When in Rome... :)

Hi everyone! This is Claire.
It's been thirty-six hours since we landed in Rome, and we've already seen and done an incredible amount. When we arrived yesterday, we crashed for most of the afternoon, but took a great walk after dinner, which took us from the Pantheon (an incredibly well-preserved Roman temple-turned-church) to Piazza Navona (a square with an abundance of artists and street performers) to Gelateria della Palma (an unbelievable gelato shop with one hundred flavors!). This morning it was raining--yes, raining, in Rome, in July--but luckily we were taking a car tour of the city, stopping at the Spanish steps and throwing two coins into the Trevi Fountain. One unexpected highlight was a not particularly famous Jesuit church (St. Ignatius) that we stopped at. The ceiling was vaulted, but a masterful painter had painted an optical-illusion fresco that gave the appearance of a much taller ceiling with columns going straight up. In the afternoon, we went on a tour of the Roman forum and the Colosseum. When you picture how these ruins must have looked two thousand years ago, covered in marble that has since been lost, it almost makes you wish you had been born in Roman times.

But enough about what we've seen! Now the important part: what we've eaten.
The most difficult thing about this trip so far has been choosing what flavor of gelato to try. We've been to two different gelaterias so far. One was the aforementioned Gelateria della Palma, with one hundred flavors. We pointed to a few random flavors and ended up with some gelato and quite a bit of mousse. We also found a delicious gelato place right near where we're staying.

We've been to two restaurants for dinner, and we have discovered that in Italy, it is very hard to request tap water. When you ask for water, the waiter brings out a glass bottle and graciously opens it for you. Both of our dinners have been very good. For lunch today, we got some bread, cheese and meat from various small shops, and ate on our own private rooftop terrace, which you can access from our apartment via a very, very steep staircase. Not for those afraid of heights.

Our apartment doesn't have wi-fi, so we'll post again when we find another connected cafe.