7-18-09

Moving day for the troops. We are officially leaving the sleepy streets of Cortona for the bustling metropolis of Rome. Cam and I both woke up with a killer headache thanks to the Absenthe we drank last night. Though, we rallied ourselves, packed, and trudged up the hill to where the car was. Gunnar, Margie, Tom and Julie had left early. But my family, Cam's family and Leisha stuck around to look around the annual open-air market, and have coffee. And I needed coffee.

But all too soon it was over, so we said goodbye to the quaint town atop the hill and hit the road for Rome.

Now, if the two hour car ride wasn't enough, every time a motorcycle or car would get too close for comfort, Leisha would let out a scream that busted eardrums. I was thankful when we made it so that the ringing in my ears could die down.

We ditched the cars and crammed nine people into a Mercedes van and headed to town.

My dad had booked three nights at the St. Regis hotel, and I have to say it was the nicest hotel I've ever been in. Entering the lobby one would think they've stepped into the palace on Palatine Hill. I was tempted to ask if this was "Ceaser's Palace," but I think the joke would've been lost on the man behind the counter. We got our rooms, dropped off our bags and left for dinner. We stopped at a tasteful restaurant off the main drag. We sat outside in the narrow alleyway and sipped wine, making up for our real Italian experience we missed at Montepulchiano.

After returning to the hotel my parents and sister went to bed, but I went for a walk. I walked down Republica Square, the heart of Rome basically. Then I went down one of the busier streets. What I found was a city life I had never seen before. Shops were open til 1am or later, live music was being played on every street corner, everywhere I looked there was another twenty-something year-old beautiful Italian woman.

I went home after an hour tired, but very excited about exploring more tomorrow.