MY 6 HOUR LAYOVER IN ROME

Today's  6 hour layover became a private tour of Rome. (Thank you Terri) Arriving at 9am, I met Davide and off we went in his air conditioned van. It's hot in August and July, 85-95, and humid. Four hours of driving around Rome, he graciously gave me history and showed me places of interest. I took photos and even written notes, but sad to say it's difficult for me to piece the photos with the notes. In my defense, I don't sleep well on airplanes, my energy came from my excitement and love of italy. We made a stop at a cafe and I had an espresso- espresso always helps! 

I have tried over the years to duplicate Italian espresso and haven't succeeded. However I am definitely a coffee snob. Italy has a cafe on every corner and they all make great espresso. The problem is with the 2 sips you get in an espresso cup, you need about 30 cups over the day! Haha! That's what my Italian teacher once told me. It's the most fascinating phenomena. The cost is 1-2 euro per cup, you stand or sit, and in two minutes you're done. Unless you eat something with it. 

I was in a cafe in Naples 3 years ago, and the shop was standing room only and mostly standing for counter space. People would order coffee and pastry and take their time eating, drinking and talking, while a mob was behind them waiting to do the same!! All this for 5 or 10 minutes and people wait patiently. I love it! 

I digressed. Back to the sights. We saw the French consulate, the top of the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese, President of Italy, Sergio Martarella's home, Via Veneto (famous upscale area for restaurants and shops), colosseum, pantheon and others now forgotten.

Pizza in Italy is also delicious. On the way to the airport, Davide stopped so I could have some before leaving....marguerite pizza, a simple, pure bliss, culinary delight! Making my flight to my gate wasn't a problem. However, Alitalia had a system failure and we were delayed 2 hours. Not all that bad considering we could have been stuck in Rome all night. 

Once in Marseilles, we were driven to Avignon (1hour) and our Viking boat, the Buri. The cabins are lovely, everything is first class, and I feel very spoiled. I showered quickly to wash off the tiredness my body felt, powdered my nose, put on a dress and headed for dinner.

My choice was salmon, veggies, caesar salad and a red wine that was superb! I just don't understand white wine. 

It's midnight and I am going to sleep. I should say 'bonne nuit' (good night), after all I am in France. But my heart wants to say buona notte!!  Thank you and God bless, Aleta.