We spent the day traveling back to Rome. We were glad to have the train as our means of travel back to Rome instead of the bus. We were happy to have tried bus transportation because it’s so common in Italy, but we can check that off the bucket list (wasn’t actually on there). I’m really happy we decided to return to Rome, not just to see the Sistine Chapel, but also because the city has been much more enjoyable the second time. We had our bearings upon arrival and didn’t feel that overwhelming “big city” shock that we had the first time. We visited the Trevi Fountain and tossed in our coins. This act ensures travelers will return to Rome. The original custom was to drink from the fountain, but it’s now heavily treated with chlorine, so the tradition has changed to tossing coins. Steve even tossed one, so I guess we both want to return to Rome someday!

We’ve tried our best to eat like Italians while here. Steve only broke down one day & ordered an American omelet for breakfast and I did equally well with only ordering “Cafe Americano” (black coffee) one time. Otherwise, we’ve embraced their ways & now I’m terrified to see what the scale says!!! They don’t have scales in their hotel rooms, that would obviously hurt the dining/gelato business!! We’ve eaten pasta and pastries every day and gelato nearly every day. We’ve shifted our dining schedule to match the European schedule of eating at 9pm. We’ve even been able to order a pasta dish for an appetizer & then a meal to follow. It really is like eating two full meals in one sitting. It’s pretty remarkable that people can do it all the time…it left me feeling terrible all three times I tried it. We’ve also embraced their love of vino!