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Italy: Day One, Part One ~ Arrival and Trevi Fountain

A special edit to start this blog entry. Today is my 48th birthday. I am the happiest I’ve ever been in my life and more in love with Curtis than ever. The kids are happy and healthy. My mom is about to visit her sister in Pennsylvania, and my mother-in-law is coming to visit in a few weeks. Two days ago, Marco died. He was the boy I dated my senior year of high school and leaves behind a beautiful and cherished wife, two incredible young children, and his mom. Please keep them in your prayers. He battled Stage IV colon cancer for nearly two years. His blog, So This is Parenting, started as a way to document his young family but turned into a weekly chronicle about his journey. He published a book about his first year battling the disease and it is available on Amazon: 265 Likes for A Fart. Proceeds go to the Martinez Family Cancer Foundation. I was hoping to see Marco tomorrow for the book signing he had planned in Austin and I wanted to share our Italy pictures with him because he and Nita honeymooned there. Though I didn’t get to say goodbye, I did get to write a note letting him know how much he inspired me these last two years. I don’t take my time with my family for granted. Please everyone, love each other. That’s what this life is all about.

Now onto vacation pictures!

Going to Italy to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary has been on our bucket list for ten years and we started planning and saving for this trip five years ago. Even up until a few days before the trip, we didn’t really believe that we would get to actually go. Something usually happens that interferes with plans… a sick kid, a crisis… you know the drill. We left San Antonio on Monday, July 17th, at 11:50 a.m. We were like giddy teenagers when we left. We had enough time at the airport to order food before our flight and we had a margarita with lunch! We changed planes in Dallas and had another margarita at the Gas Monkey in the DFW airport. Day drinking is fun! The flight itself was almost 11 hours and I did try to sleep as much as I could but Curtis didn’t sleep at all. I did get quite uncomfortable mid-way through because my knees were hurting (see the last photo of next week’s post) because I had taken a bad fall a few days earlier. We arrived in Rome on Tuesday, July 18th, at 7:30 a.m. Customs took no time at all and before we knew it, we were at baggage claim.

NOTE: For this trip, I shot with my Nikon D750 and Sigma 20mm f/1.4 ART lens most of the time. I also took some cell phone shots and video with my iPhone 6S+. Curtis shot with my old Nikon D700 with a Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 (in manual mode to boot!). His cell phone is a Samsung Galaxy 6. I want to show both sets of our images, so I will include his images in chronological order with mine, noting which camera was used below each image.

Rome Airport Baggage Claim

Because I’ve been parenting for 25 years now, I don’t travel much. Especially since Anna’s issues makes crowds very difficult, we tend to stay home a lot. Stepping off the plane in Rome, I was enchanted right off the bat. I love seeing the signs in Italian and wanted to capture a little of the airport before we went to our hotel. Look at those exotic locations on the arrival board! (Beirut, Cairo, Algiers, and Tirana.)

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.2 | 1/200 | ISO 1000

Where’s the Taxi?

Now that we had our luggage, it was time to find a taxi. We rounded the corner to the exit and it was loud, crowded, and a little chaotic. A man approached us wearing a badge and asked in a heavy accent if we were wanting a taxi. Curtis tried to ignore him but he was persistent. We stopped when the man said he worked for the airport and wanted to help us find our way. He ended up being a gypsy taxi driver (which are illegal in Rome but we didn’t know that). We waited for our driver not knowing we would be in a van with two other families. Once we figured it out, (again we didn’t yet know it was illegal) we figured what the heck… it was a good start to our adventure!

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.2 | 1/200 | ISO 1000

In the Taxi

We were seated in the middle row of the van and we were the only Americans. I did have a fleeting thought that maybe we would be kidnapped but I didn’t feel in danger at all. There were hundreds of these black vans at the airport ferrying people places so I figured we were fine. Once we got into Rome though, oy!!! The traffic and driving got more chaotic and erratic. Lanes are only a suggestion and horns are beeped pretty much constantly. This part that I videoed was pretty tame. I wish I had a video of our mad dash to the train station on the following Monday but more on that later…

In the Taxi
iPhone 6S+
Hotel Reception

For the first leg of our trip, we stayed at the Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora. First impression was that it was a small, but lovely hotel with some beautiful details. The staff was nice, but not overly friendly. Later in the week, we visited with the concierge and I was not impressed at all with their helpfulness.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/2.8 | 1/200 | ISO 1000

Hotel Lobby

The lobby was inviting but no one was just sitting around like they do in other hotels.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/2.8 | 1/200 | ISO 1000

And Curtis’s shot of the lobby from the other side… pretty, right?

Nikon D700 | 24mm | f/5 | 1/100 | ISO 4000

Presidential Suite

Curtis and I literally gasped when we walked into our room. I knew we were getting a nice room but this was a total surprise. My honey had arranged for the presidential suite!

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/4 | 1/200 | ISO 1000

Yay for Marriott Points

Curtis travels a lot for work. A LOT. And he always stays at Marriott properties. With each stay, he earns points and when asked if he wants a drink voucher or 500 points, he always chooses the points. Well when it came time to book our hotel for Rome, he had over half a million Marriott points banked. So he got us upgraded to the Presidential Suite. Cost plus points was comparable to a stay at any regular hotel. Wowza.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/4 | 1/200 | ISO 1000

First Bidet

I had never seen nor tried a bidet before this trip to Italy… and… I tried it and I liked it! Very refreshing, albeit a bit awkward with bum knees.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.2 | 1/200 | ISO 640

Grand Bedroom

This suite was huge. By far the biggest space we’ve ever stayed in. In addition to the large oval-shaped living room, we had two bathrooms, a long hall, a separate walk-in closet, and a large bedroom. It really was grand!

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.2 | 1/200 | ISO 640

Anniversary Gift

We were surprised to receive this enormous platter of fresh fruit, a bottle of Prosecco, and a box of chocolates from the hotel. We are traveling in style now, baby!

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.2 | 1/250 | ISO 800

Hotel Room Tour

I wanted to show mom and the kids what the room really looked like… sometimes photos don’t do it justice yknow? Unfortunately my battery died before I got to the bathroom but you get a sense of how gorgeous the space is. I loved that the windows opened!!!

Hotel Room Tour
iPhone 6S+

This is one of Curtis’s shots of the window looking out of our bedroom.

Nikon D700 | 34mm | f/11 | 1/800 | ISO 4000

Room With a View

It’s hard to describe what it’s like to see ancient ruins right outside of your window. The Aurelian Walls run throughout the entire city of Rome and were built in the third century. This is looking out of the center window in the living room.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/640 | ISO 125

Bedroom View

This was the view looking out of our bedroom window to the right.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/400 | ISO 100

Look Where We Are!!!

I mean, seriously… look where we are. Wow. This is looking out of our bedroom window to the left.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/400 | ISO 100

Hotel Stairwell 1

The hotel had two stairwells that enchanted me as a photographer. This one was so perfectly symmetrical that I couldn’t resist taking a photo.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/2.2 | 1/160 | ISO 1250

And neither could Curtis! This is a different stairwell but it’s still amazing how similarly we set up our shots.

Nikon D700 | 24mm | f/5 | 1/100 | ISO 4000

Hotel Stairwell 2

There is something very satisfying about viewing this image. It just makes me happy. Reminds me of M.C. Escher.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/2.2 | 1/250 | ISO 2500

Hotel Vestibule

After getting unpacked, changed, and freshened up, we were ready for some brunch and exploring. Just leaving the lobby takes us outside to the vestibule where cars can unload. Looking to the right we see the Aurelian Wall again.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/250 | ISO 800

First Steps Outside

We haven’t studied the map yet, but looking to our left we see shops and restaurants so that’s where we start walking. One of the first things I noticed is how sharply dressed the Romans are. The men are in tailored, fitted suits with very nice shoes. The women are equally fashionable. No one is overweight and we saw very few families. That part reminded me of Paris.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.5 | 1/250 | ISO 400

Il Fiammifero Strano

After wandering around for about twenty minutes, we decide to stop for coffee and a croissant at this little outdoor cafe, Il Fiammifero Strano. The waiter was super friendly and the food was delicious. There was a family with two small children seated next to us and the kids were so well behaved. The mom had a hat (you can just see it on the table to the far right) that I fell in love with but it would be Saturday before I bought my own.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.5 | 1/250 | ISO 400

First Brunch Selfie

I vowed to take more selfies on this trip since there are so few photos of me and Curtis together. I don’t even care that the quality isn’t great… we were so happy. Hi everybody!

Italy travel street photographer

iPhone 6S+

First Destination

While sitting at brunch, we looked at the map and picked a place that was walking distance to go check out. We knew nothing about the Fontana di Trevi but thought it would be as good a destination as anything else. Little did we know that it was a hot hot hot tourist destination!

Italy travel street photographer

iPhone 6S+

Walking in Rome

Off we set for our first adventure. Several things stood out as we made our way through the streets of Rome… everything is so old. You can feel the history under your feet and can imagine men and women walking these streets in their togas over two thousand years ago. Another thing I noticed was that there weren’t as many Americans as I expected. There were TONS of scooters and motorbikes. It’s a very steep city, lots of ups and downs. And it was blazing hot.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/13 | 1/500 | ISO 400

Through the Archway

Much like our short stint in Paris, as we walked, we explored side streets and interesting courtyards. This courtyard was so pretty we couldn’t resist taking a peek. Curtis’s color scheme blends nicely with the building’s.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.2 | 1/320 | ISO 400

The Shutters are Open

Once inside the courtyard, I looked up and studied the building. It was high noon, hot as all get out, and most of the shutters are open. There isn’t central air conditioning in most of the buildings in Rome. This would become a definitive decision point as we searched for restaurants.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/9 | 1/320 | ISO 400

Setting Up for Lunch

We are close to Trevi Fountain and see this young woman setting up the outside cafe for lunch. Note the giant fans… did I mention it was hot? Even though this looks like a pedestrian only thoroughfare, cars squeezed through tiny spaces narrowly avoiding tourists.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/9 | 1/320 | ISO 400

First Look

Wow. You round a corner and POW! There is this beautiful fountain with throngs of people in front of it. This fountain was built in the 1700s in the Baroque fashion and is mostly made of travertine.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/9 | 1/320 | ISO 50

Trevi Fountain

Here it is. Trevi Fountain is beautiful. There were too many people for me to make my way down to the water, but seeing it was amazing.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/320 | ISO 50

This is a panorama that Curtis made with his phone to capture the crowd and the fountain.

Samsung Galaxy 6

Chiesa Rettoria Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi

Turning my back to the fountain to the left is this beautiful church. There are many, many beautiful churches on nearly every street. This church is called Chiesa Rettoria Santi Vincenzo e Anastastio and was built in the mid-1600s. There are 25 preserved and embalmed hearts of 25 popes on the premises. I love that there were birds flying overhead when I snapped this.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/320 | ISO 50

Crazy Crowd

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I get overwhelmed pretty quickly in crowds. There were so many tourists packed in so tightly, that I got jostled several times. I was also tired and hot so we decided to not stay in this area much longer. This perspective is still with my back to Trevi Fountain but looking to the right. I inadvertently captured this boy posing for a shot in front of the fountain.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/320 | ISO 50

Trevi Fountain Selfie

Obligatory selfie in front of Trevi Fountain. The light was so harsh that converting to black and white was the only way to save it.

Italy travel street photographer

iPhone 6S+

Crowding the Fountain

As we were leaving around the other side, I stopped to get another shot of the crowd. It was pretty amazing to see so many people in such a small space.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/320 | ISO 50

So.Many.People!

I couldn’t decide which shot showed the crowd best, so I’m sharing both. Trevi Fountain is a must-see if you visit Rome, but I would recommend doing it at night (I’ve seen photos and it’s beautifully lit at night!) when it’s cooler and maybe not so crowded.

Italy travel street photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/7.1 | 1/320 | ISO 50

Curtis got a shot of me with his cell phone before we left. Hello random other guy in the background. You can see how bright the sun was.

Galaxy 6

Since this post has close to 40 images, I’ve split our first day into two posts. “Day One, Part Two ~ Piazza Navona” coming soon with even more photos! Thanks for looking.

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