Pearson, Schiphol, Fiumicino, Termini Roma, Taxi

So for day one it was truly planes, trains and automobiles! Schipol was very Dutch - upfront, clean, direct, huge open windows onto the planes taxiing to and fro - watched our Alitalia flight come to get us.  Loved the moving sidewalks to get us from terminal to terminal. Knobbish American guy whinging on and on on his phone about sailing. The character of Italia came out already in the flight attendants --so different from the crisp and efficient Dutch ladies, the two gorgeous male attendants swooped by to give us the mandatory drink and cookies singing 'salt or sweet' and gssiping to each other the whole time then we never saw them again.  Those guys had better things to do! Too funny.

Do our two experiences truly reflect the different cultures? We'll see. A wait for our bags rewarded us with the first offerings off the plane then we got our train tickets and headed to Termini Stazione a Roma. Boarding the traizn was like man on man combat! Wow it is tropical here.  It was hot, sultry with many palm trees and huge palmetto grasses.

Grabbed the treno alla Termini Stazione a Roma, then the taxi ride of our lives...again, gorgeous driver, chatting to his buddy (yes, another cabby in another car) whilst careening around vespas, pedestrians, cabs and buses to plunk us off at our corner.  Our street (Arco della Pace is foot traffic only) Google Earth us - we're at #2, second floor, street side.

After a feet-up we ventured out to dine at Satyricon - lured by the handsome Francesco to a perfect meal of salata misto, pasta, vino rosso e caffe.  Primed we hiked about the Piazza Navona soaking up the sights -- each window you peer into has more frescoes, porticosa nd vaulted ceilings than you 've ever seen before -- and all beautiful.  This is truly a gilt-edged city.

Bed by 10;30, wild thunder and rain storm in the night, but we were tucked in safe and sound.  Off to the circus that is Roma.  Ciao belli.  Alla prossisma!
Leslie