Italy Day 3 - Rome

Wishing Fountain – An early morning in Rome

Good morning, wow, it's early again. But this time I chose it myself. I could have slept in, but oh well. I got something stuck in my head again yesterday, and you know me, right? Once it's there, it won't come out.

Because I was at the famous fountain last night and was so annoyed by the people... No, no, I don't hate people, but everyone was just being so selfish. All for that one Instagram photo. It was driving me crazy. So I thought: "What if I go really early? Then there'll be hardly anyone there, and I can at least get a nice photo. Of both the fountain and myself."

Okay, so I left early. It was a quarter past five when I arrived at the fountain. I thought, "Hey, let's go early. Maybe I'll be one of the first." But no, I clearly wasn't the only crazy person with that idea. Luckily, there was still plenty of space to take pictures without people in the background.

Trevifontein

There were couples, solo travelers like me, and even ladies fully dressed up for THE perfect photo. One even had a tripod. She had her phone on a tripod and was filming herself, and I don't know how many times she pressed play and stop. 😂

There was also a woman alone who asked if I wanted to take her picture. I said, "Yes, of course!" Then I asked if she wanted to take one of me too. We helped each other out. And voila, I have my picture at the famous fountain. 😍

We started chatting, and I asked her if she'd made a wish yet. She said no. She didn't have any change, just her bank card. So I gave her a coin and said, "Turn around, close your eyes, and on 3 o'clock we'll toss a coin back together."

She was so happy I gave her this opportunity and thanked me. And me? I made my wish too. And no, I won't say what it was, otherwise it won't come true. But anyone who knows me well can probably guess. 😄

Vatican City & getting lost

Then I went looking for someone to show me the way. There was an Italian guy unloading his cargo, so I asked him. When I approached him, he was already looking at me. With that typical look men give when they see someone interesting. While I was asking him something, he put his hand on my lower back (really, really 😅). He had a soft handshake, by the way, and was very gentle. He barely spoke English, but he did his best to help me. So, I finally ordered an Uber and off to the Vatican.

I arrived. It was very early, so I wandered around. I saw a beautiful square, but unfortunately, there were also homeless people who had all taken their spots for the night. It was a truly sad sight. I wanted so badly to give each of them something, but unfortunately, I didn't have any cash. My heart broke.

So I wandered around a bit more and you could queue up in front of a church, but honestly? I really didn't feel like waiting there for more than an hour, especially not in front of a church. And wow, it was already hot. I started getting hungry and went looking for breakfast. Everything was still closed, of course, because it was so early. I finally found something, but... it didn't open until 8 a.m. So I thought, yeah, I'll just wait, it's not that long anymore. Meanwhile, it was already 8 a.m. and still closed. At a quarter past 8, the manager arrived. 8:30, still closed. I'd had enough. I was really hungry and getting hangry, so I went back to my hostel because I was still really tired. When I arrived at my hostel, there was a breakfast buffet. YES! How amazing was that! At first I thought, "Hey, this isn't going to be my day," but look. My morning had turned out well after all. 😍

After a hearty breakfast and barely any sleep, I crawled back into bed. After such busy/hot days and little sleep, I was truly exhausted. I set an alarm so I could catch up on sleep for at least two hours, but I didn't wake up until the afternoon.😅 I checked my phone to see what time it was, but then I saw a missed call from an Italian number, and... it didn't register until I listened to the voicemail. I had booked a cooking class!! And I'd completely forgotten! 🙃 So I was going to learn how to make pasta. I immediately felt bad/disappointed again. I book a cooking class specifically to learn how to make pasta, and in Italy itself... You couldn't get any closer to the source. 😅

I had a choice between staying disappointed or getting my mindset back. So I chose option 2.

But what in the meantime? My colleague M. had advised me to go shopping in

Rome. So I went out. At first, I found nothing, so I went shop after shop until I ended up in a Guess store. And wow, what luck: pre-sale! And remember when I said I saw a dress in the window while window shopping last night? The dress itself was gone from the window, but it was in the store! And in my size! 😍 I tried it on and fell in love immediately. So GUESS what? I bought it. 😂

The service there was really great, by the way, not like at the average chain stores. Afterward, I did some more shopping, but didn't find anything special. And then I was always hungry again. 😅

I'd already stumbled upon a nice bar/restaurant yesterday, but I went home because it was late and I was really tired. So now was the perfect time to pop in. And what a beautiful place! Wow!

I initially thought I'd be paying through the nose for this, but I didn't. It's not expensive at all.

The menu was also very special. Not like any other menu we're used to. Detox and vitamin drinks, healthy bowls, etc.

I found the service a bit disappointing; they looked like they were thinking, "What's she doing here alone?" Oh well. I ordered a vitamin drink. It was delicious; I'd like to make it myself at home, except for one small detail: I forgot what was in it. 🙃 And I also ordered a small dish. I had no idea what I'd ordered. 😂 The name sounded nice, and I recognized the ingredients, so I thought, "Whoa, that'll be delicious."

Then the waiter brought something I absolutely didn't recognize, and I really hoped it was for someone else... But no, it was for me. 😂 I thought, oh my gosh, what have I ordered now? 😂

It turned out to be a plate of eggplant, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. The sauce: delicious! The eggplant: meh. You have to be there for it. Unique flavor, though. But it was beautifully presented.

After dinner, I quickly got changed. The dress I was wearing kept riding up, and it was driving me crazy.🙄 I still had a good hour left and decided to stroll around the city and visit the Spanish Steps.

Why do I only have a good hour left? Haha, you'll find out soon. 😄

The dress I was wearing made a big difference that day. Tourists started asking me for directions. They even thought I was Italian.😄 I said, "Sorry, I'm a tourist myself."😄

I wandered in and out of the street and ended up in a very chic shopping street. Michael Kors, Chanel… every expensive brand you can think of. One thing struck me? Okay, no, two. 😄

1) I have very expensive taste. So I'll probably just window shop because I don't have that much money.😄 But I saw a really beautiful dress!! 😍 I could already picture how it would look on me. It's true, you only wear a dress like that to a gala or an art gallery or just somewhere where rich people hang out.

When I looked at the price tag, I thought, "Yes, I really can't afford this." 😅 And leaving this hanging in my closet would be a waste.

And the second thing I noticed... Yeah, you guessed it. Men in uniform. Sharp suits. 😏 All dressed in black with a white shirt, and not a single ugly man among them. And on the street, you don't see anything but those flings. Too bad they were so serious. Every time I peeked into the store to see what they were selling, the man was always looking at me. So I gave him a polite hello, but I shouldn't expect them to smile back. I started to feel really uncomfortable, and I didn't dare look inside anymore. 😅

Okay, it was almost time. Off to the Spanish Steps, I'd seen them, but it really wasn't anything special. 😅 But hey, at least I saw them and can check them off my checklist. And now, off to my planned activity!

Weet jij al wat ik ga doen?

• Neen geen flauw idee, met u weet je nooit
• Ja toch wel, ik heb zo een klein vermoeden

On my way to my event, where I was on a street full of restaurants, three waiters in a row approached me, but they were genuinely complimenting me. One of them was especially complimentary about the dress I was wearing. 😄

Okay, so I arrived at my intended location. My first thought was... Is this really here? Am I right? But sure enough, when I asked where it was, he said downstairs in the basement. Sounds nice, doesn't it?😄

So I went down to the basement and it was surprisingly cozy and cool.

A long table, everything laid out: board, flour, rolling pin, egg, knife…

Yes indeed! I booked another cooking class. I just had to do this. 😍

We started with tiramisu, super easy! The lady who taught us was also very sweet. She spoke through a small microphone and showed us how to make it.

And now for the real work I came for: making the pasta! Flour the eggs, knead, roll, fold, cut... Pretty fun, but wow, if you have to do that for several people? It's definitely busy.😅 Because we've been busy for about 40 minutes now, and that's for one person. Can you imagine how much time you need for a whole restaurant?😂

After we finished, our fresh pasta was cooked and served with tomato sauce or pesto. You could specify your preference at the beginning of the class, and you also received a glass of wine (choice of white or red). We sat at a table with the whole group, which had a super cozy atmosphere. And the food? Delicious! Honestly: if you're ever in Italy, book this course! Highly recommended.

After dinner, I went back to my hostel. Tomorrow is a busy day. Right after landing, I have to photograph a wedding. So we're going to bed early. While I was walking, I ran into a waiter who was on his break and eating inside. I greeted him politely with a smile, and when I turned the corner, he ran after me. He asked if I wanted to go for a drink with him after work and started asking me questions. His boss saw him talking to me, so he told me he had to get back to work right away. The man who followed me said to me, "Wait here, I'll be right back." He ran inside and came out with a piece of paper in his hand. He gave me the piece of paper with his phone number on it and asked me to send it to him after his shift. Unfortunately, he was a handsome man, but he seemed a bit too old for me. 😅

Back at the hostel, I was welcomed by the sweet man at the reception. He had a good sense of humor and was very caring. We chatted briefly, and I told him I'd see you later because I had to leave at 2:30 AM. About four hours of sleep.

And finally: my bed. So tired. So hot. So many impressions. But what a day. What a trip. What memories. Even though I'm not a fan of cities/buildings, I really enjoyed this trip.

Sleep tight. 💛