Viva Italia - Day 2 (Arrival to Rome)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14TH 

I'm always amazed at the ridiculous level of structure and cleanliness in Germany. Granted, I've only occupied their major airports, but the perceived obsessive compulsive culture is one I can get on board with, no doubt.

We landed about 20 minutes early - around 5:25am local time. As comfortable as the flight from Chicago to Germany was, I still found that I was unable to sleep at all. So I was really starting to feel how tired I truly was, having been awake for nearly 24 hours. With the extra time on the ground, we were able to make our way to the Lufthansa lounge for a quick rest and drink - orange juice this early, as red wine was not offered unfortunately....

Shortly thereafter, we made our way to the gate to board the final leg of our travel. The flight was insanely small, yet on a plane the size of your standard Southwest airliner. I bet it was no more than half full, and that's being generous - sort of felt like a private jet! I think I was too delirious at this point to comment on how terrified I was when the plane did not taxi down the runway as long as I would have deemed necessary, but trust that I was unsure of the takeoff portion of our German send off. It felt super slow and as if we were not going to make it to the appropriate speed to lift off of the ground, but here I am typing the story, so something must have gone right... 

After an hour or so in the air, we had finally arrived. Bongiorno! 

Surprisingly easily, we made our way off the plane and promptly found a taxi. Soon enough, we were en route to the hotel - on pace at over 160kph and fearing for our lives. Traveling at the speed of sound, it's no wonder we were too early to check into the hotel upon arrival. Luckily, Babuino 181 has a delightful rooftop terrace where we enjoyed our cappuccinos while we waited. Within a couple of hours, we were settling in for our stay. 

Brandon and I are normally phenomenal travelers - both with traveling the world in only a carry on, and also with time change.  We normally adapt instantly. Brandon, I think, was fine - or at least could have rallied - but I was struggling. The nap Nazi needed a nap...GASP! It must be said, I didn't see Brandon complaining...

After a quick hour and a half of recharging, we got dressed and made the long walk to the Trastevere neighborhood on the west side of the Tiber River. Quaint (by Roman standards), old world vibes echo throughout this neighborhood (which we learned was once the location of the Jewish ghettos - secluded from the Roman city proper). 

We met Alexandra, an Italian-American living in Italy since graduating college, who would be our foodie tour guide for the evening. We were expecting 4 others, but at this point they were no shows. We thought we were going to luck out and end up with a private tour! We did, for awhile, but another couple from Arizona and mother/daughter Puerto Rican duo joined us at the first stop - an ancient wine cellar from 80 B.C., hidden underneath a family owned and run restaurant. So cool.

We bounced around the Trastevere neighborhood, making pit stops at various local establishments - most of which,  longstanding in the area and family owned and run on the premise of tradition. From a biscotti shop three generations deep to cured meats and olives. From a century old cheese shop to Italian street food to sit down restaurants with both modern and traditional fare, we managed to eat our way through Rome in just under 4 hours before we ended the night with some gelato. High point of the evening - I now can tell the difference between the real and fake stuff. Aside from the obvious "color test" for flavors such as mint, banana and pistachio, we learned that the fluffy looking gelato, while more aesthetically pleasing, is complete bullshit. Real gelato should remain compact and more or less sink to the bottom of the container throughout the day. Good to know as we embark on what is sure to be a culinary-driven trip!

It ended up drizzling rain throughout the tour, but not enough to damper the evening. After the gelato, we did decide it would be nice to walk home - but we got about half way when it started raining harder, and we realized we were too exhausted to fight it. We located the closest taxi stand and found ourselves in bed very quickly thereafter. 

A great way to kick off the trip, for sure - it introduced us to a fun neighborhood outside of the city center, and I am betting we will find our way back to those parts while we are here. 

And now, some much needed rest as we prepare for the day of religion we have planned tomorrow. 

Ciao!