Wednesday wanderings

We were awake around six again. I listened to the waves as I wrote a post. Quiet mornings are so perfect to start the day. I can watch the waves crash without leaving our room. The waves were high but no rain. The patio looks out onto the shore making the day look stormy, but if you look above the shower you see what the day is really like. Tim loves the morning jetted tub. Breakfast is the thing that gets us out of the room, usually around 8 am. We went to the Blue Lagoon again, and had the same table with the amazing view.

View from our breakfast table

I went straight to the omelette bar. There are two made to order stations so the wait was not long. She was so good at making our eggs. I then went to get a smoothie. She even had almond milk as a base. There was a saxophone player right by the smoothie bar so it was hard to hear to order. I got some fruit and headed back to the table. Coffee came a few minutes later. It is funny how I do not need coffee in the room before going to breakfast. It tastes so good when I get it. Tim got a bit turned around coming out of the buffet so we laughed about that as we finished our meal. I have always found something I really enjoyed at each meal here.

My first omelette of the trip… perfectly cooked

I wanted to book the Rose Hall haunted tour, so we went to the Jamaica lobby. Our representative was not there. We chatted with the other two that were there. Tim got antsy, we were the awhile, so we left before she returned. It is Jamaica time, we were not sure how long she’d be. We had her number in our paperwork. Wandering the resort for the rest of the morning was perfect. We spent time at the adults only pool just across the path from our room. The wind made the temperature in the sun perfect for me. I spent time reading and chatting. I should have reapplied the sunscreen. Sun wins: Cheryl and Tim are burnt.

We got changed and headed to the jerk hut (pictured in earlier post) for lunch. I love taking the path along the beach no sand but beach experience. There was a line up for food so Tim stood there while I scooped up a couple of chairs. I knit while he made friends in the line up. A table freed up beside us for his friends.

The jerk chicken was as good as I remembered. The jerk sauce was perfect and I had a scoop of kidney beans rice and a roll to temper the heat. The couple from the line chatted with us. The entertainment crew started a noisy competition so we wandered on.

Our Air Canada Representative Merissa wanted a picture by the fountain. Tim missed both fountains

We headed back to the Grand Palladium Jamaica lobby by the travel representatives. Merissa was there. We asked about booking a transfer on our own to Rose Hall and doing the tour. I was waffling on the day to go. Tim made a joke welcome to his world I do not make decisions well that made her laugh. We decided to book tomorrow night hoping traffic will be better than on the weekend. Merissa was so good at coordinating everything. Make sure to use her for your excursion plans. I am excited to see Rose Hall. The haunted tour is supposed to have some actors playing ghosts. Should be fun!

Our next stop was Miss Lou’s for a fancy coffee and carrot cake. It is my first dessert since we got here. Everything looked good but the barista recommended the carrot cake. I sat in to eat the cake but then went to the Infinity Bar terrace to enjoy my coffee. It did was wonderful but I knew it was nap time when it did not help me wake up.

After our nap we got ready for our early dinner, 6:15 pm. We were at the Xaymaica. I was excited for the oxtail. We had salad to start and I got a cold espresso to be sure not to crash. Tim got a pasta. I ordered the fruitcake. It came with vanilla ice cream. A perfect size treat.

We enjoyed the music for a bit but had to head back to the room to put aloe on our burns. The bed looked so good we crashed for the night. I am aging out of late nights down south, but am loving the days.

Travel from PEI Thursday, April 27 & Day 1 Rome Friday, April 28

Tim and I had a leisurely morning cleaning and getting ready to go. We made our way to Moncton and checked our bags. We did not need to go through security for a bit, so we grabbed something to eat at Cafe Archibald. We stopped at a pharmacy and Costco to kill a bit of time. I found a book to read on the trip. I already had two packed but one can never have too many books. Finally, we headed to the hotel to park our car and start this adventure.

Goose in the field by our hotel

Tim parked at the hotel. I could not believe there was a goose on the lawn of all the animals. We got our carry on bags but of course I left my shawl on the backseat so had to go get it. This became a theme, remember Cheryl’s stuff. The taxi took a few minutes to come.

The security process was easy. It helps to have an expert in the family. I had a chat with the guard as we waited for Tim to go through. He trained in Halifax too. It was nice to wait and enjoy the company in Moncton. You know who you are.

The flight from Moncton to Montreal was only an hour and twenty minutes. Enough time for us to figure out the laptop and for me to start the book I got at Costco, ‘Homecoming’ by Kate Morton. We rushed to get to our gate thinking we did not have a ton of time. But we were faster than we thought. I had time to relax on the fancy seats. It was cosy and so nice to stretch out and read about food I was planning to try in Italy. Tim charged the ipad and watched some shows while we waited.

Relaxed in Montreal airport

Our flight to Rome left on time we were at the back of the plane. It was really full I was so glad I had checked my bag. There was a family with a toddler and baby just in front of us. I drank my Starbucks latte on take off. The flight was long. I had the chicken, and Tim had the pasta for supper. I knit a sock, decided I did not like it, ripped it out, and read. I was able to sleep a bit. The baby woke me once but overall those kids were better flyers than me. We had yogurt and a croissant for breakfast. It was so beautiful flying over Europe and Italy in the morning light. The landing was very smooth. We are in Italy. WOW!

We were slow getting off the plane but had no problem getting our bags nor going through customs. Our shuttle had our name on a sign as we left the secure area. It was so easy to have someone show us where to go. We were walked through the maze of cars to our shuttle. The drive to Hotel Romanico Palace was nice. Our driver mentioned that May 1st is a school holiday so there are lots of students in town right now. It was not as long as I expected from the airport to the hotel. I love the umbrella pines in Rome. The landscape is so beautiful, but the Rome is so busy with traffic and so many people.

Spanish steps

Our room would not be ready until 2. It was around 11am. We stored our bags and went walking. First, I wanted to see the flower covered Spanish steps. It was were we first were among the crowds. Tim got some great shots of me in the flowers. There where a number of school groups getting pictures on the steps too. We wandered. Got a bit lost. We stopped and grabbed a smoothie in a piazza. Someone was playing music on the corner. It became our routine, if lost take a break: smoothie, gelato, or spritz all work to calm down and figure out where we are.

Eventually, we found Trevi Fountain. It was surreal to actually be there. But, I was getting so warm. I should not have left the bamboo tights on from the flight. I was feeling ill as we entered the busy ‘Piazza di Trevi‘. There was a little gelato and treat spot on the corner, Bar Gelateria, where we got sweet treats so I could run to the washroom. In Italy, you either pay for a washroom or stop and buy something at a cafe to use the facilities. I had wanted to try the sweet bread filled with cream, “Maritozzi” (I think) and of course an espresso. It was so beautiful and relaxing. Tim got a great video here but I just needed to sit and cool off a bit. You can see above my head Aperol for the spritz. I did not find the drink until Florence.

It was getting close to 2 pm so we went back to check in. Let’s be honest we got lost then found ourselves again before we checked in. We both crashed. I fell asleep before I could do anything else. Tim unpacked a bit but then crashed too. after a good sleep we showered and got ready to head out again. I really wanted to explore on our own while we had time. I also wanted to get on to Italian time as soon as possible.

This time we were planning to go for dinner but another walk first. Took a picture in front of the Fontana del Triton and passed so many galleries, fountains, and churches… so many. I took pictures, so many pictures. We got lost again but had nowhere to be so it was no problem.

Fontaine del Triton

Random building we walked by. I liked the carving at the top.

We stoped at two different places to eat but both were busy and loud so we left. Then we saw a gelato spot. We are on vacation so gelato for supper. I got the traditional pistachio and hazelnut mix, but added a dash of cream with egg to taste. I loved them all. Tim got the large cone, so 5 flavors: after eight, cream and egg, dark chocolate, lemon and one other that I forget. Of course as we were walking with our gelato, we saw two nicer spots for supper on a quieter street. Instead we went to the Spanish steps for sunset. It was so beautiful. The pictures did not capture it.

Tomorrow the Borghese Gallery and we meet with our tour guide and group. Our tour guide had her birthday a day before Tim this year. I am looking forward to meeting her.