Over the Top.

Over the top, as in the quickest way to Amsterdam from Seattle is over the top... of the world.
Quick recap for the day so far.
The plane took off 1 hour late due to a "severely ill passenger."  It sounds like she passed out from the heat on the plane?

I passed most of the hours on the plane away playing poker tournaments on the seat's entertainment device.  I turned $1,000 dollars into $27,500,000 in under 6 hours!

Kel snapped a few photos of the North North country.

Our layover in Amsterdam is only 70 minutes.
The pilot went heavy on the throttle and got us here only 5 minutes late with a small issue.  i am about 90% deaf. My ears haven't popped from the descent.  This has never happened before.

Even though, we arrived only 5 minutes late, a long taxi on the tarmac, a trip through customs (yes, they stamped our passport), and then a trip through a very thorough security checkpoint (Everyone had to take out ALL electronics).  This got us to the plane just in time to see another example of a bra under a basketball shirt.  This must be an Italy thing.

KLM was a fun airline and we got to see the Swiss Alps.  As the plane ascended, my hearing returned.

We landed in Rome to find ZERO customs and I am 90% deaf again.  We walked right out of baggage claim, got our Roma Passes and found our driver to take us to Hotel Genio.
The driver and the desk clerk teamed up to change the price of the ride or so I thought, he just wanted a tip for the amount of baggage that we had and I planned on tipping him anyway.  I was armed with quotes from the hotel and Italian phrases to argue with them, but it wasn't needed.

After a healthy nap, we had our first la passeggiata with the locals in Rome (The walk).  We strolled around Piazza Navona where an artist's market was taking place.

I only looked at this guy for about 10 seconds, but I am pretty sure that I figured out the concept.  It did look pretty cool.  The picture doesn't show it well, but he is an arm's length away from the post.

 We have never been in the Pantheon at night, so we decided to stop in, but we were a little late.  It was already closed.  Yes, those huge doors do work.  As usual, there were plenty of vendors selling neon, flying toys, and laser toys.  I wonder if the splat balls are still popular.  They probably sell those during the day.

We... well, Kelly, was pretty hungry and it was getting late, so we found a little restaurant a little ways from the Pantheon to grab a bite. 

 
As always, we ordered the Acqua Panna and the house red.  A bottle of red in a restaurant for €12!  That sounds cheap to me for any restaurant, but it speaks even more loudly in Rome, because Rome is expensive.

 Believe it or not, we didn't order caprese.  It is hard to believe, but the buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto spoke to both of us and we were not disappointed.

Kelly had sliced bistecca with basalmico, so she was in a good place.  I had a lamb chop.  I am saving my steak experience for Greve.

 After dinner is over, that means only one thing... Gelato.  Like I have said before, even Rick Steves recommends a budget just for gelato.  After tasting a few items, we each had our large cup with three scoops.  It was phenomenal.  One hint about gelato in Italy.  If the store is all neon colors and the gelato is more "neon" looking than normal, their gelato probably isn't made locally in the store.

Limone, coconut, and frutti di bosco for Kelly and I imagine that my standby for the trip will be what I had this time... cioccolato, lampone, and frutti di bosco.

 We stopped at a meat shop real quick to pick up some wine for the patio at the hotel (cash only, of course... eye roll).  While I was grabbing a Chianti and a Brunello.  Kelly found some Havana Club 7 Anos and it was the same price as the blanco, for some reason.  This may prove to be a reason to return for the other bottles.

A quick photo of a traffic camera that guarded the pedestrian area and it was time to go back to the hotel.

Go to 6/17/13