Boston to Rome

Travelling after the 9/11/01 tragedy was quite an experience. After many conversations weighting the “go – no-go” decision, we headed to the airport – arriving 3 hours in advance as now required by the airlines. The lines were short, the airline staff was exceptionally friendly and we quickly made it through the check-in process.
As we headed to the boarding area, John noticed a group of 5 Arabic young men checking into 1st Class- with suitcases made of cardboard taped up with duct tape. We slowly walked to the boarding area- then walked back towards the check-in and debated the sanity of getting on the flight. John decided to talk to the BA people to get a sense of who these people were. It turns out that they were college students from the UAE whose parents were sending them home because of their fear for their children’s safety. Their check-in was a process of opening every box and suitcase and checking everything – making sure that the toys actually worked, etc.
Feeling relatively reassured, we headed to security where we found the standard $7.00/hour check- in staff being watched by Special Forces officers carrying machine pistols.
With the reduced volume of people flying, we were able to get two rows to stretch out and got a few hours of sleep before arriving in London at 5:30 am. A few hours in the Heathrow “shopping lounge” and we were on our way to Rome.

We searched expectantly for the “meet and greet” service we had scheduled from our B&B. Finding no one to meet us, we headed to the train station and took the train and a taxi to “Ancient Trastevere B&B”. Our landlady, Laura, was quite a treat. She was so gracious and anxious to help us get settled in Rome – until the money changed hands and she suddenly had phone calls to make and things to do.

Our room was truly “bizzaro” . The B&B was located in a 450 year old house. The entryway had a beautiful little garden with a fountain, marble staircases and wonderfully high ceilings. Laura had taken her piece of the house and carved it into 3 bedroom suites.

Our room had a collection of old theater dresses used as decorations on the wall. The bedroom and bathroom were built on a platform connected by a utilitarian staircase. Wires were stapled to the walls and the décor was early “trash finds”.

Since we had gotten a second wind, we did a quick unpack and headed to the “Rome Trolley Tour”, similar to the Boston Trolley (except at 3:00 in the afternoon, it was a “get on” only bus- no stopping if we wanted to go through the entire circuit. It was a good way to get a quick intro to Rome, do a drive-by of the major sites and get a sense of the flow of the city. We got off at the Colosseum stop and wandered around for awhile. We searched out our meeting spot for Saturday mornings walking tour – Martini’s Café”. With a spectacular view of the Colosseum, we stopped for a beer and some people-watching. It turned into wine and dinner- wonderful lasagna and a great waiter.