The Inspiration Eiffel Tower

After settling into our rented art studio apartment, Gabe and I head towards the Eiffel Tower. We know we are getting closer by the density of black market small Eiffel Towers being sold on the street. We walk underneath, quickly decide that waiting in line to get to the top is unnecessary and continue on to the grassy area in front. To our left we see someone attempting to stand on their head and to our right we find a couple with one on the other’s shoulders. After sitting down, we find two people attempting the superman pose, which consists of one person lying on their back with their feet up and another person balancing with their stomach on those feet. There are cartwheels happening, there is someone practicing bartending tricks with bottles and mixers, and there are the groups of people jumping up and down in unison. Of course, all of this doesn’t even include the people who look as though they are leaning against an imaginary wall or stepping on an imaginary stone or pressing down on an imaginary pole or climbing an imaginary mountain. From the circus in front of the Eiffel Tower, the only explanation that Gabe and I can provide is the tower must be inspiring acrobatics and that it must rank near the top of all monuments or landmarks in the creative photography category.

Gabe and I in front of the tower

(The man we gave our camera to indicated that we should do something mas cool.  We weren’t sure what was happening and responded by holding out our arms as pictured above.)

Italian Home Cooking

One down side of being on the go all the time is that having home-cooked meals become the exception rather than the rule. My time in Rome staying at Gabe’s apartment, however, fit into this exception very nicely. The first night began with a T-bone steak covered in pistaccio brandy cream sauce. The next morning followed up with a both delicious and attractive omelette completed with gianciale (a special kind of bacon). And finally, for the second dinner Gabe whipped up some amatriciana (fancy pasta) and his roommate Nikki made a great polenta pizza with goat cheese and veggies.

Oasis di Ninfa

After a very efficient sleep between 8am and 12pm, Gabe and I put our faces on just in time to get picked up by his boss for a small going-away party. Gabe doesn’t know what to expect so we dress smartly and are prepared for anything. I meet some of Gabe’s co-workers as we ride in a small Fiat to our lunch destination. The restaurant (which looks familiar because I had seen it next to the definition of whole-in-the-wall in the dictionary) is the perfect introduction to authentic and rich Italian food. After lunch, we drive about an hour and a half outside of Rome. As we pass monuments, buildings, or other seemingly unimportant landmarks, Gabe’s boss points them out and explains their remarkable historical significance. The farther outside of the city we get, the more the landscape gets drier and less exotic. The land almost begins to remind me of the chaparral terrain so readily available in California. Eventually we pull into a driveway. Based on the entrance, I feel it might be a zoo or some other rustic tourist destination. The first sign we see as I approach is one selling different types of ice cream. Gabe and I are still very unsure of what to expect.

Oasis di Ninfa

We walk through the gates, step into Santa Maria Maggiore, the main church of a past village and a building that was probably built in the 10th century. Chaparral turns to oasis almost instantaneously. Flowers and plants from around the world surround ruins of this village that at one time was a passing grounds between Italian cities. The geography produces a microclimate that means all these plants grow, grow quickly, and without much assistance. There are streams running through the grounds that are so clear we stick our heads underneath and take a sip of water. The flowers are vibrant, the ruins are awe-inspiring, and the company is fun and entertaining.

I have forgotten to mention that Gabe’s boss organized this excursion on a day that the Oasis di Ninfa is not open. Therefore, we have the grounds to ourselves. In a garden that the New York Times has named the most beautiful in the world, we spend an entire afternoon drinking its stream water, running through its flowers, and learning about its historical ruins.

Only contributing to the surreal experience of the day, in the evening, many of Gabe’s friends celebrate a birthday as well as his going away, and at the end of the night we end up outside The Sistine Chapel, Petersdom, and Basilica di San Pedro. One great full day in Rome!