I have recently returned from a great trip around the Mediterranean.
As I prepare the text and arrange the photos, I have come across a few that I feel would fit better in the blog.
The trip started in Rome. After a long overnight flight we were met at the airport, as hoped, by our driver. Even if he did not speak a word of French or English we managed to get him to call the agency that was renting us the apartment so that they could send someone to meet us there with the keys.
The drive into the city took about 45 minutes but everything was so exciting that we could have driven around for hours. He dropped us off on a tiny one way street in front of a non-descript brown door…and drove off. There we were at 7 in the morning with piles of suitcases on the sidewalk in the middle of nowhere. We waited and waited…for an hour. Finally I went into a nearby hotel and asked them to call the agency again. “Yes yes we are on our way”…it took another half hour before the man showed up. Welcome to Italy! Where time is a relative concept.
The apartment was lovely, cool tile floors, white washed walls and beamed ceilings. Lovely furniture and art on the walls, even a fireplace! The kitchen was tiny but had a fridge and a gas stove as well as a sink, who needs more?
Everyone has experienced Italian food but how many have tasted their fabulous ice creams??? They have gelati stores and stands everywhere. The selection is unbelievable as are the cones they serve it in…Granted they cost 10 Euros each…but well worth every lick!
Another first, food wise, for me were the fried artichokes. I was intrigued when I saw the dish being served to several guests in a restaurant, so I inquired and was told they are “ Carciofo Romano “. I was even more intrigued when I saw that people were eating the whole thing… So later on in the trip I tried one. Obviously they remove the tough outer leaves and fry the more tender inner part. It tastes like chips, they must salt them. I was not unpleasant but not something I would serve at home. Because I doubt I could find those small purple things to start with.
Apart from their creative ways with clocks I found Italians to be rather indifferent, sometimes almost as impatient as Parisians…but we did meet a few of the old school Italian charmers, who pour out the compliments like it was Chianti…always good for the ego.
Italians are very elegant, Romans even more so. You can tell them apart from the tourists instantly. Their clothes are simple, but there is always a little touch of something to dress up their outfits, be it a scarf, a purse or a sweater…
There are a few exceptions of course such as the Papal Swiss Guards with their colorful costumes.
There are obviously many nuns and priests roaming the streets of Rome. There is even a calendar out with pictures of handsome young priests (like the Chippendales or the firemen calendar). I could not help but photograph this one waiting at a bus stop….
More to come….