the rome blogs: day five

AH FREAKING FINALLY. the last day (well, last full day. the last day i'll dedicate an entire blog to, anyway).

since we had already seen all of rome (okay, not all of it, but everything we wanted to see), we decided to head out to lake bracciano on sunday. lucky for us, it was a clear, sunny day, so it made for a perfect day to get out and enjoy the countryside. gosh, was it gorgeous. you remember how, last time, i said i dont really get/like art? i think it's because i've been raised to appreciate natural beauty. the arnold family likes to go camping a lot, and we've seen tons of breathtaking sights, pristine lakes and vast forests. man made art is nice, but it pales in comparison to the things mother nature put together.

bracciano is a relatively small town and it was a welcome break from big city life. we went to the grocery store to buy some bread/cheese/snacks to eat by the lake. we started walking down the big hill and BAM that's when we saw it. this was no small lake...it was like half the size of tahoe (well, actually, i just wikipediaed that, and it's only about a third of the size...whatever). the view was phenomenal. we walked about a mile downhill and found a nice spot on a dock on the lake. we took our shoes off (except for mal...that rebel) and ate a long, slow lunch. once we were finished, we just sat there, soaking up the warm sun. because we're all santa barbarians, we've missed our sun. sitting on that dock was therapeutic.

after lunch, we walked back up the hill to a huge castle (if you follow celeb gossip, it's the one tomkat got married in). we had to pay to get in, so we decided to pass on that and get gelato instead (duh). this time i got peach+strawberry+pine nut. EFFING DELICIOUS. the way they make their fruit gelatos in italy makes it seem like you're actually eating that fruit...the apple has the texture/taste of a real apple being chewed in your mouth, and the banana taste like the creamy goodness of a banana. mmmmmmmm.

once we got back to rome, we returned to our fave italian restaurant to finish the trip off right (well, first we walked around for an unnecessary 45 minutes before we made a decision...but that made the food taste that much better). i got a pasta with shrimp and some sort of shellfish with its eyes still in tact. looked gross, tasted (expectedly) grand. we ordered a glass of wine, shared first kiss stories (which can get horribly embarrassing, but is SO much fun), and simply enjoyed the long meal. oh, service in italy blows. every meal we had took about two hours. in the usa, you get in and you get out and you get on your way. none of this dilly dallying and "talking" with your friends at dinner. the waiters want to get you out, too, so they can seat another table and get more money. in italy, they don't really care to get your order in a timely manner, or bring out all your plates at once, or even bring you your check till you ask for it. i enjoyed the forced slow meals on vacation, but i'd imagine that it would get tiresome if i lived there.

because our bellies were only halfway happy, we needed to satisfy them fully with another (final) gelato. back to (where else) frigidarium. do i get old favorites? or keep trying new flavors? AH THE CHOICES!! i went for a mix, but mostly safe flavors: raspberry + cinnamon + crema paradisio (which was really just that vanilla with berry sauce stuff mixed in). gelato, i miss you so damn much.

we went back to the hostel for one more wonderful sleep. we woke up early the next morning to catch our flight and went through an awfully slow check in/security (seriously, it was so ineffective that an old guy in front of us yelled at the check in girls). i should've expected a slow airport, though...it was italy. they're not known for their quick customer service, as i found out at meals. but anyway, we made it on the plane and were headed back home, to paris (still weird to call it that). it was such a relief to return to a place where i can speak the language (if poorly) and i know how to get around. i felt so empowered when i returned, and like i really owned the city.

but...i miss italy! the italian people were really nice and talkative. i was chatting with one guy and he was like, "so, where are you from?" i tell him california, and he goes, "ohhh, baywatch!" yeah, that's it. oh, and i love the language...italians always sound enthusiastic when they talk. maybe it's because their language is louder and more pronounced, or because they talk with their hands...either way, i found myself really wanting to speak italian just to join in on the fun convos. overall, i loved rome..yes, a little dirtier than paris, but wonderful all the same. i'd go back if only for the gelato :-)

now i'm off to copenhagen to visit venz! why i'm doing that, i dunno...venz totally sucks. lol jk. this means i probably won't write till i get home on monday, so you wont have any paris updates for a while. oh, except this one...the city is slowly turning into christmas. the stores are getting there snowmen and santa claus figurines in stock and stores are starting to carry christmas chocolates and advent calendars. YESSSSS.