Rome, Roma in Italian, is known to the wider world as the Eternal City. With such an impressive title, the traveler would expect to be struck speechless the moment they stepped out in the street. Well, we weren’t, at least not initially. Maybe it was the jet lag or the rumbling tummies (we were dying to get our fast taste of the delicious food that we had heard so much about) that made us question what all the fuss was about. The streets near where we were staying, for lack of a better word, were grimy. It lacked the crisp, clean edges that we were used to in our large American cities.
I admit I struggle with what to post retrospectively about this city. I also apologize beforehand for the scant pictures (supplemental images off the Web have been used for illustration) and videos; I never imagined that I would one day be chronicling our travels in a blog. I realize now that it will require a shift in thinking; something I hope that will persist when we are able to travel internationally again. The images and recordings aren’t meant only for the two of us now. It is to be shared with a wider audience. Our mindset should have been take that picture of the Trevi Fountain while it was under repair and not don’t take that picture, it will be a mental image only we will get to carry around in our heads.
Maybe I am too much of a romantic, thinking that anyone and everyone, in time, will be able to follow in our footsteps. But that’s not reality and the next best thing would be to experience it through the eyes and ears of those that have.
I won’t bore the reader with all the play-by-play for this trip (or any other going forward), just the highlights/lowlights and standouts. I wouldn’t want to read that kind of blog myself anyway.
