Here I go again, not that there’s much to say really but I need to get back into the habit of recording the life and times of an elderly adventurer…so, I’ve poured myself a glass of wine, sat myself down and started to rattle around thoughts…finding that thus far there isn’t a lot to rattle except the comfort of being back somewhere so familiar and easy. But back to the beginning:
The flight was an absolute breeze…best one ever with an empty seat next to me on both legs…couldn’t ask for more really. Jet lag was non-existent and life just proceeded without much of a blip except I have the mandatory post flight cold but so far even that isn’t exceptional. Chris met me at the airport and we went to a restaurant by the sea and partook of wine and nibbles (calamari and octopus). Thats about all it takes to feel as if you’ve never left. We came home, drank some more wine and had a good nights sleep.
Yesterday we started with the morning coffee…honestly as I keep saying cheap wine and coffee will keep me happy every time. Then i went off to do some chores like get my Italian phone back on line, buy some reading glasses and other small things all of which entailed a lot of walking around Rome and absorbing the city. I came back to have lunch with Chris before she went off to work, then I went out again and got my hair cut, watched the world go by in Piazza Navona, wandered a bit more and came home.
Today is Friday and I took myself off this morning to go back to Monti where I stayed last time and had such fond memories of. Sadly Monti has just about out cooled itself. My coffee shop was transformed into a mecca for tourists and charged accordingly. My Gelati shop (do you remember me raving about the pear and ricotta gelato that was to die for???) had been taken over and was selling mass produced crap. My ravioli shop was still there thank god, and I had lunch there…that was lovely. I bought a serve of take-away ravioli to bring back for Chris but the sauce oozed out on the way home so it won’t be much good!! Then I walked home from Monti slowly, stopping and watching the world go by at regular intervals.
I have a treat in store tomorrow…I’ve finally been able to book myself into Livia and Augustus’ Houses on the Palatine. I’ve been badly wanting to do that and was very jealous of Ang and Kirst who went when they were in Rome. So tomorrow I get to finally achieve that wish all being well. Then Chris and I are booked into a 3D exhibition of (and at) the Ara Pacis which will be amazing.
Time in Rome is speeding by and Germany awaits. This will be new territory and probably more interesting stories to tell. Not to say that Rome isn’t interesting, it’s just so….well…. comfortable (that word again) these days!!!