The Arrival

Ciao!!

Well, we're finally here and settled into our apartment. It's been a fun, hilarious, and long few days.

Since arriving we have seen the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum (Question of the Day, provided by Rachel: What's the Colosseum made of?), and the Spanish Steps (Or what Rach likes to call them: The Stairs). We've also spent quite a bit of time walking around and exploring the various neighborhoods in Rome. If you want to see pictures and videos of our adventures visit our link photobucket page

Some things we've learned:

• Our hotel was not near anything....

              Us: Can you recommend any places to eat around here?

              Receptionist: There's one about a kilometer away.

              Us: That's it?

              Reception: Well you can eat at the hotel restaurant.

             Taxi: I know exactly where your hotel is, I used to live there. There's nothing to do.

             Us: Nothing? As in there isn't anything for us to walk to?

             Taxi: Correct. How did you even find that hotel?

             Us: (Rachel looks at Courtney... Courtney turns and looks out the window).

• After a few days, your English- even amongst other English speakers- begins to fall apart, making communication difficult.

          Court: There's Dior

          Rach: There's Dior (what Court heard: where?)

          Court: Right there.

          Rach: Yea (what court heard: where?)

          Court: Straight ahead, Dior.

          Rach: silence...

          Court: (exasperated) Yea, RIGHT THERE.

          Rach: I KNOW! I said, there's Dior.

          Court: and there's Gucci

      -----PAUSE----

         Rach: Where's Gucci?

      

• If you want a hot, or even warm, shower you need to plan hours in advance.

               I can tell you with great certainty that Rach and I took the coldest showers of our lives yesterday. You'd think with it being so hot here that it'd be refreshing... yep, not so much.

• Doing laundry is an all day activity. 

                And when you do use the washing machine it sounds like a plane taking off.... for about 4 hours.

• Public restrooms can be a prime location for getting yelled at.

            While I was getting us gelato, Rach was busy getting yelled at by an old woman posing at the bathroom attendant. The yelling continued well after Rach had left.

• Waiters tell you when it's time to leave.

                 Our second night in the hotel we again ate at the their restaurant (see above). After we finished our meal, we relaxed a bit before asking for our check. When we politely asked for our check, our waiter said no. He apparently felt that we need to sit and relax longer. So we quickly finished our beverages in the hope of getting the check. Then we just waited another 45 minutes until our waiter felt it was okay to give us the check.

• Going green hotel style.

                  In an effort to go green, the hotels now require that you place your room key into a slot within the room in order to work the lights. After removing the card you have approximately 30 seconds before all the lights go out. How did we discover this? Well Rach went to get bottles of water. Court was in the bathroom getting ready to shower. After a few seconds all the lights in the bathroom went out. With no other source of light, Court spent the next 10 minutes walking into everything in the bathroom and knocking everything over. It wasn't until Rach returned that the lights were restored and Court could make it out of the bathroom. Though extensive clean-up was required.

• Air- conditioning is more important than you think.

                 Host: Good afternoon ladies. 

                 Us: Hello. We'd like a table for two.

                 Host: Sure. Inside or Outside?

                 Us: Inside.

                 Host: Okay, it'll just be inside and downstairs. (what Court heard: it's downstairs and has no air)

                 Court: No air conditioning?!?!! (horrified)

                 Host: Haha... Of course we have air conditioning! (Responding as though Court's absurd).

•  The Italian perception of Americans perception of distance is hilarious.

                   Taxi: Wow... you know that's far right? Like 20 minutes in traffic.

                   2nd Taxi: Your neighborhood is really far from the metro. It's a 10 minute walk.

                   Interviewer: Where do you live?

                   Us: Pigneto

                   Interviewer: Where? Pig- what??

                   Us: Pigneto.

                   Interviewer: I have no idea where you are talking about.

• Court can fall asleep at anytime, while continuing to talk nonsense and not remember anything later.

                      I took a shower while Court was writing in her journal. I got out of the shower to find Court passed out with her journal still open and the pen in her hand. Court turned to me and began talking. She continued to mumble nonsense and have no clue what was going on. When questioned later she recalled nothing.

           Another time I ran out to make phone calls. When I returned I found Court asleep. As I was closing the room door, Court said "oh I didn't you came in already." I said, 'I didn't, I'm just coming in now." Court was sleeping across the bed.I told her to sleep the right way. She insisted that I sleep across the bed as well. So there we were facing each laying across the bed. I tried to set the alarm on Court's phone. I couldn't figure it out and asked for help. Court grabbed the phone and claimed to have changed the time zone and set the alarm. An hour and a half this obnoxious noise is blaring and Court is telling me to turn it off, even though her phone is right next to her. I finally realize it is my phone going off across the room, because I set it for 10:15 am US time. Court's phone went off at 10 pm- claiming it was 8 am and it was set for 8:30 am. 

• We've settled into our odd couple roles quite nicely.

                  I make sure Rach takes her vitamins everyday, and Rach opens things and makes sure I don't get sticky hands. It's working out quite nicely.

        

In our first four days, we have eaten pizza and gelato at least six times, and pasta twice. Last night we forgot to get bread. It was a sad and lonely meal that involved salami, cheese, and mustard. Today we slept in, which meant that by the time we left the apartment everything was closed. On Sunday's if you aren't closed all day, you close for siesta and never open again- so no bread again.