Adventures in Roma - Part II
The first day Jack and I arrived to Rome, it was overwhelming, to say the least. We flew into CIA (Ciampino, Pastine International Airport). You’ll normally fly into this airport if you’re flying within Europe. We flew with RyanAir, a budget airline (Think SouthWest, my American friends!). It was a short flight from Manchester to Rome, and once we arrived, we dove into a taxi and were brought into the center of the city, to our Airbnb. I peered out my window like a puppy in the front seat, and tunes from Hilary Duff to Frank Sinatra were playing in my head as I was pinching myself, trying to awaken from this amazing dream.
We were let off on a cobblestone road, which my “fancy,” white, overloaded suitcase did not enjoy. We didn’t anticipate arriving to our Airbnb so early, and so we couldn’t enter for about two hours. Sometimes you need these moments to help you slow-down from your life anyway. We wormed our way down the ancient streets pulling and tugging at our lives-in-bags, walking with neon signs above our heads which blared “tourists.”
Finally, we found our way into a family owned café, which at noon had a full bar full of locals drinking coffee. Jack and I quickly realized we would need to order in Italian, which meant we had to quickly learn Italian. Thankfully it was a bit similar to Spanish. “Due… er… café… per favor!” we managed to stumble out. The kind husband and wife with warm smiles behind the counter worked with us to teach us some Italian and by the time we left we knew “please,” “thank you” and a few numerals.
After an hour and a half in the café, it was time to wheel our lives to our flat, which was in an aged building down an ally. All the apartments faced the inner square and sounds of Italian voices laughing to bickering told stories throughout the lively air. We lugged our suitcases up cylindrical stairs, three flights to our flat. I could sense with excitement and anticipation this was going to be an adventure. Our heads hung low as we opened the five-foot door. Inside, a charming double bed, a kitchenette, a shower, sink, toilet, and gorgeous bathtub beneath a stone arch, which I was eager to get a use out of.
After unpacking, it was time for an adventure. We wanted to get a feel for our new home for the next week. Before leaving, we opened Google Maps and started plotting out our points of interest. When we walked out of our apartment, we realized everywhere was a point of interest.
Just outside of our apartment was an ancient cat jungle, or rather beautiful ruins which now housed at least fifty felines.
