back and forth over cobblestones for several blocks to the Luggage Storage facility.  That is one way to stay awake after 4 hours of airplane sleep, but I don't recommend it.  

Back and forth, clackety clack went the wheels.

We stayed in the Navona area, which is near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon with narrow, cobblestone streets.  It is probably considered one of the more "touristy" neighborhoods which was perfect for our multi-generational trip. Very picturesque and historic, full of small restaurants with sidewalk seating, cute shops, little food stores, near many major "thing to see and do" and peaceful enough at night to sleep well.  It was a perfect place to expose three young men to Italy.  "Cobblestones be damned!" said the lady with the torn ACL wearing the knee brace.  Our arrival day went as most arrival days go.  We just put one foot in front of the other and kept moving until we checked in, showered, went to dinner and collapsed!  

Here we sit with our cobblestone weary bags waiting to meet our host.

Dinner at Taverna Angelica
 We celebrated our 30th anniversary here, with good friends, many moons ago.

Traveling abroad after over 2 years of "lockdown" was so exciting.  We felt like our dreams for retirement actually may come true someday.  We were exhausted and giddy all at the same time.  There is something about ancient walls, beautiful historic buildings, sidewalk cafes, rooftop bars, something new around every corner and being surrounded by history that draws us in and keeps us wanting more.  It only took us a few hours and a good lunch to get our travel gears moving.  I pinched myself and smiled, because we were here!  One...or two things about dinner.  Being married to a sentimental pack-rat has its advantages at times.  TJ found the business card for Taverna Angelica, from a trip in 2008, and made reservations for arrival night.  Always good to have a plan for the first night because thinking and decision making are always compromised after a long travel day.  One advantage of being the first customers of the night (earliest available reservation in anticipation of jet lag) is that we received much personal attention from the owner.  She was super hospitable and we were treated to all the bells and whistles!  After dinner we strolled along the river and collapsed in bed when we made it back.

Amuse-bouche
the little taco looking one (duck pate) was AMAZING!!!

The walk home is always enchanting.

The rest of the crew arrived the next day and we treated them to our "first day survival system".  The day was not without dragging suitcases along cobblestones again...so glad I didn't buy a new suitcase for this trip.  There was pizza, lots of walking (10 miles), ancient ruins, great views, gelato, and a surprising dinner.  We found ourselves in the Jewish Ghetto neighborhood on our way "home" and ate dinner at a kosher...vegetarian restaurant.  Never saw that coming.  Luckily for John, Margherita pizza was on the menu.  Focaccia, artichokes, gnocchi, fish and pasta were enjoyed by all.

I must say, on this trip we lucked out on accommodations.  TJ and I stayed in a small Airbnb our first night and moved to the 4 bedroom house we rented for the entire group the next day.  They were across the street from each other...convenient, unless of course you count the 4 hours between check out and check in with no early...or late bag storage provided.  Luggage Storage and cobblestones again.  The Airbnb in Rome was large and light with its own courtyard and sauna.  Yeah...everyone needs a sauna, right?  The seven of us slept comfortably and we had 3 bathrooms...key.

"I didn't sleep much on the plane...you?"
"Nope"

Our days in Rome consisted of Arrival Days one and two, spent putting one foot in front of the other.  Day 3 was Ancient Rome Day when we visited the Coliseum, the Forum and the Trevi Fountain to name a few.  Day 4 was Vatican Day when we toured the Vatican gardens, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.  The adults in the group had seen some of these and so we geared activities towards the boys and their Roman education.  We all saw and learned new things in the process too!  They really liked Ancient Rome day, no surprise.  

Roman Holiday!

We really enjoyed the food in Rome!  Seriously, who doesn't love the food in Italy?  One entertaining lunch happened after our Coliseum visit.  We sought out a Rick Steves recommendation for lunch.  All the outside tables were occupied, so we sat inside.  The place was small and intimate...and the waiter unamused.  I felt like he belonged in NYC (no offense to anyone in NYC) but he had this "I don't have time for you people" attitude.  The place has been in business since 1945!  We managed to order lunch and drinks quick enough for our surly waiter, who little by little warmed up to us.  He was, after all, the only waiter working the tables, so I'll give him a little latitude.  The beer was cold, the food was authentic, the patrons were Italian, and the place did Rick proud.  One patron stopped and chatted with us as he paid his bill and said he lived right across the street and had been coming here for over 20 years.  Gotta love surly waiters, good food and local patrons.

4e 4'Otto
That's our table on the right!

TJ and I have now visited Rome three times.  Each time I like it more.  The first time was in 2008 with a large group of friends from Georgia.  We had a guide and our pastor, who was very familiar with Rome.  I remember being overwhelmed and awed at the same time with Rome on that trip.  We saw all of the "must-see" places, but it was such a short stop it left me feeling like we had only scratched the surface.  Our next trip was in 2018, with our "anniversary friends".  This time I felt like we really got to know Rome on our own terms.  We planned it ourselves and followed our noses where they led us and were rewarded.  After that trip, I felt like I finally experienced Rome.  This time we wanted to see Rome for the first time again, through our grandsons' eyes.  

Everyone knows how much I love a good sunset so it will come as no surprise that the place we went not once but twice for late afternoon cocktails was on the rooftop of the Hotel Atlante Star near the Vatican.  Roof Garden Les Etoiles is worth two visits!  We were not exactly blessed with the perfect sunset but the 360 view from the top and the amazing flowers are worth a repeat visit in my book.  We went on our first night, alone and had to share the experience with the rest of the family.  The boys really appreciated the "free" snacks provided with drinks on the terrace.

The entire terrace is surrounded by this amazingness!

It was very chilly up top....somebody had to borrow my sweater!

Worth a repeat visit!

The view is always the best at the top!

I could post hundreds of photos from our time in Rome, and probably did on FB and Instagram, so no need here.  Suffice it to say, the time in Rome was well spent and after the first three days, the boys are embracing their Italian Spring Break.  Arrivederci Roma.

Give a Little...Get a Lot

Rome, Italy

So much water has gone under the bridge of life that I can't decide what to write about!  The good news is I am writing this from my computer!  I cannot tell you how much I missed it over the last month.  Our reunion was eye opening for me.  I had not realized what an intimate relationship I have with my computer, sad but true.  The large screen, the familiar keyboard, the easy access to my favorite sites, she knows me and I know her.  One interesting observation I have made is that I may have broken a habit because I have not spent nearly as much time on the computer since our reunion.  Using my stone tablet was a chore and may have cured me of my screen obsession....or not...don't touch my phone!

I spent much of one rainy day, while I was back in Houston, organizing the photos from our anniversary trip.  It may be the most documented trip I've ever taken.  Culling through over a thousand photos and trying to choose "favorites" is like choosing your favorite child...it can't be done! Looking through them is like taking the trip over and over again and it gets better every time.  Every once in a while I have an ache to just go back to Croatia.  But I guess you can't go back...or can you?

Puntalina bar and restaurant, Rovinj, Croatia,
 cold and closed for the season
March 2015

Puntalina bar and restaurant
sunny, hot...and fully booked for the night.
May 2018
I vowed to come back and I did!

Since this was an anniversary trip maybe I'll give you a couple of glimpses into what makes this thing called "our 40 year marriage" work.  TJ shared some very sweet sentiments with me on our way home and I was touched.  He referred to them as, "reasons I am still in love with you".  Always nice to hear and they give me reasons to still be in love with him!  They were two situations where we accompanied the other doing something they love.

On our second night in Rome the four of us were riding back to our apartment after a full day of sightseeing and walking many miles (over 20,000 steps to be exact).  We enjoyed a delicious dinner and decided to give our aching feet a break so we took a cab back to our apartment.  While crossing one of the many bridges in Rome I suddenly said to the driver, "Can you stop the cab?  I want to get out."  I was not ill, I had just looked out and knew I wanted to walk the rest of the way.  The night lights were reflecting on the river and the buildings were all lit up against a deep blue sky.  It was a picture, or 100, in the making.  TJ asked the driver to "pull over now" and we got out.  I don't even think he had to ask why I wanted to get out... he just knew!  It was a memorable evening stroll.

St. Peter's Basilica in the distance.
So worth walking the rest of the way home.

"O" baby!

We walked in the twilight and marveled at the lights on the river.  When we crossed one of the bridges we noticed a bridal photo shoot.  What an awesome location for bridal portraits! 

We also met this guy....

Come on...we had to say hello! 
He has on a UT hat and is doing his best to keep Austin weird
with his skateboard and bottle of wine.
Note the color coordinated hat and shoes.

Turns out he studied for a semester in Austin and was just visiting (don't remember where he was from) Rome, just like us.  Small world indeed.  Plenty happening on the bridges of Rome!  We went on our way over the bridges and through St. Peter's square oohing and aahing at the lovely evening.  It was one of those times I wished time would just stop.  Perfect place, perfect person, perfect weather ...what more can a girl ask for?

The next situation came on the island of Korcula in Croatia.  I had done my homework and suggested we rent bikes on the island and explore the towns and vineyards via bike.  As many of you know, TJ is a very serious bike rider.  I....know how to ride a bike.  He was very excited at the suggestion of biking!  The one day we had to bike was overcast and rainy in the morning.  We delayed the ride hoping for nicer weather.  The forecast gave us hope that the rain would end by lunch.  With the promise of sunnier skies, we went and rented our bikes from the local shop.  I did protect my camera in plastic and we both brought rain gear.  The blue skies were in the distance....

In spite of the lovely blue sky ahead of us....we were getting drenched!

I will preface this by sharing that we had already done one bike tour in Rome.  The bikes were e-bikes which meant any time we got to a steep hill all we had to do was activate the "e" feature, pedal and it was easy to get up the hill.  The bikes we rented this day were NOT e-bikes, they were good old fashioned road bikes.  I was not ready for this!  TJ however was in his element.  I did my best to put on a smile and pedaled my legs off.  The farther we got, the heavier it rained.  I needed windshield wipers on my sunglasses!  All I could see were raindrops and TJ in front of me.  We were riding to the town of Korcula, a mere 5 miles away.  It only seemed like 10!  There were moments I wanted to cry because the perfect leisurely day spent biking through the scenic countryside along azure waters on one side and majestic mountains on the other was looking a lot like pea soup.  As they say...the best laid plans of mice and men...

Blue skies are coming...I just know it!

We persevered up the hills and through the rain to Old town Korcula.  We just kept chasing the blue skies!  We were soaked when we arrived!  We quickly locked up our bikes and found a dry place to have lunch and wait for the sun to come out.  I just knew it was going to come out...hope springs eternal!

Why are we still smiling?  We made it!

We coincidentally went in to a restaurant that was full of spandex clad bikers!  They had all dried off, had lunch and were heading back out.  Good for them.  We had lunch, dried off and were thrilled when the clouds parted and the sun came out!  We explored the old town and then just because I had to get the iconic view of the town, rode up many switchbacks out of town for "the photo".  At least it wasn't raining this time!

We were rewarded for our efforts!

The day turned out just as nice as we had hoped it would....before the rain.  We were so glad we decided, in spite of the rain, to go on with our plan and make the best of it.  I would have hated to miss this lovely town and the perfectly clear blue waters and the views...!  Sometimes you just have to get soaked.

I could share those thousands of photos to show you just how beautiful Croatia is but then why would you need to visit?  I've said it before and I'll say it again...visit Croatia!  It is a charming and lovely country.

As for us two married folks...I love that he is more than happy to get out of the cab and walk along enthusiastically with while I take hundreds of photos of city lights and bridges.  He says he loves that I am willing to get soaked on a bike for the sake of a good ride and some spectacular views.  We both give a little and we both get a lot...that's how you make it 40 years in this thing called marriage.