We're Here!

Hello Everyone!!!!! I am alive and well! We are loving Italy with all of our hearts. Our first day in Rome we had a little trouble getting to our hotel, but nothing that took more than an hour to overcome. The jet lag and serious heat was more than we expected. After a nap and delicious lunch in the afternoon we toured the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. Everything was so awe-inspiring. The grandeur, the size, the history. ::swoon:: Inside the Coliseum I managed to set off an alarm after I touched a marble statue of Caliope, but it apparently was just a warning buzzer. We heard and saw them go off many more times for other tourists. On our way home, we stopped at a "cremeria" for really great gelato. My favorite so far is fragala (strawberry). We also like caffe and cinnamon. They even have Nutella gelato. We'll get the guts to try it before we leave.
Yesterday morning we got up bright and early and navigated the Metro like pros to wait in line for almost 3 hours to get into the Vatican. What an experience. All the art and architecture. It's unbelievable that all of it is man-made! We saw the Sistine Chapel, the Dome and even climbed the 320 steps to the top of the Dome. It was amazing view...seeing all of Rome. And of course we saw St. Peter's. "To say it is vast is like saying that God is smart."
We've made lots of friends. Last night we met some Brits who bought us beer at the bar below our b&b. Then we all went to dinner together at a pizzeria. Last night, Italia won their game in the World Cup, and everytime they made a goal you could hear people cheering in their houses. This is because there is no air con, so everyone has their windows open all the time to catch a breeze. After their win, while we and our newly acquired friends went to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, young Italians were rioting in the street over the win. Blow horns, scooter horns, car horns, drums, singing, Italian flags waving everywhere. A little much, but we enjoyed the excitement and even cheered a little ourselves. Lo, Man, and I threw coins in Trevi Fountain together...hopefully we'll get to come back. We loved Rome!!!! Italians are so helpful and nice. The language barrier hasn't been a problem at all.
Some of the differencesç Lots of boys here wear capri pants and trendy European mullets. We love it! Also, LOTS of people drive scooters. There are women who don't shave anything, but not all of them are like that. Romans wear amazing shoes! Don't worry, I didn't buy any. :)
We walk everywhere and Amanda thinks we've walked at least 20 miles in the past 2-3 days. I think she's right.
We're in Perugia now, and it's much different than Rome. Slower paced. Lots of expensive little boutiques. We window shop, and are looking forward to salmon and bellinis for dinner tonight! Love and miss you all!!!! I can't wait to share all of our pictures.