Taming the Ugly American

Jackson first traveled to Italy as an infant back in 2004. Chris and I wanted to ski Europe, so we joined a group trip to Courmayour, Chamonix, and Zermat. But once I got here, I chickened out and refused to leave the baby with a nanny. Today was the first time he's been out of the country and actually remembers it! We had a bad night's sleep on the plane. Swiss Airlines was marginally more comfortable than Alitalia, and someone's crying (screaming) baby woke everyone each hour.  Despite this annoyance, the views were outstanding once the sunlight illuminated the landscape.

We were excited once we landed, but crankiness set in and we started complaining about the crazy traffic, crowds, and walking...lots of it. I chalked it up to lack of sleep and knew the next day would improve dramatically once we got a good night of rest! On a normal day, the boy isn't one to complain and act ugly. But this was no normal day. 

Leonardo Express train from the airport to town.

The Pantheon, or temple to all gods...prettier at night...

We had dinner at Miscellanea, and enjoyed a few standard Italian menu items like pasta carbonara with egg, pepper and bacon, bruschetta, baked chicken in tomato sauce, and grilled veggies. Delicious. At this point, the ugly American in us was calming down and we didn't hear any more negative comments. To his credit, Jackson is always willing to eat anything and certainly gives a good attempt at learning the language--not the epitome of the Ugly American. So I tried to lighten up on him when he initially refused to throw a coin over his shoulder at the Trevi Fountain. Eventually he did, and we headed back to Hotel Regno for the night. We needed to save energy for tomorrow. We are doing our own walking tour (with Rick Steves audio) of the Colosseum, Forum, and St. Peter's with the Vatican museums on Saturday. Despite it all, the day still averaged out to a 90% "A." And hey...we're in Italy!