When in Rome...

So, I love my hotel room.  It's a good thing that I have to change hotels tomorrow or else I wouldn't see much of the city.

The breakfast buffet was included for me.  Around the buffet were photos taken from some of Fellini's films.  Considering I had just watched a couple of his films, I thought it was interesting...and a little spooky...like Fellini was following me...

Anyway, if you've read previous posts from my other travels, you'll be happy to learn that the bacon here was very tasty too.  Although the assortment of cheeses had me wishing for my computer to figure out how I was supposed to eat some of them.  I ended up trying to spread some sort of cheese on my fresh baguette thinking it was cream cheese--it wasn't.  I ate it anyway in case anyone was watching so they'd think I meant to put that particular cheese on my bread.

On my way back to my room, I followed signs to the rooftop pool...but I didn't see a pool. Did someone steal the pool?!? Not that I was going to go swimming, I just wanted to check it out. Instead I found a cool reception area that had a great overlook of the Piazza della Repubblica with
Santa Maria degil Angeli e del Martiri across the street.  If I understood the concierge correctly, the ruins beneath the hotel used to connect to that church.  I found a video someone else had made and they had seen the same area I had visited but they also found the pool too.  I'm sure it is around here somewhere...


 

After breakfast, I decided to read for a bit on my large terrace.  It was perfect with the shade in the morning.  (If you don't know me, too much sun does not work for my skin.  I'm kind of like a vampire—not that I drink blood—in that I need to avoid too much contact with sun.)  My terrace was split from the neighboring terrace by a row of tall potted plants--so not super private--but we were the only two on that side of the building with a terrace.  

The neighbors must have enjoyed the evening out there because there were two "Moet" Champaign buckets with empty bottles still in them.  I assumed that meant they’d be sleeping in from the previous night’s revelries. Fine—they get the terrace in the evening; I get it in the morning.  Works for me.

I was enjoying reading on the terrace when the happy couple came out in their hotel robes and decided to eat breakfast out there.  I'm assuming they noticed me at some point because they kept their voices down when they talked to each other between bites.

Wait—I just made a deal with them in my head on when we’d get access to the terrace and they were breaking my plan!

I knew I wouldn't want to be out on the terrace once the shade went away (thanks to my vampire skin) so I decided to wait them out to have the terrace again to myself.  

That's right...a wait off!!!  

Mwah hah hah.

After all, they had the terrace last night, now it was my turn!  (Yes, I can be that petty.)  

And so it began.  I kept reading while they kept eating.

I read.

They ate.

I read.

They ate.

  

Finally they went inside.

Woohoo!  My terrace again.  Triumph!

I breathed in the fresh air of victory on the still cool and shady terrace.

Various church bells rang across the city as if to celebrate my conquest.  Sea gulls gobbled up the remnants of my neighbors’ breakfast as if to signal an end to the couple’s reign.

As the edge of the shade drew nigh, I knew I’d have to go inside soon. 

But then…the couple returned.  Nooooo!

The man was dressed in a suit and the leggy woman only had on a dress shirt--so felt like a stereotype in a movie.  

I had to regain my claim on the morning use of the terrace (especially after sea gulls had been eating their food...yuk!)

I kept reading while they kept making googly-eyes at each other.

I read.

They made googly eyes.

I read.

They made googly eyes.

Finally, they went inside.  Victory!!!  Or in the words of Juliet Cesar – Veni Vedi Vici  - I came, I saw, I conquered.

   I'm currently planning my goals for using the terrace again tomorrow...

In order to ensure that the room service here was up to par, I decided--for the sake of those of you reading this blog, of course--to try it out.  The food was tasty but even more impressive was the room service menu.  In addition to listing the foods available, the recipe was included for each item on its own page.  How cool is that!