Friday, 11 February, 2011
February 4th was my birthday. I turned 58. I still don't know how the hell that happened. Did the years slip by while my back was turned? I prefer to think the years were a magic carpet ride taking me through a wonderful life.
Who the hell am I kidding? I'm just two years shy of the big 6-0 and I've got the age spots, stiff joints, saggy you know whats, burgeoning moustache and memory loss to prove it!
Aw well, I might as well make the most of my fastly fleeing years. A birthday in Rome surrounded by my nuclear family was just the ticket. (And, speaking of tickets, we chose Rome because Swiss Air was offering $200 return airfare. How could we pass this up?)
We all met in Rome on Thursday the 3rd. Katie had found a website online that dealt with holiday apartment rentals and we found it cheaper to book an apartment than to book two hotel rooms. Besides, the apartment gave us more space including a kitchen in case we wanted to cook. (We didn't.) How did I not notice the part about the apartment being on the fifth floor with no elevator?
We spent three wonderful days together playing tourist and eating great pasta and gelati. (LOTS of gelati!) We discovered that February, although on the chilly side, is a wonderful time of year to go and avoid long lines.
Here is a video clip of my loving family wishing me happy birthday. What really makes it funny is that it was totally spontaneous. Hmmm ... maybe that makes it worse.
The only down side was that I managed to leave my camera in the taxi: thank heavens for iphone cameras! The family may have cut me some slack on the computer if I hadn't left a Bose sound deafening headset on the plane when I flew over to Uncle Lloyd's funeral. Remember what I said about failing memory?
Greg and I had one extra day in Rome and we took in a Chagall exhibit and then just wandered around for the rest of the day.
It was the best birthday ever!
And I'll always remember it because this is what my beloved son-in-law left on the screen of my iphone.
February 4th was my birthday. I turned 58. I still don't know how the hell that happened. Did the years slip by while my back was turned? I prefer to think the years were a magic carpet ride taking me through a wonderful life.
Who the hell am I kidding? I'm just two years shy of the big 6-0 and I've got the age spots, stiff joints, saggy you know whats, burgeoning moustache and memory loss to prove it!
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| Honestly, I don't know what our men were doing! |
We all met in Rome on Thursday the 3rd. Katie had found a website online that dealt with holiday apartment rentals and we found it cheaper to book an apartment than to book two hotel rooms. Besides, the apartment gave us more space including a kitchen in case we wanted to cook. (We didn't.) How did I not notice the part about the apartment being on the fifth floor with no elevator?
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| Seventy-six well worn narrow stairs: Greg counted 'em. |
We spent three wonderful days together playing tourist and eating great pasta and gelati. (LOTS of gelati!) We discovered that February, although on the chilly side, is a wonderful time of year to go and avoid long lines.
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| Colosseum |
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| Statue in Vatican Museum - reminded me of our sorely missed Abby. |
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| Victor Emmanuel Monument: it may be tacky but it makes up for it in size. The thing is HUGE! |
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| One of many famous fountains - check out the pigeons. |
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| Not only did the Romans steal a whole bunch of Obelisks - the Christians then stuck a cross on top! Rome has 13 obelisks, more than any other city in the world and all "liberated" from Egypt. Hey, what's the use of ruling most of the civilized world if you don't do some pillaging here and there? |
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| Pantheon |
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| another pigeon perch. |
The only down side was that I managed to leave my camera in the taxi: thank heavens for iphone cameras! The family may have cut me some slack on the computer if I hadn't left a Bose sound deafening headset on the plane when I flew over to Uncle Lloyd's funeral. Remember what I said about failing memory?
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| I caught this photo while Greg and I were sitting at an outdoor cafe. Many children were dressed in costumes - everything from Minnie Mouse to bunnies - just because. They played happily while their parents visited. |
It was the best birthday ever!
And I'll always remember it because this is what my beloved son-in-law left on the screen of my iphone.
