The Travel Medley

In an attempt not to go WAY overboard on any given city (cough, Barcelona cough cough)… I’m going to finish up blogging about our time in Rome. If you missed any of the previous posts: Go ahead. Take some time to catch up. We’ll be here waiting (but with somewhat raised eyebrows, because ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??)

• Airbnb in Rome: Studio Apartment in the Jewish Ghetto
• The Caesar Shuffle: Roman Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon
• Dubsmash Roundup: Rome
• How to Attend English Mass in Vatican City
• Famous Art and Satanic Longhorns: Vatican City

If you’re already all caught up (and have read each post at least 3 times because COME ON, they are absolutely delightful): Continue to read on, my blog BFF! 👏

Here are a few bits and pieces of Rome that didn’t make it into one of the other posts.

We got the first gelato of our travels here, and if that’s not something to document, I don’t know what is! We kept seeing sooo many gelato stands in Barcelona, but were determined to have our first taste in Italy.

You guys, it was everything we were hoping for, AND MORE. We used our tiny spoons to take tiny scoops out of our cones (because we’re not animals who LICK gelato with our TONGUES), while we partook in the passeggiata, Italy’s evening stroll.

Besides the “Big 3” (Roman Forum, Colosseum, and Pantheon) there are a few other famous sites in the city. One of these is the Trevi Fountain. As the legend goes, you’re supposed to toss a coin in the fountain (with your right hand, over your left shoulder) to ensure that you will return to Rome one day.

And what’s super cool, is that an estimated €3000 is collected from the fountain each day (daaang!) and it’s all given to the charity Caritas International, which uses the money to help feed Rome’s needy.

Here’s a shot of the same fountain by night, all lit up and looking spectacular.

So dramatic. Those horses are really working the scene. I love it.

Rome also just has a ton of cute neighborhoods worth exploring. Rick Steves has several free audio walking tours that take you by restaurants like this. With bicycle menu cards.

And little apartments like this. With perfectly angled plants.

(I can only imagine that the inside is an ACTUAL West Elm display.)

Campo de’ Fiore, an open air marketplace, is interesting to wander through, even if you don’t actually buy anything. I, for one, really appreciate stacked jars of things.

So satisfying. If the tags were all turned perfectly, I think the tiny little Type A personality that lives somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain might actually die of happiness.

And y’all, there are some amazing fruits and veggies. These blood oranges are ON FLEEK. Just try to tell me those aren’t the most delicious looking things you’ve ever seen.

Actually, if you told me that, you would be lying. So don’t.

We mostly just let the Campo de’ Fiore marketplace be a feast for our eyeballs, and did our real shopping at the nearby grocery store with the locals.

I was very entertained by the rolling basket thing. No carts here! There is not even close to enough room in the aisles for that. (I think Europeans might actually faint if they ever walked into an HEB, much less an HEB Plus.)

However, the thing that made us gape open-eyed and slack-jawed was the deli. Here’s a section of it.

Sooo many meats and cheeses and olives and …. other stuff that we had to use Google Translate to figure out.

But on our walk home, we found a different store that made us feel right at home!

I’m sorry, but whoever thought of this is a genius. It’s the perfect oasis for homesick Americans (with a sweet tooth) who miss all the mass-produced, brightly packaged, artificially flavored goodies from back home.

I’m not going to lie… We pretty seriously considered buying a can of Dr Pepper. And if we see a store like this later in our trip, I’m not sure we will be able to resist the urge.

Some of the things seemed so random to me though! Applesauce. Aunt Jemima pancake mix. Popcorn. Barbeque sauce. More than 8 different kinds of M&M’s! (But they didn’t have any Wheat Thins, which are the crack cocaine of American snacks. Come on, American Mini Market. Get it together.)

This store also made me curious about what other people’s “must-have” American snacks are. What would you want to buy from this store? And more importantly, what’s missing? I’m sure they would totally appreciate a list of recommendations from our American readers! 😉