Monday, October 1, 2007

T-minus 30 and counting

So I am officially 30 days from Rome. Sigh. I booked this trip back in May, so you can imagine how interminable the wait has been, but if past practice is any indication, the last 30 will drrrrrraaaaaaagggggg.

Today I'm trying to dredge up some thoughts to help it go by faster. I'm still juggling refresher Italian lessons on the iPod and reading whatever I can get my hands on to bring me up to speed on Roman history. That said, there's still more to consider.

I've been fortunate enough to never need general anesthesia, however, the prospect of another overseas flight is enough for me to consider extending that medical tool to air travel. Seven hours to Frankfurt, ninety minutes to change and another two hours to Rome. How delightful if I could just get that happy pill and wake up alive and refreshed from a sound sleep in bella Roma? Alas, I am looking for ways to kill time while I'm unable to sleep (late afternoon flight, lesser chance of snoozing!) and then how to entertain myself for 11 hours on the ground before I can cave in to jetlag and let myself sleep in Rome? (I'm thinking visiting the "light" outdoor sites in Rome, like Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Vittorio Emmanuel and Campidoglio...all spots that won't require a lot of thought, will be out in the daylight to help reset the internal clock yet are things I can dully check off the To Do list.)

But the excitement of tackling another large city and devouring it while feeding my senses is beyond compare. I've consulted maps, booked private tours and plotted a loosely woven and somewhat forgiving itinerary (I may fit Florence in yet!) Yet with the amount of art, architecture, ruins and sheer beauty awaiting me, my mind can hardly prepare for it. Then there's gnocchi, grappa and gelato, ah, yes, gelato, which awaits my sense of taste and smell. And to hear the rhythmic melodies of spoken Italian again, like a song I have to sing. Yes, it's all there and waiting. For me.

Just thirty more days.

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