A Weekend in Roma

J and I spent a fantastic weekend in Rome! We got very lucky with the weather; it only rained Friday afternoon while we were busy exploring the Vatican Museum. We visited all the sites (the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, etc) and visited as many piazza's as possible. I ate my body weight in gelato but didn't care because a) it was dee-licious and b) we walked EVERYWHERE! We didn't use public transportation once and it was wonderful.

We stayed in a French woman's sweet little apartment in the Trastevere quarter on the west bank of the Tiber River, south of Vatican City. The area is picturesque Italian and I would highly recommend staying here or at least spending a day walking through it's winding medieval cobblestone streets, admiring old terracotta buildings covered in ivy, and having a strong italian espresso in one of it's many outdoor cafés. We spent most of our weekend exploring this unique and charming Roman neighborhood.

I have to say, though, I was a bit dissapointed by all of the tourist traps found around Rome serving reheated pizzas and what I'm sure was canned ravioli. Unfortunately J and I had a few bad meals (which I thought was impossible) and we'll definitely ask for restaurant advice from the locals the next time around. However, we did have some amazing food including one of my favorite Italian dishes - pasta con fiori di zucca (pasta with zucchini blossoms), so I'm not going to complain too much!

I really love everything about Italy (the language, the food, the friendly people...) and although I've been several times I always find myself longing to go back. I still have some more European cities I'd like to visit (Dublin, Copenhagen, Berlin, Stockholm, Budapest) but I'll hopefully be able to get back to Italia next summer. Vedremo!

Ciao!

Husband and I are off to Rome for a long weekend.

We can't wait to ride bikes around the city, wander old cobblestone streets, eat lots of gelato and make wishes at the Trevi Fountain (even if the weather forecasts do say rain).

While visiting Rome about 5 years ago I made a wish that I would get to come back with someone special; looks like it came true!

Fall

The weekend could not have come any faster. With a sore throat and never-ending cold, all I could think about was curling up on the coach in my pajamas with a cup of hot tea and a good movie. And that's exactly what I did - for two days straight. Only leaving the apartment for a quick trip to the supermarché, the cold nipping at my fingertips - I knew I would not be venturing out again. Growing up in sunny Georgia, autumn was once one of my favorite times of year. The changing colors, light breezes, falling leaves, football games, pumpkin-carving & apple-picking, tasty comfort foods, hot cocoa and cozy fires- everything about the season seemed so wonderful.

In Paris, it's cold but too cold. In the morning when my alarm sounds I wake up to the sound of raindrops trickling down my window and all I want is to go back to sleep. More freezing rain, I think. Another day where I regret not wearing more layers, and then cursing myself in the metro when I do. My office has yet to turn on the heat and if you take a look around you'll see people in coats and scarves in front of their computer screens holding their hands tightly around steaming coffee mugs. The once sun kissed and smiling faces of Parisians newly returned from les grandes vacances are officially gone. Paris has gone from summer to winter in a flash and I miss my Georgia fall.

Update

Ok so I do have some pretty good excuses for not blogging for the past month! We moved from our lovely apartment in the 9th arrondisement to an even lovelier place off of rue de Commerce in the 15th. Paris fashion week began and so did my work overload. I worked my first runway show, sat front row and saw many people I've only seen in blogs or read about in magazines. I was taking photos of the show while trying not to elbow this guy's camera (and praying he didn't think I totally stunk as an amateur photographer!). I then continued to work through the weekend at the showroom and by the time it was all over I had been going non-stop for two weeks straight! Now I'm paying the price of being on my feet for so long and living on café and patisseries. I paid my first visit to the doctor in France yesterday moring and finally tested out my carte vitale. It's not as magical as they say. I guess I went to a luxury doctor (that's what I get for going somewhere close to my office in the 8ème) and paid 40 euros for a consult. I'll have to wait and see how much I get reimbursed. See?! This is why I never go!

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks adventures. Enjoy :)