Day 1 of Trip: Roma

Tuesday, June 26 2012

Arrived in Italy, Roma to be exact, after a long plane ride which I did not get any sleep on. Oh well I am excited to see all that Rome has to offer for my visit here, after a nap.

Nap was refreshing to say the least although pretty hot. The lady who showed us the apartment who's name has slipped my mind in my weary travel-head, failed to give us an in-depth look at the A/C and the trash. We will manage though seeing my aunt is adept at such things. After my nap I used the shower which wasn't too bad although a window was wide open and if some peeper wanted too, over half of my naked body would be exposed. Luckily though I did not see anyone so Italy has not seen this Ackerman's genitalia yet….hopefully no other Ackerman's as well I can't speak for that old one with the mustache though. 

Took some pictures of our sweet living space for the next few days. Aunt Jane has put it upon herself to claim the master bedroom, and since I am a gentleman I will allow it although if i hit my head on the ceiling of that loft again there will be trouble. If I could figure this blasted thing out I would put the pictures up. Although I should just do a blog it would be much easier. I may do that….I haven't decided and I don't care to at this time. 

Getting back to the run-down here excuse my veering off topic I'm trying to be funny. If I'm not, don't tell me. Ignorance is bliss. Anyways since it is supposed to be hot all week I plan to wear t-shirts and shorts, I don't know how that is relevant but I am too lazy to delete. Threw up the ol' rags with some gel, wanna make a nice first impression of these Italians. You never know if they wanna stab you or buy you coffee. Have no fear I will remain vigilant with these stabbers and they will not take my kidneys! Might give them Aunt Pain's though…this conversation never happened.

We currently are planning our week out which will no doubt change due to the fact we are Ackerman's and that goes as holes and swiss cheese does. Speaking of cheese I am famished and I cannot wait to try some of these delicacies. Had some Sbarro last night before the plane. Hopefully Italy can live up to those standards. I have my doubts.

Also little tidbit about our driver whom I will name Federico. That is not his name although it seems fitting to the nice, yet seemingly slight of brain capacity type of man he is. Now I am judging him this way completely due to his actions earlier today which were noble, if not a little rash. He reminds one of a common sidekick whom does the stupid things which mess up the entire process of a plan. This may not seem very nice or fully together but I am trying to tell a story so no judgement please. When we entered the lobby looking for our driver it took us a few minutes to find him and for the sake of the story I will say he was late because he got his pants wet and stuck in a bidet, therefore hindering him from leaving the bathroom. Either way he found us and seemed like a very nice man. He left us to the road where all the other chauffeurs were waiting and told us to wait 5 minutes for him to bring up the car. It was at this point where I examined the other drivers around me and came to the conclusion that Italian chauffeurs are now my favorite. Seeing the way the try to talk in English with there hands and stare with wide eyes expectantly towards you hoping you comprehend. After this realization our driver Federico returned but there was a bus next to him and as he tried to pull up to us the bus skimmed his car and from the sound of it didn't sound very good. At this point Federico was tired and did not wanna deal with this just bring these handsome Americans to Rome. Yet in his noble heart Federico could not let the evil bus driver get away with such a heinous act. He then told us to wait a minute and chased down the bus honking his horn to hell. I just saw him chase it down and then I lost him. Now my imagination could fill this gap in the story fairly well at the moment I am thinking off Sophia Vergara coming out at the same time and Federico running over her foot in his attempt at Italian justice. But I will let you the audience fill that gap yourselves. Federico returned about half hour later and was polite if not very angry and delivered us to our destination safely and soundly. Although I fell asleep so who really knows…

Now I have returned from a great dinner at the Piazza Navonna where I had a real nice fettucine al pesto. Also my aunt let me have a glass of wine with dinner so I have been completely wasted since that first sip. As you can probably bet the rest of the night was a blur. I do remember having some sweet gelato…or was that pigeon poop in a cup? Either way it was delicious. Don't wanna ruin anything for you mom but I got you a really nice present if you're reading. Although you don't know what a blog is sooo hope you can follow the link! Don't have much hope for it though. 

Anyway that was basically my first day in Italy so I hope you enjoyed it. I can't promise everyday will be as exciting and written as well as this one but HEY I'm on vacation give me a break. I'm tryin ma best ova here. YES. Now I sound Italian I can blend so well. Much love to my homeboys. PEACE!

Aunt Jane's turn:

Well, I think Everett captured our first day pretty well, maybe not the things I would have highlighted, but for the most part, an accurate description of the day's events. 

As Ev pointed out, our flat in Trastevere is perfect for us. Yes, I did claim the master bedroom, but age before beauty, dear Everett. 

We are in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Rome. Very charming and less "city" feel than other parts of Roma. Here's a picture of our block.

Dinner on the Piazza Navonna was fun, but Everett's already told you all about that. It is HOT in Roma, even at 9 p.m. But we will just have to get used to it as there will be no let up. 

We had a nice walk back from dinner. It's very festive in Rome right now. All along the Tiber River, which runs through the city, little tents are set up for pop-up cafes and bars. 

The pictures below shows the Tiber, with St. Peter's in the distance in the first photo.

Everett doesn't want me to say where we are going tomorrow, so here's a clue about one of the places we will visit: it has 284 pillars and 88 columns, topped by 140 statues.

Ciao and buona notte!