Rome!

While I am recovering from a mean sunburn after a day of reading on my Veranda in Greece (cue jealous looks) I figured its time to reflect on Rome.

Oh Rome…where do I even start? The beauty of its brokenness hinting at the splendor of its former decadence? The hot-headed Italians who really did (!) speak with their hands? The crazy traffic? The food? The wine? The 38-year-old former illegal Mexican immigrant who now lives in Italy on whose couch I slept?

Uh…let’s start there.

Couch surfing—if you have never heard of this, it may sound like a sketchy college kid haven where you shuffle from frat couch to frat couch with the hope of maybe a shower and the assurance of a party wherever you go… that’s at least how I thought of it…but that is a far, far cry from its actual purpose.

Couch surfing is an online network of world travelers who aren’t necessarily interested in the COUCH so to speak (though staying with someone for free is quite the bonus) rather the potential for legitimate cultural exchange by staying with an insider on the place you are visiting.

Instead of following Lonely planet tour guides and seeking out the “insiders tips” on where to eat when visiting [insert country of choice] where you end up seeing all the other tourists who ALSO found google’s top search hit for “great places to eat” or “what to do in Rome”, you get a real insider to show you where to go, how to get there, and what to order.

What better way to learn about the culture and the lifestyle and the real daily life of people in another country than to stay in their house and actually TALK to someone who lives there? Seeing the Colloseum tells me nothing about Italians, about their daily life, or how to blend in.  All I got from seeing all the touristy things in Rome was a picture, and a big check mark next to my “been there done that!” list.

The 3 hour long dinner and conversation I had about life and politics and the importance of language and dialects was, however, something I will keep with me probably forever and something I was so thankful to have had while wandering through Rome the next day.

I didn’t ask Alejandro if I could blog about him, so if you’re interested in some of the ridiculous stories I heard or the actual experience I had couch surfing, I’d love to tell you about it via email. And for all of the worriers out there who aren’t quite sold on the idea of legitimate cultural exchange with a stranger—I’m still alive to write this blog! And full of real stories and insights on Italy (and Mexico incidentally) to boot.  And if you still doubt you can check out couchsurfing.com for an overview. It was a very cool experience, and something I think I would do again.

But now for the fun stuff on Rome!

I learned several things about Romans and Rome by experiencing it first hand. For example, My original plan was to see a few sights, but to plop myself down at a café and write write write while I drank coffee before sharing a few meals with friends and eat eat eat my way through the trip.

I found out, that because of the “bar” culture (not alcohol bar, but Espresso bar) Italians take more 15 breaks throughout the day to enjoy this espresso than most  northern Europeans, but they don’t linger and hang around to drink a cappuccino in the afternoon as one might imagine.

Cappuccino, first of all, is a breakfast drink and only ordered in the morning before 10:00. After that, it is 15 minutes breaks for espresso.

The breakfast cappuccino itself is actually drunk pretty quickly as well.  Served at a tepid/drinkable temperature with a croissant, the breakfast enjoyment lasts about long enough for one to skim the morning paper and then be off to work.

While I sat down to order my drink I was surprised at how rushed I felt to get out of there after about 20 minutes. What? Isn’t Italy supposed to be about “dolce della vita?” The sweetness of life?

I found out yes, but that comes with pasta and wine… not coffee.  

Twist my arm... I'll go meet up with a friend and take a long lunch with lots of wine! So I meandered my way through the crowded touristy streets of Rome and found the small piazza tucked behind tall buildings where my friend Marie and I were to meet for lunch. 

Me and Marie in wine bar/restaurant #1

3 hours and 3 bottles of wine later we found ourselves being ushered out of the Restaurant because everything apparently shuts down around 4:00 for a break before dinner. We still had an appetite for the "sweetness of life" so we found a cute little place called Coco Wine bar that happened to be open during the 4:00 pause and served delicious finger food. Score!

After eating and drinking our way through the afternoon we walked along the streets of vatican city back to her apartment where we napped (there may have been a little too much sweetness for one afternoon)  before heading out to another delicious italian dinner. 

Post dinner on bridge to Vatican City.... gonna blame the picture quality for the big bellies, but the food was pretttty good....

The next day I found a good fountain and journaled and people watched for a few hours before meeting up with another friend, Emily Johnston, with whom I toured the ruins of the Forum and enjoyed the sunshine of southern Italy. 

All in all it was a wonderful trip of learning, talking, sharing, seeing, and the perfect balance of old friends, new friends and alone time. 

Now I'm in Greece, constantly floored by the beauty of the Mediterranean, and gathering photos for Spring break blog post #2. 

Happy Easter!