Buon Giorno, Roma!

My Owner and her daughter arrived in Rome and after a bit of confusion sorting out accommodations they got their key and headed to their room. Tiny and neat, MO at once went to the window to open it and see the view.


Being able to open a window is a luxury in Italy that is unheard of in our safety conscious American culture. The practical Italians assume that your first impulse might NOT be to hurl yourself out of an open window.


The view was of some apartment buildings built around a courtyard area. Was MO disappointed? Au contraire! She loved seeing the women hang their laundry out on lines from the windows.








It was a little glimpse of real life away from the hustling tourist attractions






If you are a coffee lover Italy is going to seem like heaven to you. Forget lounging around sipping your espresso while you read the paper and listen to commercialized hip music. In Rome everything is moving at a rapid pace. Here you'll go straight to the cashier, order and pay, and receive a receipt.

You will then take your receipt to the bar and give it to the barman who will make up your order for you.
MO had a machiato, which was wonderful. But don't get comfortable! You are going to stand there and drink it at the bar.


I noticed that on this trip MO was often so rushed that many of her pictures came out blurry. Somehow it seems fitting considering most of the time they were trying to take things in without stopping long to soak them up.

Rush, rush, rush, so much to see!

Andiamo!


MO and her daughter were shopping and trying on dresses in a little shop with sales girls who could work magic with accessories. My Owner couldn't resist getting a pic of her potential purchases.

I will tell you that being in a dressing room in Rome made her a little giddy.

A quiet side street, a shop, a bicycle parked outside. This is the kind of little detail she loves. 

She adores the street lights
which hang overhead, because --Where would you put a lamp post?

Trevi Fountain, where MO and her daughter made sure to throw in coins so that someday they can return to Rome!

It worked last time!

They were very impressed with the gas stations on the sidewalk.

Okay, My Owner loved this. The perspective helps a little, but yes, the pot was almost as big as the car.

Rome moves at a fast pace, and when you are trying to pack in as much as possible it can seem like a coffee drinking, gelatto eating, shopping, sight-seeing frenzy!

Because, of course, it is. 

At the end of their first full day MO and the rest of her group (3 very energetic and highly entertaining ladies, in addition to her daughter) visited the Pantheon, which may be her favorite spot in Rome.

To read the history of the Pantheon, click here.

It was a very chilly afternoon that turned into a cold night, rapidly. After shopping in a nearby linen store the women decided to eat at one of the lovely little restaurants at the edges of the Piazza della Rotonda.



The heaters scattered amid the tables helped ward off the evening chill as night fell.

The wine didn't hurt either.







This was the view from where My Owner sat eating her dinner!

This was what she ordered. Her friend the Food Maven will be very disappointed that she does not remember what she had.




The creme brulee however was beyond memorable. The highlight and perfect ending to a day in Rome and fuel for the long, cold walk back to the hotel.

Buona Serra, Roma!