Doing as the Romans do, Day 1

As sad as it was to leave Derek and Dublin, it had to happen. My bank account was starting to get dizzy from the amount of money I was spending in Ireland. So, on Wednesday, I flew to Rome.

After taking the bus from the airport to the main transport hub in Rome, I caught up with my good friend Francesca, a genuine Romana who I met through tour leading. She trained me in Spain, then we ran into each other frequently in Central America.

I got to her apartment at about 6pm, and as we were walking the final block, she finalized some plans for us to go to a friend's (also named Francesca) birthday dinner later that evening. I met Fran's aptly-named Swiss boyfriend Roman, and at about 8:15, we set off for the neighborhood of San Lorenzo. First, we popped into a little cafe to kill some time, and we drank a glass of wine each, then we caught up with Francesca #2. We went to the restaurant and at about 10, we'd found a table at the bustling Rouge restaurant. After a menu tranlation, we ordered at about 10:30 and started our feast. I guess I had to get used to eating late some time! At around midnight, we'd wrapped up dinner and the bottles of wine and it was time to head over to a bar to grab a grappa before taking off. I think I made it to bed at about 1am.

Whew! I was exhausted!