Oct. 30: Rome & Betsy's Birthday

 It was sad to bid farewell to our Tuscan villa. We enjoyed such a great week of small villages, beautiful views, great food, tasty wine and just relaxing in our outdoor space in the sun.

We started our departure early. Hauling our luggage downstairs was a feat and then we had to make two trips to the car rental agency. Our driver picked us up about 10:15 and we were off to Rome. The ride was so much better than trying to get us and our bags on and off a train. He brought us right into the heart of the city to our door just a few steps from the Trevi Fountain.

Our apartment is located just a few steps from the Trevi Fountain. We can see the Fountain from our bathroom window.

The apartment is fantastic. High ceilings, very clean and in the midst of all the action while still being quiet. We made our nest and then opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate Betsy’s birthday. All the travel and hassle was behind us and now we are in Rome!

Betsy went for her a Birthday Walk around the city. She strode with such confidence that was stopped several times by people asking her directions in a variety of languages. She was no  help with that, but she liked that she looked like a resident of Rome.

Bonnie, Lisa and Emily also went out to explore and finish up their souvenir shopping.

The food was presented beautifully and the service was fantastic. The restaurant was beautiful and used displays of wine as decoration with perfect lighting. Some of the food was great and some was just okay, but the experience was wonderful. I just can’t say enough about the staff. They were so attentive and kind and they gave us a gift of the olive oil they produce. That was not something they did for other diners. It was because it was Betsy’s birthday and they really worked to make that special for her and for us.

The stroll back home was just as beautiful and interesting. Rome is gorgeous at night and we had such a good walk through the streets and piazzas.

This morning, a lot of activity began around the fountain. We could see police, military personnel, Secret Service people and lots of other serious men and women dressed in black with guns and earpieces. Our VRBO host sent us an email telling us we were forbidden to leave the apartment until around 11 a.m.

That was a fun and interesting way to start the morning. Now, we are off to Roam around Rome.

One final note on the morning. We didn’t understand the coffee machine in the apartment and so couldn’t find the proper coffee pods when we arrived in Rome. We figured one of us would run out for fresh coffee this morning. Due to all the security in our neighborhood, that wasn’t possible.

I decided to try my hand at making coffee in the two mocha pots in the apartment. I watched several videos and then went to the kitchen at 7 a.m. to give it a try. I found what I thought was coffee in a can in the cabinet. I should have used my observational skills better than I did. I followed all the directions I had seen in the video and ended up with something sticky in the pot and the liquid that did pour out didn’t look much like coffee. I doctored it with some coffeemate and extra boiling water and served it to Betsy in bed and went back to the kitchen to make another cup for myself.

Bonnie came to the kitchen as I was finishing my cup and I handed it to her to try. She grimaced and said it did not taste like coffee. She picked up the can of brown powder I was using and actually looked at it. The word was “orzo” and the pictures were of some kind of grain.

Turns out that’s a barley coffee substitute. Why is this a thing?

I made tea instead.

Ciao!