Wednesday (15th), Thursday (16th)

I asked Ryan what the date was today so that I could put it, and yesterday's date as the blog entry title. He looked at me and said "August 16th!!" like I was an idiot. It didn't take me long to realize that I had forgotten about the most important holiday in our household. Madonna's birthday.

The picture you see here is where I am currently blogging from (our hotel rooftop patio). It is 7:15 p.m., warm, the sun is going down, and I've got a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc beside me. I can't remember the last time I have been more content. The only thing I can think of that would make me happier is if I wasn't blogging. Well, that isn't totally true. I have come to realize however, that OUR blog is MY blog and that when a suggestion is made that someone else take a turn, I am met with the response "I don't know how."

Today was particularly good, not that any of the other days have been bad... but this was probably our best since we have been here. Up until now we have been fumbling a bit, trying to do our best with the language, and trying to find the places that other tourists don't. I am finding Italian people quite cold and no nonsense... but I get it... I mean, if I had to deal with the dumbass tourists we have encountered on a daily basis, I would be bitchy too. I have attempted several times to ensure that I try and greet/order/thank the various people working the shops and restaurants in their language , only to be starred at and corrected, strikingly similar to the way Ryan looked at me when I asked him what the date was. Most tourists from North America don't even attempt to speak the language, and arrogantly assume that people will speak English. It's nauseating and there is no escaping being lumped together with them.

Surprisingly, food has been a bit of an issue as well. Like, they don't even have stuffed crust pizza here!! No meat-lovers, no nothing. Just bullshit plain cheese! They disguise it by calling it a fancy fancy name... Margherita pizza. O.k., I'm kidding... but until today, we were actually unimpressed with the food. We made the mistake of going to places close to tourist areas. They almost drag you off the street and push you into a chair. After a couple bites of my meal, I was convinced that I could have gone to the back othe kitchen and found a McCain frozen pizza box. To add insult to injury, musicians set up infront of the street patios, play, and then walk beside every table shaking an old paper coffee cup in front of your face. The next day, we decided to venture farther to get REAL Italian food... and boy, did we get it... we walked in, were sat at the worst table (and I'm sure given the worst food) after walking by a display of dead fish and massive pig leg (Parma ham) that they were willing to shave slices off of if we were interested in an appetizer. It was obviously an institution in the neighborhood that didn't need tourists to survive... families would walk in, the owner would greet them, kisses on both cheeks... it wasn't very comfortable. Today, we found a place in the middle. Perfect. Good food, we tried to speak Italian, they tried to speak English... I could relax. All was well.

We have done a TON of walking... Ryan guesses 10 miles per day... and when it comes from Ryan, you know it's the truth. I would have guessed more around the 90 or 100 mile mark but I'll take his word for it. Yesterday, we spent most of the day touring the Colosseum. It was spectacular... especially after taking the time to read the postings where they would describe how the tigers were hoisted from the bottom levels to the top for fights.

Today (Thurday) we spent a majority of the day at the Borghese Museum... also spectacular... AND... we also used an audio guide. For those of you that have never gone through a museum with Ryan and I, a tour through a museum means a run to the famous paintings/sculptures for a photo opportunity and then the quickest route to the closest bar. We were both really impressed with the art, and the stories tha went along with them, most of which went something like "You're going to jail or going to die if you don't give me that painting."

Anyway, I'm probably boring you by now. We leave to Florence tomorrow at 11 a.m. on the train. XO.