Roma, Day One, Arrivi:

Roma:
The trip from Milano to Roma was better and much shorter than the flight, though once again our travel time was more than we expected, 2 hours and 17 minutes longer. Though, first class tickets made the length much more bearable. So, 16 hours and 17 minutes later we were in Roma. I was a strange feeling. In my travels, though not extensive, I have at least been enough places that I have gotten use to the disorientation upon arrival in a new city or country; however, arriving in a city in another country and feeling strangely at home is a new experience for me. After having been in Roma for a grand total of a month and five days, it has become fairly familiar to me, at least enough to know what to do, where to go, and how to converse enough to get my point across.
It was great being there again and seeing things that I had studied in school with knowing glances rather than wide-eyed astonishment. There were a few places that I thought I remembered their location, but I was either mistaken or the place was no longer there. Either of which there were a few places that I would have liked to find and didn’t.
It was a different experience being with my wife as a tourist rather than a student. We took a “hop on, hop off” bus tour that neither of us would have taken if Eva had not been pregnant. I would suggest it as a way for people to see the city at first glance because it goes near enough to all of the attractions that most tourists would want to see without the walking distances. But, on the other hand one must see the city by foot as well.
There is nothing like getting lost in an Italian city, wandering the back streets, peeking in the little stores, walking by the open workshops of artisans like furniture makers, upholstery shops, painter’s galleries, etc. This is where one gets the real “flavor” of Roma.
Eva was a trooper, usually going on little more than three hours sleep; she walked much of the city along side of me. There were things that we would have taken in if she had not been pregnant, but we saw much of what we wanted and she walked to most of it.
By the way, the Hotel Campo dei’ Fiori was all that we were told it would be. The staff was helpful, informative and very friendly. Single guys staying here would have to meet Valentina, and the single girls might swoon at the presence of Marco, with whom Eva and I dealt with most. The rooms were very comfortable though the air-conditioner in our room struggled to keep the room cool even with the drapes closed during the day. Softer beds helped with our sleep patterns though we were still getting our clocks adjusted to the new time. I can sleep in most places, but my growing back problem now causes me more difficulty that I have ever had. It’s terrible when age starts to creep up on you aided by a few bounces of the pavement from the unprotected perch of a bicycle seat.