Roma!

While it was a little overwhelming at first, I grew to love Rome. Everywhere you look there's roman ruins next door to a gelato place, but this one story perfectly illustrates my 4 day stay in Rome:

On recommendation from dear Ricky, I went to a tiny restaurant for lunch right outside the pantheon. Ricky was sure to note that I should leave the book on the table for some special treatment. That book has to be $11 of the best money I've ever spent. As soon as I sit down the waiter exclaims "you have my book!". Grazie, Ricky. I ordered a sandwich that turned out to be kind of plain, until the waiter brought out this special sauce. God only knows what it was, but it turned that sandwich from a peasant into a roman god. Then about two bites from the end, with my book still in plain view, all of a sudden a large man comes up and puts both his hands on my face and shakes my head from side to side. To say I was a bit taken back would be a conservative statement. He flashes me a huge grin and returns with a small portion of lasagna. "A taste for you, I cook all morning." Real lasagna from a real Italian, Ricky how will I ever repay you? As if that wasn't enough, the waiter brings me a glass of their homemade strawberry "sexy wine". Absolutely divine. I couldn't decide what was better; the wine or the fact that the waiter refilled my glass three times. It's a miracle I remember the pantheon.
The big man who grabbed my face earlier came over to observe my delight. By now he has already pinched my cheeks a second time and showed me his copy of the book, explaining that he is Micky, the owner. He reported that the wine was a huge seller with high school (only in Italy) and college students. Another interesting tid-bit? "Legend has it, you share a bottle with your boy, you fly all night." If I saw this scene in a movie I wouldn't believe it. I couldn't even respond to him, I could only laugh. The waiter looked over as if he knew what Micky just revealed and smiled. All of this only cost me 5 euro, but looking back on it now, it's priceless. Mickey kissed me on the hand as I left to explore the pantheon from my strawberry glaze.

I love Rome.