EbTheRedHead: When In Rome...

One of the most anticipated part of this journey was the flight. First of all, I HATE flying as it is, so getting on an airplane for an 8 hour flight was something I was NOT looking forward to. The most I've been on a plane was 4 hours. 8 sounded deadly to me. Since most flights to Europe are in the early evening, I figured I'll try my best to sleep the whole way there. I did my best to have a margarita (or two) at the airport but I have to confess, I think I got a little drunk on the plane. lol. The food was a nice treat and it settled fine in my nervous tummy. I knocked out and had my mini nano play out some podcasts that helped me figure out how much longer we would be til we landed. I absolutely HATED the fact I could see people in front of me watch the GPS on their screens instead of a movie. Why would anyone want to see that on an 8 hour flight?? Besides some turbulence that lasted 30 minutes, my flight was fine and I landed in Zurich for my quick layover. Unfortunately, I still had to hop back on a plane but from Zurich to Rome it was an hour long flight. At this time people were wide awake but I still managed to nap it off. I was exhausted from being so nervous. I couldn't believe my eyes when we landed. I'M FINALLY HERE!!!
I met my friend excitedly and off we went to the heart of Rome. The airport was about 30 minutes away from the central part so I'm glad I did not take a cab or else it would have cost me a pretty penny. I exchanged my money at the airport before take off, so I'm glad that was something I did not have to do as well. Me and my girlfriend caught up on what's been going on and she was a perfect tour guide. We checked in the hotel and showered up. I wanted to be out of there quickly so we can see some sites since we were only going to be in Rome for a day and a half. It was already 5pm when we stepped back out but I felt refreshed. I took the advice of my uncle which was to sleep when they sleep and fit the jet lag. I have to get use to the change in hours even though it will hit me like a ton of bricks. At this point I was running on pure adrenaline.
First up the Palazzo del Quirinale, where the President of the Italian Republic resides. I was blown away how massive this palace is! Words cannot do justice. And unfortunately me posing in front will not show you everything.
Me and my friend walked around some more and found the infamous Colosseum! It's currently under construction but it did not take away the beauty of it's architecture. Of course, only when I'm there did it happen to turn 6pm and close to the public. I really wanted to walk inside, but I did get a glance of the circular seating. The Roman Ruins are right next door and although it was getting later, we opted not to take the tour inside but took pictures over looking the area.
Speaking of walking, we did a lot of it. I workout on a regular basis, but to those that do not, I offer this free advice; wear your most comfortable sandals/ shoes because it's easier to get around on foot since everything in the central area is nearby. Rome has many hills and you will be hiking upright a couple of times. My gladiator sandals offer very little support. They are the flatest pair I own, but flat does not equal comfort in this case.
Since it was dinner time (my time) we jumped back into our car and drove around to find something to eat. My friend has lived in Italy for 2 years now, so she could distinguish which restaurants the locals ate, and which ones were catered to tourists. We found a popular area where people were gathered around and found a restaurant that offered an all-you-can-eat-buffet. We ate, drank a bottle of wine, and people watched the rest of the evening til we decided to head back to the hotel to turn in. Tomorrow was check out time, and we wanted to get up early to get in line for the Vatican Museums. Day One accomplished!