Ciao!
March 6 – The First Day in Rome
After three flights with a combined flying time of eleven hours, we finally touched down in Rome.
We waited for our transfer to the hotel to meet our tour directors and fellow travelers. The bus did not leave the airport for an hour and a half, so we had a little time to catch our breath and take in the moment ten years in the making.
At the Rome Airport, waiting for the bus to take us to the hotel
We saved money while searching for the perfect Italian vacation. We endured the heartache of having three previous trips canceled. And now, we were sitting in the Rome Airport. It felt surreal. My body was tired from being up for twenty-four hours, but my mind was racing with excitement knowing our journey was about to unfold. A million thoughts came to mind… What would be our favorite city? Did we pack enough clothes for two weeks? Would Seppe and Lucca behave while at Happy Tails? However, the thoughts that kept coming up the most… Is this happening, or was I dreaming? I had to remind myself that we were at Rome Airport and about to discover our Italian dream.
Not only was my mind racing, but also my heart. My AppleWatch had notified me that my heart rate was above 120 beats per minute for longer than ten minutes with no physical activity. I was not nervous. Instead, I was beyond excited, filled with great emotion about the trip.
The bus was scheduled to leave at 3:30, but our hostess said it would be closer to 3:45 because more people were a part of our tour had not yet arrived. The time quickly passed, but thankful we had this opportunity to rest. We had never experienced a flight longer than four hours or having to make three flights in less than twenty-four hours. Our hostess left the waiting area after we talked with her. By 3:40 pm, she had not yet returned, and I wondered if we correctly understood her. We went outside to look for her and our bus. A cabbie came up to us, offering us a ride to the hotel as we looked around. He didn’t speak much English, so I didn’t understand what he was trying to ask. I mentioned Trafalgar, the bus, and the hotel’s name. He just looked at me strangely. I said NO, and we walked away because I knew we wouldn’t be going with him to the hotel. We walked to the entrance and went back to the waiting area. At this point, a gentleman walked up to me and asked if we were waiting for the Trafalgar bus. We said that he and his wife were also waiting for the bus and that they had seen us when we talked to the hostess. We spoke only briefly when the hostess arrived and told us we were ready to leave. As we walked back outside, and the same cabbie came up to us again and offered us a ride to the hotel. Again, I said NO; we continued to follow the hostess.
We were on the bus, ready for our thirty-minute ride to the hotel a few moments later. The journey gave us a glimpse of the sights of Rome. Our hotel was located near Vatican City, in the heart of Rome’s city center. Our bus driver Vincenzo maneuvered the large charter bus from the highway to the narrow city streets with ease, around the mopeds, bicycles, and minicars. Vincenzo parked the bus in the hotel’s parking area, located in a city’s residential area.
We arrived at 4:15 pm. We walked inside, where Sally and Iya waited for us. As our tour director, Sally would be leading us on our journey for the next two weeks. Ilya, our well-being director, would ensure that COVID protocols were followed and that everyone was taken care of. We had a few forms to sign, tags to add to our luggage, and to get our room keys. Sally let us know that we didn’t have much time to settle in. We were to meet in the lobby at 5:30 pm for a bus tour of the city and a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.
We made our way to the room on the third floor and realized that we had only one hour to get acclimated before we had to leave. We thought, WOW, this is amazing. We are already getting started. In less than five hours, we arrived at the Airport, gathered our luggage, went through customs, met our hostess, waited for the bus, traveled to the hotel, met our guides, and checked in. And now we are on the bus again, touring the city. One of the many mind-blown experiences that this trip had to offer.
The bus departed from the hotel, and for the next hour and a half, we experienced many treasures of Rome. Sally provided us with information about the next thirteen days, as she called them, the practicalities; and a little bit of the history of Italy and Rome while providing details about the things we saw – the Colosseum and other ancient ruins, the Vatican and other religious markers and the shopping districts and other modern aspects. The City of Rome is described as a lasagna because it is made up of multiple layers built on top of each other, just like a lasagna would be.
We arrived at San Marco Restaurant for our Welcome Dinner, the first of many dinners together. We sat at a table that included Ron and Marilyn, the couple we met at the Airport, and Margie from Tazmania, Australia. The dinner was designed to allow the travelers to get to know each other and settle in. The dinner offered a traditional Italian meal with bruschetta, meats and cheeses, salad, pizza, and dessert. Each course came out individually – first the bruschetta, then the meats and cheese, followed by the salads. The server brought two pizzas to the table for everyone to share. We didn’t realize that they would continue to bring more pizzas. We lost count of the number, but it had to be at least ten different types before they brought out the desert. But the crust was super thin, so eating one piece was like eating one bite of a traditional thick American crust. I enjoyed all the varieties – cheese, mushrooms, and meats. The only exception was the one with sardines on it, which tasted too fishy for my liking.
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Salad with Balsamic Vinegar or Olive Oil
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Meats and Cheeses
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Pizza with an Egg
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Pizza with Mozzarella and Basil
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Pizza with Meats
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A sample platter of Deserts
We talked with our companions and learned about their travel experiences while taking part in a non-stop meal with all of the pizza delivered to our table. I knew that this was going to be a truly memorable experience. And my expectations were right on the mark.
On our way back to the hotel, Sally let us know what to expect tomorrow during our time at the Vatican and the Colosseum and the tour that would take us through the streets of Rome. We arrived back at the hotel with a stomach full of Italian favorites and a mind full of anticipation. This was no longer a dream but a reality.
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