I finally arrived in much awaited Rome… and after a very “foggy” flight (I believe the last thing I remember was the in-flight safety tips) I opened my eyes in Rome. It was WONDERFUL to say the least. When I de-boarded the plane, I was nervous, more so, when I discovered I had to take a tram to the baggage claim. The ONLY prayer I had was that my bags were waiting for me when I got there. Apparently, the angels must have thought I had enough stress for one day and both of my bags were riding the conveyer belt just as I walked up to the baggage carousel. I grabbed my luggage and followed the herd to the taxi line outside, and I must admit, it was a lot less chaotic than I anticipated.
The cab driver was an older gentleman who pretended to know what I was saying, but in actuality, was only shaking his head and smiling… pretending to know. Guy, I INVENTED that trick, and naturally, he did not fool me with his “sneaky” antics. Anyway, I arrived at the Excelsior and, wow, I was blown out of the water, the bellman was attentive, the staff was overly excited to please me and the lobby was something out of a movie. As I approached the desk to check-in, I was told my room would not be ready until 2 pm (it was 9 am). I looked at the concierge with eyes of despair and a body screaming exhaustion, and LUCKILY he was able to read the “language” loud and clear. He told me to wait 5 minutes and my room was being inspected, 2 minutes later, he led me to the elevator. I was so thankful, MOLTO GRAZIE!
The cab driver was an older gentleman who pretended to know what I was saying, but in actuality, was only shaking his head and smiling… pretending to know. Guy, I INVENTED that trick, and naturally, he did not fool me with his “sneaky” antics. Anyway, I arrived at the Excelsior and, wow, I was blown out of the water, the bellman was attentive, the staff was overly excited to please me and the lobby was something out of a movie. As I approached the desk to check-in, I was told my room would not be ready until 2 pm (it was 9 am). I looked at the concierge with eyes of despair and a body screaming exhaustion, and LUCKILY he was able to read the “language” loud and clear. He told me to wait 5 minutes and my room was being inspected, 2 minutes later, he led me to the elevator. I was so thankful, MOLTO GRAZIE!
I was shown to my room and the nice man informed me my bags would arrive shortly. At this time, my Roman friend, Emanuele, who unbeknownst to me, was to become my saving grace, was waiting outside. I told him I would be out in 20 minutes because my bags had not yet made it to my room… meanwhile, I kept hearing this ringing, like a bell, and I was instantly like, “OH NO”, I have that room where I am going to hear a faint piercing sound all the time… never knowing where it was coming from.Suddenly, I learned that ringing was my room doorbell, yes, my room has a private doorbell… the bellman had been ringing for about 4 minutes until I finally realized what it was. It was pretty funny, lucking he thought so too! At the advice of a friend, I laid down for a 20 minute “cat-nap” and told Emanuele I would be outside shortly. He was so nice and continuously told me to take my time. Yet, I am not sure an hour and a half was what he meant… my 20 minute nap turned into a 40 minute slumber, my shower felt so invigorating it was hard to get out, getting dressed was a private fashion show and of course my 5 minute dance party, lasted 7 minutes. About an hour and a half later, I finally walked out of my room and met Emanuele and his friend Luca… on MOTORCYCLE SCOOTERS. I quickly realized I was probably not dressed for a casual ride on the back of a motorized vehicle, but I went with it… hey, when in Rome, right?
Our first stop was for an espresso, a double espresso for me… which tasted just as I thought it would… absolutely amazing, it was fresh, bold and just what I needed. I hopped on the back of the bike, and my journey began. After seeing several sights (it is impossible for me to list every one, but you can see the photos and ask if you want to know), we met Emanuele’s amore, Adriana (Adry), and from that moment on, I had the best three tour guides in Rome all to myself and it was only Day 1! We Went to Fori Imperiali, walked Via Veneto, which wasn’t hard because my hotel sits on the exclusive street, and various Emperors’ dwellings and monuments… I quickly learned that everywhere in Rome is famous. We grabbed a quick snack and bid farewell to Luca. Emanuele and Adry showed me a few more hidden gems, away from the pesky tourists (because I am not one), and known only to the locals. More so, Emanuele was great at informing me of the history of each place. After a very active day of sightseeing, I agreed to run with Emanuele and another one of his friends in a famous park (I forgot the name, stay tuned). I have never seen so many dogs; off their leashes without leaving their owners’ side. They were all oddly well behaved and calm, very rare in America. The run was short, sweet and just what I needed.
When I got back to my hotel about 8:15 pm, I raced to get ready for dinner, after all, I did NOT want to keep my new friends waiting, AGAIN… ready on time, we went to the restaurant where Luca manages, Naboo, and it was incredible; modern, swanky and fabulous. We had champagne, wine, tempura vegetables, rose gnocchi with provolone sauce and a trio of none other than my favorite… desserts.
Everything was great, with the exception of my Italian. The language barrier has been “cosi cosi”… not bad, but certainly not good… as Adry says, “Lento”… just speak slowly she tells me!!!! Obviously I explained to her the word “slowly” is foreign to me. But I practiced and she told me I was getting better! Luckily, one of the kitchen workers spoke Spanish so I was able to communicate my gratitude to him.
We left Naboo, full, happy and exhausted. I was dropped off at the hotel, bid farewell to my friends and went straight to my room. I thought for sure once my head hit the pillow, I would be out… unfortunately, I must have still been running on adrenaline making it harder than normal to fall asleep. Once I did, I slept like a Queen, knowing I had a big day ahead…Ciao Bellos & Bellas,
Ali
