Rome....beautiful

What an amazingly beautiful place Rome is. We arrived at noon on Tuesday, May 17. This was two hours later than our original flight plan. We encountered a delay in our flight from MSP to JFK. As a result, we had to catch a later flight out of JFK. 

The flight was certainly another new experience in many ways. 
1) I had never flown overnight. 
2) I've never flown over the ocean. 
2) HOLY cow was that a huge plane. 

We sat six wide and it seemed as if the whole plane knew Italian. Yes....us Minnesota girls stuck out like sore thumbs! 

I knew from just the food served on the plane that we were in for an awesome trip. At 39,000 feet, we were served a delightful meal consisting of our choice of fish or beef, wine or juice. We had cooked veggies, pasta and so much more. 

After everyone was done eating and everything was cleaned up, it was lights out in the cabin. I had a hard time sleeping on the plane. I could feel every bump, every ounce of turbulence, every stewardess that walked by (they need to learn to walk on the balls of their feet....not the heels). In all, I may have gotten three hours of sleep. 

This morning, we were treated with yogurt, coffee, croissant, and cookies. What a great way to start the day.....and then we got to Rome! I wish I could have had a window seat to see the spectacular sights from up above. Although it could not prepare me for what was to come. 

Five of us left the airport headed for our hotel. Our cabbie, David, amazingly got us to the hotel in one piece. Driving here is scary! I've never driven as close to cars and other vehicles as they do here. They are not afraid to block oncoming traffic to get through. It's worse than Washington DC! 

We ran into Dr. Tornabene as soon as we got to the door of the hotel. She got us situated in our rooms and then gave us a small tour. Even though I was exhausted, I was ready to venture out into Rome and take a zillion pictures. Both Dr. Tornabene and Dr. Vogelsang took the whole group out for gelato tonight. We enjoyed some great flavors...banana, mango, chocolate chip, lemon...the list goes on....delicious!

As I type this, I'm am currently sitting on the rooftop garden deck of our hotel. (It's 10 PM here/3:00 at home. My kids are getting out of school soon and will be heading to Robyn's last high school choir concert.) It is breezy and chilly out, but nonetheless....stunning! The sun has almost completely set. The sky is clear and a few stars twinkle in the sky. The smell of Italian food is heavy in the air. The sounds of the people on the streets is wafting it's way to the rooftop. Planes are soaring overhead. Earlier, the church bells were ringing. 

Well, tomorrow will be another busy day. Walking tour of Rome, lunch at the Accent office, and Accent orientation. I need some sleep. Enjoy a few of the pics I took today.