Leaving Rome, Italy

We collected our things, got to our faithful Fiat, made it to the Aeroporto (only getting a little lost on the way), and checked in (very high security, including four passport checks, and attentive, but bored looking men and women with semi-automatic weapons in hand). We spent some lira on cappellini and food souvenirs, and hopped on the plane for a nine-plus hour flight.

A few of the interesting things we saw or did but didn't get down so far. It was such a wonderful (and tiring) trip, we don't want to miss recording anything:

• Italians eat a light breakfast (cappuccino, cafe, and brioche), and a late dinner. In restaurants, people never eat before 7:30, and the big rush seemed to be about 9 pm, though not much after 10 pm. They also start the day later, nothing opens until 8:00-8:30 am. We like this.
• Driving in another country is not so hard once you figure out the unwritten rules drivers use with each other. No one wants to hit you. Until then, go slower and observe their auto culture.
• The autostrada between Rome and Florence was the toughest drive with big trucks and fast German cars. An Audi behind us almost ran us over.
• A little wine with every dinner is a nice thing.
• Eating your salad after dinner makes sense.
• Showers were different in every hotel. Many did not have curtains, but were just a spout out of the wall with a drain on the floor. We were told by the fellow at the agriturismo that this was done for aesthetics. We like curtains, they make much less mess. We also like seats on the toilets.
• If you see something really neat that you'd like to do, do it. And don't worry about missing something later. We thought about taking the boat to Capri when in Naples, and seeing the Blue Grotto, but we worried about having enough time later in Florence. However, we only needed one night in Florence, and we were adrift a day or so afterwards. Do things when you see them.
• Life is full of ironies. Basilicas at Assisi, money-changers at the Vatican.
• A totally unstructured trip is fun, but you spend a lot of time looking for places to stay. However, Costa Rica was too planned. A mix would be nice. Perhaps a slightly less hectic pace? Then again, maybe not.
• Bigger is not always better, but sometimes it is. We really enjoyed Vinci, but did not like Florence. We thought we only liked the smaller sights and countryside, but Rome was so amazing with an ancient building, monument, fountain, painting, obelisk, standing there unexpectedly at every turn, it could not be missed.