The trip did not begin well. As we walked to BART one of the wheels broke on our luggage and Steve had to awkwardly push it the rest of the way. Getting through the airport wasn’t too bad as the floor was smooth.

The first flight was about nine hours and it sucked!!! We were smack-dab in the middle of the plane squished between a man and a woman. The woman was on my left (Steve on my right) and she hogged our armrest the entire trip. It was really hard to sleep when any time your neighbor moved they couldn’t help but bump you.

We had a layover in Amsterdam and the second flight was much better. I managed to sleep the whole time. When we arrived our driver had to go all over the city just to get to our apartment because the easiest route was blocked off for some unknown reason. His driving technique was absolutely crazy; he drove really close to people, cars and walls. We later discovered that some of the alleys were as narrow as about 12 feet, and he would drive through them as if they were 50 feet wide! We also discovered later that it wasn’t just his driving technique, its pretty much everyone in Italy. Its no wonder they produce fantastic motorcycle and race car drivers!

After we dropped off our stuff we showered and ventured out into the Roman night. Trevi Fountain (pictured above) was just a short block or two away. We went to Cul De Sac, an enoteca, and had wine, cheese, pâté and an assortment of meats. Then we got some delicious gelato, a small pizza, and then sleep for 14 hours despite the fact that our bed was uncomfortably hard.