Adventures on Cobblestone

This morning I got up and realized I have been here for a whole week. It is a strange phenomenon, this adaptation thing. I thought it would be harder than it was. I am now quite used to the sound of tiny cars squeezing through the narrow alley outside our bedroom window, the smells (both good and bad) that I breathe on the walk to studio, and the face of Enzo, our gelato man who's shop is just around the corner. The things that make a place familiar are what will be remembered.
Another thing I realized this morning as I stepped out of bed was the aching of my feet from the extraordinary amount of walking that has been done. I'm sure we've covered an average of 8 miles a day! Yesterday we covered so much more ground; however I have really no idea considering we were lost the better portion of the time. The plan was just a simple venture across town to the Flos showroom for lighting design. After 45 minutes of walking and wandering and many attempts at getting directions, we were really in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions usually consists of our broken Italian followed by lots of words we don't understand, hand gestures, more hand gestures, and finally a grazie, ciao! It is a very comical transaction that I quite enjoy.

Finally we came upon a hidden little curvy road which led us to a very crowded piazza. A few more directions later we were standing in Flos, which turned out to be less exciting than the beautiful lighting creations in the surrounding shops.

Around another corner was the Trevi Fountain, which we found to be the hot spot for nighttime hangout. There were so many people! So we sat in a safe little spot under the railing to take pictures and enjoy the environment. Not a minute later we both jumped to a loud BOO from behind, followed by two Italian boys laughing hysterically...it wasn’t really so funny. They were the first "smarmy" Italians we had met. Fifteen minutes passed of trying to understand one another when I heard my first ever "Your eyes are magnificent" from an Italian boy. Oh gee. Thanks.

During the walk home Katelyn and I were so surprised at how small the city of Rome is. We had literally walked from the Pantheon to Villa Bourgese to the Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain to the Church of St. Mark and then home. The map forming in my brain was quickly rearranged onto a much smaller piece of land.
This adventure was one of many. I have so much to write, but will try to sum them up in a few sentences! We've been exploring our means of transportation by hopping on the metro and busses and taking them in different directions just to see where we'll end up. The first exploration led us to the Coliseum. The second took us to a gigantic jogging park where we had a photo shoot with our friend Charlie, the only boy in interior design.

One day Katelyn and I went to the Coliseum. On the way we met a man named Massimo, pronounced Maaasssssssimo. He was a flight attendant with a crew that transported the Pope all around the world, even to Des Moines!

Oh, and we just got back from our daily gelato run to Enzo's shop. This time he treated us to tiramisu and a fancy strawberry creation. I think Enzo and I will be forever friends!