Italia - Day Four

Last night after I wrote, I went to Termini to get our tickets for Florence. It was a relaxing little walk to and from the ‘stazione’ and I stopped to pick up postcards on the way back. The trip was much cheaper than we expected and the man told me that it would be 2 hours there, 2 hours back. (you’ll find out that I was obviously lied to). Michele and I went around the corner from our hotel to Ristorante Cotto, a VERY urban contemporary Italian place that seemed very American/Italian in looks but the food was delicious. We sat for 3 hours talking, I had mozzarella/tomato/arugula pizza and Michele had a scrawny chicken with rosemary potatoes, a bottle of white house wine (vino de bianco) and tiramisu for dessert. I was getting a picture in the restaurant and the waiter came up and decided to be in it with me. That seems to happen a lot! All in all, it was a wonderful evening.

Written at 10:30am:
Michele and I have been here for four full days and it feels as if it’s been a few weeks. I woke up at 7am after 5 hours of sleep and ran through the streets of Rome for about 20 minutes. My lungs and legs seem to be getting better acclimated to running again and the cool air helped. It rained last night and some of the clouds were left over. Now we are on our way to Firenze (Florence) for the day. It’s much colder today than it has been – a welcomed relief. The train ride has seemed a bit frustrating to me so far but it’s probably because I’m missing my light today. The shininess isn’t with me and probably by my own accord. Frustrated by the child smacking his pizza and kicking his ball into my shins, we moved to a place where a woman scolded me in Italian that they don’t put their feet on the seats.

Written now:
I have been reading a book called Crazy Love – Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan. It’s an incredible book that gives HUGE insight into the love we should have for Him and the love He has for us. I’ll blog more about my findings after my trip but I have to mention that it’s been a part of some growth and learning for me while I’ve been here. I’ve been hungry for that kind of love, a love that I can’t seem to find here on earth because it doesn’t exist. The love of the Creator Himself. Back to that at a later date, my journal is filling to the brim with things I want to share in the near future.

What I was saying earlier about hearing the 2 hours to Firenze was a lie – it ended up being 4 hours and we were in a hurry from our hotel to the train station that we had not eaten any breakfast and were STARVING after 4 hours sitting on a train without anything but water. The first thing we did when we got off the train was head for food. We found an incredible place called Palle D’Oro that didn’t seem to be a touristy place and got ¾ of a liter of vino bianco and Caprese. Wow… Then, the gnocchi’s with meat sauce came. Heaven on a plate. They were little soft pearls of potato pasta in a perfectly seasoned sauce with chunks of beef. We were elated to finally get really homemade, well done pasta in Italy.

After that we started shopping and picked up things for our families, friends and selves. All the little stalls had the same things though… we felt like we were walking in circles since the same bags, leather jackets, cashmere scarves, ties, beads and Italy-wear were in every stall. We found some things we had hoped for but it seemed a bit of a let-down compared to what we expected. We then tried to see David in the museo but the line wasn’t worth waiting for, especially since we were on a time limit. We found the outdoor David along with many other statues of, what looked like, threesomes and strife. We went to the main Cathedral, which was beautiful (and got some ‘holy’ pictures inside), then found the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) with buildings on it and then continued back to our shopping.

By the time we finished shopping, we had to start heading back toward the train and stopped into a little market for water, some cheese, prosciutto, and strawberries (fragola) for the ride back to Roma. The 4-hour ride back was uneventful although I wrote a ton about what I had been reading about being in love with God and not being a lukewarm Christian. The things I am seeing with my open eyes… I am so blessed.

The next two days will be spent at the Coliseum, going to a charismatic church in Rome (I know, I have a hard time believing there is one), doing the Vatican tour and picking up my new glasses. I’ve realized that since we’ve been here, we’ve had helpful people every step of the way. Everyone has been extremely accommodating, easy to speak with, and willing to lend a helping hand. Even after feeling crappy the other day, a drunken Spaniard lifted my spirits and made me laugh. I know that these people are not getting anything from us for their time and effort but I hope they feel as blessed as I do. Hopefully my light will continue to get brighter.

In my Real Simple magazine, I read a quote that I’ll share with you: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton. I want to be a candle of light and if I can’t, I want to reflect God’s love from that. This trip is showing me how to slow down, take inventory of the things I have been blessed with and figure out how to use those things to bless others with. I look forward to finding a way to be that blessing.

Ciao!