10 October 2006

cheeseburgers & french fries

that´s right, folks: we gave in and went to the Hard Rock Cafe, Roma. don´t get us wrong; the food here is amazing. but we needed some different flavors - we don´t eat the same cuisine at home for a week straight! we were looking for an indian, chinese or mexican restaurant. and what we found was an american restaurant. and they were the best dang burgers we´ve ever eaten. the end.

we´re in rome now, and glad to be back. we think we like rome better than florence, though we haven´t quite pinpointed why. the city just seems...livelier. we went to pisa yesterday. (we´d love to upload pictures of us holding up the leaning tower, but we´ve found ourselves at yet another internet point whose computers don´t recognize their own USB ports.) the tower is still there, and it´s still leaning. we´re glad we went, but the place is a real tourist trap - there´s nothing else there, just tourists and souvenir junk everywhere. and the whole city smells like poo. unless you have a day to waste (which we did - it was either pisa or hanging out at our campground), avoid this tourist trap.

our hotel for the next 5 nights is great - we even have a real bathroom, and the cost includes breakfast in the hotel´s ¨bar¨. i don´t know what i´ll do without a caffe latte and brioche every single morning.

today we are checking out the capuchin crypt and some other ancient stuff (ryan´s better with these things - he´ll write the next one), and tonight we have reservations at the borghese gallery. we´re considering another tourist trap this afternoon, in the form of a balloon ride over galoppatoio park. and i think i´ll have spaghetti aglio olio for lunch...

we´re sore and tired of wearing all the same clothes, and i have shin splints from a 2 mile uphill walk in the dark to our campground after we missed the single evening shuttle. and something about a german shepherd - but we´ll save that story for later.

p.s. again, thank for the comments - it´s fun to get updates from you guys, too! CONGRATULATIONS, kevin and brooke! harrison is an adorable name! we´re very excited for you, and to meet him!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey! No fair eating coccina americana in Italia!!

J/K! On behalf of the Team B(est), we're glad you two are having a wonderful time in Italy! We're enjoying your dispatches from the old country. Things are still the same here, but we await your arrival back the States after you enjoy your final days in Roma.

Ciao for now!

- Doug, Jim H, Jim S, BobbiLe (who's due from C. Mexico and L.A. shortly), Michelle, Zoe, Kristi, Sue, Randy and Max

Anonymous said...

Paulbert is the angry one because he is taking comments from me in your absence. You know how he pouts. It sounds as though you guys are having a wonderful time. Keep the feet happy so you don't wind up skipping things you should be seeing. We are getting snow now and will be having a team building snowball fight this afternoon. I wish you were here to partake.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I just spent a half hour writing a comment and lost it. I don't know how this works. I am frustrated. I miss you.

I'll try again later.

I love you, Mom S.

Anonymous said...

Amy and Ryan, dear hearts--I am back again to try this blog thing. Maybe you should have given me lessons before you left?

We got our internet hooked up and are back up and running in cyberspace. It was SO FUN to read all your fun trip details and see the pictures you sent. I laughed out loud a bunch of times. You write so well, it's almost like being with you, only butcept different, you know. I'm delighted that you're having so much fun. We are praying for you.

Having said that up front, I must tell you that I am a tad concerned about the untold German Shepherd story. And perhaps you should not have mentioned the potential balloon ride until it was over and done. Maybe you could just sit in the basket and pretend to soar over Rome? Huh? Wouldn't that be just as much fun? Oh, my feet itch just thinking about it.

You haven't missed much excitement from our end. Michael got his hair highlighted. Cohen almost laughed at me the other day, he gets more charming and adorable every single day. (Okay, I guess you are missing some exciting stuff.) I had a really bad day on Monday, I'll save the gory details for later when it's more private, but let's just say that I was sick, okay, and I had lost my voice and felt like crap. I got into bed all exhausted and desperate to sleep and just as I got comfortable under the nice comforter, I got bit in the legs twice by two nasty ladybug imposters. I shot outta that bed like a cannon ball, trying to scream but with no voice. I think the bugs were getting revenge. We'd gone on a rampage earlier in the day with the shop vac and wiped out hundreds Iamnotkidding of their friends and family. As I said, oh! the excitement you're missing around here!

Have you seen the Pope around anywhere? I'm sure if he knew you were in town, he'd want to see you. Also, tomorrow is Christopher Columbus' birthday. I wonder if the Italians celebrate it? Do their postal workers get a day off? I wanna know.

I have so many questions and comments, I can't wait to see you in person so we can totally take this trip apart. Eat a bite of everything good for me and, if you want, I'd be okay with you bringing me home one of those Stradivarius violins. Or maybe a postcard of the ceiling in the Cistine chapel--the famous part where God touches Adams finger. (I wonder if they ever have boxelder bug problems there? Ask, willya?)

Oh, you will not even BELIEVE how much I miss you. Have some more fun there and then hurry home, okay?

I like you and love you with all my heart...Your Mom (Dad, too.) XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Anonymous said...

You missed the first mini-blizzard of the year....I bet you feel bad about that, huh?

This is your last few days in Rome. I hope you have a wonderful time. We're looking forward to hearing from you on Sunday. Oh YAY!!!

Love, Mom S.