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Last Days in Rome for 2019

This is two days in one. It’s all getting a bit repetitive! Yesterday saw a lot of wandering about and looking in shops. The clothes scene, for me, is rather disappointing this year. I won’t be coming home with my usual new dresses. Stili I enjoy the wondering. Sally Glenn came over in the afternoon and the three of us went walking around the streets again looking here and there. We were going out for dinner last night but Gordon was too tired so that was abandoned. Not much more to say really.

At 7.30 this morning the door buzzer went and it was the entire Glenn contingent. Well, we weren’t even dressed, so Chris told them to go away and we flew around frantically for 10 minutes folding up beds and getting organised. It was nice to see them of course. Lovely to see the kids responding to a new city. They seem to adapt incredibly well.

We dispatched them off to the train station to go down to Naples and then we went and had coffee. Now it’s back to do all the things I didn’t do in the early morning rush…like clean my teeth!! More later.

Its 24 hours later now. Chris changed her modem and of course nothing went right. But she has persevered and this morning it is all set up again.

Now back to yesterday. I took off over to Via Rienzo, a shopping street that also has lots of street stalls so I could look for dresses again. I walked over there which is a good walk. In the morning its fine because the heat hasn’t reached it’s peak but getting back over the river in the afternoon is a challenge. I arrived back in a wet and exhausted state. That was really it for me for the day.

But I found a man with dresses which was pleasing. I ended up getting 6!! All much the same and all under 20Eu, some only 10 Eu. So it was a successful little shopping expedition.

For dinner we got this delicious ‘street food’ from a shop over the road and ate at home.

One more sleep to go. I have no idea how I’m going to manage the luggage which has expanded alarmingly. Every year I go through this drama. I’ll start doing trial runs today.

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Roma 1st Sept 2019

Another quick update as my tourist activity decreases. Sunday today so all sorts of trouble finding the right bar that was open for our morning coffee. Rome just seems to have suddenly died down and there are hardly any people out and about. The tourists are leaving, it being the end of August and slowly the Italians are coming back in to open up and go back to work. However where there is a will there’s a way and we did find a place. Then we lounged around at home for a few hours. Chris is doing a translation for someone which is challenging and she has to keep going back to it. I sit in front of a fan and read.

Then we set off to go to the market for food supplies but on the way we went past Mr Ping, my hairdresser. I ran in to get an idea of what days he worked. He doesn’t work Tuesday or Wednesday and little else works for me so I decided to peel off from the market expedition and get my hair done right there and then. It felt good to have achieved that…hair quite short for me!! Then walking home from over the river and the thunder and rain started. All my beautiful boofed up hair was flattened in an instant!! Mr Ping is definitely a national treasure.

Homa again and Chris and I had a late lunch of spaghetti with yummy mozzarella and tomato. We just cleaned up from that and Sally and Gordon arrived. That was lovely. We went for a walk but they were dead on their feet after the flight so just wanted to go back to their hotel to bed. We’ll see them tomorrow but probably briefly. They are with Eddie, Edwina and their 3 kids aged 8,5 & 2 yrs so they’re busy to say the least. The Hop On, Hop Off Bus seems to be just the ticket for them to explore Rome.

That’s it for another day. The countdown has started…4 more sleeps!!! Not counting the Plane and Dubai sleeps of course!

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Relaxing in Rome

Just another relaxed day in Rome. Coffee in the morning. Regular Bar still closed for August…until Monday, so off to the second best. Then up to Campo Di Fiori to look at what’s on sale dress-wise. Bit of a disappointment this year. Very little that suits my ever so cute body shape. I bought one dress for 25 Eu but little else. Walked around town doing a few chores and making sure we worked up a sweat (this is not hard). It is so humid!!

Then off to Eataly to get supplies of things like the worlds most delicious mozzarella and Stracciatelle, stock up on vino and get a few things to eat. Sally and Gordon are here for 2 days tomorrow and Monday so we had to be sure we had stuff in the event that they came to Chris’ place for a drink. We also had a delicious lunch of said products.

Then home to get out of the heat and sit in front of the fan for the late afternoon. It is just so comfortable and ‘ordinary’ mooching around Rome. Not much more to say for today.

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Back in Roma 30 Aug 2019

Aaaahhh!! Back in Rome and it does feel like my home away from home. But by god it’s steaming here. It is, I think, the humidity that means you just sweat furiously.

But back to the beginning. I got off well today after my last breakfast in my lovely hotel, got on the public bus to the airport with a cast of thousands but I was lucky enough to get a seat after asking some dude to take his suitcase off it. Suitcases don’t get to have a seat in an overcrowded bus (in my opinion :).

The flight was late but no real hitches. Good that it was late in a way because Chris and I syncronized well and she was there to pick me up 10mins after I got to the rendezvous place.

We both collapsed when we got back home and got in front of fans until it was time to go out to get a glass of wine and go to a place to eat. Delicious meal. I’m so much happier with Italian food than any of the Eastern European food. Walked home through Piazza Navona and the streets of Rome. I do love this city I have to say. Not much more to add for now. A cold shower seems in order before bed.

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Last report

Happy 100th birthday Loris!!

This will be my last report as I start (a little prematurely) to pack up and try to get organised. Yesterday I took myself off to the big outdoor Roman market Porta Portese. God it was hot. I walked up and down what is a hugely long market and I bought myself 3 dresses all for 40 Eu so they will disintegrate fairly quickly but in the meantime they are fun. It was boiling and I walked back up to the top of the market only to find I’d left my hat behind when I was trying on dresses… so back I went. I haven’t carried that fucking hat all over the world…hardly wearing it I might add…to leave it behind in Porta Portese.

I was going to walk back through Trastevere but with sweat pouring down my back I decided I’d be likely to faint so I got on a tram. Home and under a cool shower and then in front of the fan…phew.
Nothing much more to report really so I think this will be my last email.

Really its time to come home, the party’s over and I’m just looking forward to seeing everyone.

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Still hot in Rome

The weather is unabated and the endless hot sunny days are draining in a landlocked city. But yesterday was quite productive. I went in the morning with Chris who dropped me at Mr Ping’s, the Chinese Roman ‘artist’ I am devoted to to do my hair!!! So I have a Mr Ping hair cut and colour and am looking more gorgeous than I will ever look again !! I must say he is a genius hair cutter.

My black travel back has been slowly disintegrating but I thought I’d be able to use it to get me home. However the day before yesterday the wire of the disintegrated zip got caught in my dress and ripped a massive hole in it. That was it for the black bag…it was to be punished in a rubbish bin. So after Mr Ping I set out to buy myself a bag and was very pleased with my purchase of a leather bag. The sales are huge in August so it was 50% off….what more can I want. A most pleasing morning. Home for a rest, Chris goes off to meet up with friends so I loll about, then go out and have an aperitif at the local wine bar.

Chris and I went out and ate last night just at a local restaurant, sitting outside on a warm Roman night. Pretty good life. Today is Sunday and Chris is off to her friends place in the country to pick up her plants so she will be away for the night.

Only 3 more sleeps til I get back on the plane for the hateful trip home but I’m really looking forward to getting home now…can’t wait to see you all.

Loris would have been 100 tomorrow. She wanted to make it!! She would have been besotted with Louis!!

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Hot in Rome

Back with the over century heat in a very hot city. Its hard to be outside for too long so I go off walking in the morning, come home around lunch time and stay put until the heat starts to abate. Its a routine and thank goodness I have somewhere to call home, where I can come and go to get relief. There is little more to say really. Chris is still here but will be going off to her friends for a night or two to pick up her pot plants that went on a holiday to the countryside in order to survive her absence.

So I’m enjoying Rome for these last few days and trying to enjoy the heat knowing I’ll be desperate for it in a week.

That’s it, I wonder how you all are and I’m excited that it won’t be long until I see you all again.

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Venice to Rome

Yesterday morning we spent the morning enjoying Venice. And there really is no more beautiful city anywhere. It is so splendid it takes your breath away and you have to pinch yourself.

After a coffee sitting in a courtyard, we went on a vaporatto along the Grand Canal to see an art installation which is part of the biennale and was two hands reaching out of the canal and onto a building. We then got off at the Rialto because the bloke from the Hotel suggested we go to a department store that had just opened that had a roof view over Venice that was second to none. And it was indeed just too amazing with sweeping views of the canal. We just loved that and the department store itself within an old Palace is utterly incredible. But the area around the Rialto is just ghastly. It is as if every tourist in Venice is congregated there, its hard to understand because when you get away from the central tourist area it is quiet and lovely. We had a lovely lunch in a very local little restaurant, taking our time because our train didn’t leave until 4.30.

But the time did come when we had to set off. I went ahead because my case was in the left luggage and I was concerned that it may take me ages to pick it up. The walk to the station is always hot and bothering but I got there (with Chris’ hobby horse under my arm), picked up my case, met up with Chris and on the train we hopped. It was after 8 when we arrived in Rome and we got in a taxi. Once home it was a glass of wine, a pizza and bed….exhausted!!

Now Rome and here I am wondering if I should stay here for a week or whether I should go off somewhere for a few days. I do think Chris has probably had enough of me, but getting up the energy to go off again is rather huge. If I did go anywhere it would be to Lecce. But that’s a long way down!!!

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Here beginneth another adventure

Its been so busy since arriving in Italy I haven’t had a minute to do anything other than tell you I’d arrived. But there is much to tell and its all about having a lovely time.

The flight was as fine as long flights can be called fine. Everything went on time and I had a seat between me and the next person on both legs. Not enough to put the leg up or spread out but certainly great to relieve the squishy pressure.

On the second leg the woman next to me was the chatty type but quite nice really. It was her first time to Italy and she was travelling alone so a bit of a kindred spirit so we bonded enough to share a taxi into Rome which was great so I didn’t have to get on the bus or train and the cost wasn’t formidable.

I arrived and Chris was at work. At this stage I was really worried about my leg, it was red and looked like it looked when I first went into hospital. I thought it was fucked but there were things I had to do so off I went. Hair cut tick, set up phone tick (had to get a new number because they had cancelled my old one. Then buy reading glasses tick and then I’d promised to meet my new friend from the plane for a Spritz at Piazza Navona. Another tick. But worried about my leg I declined a second drink and went home to get it up. When Chris came home we drank lots of wine, ate and I went to bed. All in all jet lag has passed me by (again)and after a good nights sleep I was back to normal.

So next day, it was coffee in the morning and then off to the station to get my train to Lucca. It is hot and sweaty and I wandered up Lucca station to find that my friend Ann was there to meet me. That was so nice, she grabbed my case and walked me to my apartment. We then went out and had lunch together, sat for ages catching up. Then I tootled back to my apartment for a shower. Andrew and Desiree were also arriving in the afternoon and we all met up for aperitivo’s at 6. That was also amazing. That we had pulled it off and all had actually made their way to Lucca from Australia. Then it was on for a great dinner with Andrew, Desiree and Gail. More wine and food and then they came back to my apartment for a bit more wine in case hadn’t had enough!!

So to today which is the day of the special lunch. We’re meeting at 12.30 to get into 2 taxis to get there. I’m spending the morning just lounging around with leg up…Ive even forgone a coffee!!

The other really good thing is that Andrew has been so supportive with the leg thing. He’s given me hope that it is not too disastrous. Given me lots of advice and will review it with regard to whether to come off antibiotics or not. So I’m more relaxed about it all.

More after the lunch. I think I’ve changed my mind about needing a coffee. Think I’ll wander off to get one!!

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Final day in Rome

Just to finish up in Rome before I pack the computer away until Germany. What a truly delightful day it was. Sunshine, warmth and fun. We set off this morning for Livia’s country house. I’d already seen frescoes from there and after yesterday was so interested to see it. We hadn’t booked but went on the off chance given that it is only open for one day a month. We got into an Italian tour and it was fabulous. In a delightful country setting where you could feel the life of Livia and Augustus as they retreated to the country over the summer. I latched onto a priest who was translating the tour for an elderly American couple so didn’t miss out on much. Frescoes and mosaics again made me happy in warm Autumn sunshine. Heaven.

I told Christine that if she wanted to really make my day she had to find me a restaurant for lunch where I could eat in a garden setting…and fuck me if she didn’t come up with just that. We drove along a dirt road and came to a wonderful restaurant in the countryside. A most interesting drive on the way there with the road lined with prostitutes…you know me…fascinated!! Then we sat outside drank wine and ate a most delicious meal. I had a divine rabbit that I loved. Then a couple of rather wild, rather drunk old ladies drove back into Rome. Great day all in all. Tonight we have one of Chris’ friends coming over for dinner for Spaghetti Vongole (clams)!!
I’m busy packing now to be ready to hop straight into bed. I’m being picked up by Shuttle Direct at 3am no less…terrifying thought. Definitely a no sleep night. Heinz has rung me and will be at Frankfurt Airport to pick me up. Then I’ll get him to ring Josua’s family and arrange a pick up for the next day.
That’s it for now. More wine and more food for dinner tonight!!
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