A few weeks ago I went on a crazy trip. I met my husband in Rome and was there a bit earlier than him. When I arrived I realized I had brought only $150 in US dollars, which means only $75 Euros. Not quite enough to take me to a hotel, get me meals for the time I was there, it was crazy. What I had were 2 credit cards instead of one credit card and one ATM. Without a cab, without really knowing that much Italian except come pleasantries and a few curse words, thanks for my grandfather, I was in a bind. It would take $70 Euro to get to But was I really? I mean, couldn’t I just figure this all out? I had a hotel room to go to for crying out loud, it was just the question of rationing my money and how to get there.
So I devised a plan. I sort of figured out the train line, bought a ticket and decided that the center of town was in close proximity to my hotel…roughly. Yes everything was in Italian, but I put on what my husband calls my “European face”. I have no idea why it works but people come up to me and start speaking the local language, they ask me directions–it’s crazy. So, you guessed it, at the train station, all sorts of people were asking me things in Italian, with Australian accents and even some poor Americans that I had to break it al to them that I too was an Ignorant American in Europe. But, I got on the right train and met a nice older couple. I got ripped off by my cab driver by an additional $10 Euro, but made it to the hotel. I was never so relieved and was so blessed to have such a nice staff. Brilliant. Man, was I going to head right to Vatican City and give thanks.
After all my red eye travel, I finally had a good honest rest for 3 hours. I then went on a long thoughtful walk. Roaming the streets and squares of Rome, taking it in. I grabbed some dinner in a square, did some people watching and did some lovely night shooting. I was lonely and missing my husband, lots. But he would be in that night and I could hardly wait. I stopped for my favorite treat, Gelato and met a little friend. He was cute, rather handsome actually. Meeting him there with his big brown eyes, made me not so lonely any longer. He too, in the crowd of passersby, seemed a bit lonely in the big world himself. He was there with a street performer, but I just wanted to take him home. He looked like he would not mind. What do you think?

1 comment
I SOOO LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!