Roman Meandering

Vintage Renault

Nik and I arrived in Rome at 7:45am on Monday morning after a pleasant overnight flight from Atlanta. We met our host, dropped off our bags and immediately began meandering around Piazza Navona. The cobblestone streets glistened with new rainfall as shop owners prepared for their day, and we were immediately smitten with the place.

Understanding that we would fall asleep walking if we stayed out too long, we went back to the apartment for a nap. 5 hours later, we hit the streets again for dinner and an evening stroll. The rain had stopped and we lost our way a couple times, but it was magical.

The spire of the Palace of Wisdom

Inside the Palace of Wisdom

On the second day, Via Appia Antica was our destination. On the way there, we found the Palace of Wisdom, walked into Nik’s childhood dream building – The Pantheon, happened upon an open plaza filled with the ruins of three temples that was also home to the cities rescue cat population, crossed the Tiber River onto Isola Tiberina, climbed Aventine Hill to peak through the keyhole to see the dome of St. Peters framed through topiaries, stopped into a few churches, shared slices of pizza in a park with joggers, and still barely believed we were actually here.

The Pantheon

Coffers

Ancient Ruins/Cat Sactuary

The mighty Tiber

One of 7 Hills

Peeking

A convent’s courtyard

Once we made it to our destination, we dodged cars and motorbikes for a few kilometers before the city faded away and the road opened up to a preserved farmland that maintains the scale and beauty of the original road. We daydreamed of living in the small stone farm houses off to the left and right, and smiled at our fellow walkers as we navigated the uneven terrain.

We turned left at Via del Casale Rotondo and made our way to the Capannelle train station past the horse racing tracks and ruins of the Roman Aqueducts even though I was tempted to continue along Via Appia all the way to Castel Gandolfo!

Via Appia Antica

Our daydream home

Two stops later, we disembarked into the hustle and bustle of Termini Station. We found automated kiosks and purchased train tickets for the next leg of our trip. From there, we meandered back to the apartment and somehow ended up at the Spanish Steps just in time to watch the sun fade off to the west.

From the Spanish Steps

Nik’s Blog (50+ Amazing Photos): Our First Two Days in Rome

Southern Winter

Color coordinated

Before we took off to Europe, we spent a few weeks with family and friends in Dallas & Nashville. The weeks were filled with family pets, dinners out with parents, snow & ice on the roads and yards, flight delays, dinners with friends, nerf gun fights with nieces & nephews, chats with aunts, uncles and grandmothers, walks along urban and rural greenways, trip planning, bike rides on country roads, backyard soft ball, horse shoes & go-karts, vintage trains, swinging, laundry, moving stuff from one place to another, and our fair share of aimless driving. The weather wasn’t perfect and neither were our immune systems, but the quality time with the ones we love was.

Too much snow to drive or fly, so we walked

One of many stately homes in Dallas

Milky creek with teenagers in hammocks around the bend

Dad & Mom

Always the clown

The ENTIRE Lois branch of the Sinz Family*

The Nerf Queen

My uncle with his 1950s era model train set

My girls*

*Photos by Nik, who has also done a blog post about Texas.

Final Days in San Francisco

The Conservatory of Flowers

After calling San Francisco home for exactly 5 years and 2 weeks, Nik and I left the Pacific Coast City by the Bay for the final time on Saturday, February 21st, 2015. We moved there during the low upswing of the Great Recession which made finding work difficult but finding an affordable apartment in the (currently) most expensive city in our country easy. For that, I am grateful.

Picnic in the Park

Nik selling the scooter

I’m going to miss…

• The year-long spring
• Driving the Vespa through the city and along the coast
• California Family, Friends, Coworkers and Clients
• Opportunities to camp in every direction
• The Pacific Ocean
• Sunsets over the Pacific Ocean
• Karl the Fog blanketing the city
• Everyone having an idea to start a business, and the gumption to do it
• Free and amazing panoramic views from every hilltop
• Walking less than 10 minutes north to The Presidio, 5 minutes south to Golden Gate Park, and 25 minutes west to Ocean Beach
• A grocery store at the corner of our street
• The best Asian food in the US
• Pizzetta 211…our favorite little restaurant
• Wine made with grapes grown less than 30 minutes away
• Friends from near and far wanting to, and sometimes actually, visiting

Walking away from our beloved apartment

Flying away for the final time