Home Alone 2?

I have never boarded the wrong flight before. I figured this was something extremely difficult to achieve. Everything has to line up perfectly… or imperfectly. Your ticket is verified at security, checked at the terminal entrance, and then scanned at the gate. Makes it hard to jump on the wrong plane, right? I guess a “Home Alone 2” scenario can happen where I am running after a guy who has the same coat as my dad and then I end up plowing into an attendant and boarding passes fly everywhere, causing chaos, allowing me to jump on a flight to New York instead of Florida.

Anyways, we are standing at the “gate” in Lisbon. The gate is really just a mob of people standing by a door to walk outside to our aircraft. The door opens and an employee starts escorting us to our plane. Kristin and I have seats apart on this flight because we didn’t splurge the extra 15 euros to sit together. Walking across the tarmac, I veer off to board through the front entrance and she heads towards the back. Walking up the stairs to the plane, I am one of the first ones to get on and I hear the flight attendant say, “This plane is not going to Rome.” Huh. That can’t be right.

She is very confident with her statement and all the passengers look around confused as we walk back down the stairs to the tarmac. Kristin’s side comes out as well and we now have people strewn about the tarmac shrugging their shoulders. Our trusty airport guide who led us to this plane is not sure what to do. He has this “I screwed up” look on his face and is attempting to usher people back inside, but we have all smelled the freedom of the outdoors.

Reinforcements show up and, similar to a cattle drive, we all return back inside to the gate. The airport police pop their head in to figure out why 100 people were just wandering around outside. Someone is in trouble. Once inside, buses then arrive and take us to the correct plane. Thanks for the laughs RyanAir.

The World of Pastatution

On bus our from the airport, images of pizza and pasta swirl through our heads. We drop our bags off at the airbnb and venture out in the city for our first Italian meal. Our host recommends the Monti neighborhood and we head that way. We end up at Ce Stamo a Pensá and grab some stools. We order two pizzas and 15 minutes later our waiter brings out two big ol’ plates of spaghetti with giant meatballs. Decision time. This pasta looks amazing, but we ordered pizza. What to do, what to do. We each have a little bite of our pasta and our mouths instantly make the decision. Pasta it is. We devour our plates and the owner brings out some sugary cake donuts for dessert. First meal = success.

Tired and full we decide to walk around before returning to our place. A block away from Ce Stamo a Pensà we turn the corner and I see some old ruins. “What’s that?” I ask. Kristin informs me that it is the most famous structure in Rome, the Coliseum. Please don’t make fun of me 🙂

Rome in July is a very busy, and hot, place. Buying your attraction/museum tickets in advance online costs an extra 2-3 Euros, but it allows you to select a time slot and skip the line when you get there. This saved us many hours of waiting in the heat.

Independence Day Abroad

Fourth of July we find ourselves at the Vatican museum. Winding our way through the museum and attempting to follow the signs to the Sistine Chapel, we pass by amazing works of art. Paintings by Dali, “The Thinker” by Rodin , and frescoes galore. Passing by statue after statue, it becomes evident that there is a lack of penises in this place.

The male members of most statues are either covered with a fig leaf or completely broken off. Originally these painting and statues showed God’s creation in all its glory (nude). During the Protestant Reformation, art censorship took place and even Michelangelo’s “Last Judgement” was censored. The art restoration industry seems to be booming in Italy and there is a debate going on. Should these works of art be restored to show the original concept of the artist or should the fig leaves stay? To be continued.

The last few rooms before entering the Sistine Chapel are packed and everyone waits in line until they can enter the magnificent room. Entering the chapel, we are ushered forward and told not to take any photos. I only half listen to what they say and take it that they do not want people taking photos in front of the entrance because others could not get through. I quickly find out, as I snap a few pictures, that no photos are allowed at all.

Guard, “Are you finished?”

Me: *Confused look, thinking finished with what?

Guard: “Are you done?”

Me: *Looks around and finally see the no camera/photo sign. “Oops. sorry about that.”

Part of me understands why they don’t want anyone taking pictures. It’s a place of reflection and worship. They want individuals to use what God gave them and look around and appreciate the space in silence. I mean, this is where popes are elected. Another part of me says that no photos in the Sistine Chapel equals more sales at the gift shop. Either way, that guy Michelangelo is good.

Our Independence Day night ends at the Trevi Fountain. If you throw a coin from your right hand over your left shoulder, it ensures you will return to Rome in the future. There is also a movie where three coins are thrown. The first is to return to Rome, the second is for a new romance, and the third ensures marriage. We are good on the last two, so we each huck one coin in the fountain.

You may ask yourself, “What happens to all of those coins?” Well, they are collected daily and donated to a supermarket that supplies food for the needy. Each day around 3,000 Euros come out of that fountain.

The Coliseum and Roman Forum is another action-packed day with our guide Rick Steves. Seriously, use his app and free audio tours. Thinking about what actually took place in the the Coliseum is wild. Through a system of underground tunnels and doors, a lion could jump out and surprise a gladiator. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of lives lost in the Coliseum and that doesn’t even include the animals. This was all in front of a packed crowd of 50,000 Romans.

Rome has potable water all over the city, flowing out of fountains or spigots. Exploring the Forum, this became a lifesaver. We had to hit up the “water store” (we see you Dayne/Brian) multiple times. We walk down the same streets and trip on the same stones as Julius Caesar. We touch the walls that were home to the Vestal Virgins almost 3,000 years ago. The history is remarkable.

All the churches in Rome have a dress code, but it is not always enforced. The Pantheon and St. Peter’s Basilica are two places that adhere to the dress code. It doesn’t seem like any of the rules apply to males (classic sexism in the church.) I am wearing a t-shirt and shorts above my knees and have no problems. I was prepared with some zip-on pant legs in case of emergency. Kristin wears the same outfit as me, and would have been denied to entry to each place if she also had not brought along (on purpose) a sarong that she tied around her legs as a makeshift long skirt. Throughout the day we see multiple people denied entry to these amazing places because of shorts or a tank top.

Soccer day strikes again. This game is Belgium vs Brazil (SPOILER ALERT: Belgium wins). We head to the Trastevere neighborhood and find a bar that is showing the game. I strike up a conversation with the guy next to me and learn his name is Leonardo and he is half Italian and half Brazilian. We talk soccer, history in Brazil, Val Kilmer, and how Neymar is overrated. He talks about Brazilian soccer fever in the 50’s and 60’s. People were so stressed and overcome during the games that they were having heart attacks!

I tell him our next stop is Florence and an encyclopedia opens up. He knows everything about the city; the history, the restaurants, the attractions and the day trips. We leave the bar with a page of notes on what we should do in Florence. Thanks Leonardo!

Florence (I refer to her as my friend “Flo” now)

If you want to appreciate the sights in Florence, wake up early. Our train arrives in Florence around 8 in the morning and we walk through an empty Piazza del Duomo and gaze up at the Florence Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore). We drop our bags off at a luggage storage place, throw our buddy Rick Steve’s in our ears and follow his audio walking tour through the city. We walk up to the Pontevecchio and admire the historical bridge that has weathered floods and wars. Originally filled with butcher shops and fishmongers (love that word), today souvenir and jewelry shops line the bridge.

Like many other cities, Florence has a large food market (Mercato Central). There, you can find anything your heart/stomach desires, and also quite a bit you may not desire. We decide cow stomach lining isn’t really for us, doesn’t matter if it is from the first stomach (trippa/tripe) or from the fourth stomach (Lampradetto). Maybe we are missing out, let us know if you have tried these traditional dishes.

Taking Leonardo’s advice one evening, we walk to the Piazzale Michelangelo to catch that Italian sunset and get an amazing lookout of the Florence skyline. I recommend going a little earlier in the evening to get your prime viewing spot. We showed up about 30 minutes before sunset and the square was packed. We still found some seats on the steps and had a front row view of the falling sun.

A couple days in Florence are dedicated to work. Yup, you heard that right. Kristin gets her wesbite design on in our little apartment above a Florence cafe. My job during this time is to acquire delicious food. I’m not gonna lie, pizza and pasta are starting to get a little old. I end up stumbling across a burrito joint called “La Cucina de Eby’s.” Really good Mexican food is something we miss, so when I show up with two burritos and empanadas, Kristin’s face lights up.

One of the last places we visit in Florence is the Spanish Steps. It’s a fun place to hang out, eat ice cream, buy a selfie stick, and see a random couple get engaged.