Settling in da Roma

When you do outrageous traveling where you are spending one month in a city, settling into a new apartment in a new city isn’t easy. There is the normal time shift, but a bigger problem is making an attitude shift. This is our third apartment in our third city and each time we have to adjust to the difference between the image we formed from the pictures to the reality. It’s not a bad thing but it is hard not to be disappointed somewhere. There are always the things you can’t anticipate- the traffic noise in Buenos Aires, the street construction outside our apartment in Rome. But worse is the discrepancy between your fantasy image of the place and the real thing. Sometimes everything works fine and sometimes there are some quirks. So far we have found that the representations are honest and the owners are responsive if there are problems. The problem is letting your imagination embroider and create fantasies of the ideal. That starts you out with a negative feeling about the trip and if you indulge it, you will waste days. The reality, how ever nice is tarnished when you find that it isn’t your fantasy. You spend the first week adjusting your fantasy to reality and then settle in to enjoy the delights of your new home because that is why you decided to be an outrageous traveler.

Via Frattini morning break in Roma

Right now in Rome we are adjusting. The apartment is light and airy with a tiny (and wonderful) balcony overlooking the street. We are close to a square with a morning food market (vegetables, fruits, meat and fish) and a few blocks from a supermarket (interestingly the same supermarket brand that was across the street from our apartment in Buenos Aires).  We are getting to know the shops and restaurants in the neighborhood but it will be a while before we settle into a routine. It is only our second full day here.

We have been calling the apartment a ‘dude’ pad because of the minimal kitchen which somehow escaped my wife’s scrutiny- the elevator and air conditioning distracted her. It has a small refrigerator, two burners and a small broiler oven which may also be a microwave- we aren’t sure. There are no wine glasses and few cooking utensils. Honestly, we probably don’t need more but when you expect to find something, you have regrets. In Venice and Buenos Aires we had everything. Carlo, our dude, is a young guy and this was his bachelor pad before getting married. He is coming back today with a second set of keys, and a few more amenities. We don’t know when and we may not be here when he comes. He may be a dude but he seems to be a responsible one. He was waiting in front of the apartment when our taxi delivered us from the airport and spent a long time showing us what we needed to know.

As I continue this journal two days later, we are still waiting the second set of keys which limits us to going out together or leaving someone at home. This week is fine as we explore but when we begin to feel at home and want to go out separately it will be a problem. The apartment and our neighborhood is starting to feel like home and we already know a few key bus and tram routes. The first few days I had difficulty thinking that we would have a good time in Rome (see the first paragraph above) but by today that is gone. It’s going to be a great trip.