Jet Lag, Nutella and the Like

Hi everyone!

After one long flight, 7 hours in Schipol Airport (Amsterdam), one short flight and a cab ride through Rome, we arrived at our apartment building. We (ok, Christopher) lugged our bursting suitcases up three flights of stairs, fumbled with the key and... the lights went out. So Christopher, ever the manly man, navigated his way down the spiral staircase and down the hall to illuminate our way. We (ok, Christopher) struggled to get the door open before the lights went out again as I swiftly became the classic damsel in distress. Yes, there were tears. No, I am not too proud to admit to you that I am a wuss.

In any case, Christopher managed to get us into the apartment. Completely exhausted and dehydrated, we spent an hour or two unpacking the necessities, moving our nightstand to the side and pushing the two twin beds together (very I Love Lucy of them) and generally processing the stresses of the day. After all that and probably guzzling our weight in water, we collided with our pillows for the rest of the night... and morning... and afternoon. In fact, it wasn't until quite late on Sunday that either one of us got up the energy to move more than the short distance to the bathroom, kitchen sink and back to the bed(s). Thank you, jet lag.

Today has been a bit more productive, although not extraordinarily so. Christopher couldn't get to sleep until 5am which meant that he slept until 1pm, no problem; in the meantime, I mastered some key Italian phrases (Buon giorno, etc) ate a piece of bread with Nutella (oh Nutella, I love you), organized the bathroom and did a little reading to the pleasant sounds of the nuns singing next door. Since then, we've managed to explore our neighborhood a bit, look at some prices at the local grocery shops and -- obviously -- make our first internet connections since leaving the States. We're having a fabulous time walking around and getting acquainted with our neighborhood, but we miss everyone and are looking forward to staying in touch through email, skype, and phone (eventually). Next stop... a gelateria!