Dinner near the Pantheon

H3 and Shelly spent most of Sunday, after checking on us at the hospital and filling the prescription, seeing Ancient Rome; the Colosseum and Pantheon, et al. I hope they add to this diary when they have time. When they got back to the hotel, Howard was a bit better, and we went to the square near the Pantheon for dinner. We ate at the "Di Rienzo Ristorante & Cafe." The food was great and we ate outside, in the shadow of the Pantheon, under toasty heat lamps, and even I, had a sip of wine. We ended the evening down the street at a dessert cafe with espresso, cappuccino, and Gelato. This was the best Gelato we had during our trip, even though Florence is the city where Gelato was first made. It was spectacular, eating in view of the Pantheon, at night, thanks to the heat lamps provided by the restaurant. When I am more proficient at using the editing tools at blogger.com, I'll post photos as I go along. Without the pictures, it is hard to recall what meals we had where even though we've been home less than a week.

While we were still in Rome, Shelly learned that Renee' was home, in San Ramon, feeling ill, and she missed at least two days of school. Soon Nikki was sick too, and it sounded as if they had a similar virus as Grampy Howard. Nikki missed school too; this was rare for both of them. Fortunately, we all subscribed to international phone service, and we talked to them from Italy. Shelly felt better when her mom stayed with the girls and went to the two different schools to pick up homework. Good job Grammy Honey.

Assorted Photos of Rome

Rome Continued

Howard was in bed our second day in Rome and he was miserable. Concerned about getting food and fluids for him, I stayed close to the hotel, while Shelly and H3 went to the Colosseum and Ancient Rome. We were staying at an American Hotel so did not have room service. While Howard slept, I wandered the streets near our hotel, people watching, visiting a local food market, and did some shopping. I found water and a few gifts and I used an ATM Machine to get more Euros. I did not want to understand the conversion rate so I did not worry when I bought gifts or necessities. I bought fruit, crackers, but as I reached for some cheese, the market closed. Never learned why the store closed, the hours on the door did not mention closing at 2 PM. I shopped for a charm bracelet, hoping to add charms from each city, but did not find one in Rome.

Rome was a busy place, with motor scooters, motor bikes, a variety of small cars driving fast, crowding the streets, and parking wherever there was space, even on sidewalks. Economy and getting to and from work & parking, were the important things for natives. I was impressed with locals who appeared to take their time, enjoying meals, laughing, shopping, with whatever they happened to be doing. We observed families having dinner at 2200 hours during the week. Businesses closed for lunch and reopened after 3 PM. This seemed to be important to their way of life... I could get used to customs in Europe.

Sunday night, 2/16/08, Howard spent the night awake and coughing. He was exhausted and felt really sick. We spoke with the owner of our hotel about the best way to see a physician. We had a phone number for MD's who visit guests in hotel rooms but the owner of our hotel (Alimandi?) suggested we try the local hospital. He said this would be faster and far less expensive & we took his advice. A taxi drove us a few blocks to the hospital and the driver, who was bilingual, came into the Emergency Room with us and explained our situation to the triage nurse and made sure we were taken care of before he left. We were grateful. After only 20 minutes in the waiting room, Howard was examined and the MD said he most likely had strep throat. The Doctor wrote a prescription which was filled at a local pharmacy. We were amazed to find out that the hospital visit was free and the prescription was only $4.40! The same visit in the USA would have cost hundreds of dollars, if you were lucky enough to be seen at all! Without insurance, most USA hospitals turn away patients who are not critical. We were fortunate Howard received excellent care but were sad that he spent four days in bed while in Rome! That evening, even though the hotel did not operate a restaurant, they made soup for Howard. I must have appeared pathetic and the chef took pity on us and he created soup from vegetables and beans on hand in the kitchen. I am not sure what we would have done for dinner if he had not helped out.

H3 and Shelly stopped by the train station as they walked to the Colosseum and purchased tickets for our trip to Florence and from Florence to Venice. When they returned, they shared photos of the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Ancient Rome, as well as details of their day. That night, Howard was a little better, and we all went to dinner at a restaurant recommended by the hotel; we were told that local residents liked the restaurant. The hotels and restaurants we chose were usually located in neighborhoods where local people lived and worked. Most restaurants were recommended by trip advisor, Rick Steeves, and some were chosen by asking hotel employees. We will add the names and addresses once we see our photos, as well as prices and descriptions of our meals.

What an awesome experience to see marble and granite columns, walls, and buildings, in place for thousands of years, and treasures such as the Pieta and Sistine Chapel. Now that we have visited the city, we want to watch the HBO series "ROME" a second time. We will return when everyone is healthy.
Ciao for now...
Kay

Events in Rome

The beginning:

I had planned to write a new entry every day or two but was unable to write for various reasons. In Rome, the computer was coin operated, and each time I went to the web address for the blog, the computer would freeze up. In Florence, computer time was 1.5 Euros for 15 minutes. I was given a user name and password that was good for 30 minutes (3 Euros), I wrote an entry, but did not finish in time, so the blog entry was not saved. Other guests were waiting to use the computer, and I was unable to re-write the entry. In Venice, it seemed too late to begin keeping a journal, so even though computer time was free, I did not write an entry. By then, I was having too much fun to spend time indoors!

The flight from San Francisco to Washington D.C. was uneventful; the plane was on time and all four of us felt well as we set out for Italy. The flight from D.C. to Rome did not go as well. H3 became ill--- we suspect it was food poisoning. We called a flight attendant who was helpful, a physician/passenger was sitting close by, but there was nothing we could do but wait; we had a lots of empathy for him but it did not help. The attendant advised us not to eat "airline food," as she observes passengers becoming ill after meals on a regular basis. To make matters worse, Howard felt like he was coming down with a cold. Nonetheless, the plane landed in Rome on time, and without incident. Passports were checked and 3 of our passports were stamped in Rome, except Shelly was waived through the checkpoint, and her passport was not stamped. We did not realize this might be a problem until much later.

The Hotel Alimandi sent a van to meet us at the airport in Rome and we began our adventures in Italy. The hotel was modern, the staff was helpful, and best of all, the hotel was located along one wall of the Vatican! Many times during the trip, I was aware that H3 did a fantastic job of coordinating this trip. We could see the entrance to the Vatican Museum from our hotel window!

Tired from the long journey, we took the rest of the day to rest and adjust to the time change. Our first night in Italy, H3 and Shelly took us to a restaurant where locals eat, not tourists. Rick Steeves pointed out that this restaurant is noted for its grilled meats. It was a long walk, made longer by our map reading, but it was worth the effort. We shared antipasto and wine, and our dinner included grilled lamb, fresh artichokes cooked in oil with lemon, and pasta with fresh pesto sauce. We noticed that as we left the restaurant at 10 PM, many locals were arriving for dinner.

Our first full day in Italy was 2.14.08. Howard was feeling very ill. With a bad cold and sore throat, he was too ill to go to Saint Peter's Square and the Vatican Museum, the first of our planned Rome "must sees.". We supplied with juice and water, Advil, and cold medicine and cough drops. H3 had reservations with "Angel Tours" and located the tour guide by searching for an umbrella, decorated with angels, on one side of the St Peter's Square. We ate pizza and drank sodas from one of many "food vans" selling snacks along the the square. Our guide, Jimmy, was a student from Ireland, who was studying in Rome. Jimmy was knowledgeable and quite amusing; we learned an immense amount in a few hours and he made the tour enjoyable. He not only gave the historic facts, he was a just bit irreverent, and he shared stories about the personalities of Michelangelo, Bellini, and Leonardo Da Vinci. As we entered the Sistine Chapel, I became separated from the group. I think I took one turn and they took another. I searched and searched the crowd for the "Umbrella with Angels" but it was 30 minutes before H3 found me inside the chapel. I was frightened, I had caused a delay and much concern for the entire group, and cannot figure out what happened. This was not the only time I did not keep up with the group but I made an effort to keep them in view. I found myself looking at many beautiful and interesting sights, most overwhelming, and did not always keep up with the group. On the way back to the hotel, we purchased a thermometer and flu medicine suggested by the pharmacist (he explained how to change Celsius to Fahrenheit). Howard had 37.8 Celsius temperature which I think is about 99.1 f.

That night, we ate close by at another restaurant recommended by Steeves. It was close to the hotel, the food was great, and they gave us a container of soup to bring to Howard. After we review our photos, I will add details as captured most of our dinners, as well as the names of restaurants, with our cameras. Howard appreciated the soup but he was still sick, felt exhausted, and his throat was very sore. I brought antibiotic from home and he began taking the pills, just in case it was an infection. He was up at night unable to breath well and coughing. It was sad to see him miss all the spectacular sights in Rome.

The weather was great while we were in Rome, in fact, it was similar to California; cold in the mornings and evenings, but warmer up during the day. I'd guess 35 degrees (f) to 6o degrees (F) on most days. We dressed in long sleeve shirts, jeans, and warm jackets/coats.

Italy

Four of us are headed for Italy on 2/13/08 and we hope to post often to let our friends and family share in our trip. We are not taking a tour but Shelly and H3 did tons of research and reserved our hotel rooms & tickets to the various museums and galleries we will visit in Rome, Florence, and Venice. We have 3 days in each city and will travel by train once we arrive in Rome. I hope to add photos along with a narrative. If Peter, Mary Ann, Sammie, Nicole & Renee, were coming along, the trip would be perfect.