A Few Things About Rome

Like any place there are some good and some not so good things here. To me, Rome is both fascinating and frustrating. It's a complex, scruffy yet stunningly beautiful city. I don't love it, but Rome and I are developing a very meaningful relationship.

Lunch from a little visit to the market.

Shopping in markets is a joy. For example when buying meat yesterday I found the butcher to be really helpful, we had a long chat about how he should cut the beef for me, and how I should cook it. The fruit and veges are so fresh and cheap, and you can get great bread and cheeses too. Our daughter and her husband stay loyal to a particular vendor for each type of food - so we aren't supposed to shop around, for example, for the cheapest mortadella. The stall holders all talk to each other too, so it pays to stick to the plan. Competition for the veges must be fierce as I noticed about six different stalls within their small local market.

Some of the older ladies take ages to buy stuff; yet no-one seems to rush them. They talk about each item, then check their list, then chat about something, then buy the next thing. It took us ages to get some bread this morning as we ended up behind two nonnas!

Trying to get official things done is a nightmare. It is hard to understand the unwritten rules here, when to wait, or when to push forward. And the office hours are all over the place. Inexplicably closed on certain weekdays, or only dealing with one particular type of enquiry in morning sessions. Usually you can't ring and make an appointment either - you just have to take your chances and be prepared to wait, often for a long time.

A line-up for the protest

People watching is great fun. We had to get off the tram one day because there was a big political protest going on outside a government building. Thousands of people lined the steps, some wearing red caps and holding placards. We watched the carabinieri arriving in vans and lining up with their shields. The protesters mingled in big groups, chatting amicably and trying on each other's hats or talking on their mobiles. It all seemed rather pleasant, except for a bit of booing and hissing at one stage when an official went through.

Where our daughter lives

For us the best thing about visiting Rome is seeing where our daughter and her family live - an apartment in a good residential suburb on a hill called Monteverde, only about 20 minutes walk into the centre of Rome.

The best cafes ever

They have at least two great nearby cafes where we pop in for our morning cappuchinos (only 1 euro, who said Rome was expensive?) This morning we tried some pastries with a sort of light lemon cream in them and a ricotta and dark chocolate tart. Delicious.

Nice building, no tagging

We love going into the city and just wandering around and looking at the buildings and the people. We found a whole street selling church vestments the other day, and then we went and sat in the Pantheon one more time and marveled about the biggest dome in Rome.

But sometimes the tagging is awful, not clever at all, and we can't help but notice the rubbish and doggy dos left in the streets. But then we come across a sparkling little shop selling antiques or paintings or well designed shoes and we start to love it all again.

Lizzie

London

I reckon I've acclimatised already. Only 5 layers of clothing under my coat now, not 7 - and I've stopped sniggering at place names like 'Cockfosters' and signs that say 'Hump for 50 yards' (although I'm still a bit puzzled about that).

Cold, but not freezing

When I pay for things I no longer keep the shopkeeper waiting while I puzzle my way through the unfamiliar coins and pale coloured bank notes that all look the same. Why do they have a 10p that is twice the size of the 20p, I wonder?

Last night we visited friends in Surbiton and, after a great catch-up and Indian takeaways for dinner, we managed to make our way back very late at night on a train then a tube then a bus. I always keep my Oyster card close to my heart, it's very reassuring.

I'm loving the crowds, the diversity and all the little independent shops and markets around Islington. I even enjoy wandering around Waitrose and exclaiming about all the pre-cooked meals on offer. The Christmas windows are amazing too.

John Lewis windows - bear made from luggage

Animals made from appliances

We got a real Christmas tree the other day and lugged it back to the flat, then bought some lights and decorations from one of those funny little cheap-everything shops (but managed to resist the pine-scent spray they offered). Christmas certainly seems to fit better in a Winter context.

Visiting shiny, happy people

Tonight I'm off to the local pub, Hops and Glory, for dinner with my daughter. They have board games apparently, and it's always nice and warm in pubs. Could it get any better than this?!

Lizzie

Plane Failing - 10 Reasons it Didn't Go to Plan!

So, if you read my blog about Plane Sailing strategies, please feel free to ignore it.

Here's what really happened:
1. We were stuffed by the time we got on the plane
2. I had a big glass of Pinot Noir
3. I sat in front of a ridiculously tall man whose feet reached through to my foot space, AND flopped about when he slept
4. We both fell asleep on the first flight to Hong Kong
5. Then on the second flight to London I had to wake Mario up for his sleeping pill, he was a bit grumpy about that
6. The movie selection wasn't great. I couldn't be bothered with Heat and Mario blamed Southern Edge for sending him off to sleep
7. I couldn't get past the sleeping giant (basketball player) easily to go for walks
8. We had ordered special healthy meals, low salt and fat, and wished we hadn't
9. The half sleeping pill didn't do it for me on the second flight, so I played computer games right up until the last hour and fell asleep at the worst possible time
10. Someone's bag came crashing out of the overhead locker and frightened the hell out of me just as we landed

However, we zoomed through customs at Heathrow with just our carry-on and had an easy trip on the train and bus all the way to Islington. London at last - hello old friend.

Lizzie

Kindle Linked

Funny word 'kindle'. I wonder how they decided on it. If this was BOGGLE I'd have come up with: lid, kin, lie, din, like, dine, kind, linked...

I got it last year for Christmas. So, one year on, it's been a gradual appreciation sort of thing. For some reason I took a while to start using it and loading books from Amazon. I started cheap and got some free ones. Noticed a few typos and that put me right off.

Then I bought some from the popular lists. Really enjoyed 'Labor Day' by Joyce Maynard and 'When I Found You' by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Now I'm choosing for myself, only spending a few dollars per book, and loving it! 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn was so good I've bought 'Dark Places' for another dose of tension and cleverness.

So it seems right that Kindle is an anagram of the word 'linked' - because its linked me to the reading world again. I have fresh enthusiasm - especially as it fits so neatly in my travel bag, is light to hold, easy to read at whatever font size I fancy, perfect for lefties like me, and keeps all the books I've read safe for ever.

Lizzie

Plane Sailing hopefully, with Cathay Pacific

Soon we are off again on one of those long two-flight trips from Auckland to London.

When it comes to booking flights I like those 'compare the fare' type sites. First I sort them in order of total trip time. There's nothing worse than a stopover that is between 4 and 12 hours long. Its a limbo sort of period where its not worth exploring or taking a nap, but its too long to just transition smoothly through the stopover. Next I look at price - if I can afford it, and its under 30 hours in total, I then check the travel departure and arrival times. For my body clock its better to leave late at night and arrive early morning at the final destination. The actual plane and airport time is a challenge for me, but I've developed a few coping mechanisms which might be helpful for others:

Mario - travelling light, carry-on only

1. I try not to be too frazzled before the trip begins by getting some early nights beforehand.
2. I travel light, carry-on only. This takes the stress out of mucking about with luggage (checking it on, lugging it around, reclaiming it, having it searched, losing it). Its amazing what you can fit into the 7 kilo carry on limit. Very liberating, and it cuts down airport time on arrival too.
3. Once I've boarded I avoid getting into deep and meaningful conversations with the person next to me.
4. Instead I create my own little mindful world - just one thing at a time. For example I might listen to my i-pod for a couple of songs. Then, when the meal comes, I eat slowly. After that I watch a movie. I take walks now and then, when the flight attendants aren't busy in the aisles. I do some stretching in the stand up area. I keep drinking lots of water. I read a few chapters on my Kindle, then I play an in-flight game. I don't keep checking the time or the flight progress.This stuff runs and reruns slowly until the first flight is over. I don't try to sleep; I just keep going through the sequence.
5. At the stopover I get really active, drink lots of water, and walk as fast as I can around the airport. Once I'm back on the plane I take a half sleeping pill, put on the eye covers, and sleep through most of the second big flight, usually waking up in time for breakfast before we land.
6. Once I land I try to get into some daylight as soon as possible, so my body can register what time I'm in. I try and stay awake most of the first day, then get an early night.
7. Finally, the noise cancelling headphones are a real bonus. We share a pair, so I add some periods of time with them into my first flight when I get my turn.

I'm sure many frequent flyers have their own patterns and methods - I'd love to hear them. Mostly this approach works for me; I've never really had jet lag and I've done heaps of flying. So, this time its going to be Cathay Pacific, via Hong Kong - I'll let you know how it goes...

Lizzie