Rome & my 30th Birthday

Rome & my 30th Birthday
What a fabulous birthday. I really do have the most wonderful friends in the world. Rome as always was an amazing place and as this was visit number 5 I didn’t feel any pressure to do anything, just be there and enjoy it.

Corinna and I flew out Thursday, which was my actual birthday, and we were in Rome in time for dinner. We went to this great little restaurant near Ponte Cavour on a recommendation from a friend. We were in there for about 4 hours. Amazing food and wine and the waiters were very entertaining. One of them drew caricatures of us both. Corinna got me an amazing birthday present, sex in the city box set and this gorgeous ‘C’ necklace from Tiffany’s. I love it so much and I’m wearing it right now!

After dinner we went and met Kat & Geoff in a wine bar as they had just arrived and then onto another bar to meet Claire, Antoinette and Ellie who were on a later flight. Few drinks in the local Irish pub and then back to the hotel. I was sharing a room with Corinna and Antoinette and it was like being on school camp. We were up giggling for hours. I was on a huge sugar and caffeine rush after eating dessert plus about 6 cookies they bought us with dinner.

Friday we slept late and I went out to get my Illy coffee hit. Love the coffee in Italy, they know how to do it properly! Everyone met in Piazza Navona and headed over to Pizzeria Buffeta, which is my favourite pizza restaurant in Rome for lunch. We then wandered around for a bit having a look into the shops; I really wanted a pair of low heel brown boots.

Friday night was excellent. We headed over to Travistere, I have only been there once before with Mum and Dad last April and loved the atmosphere. Next time I go to Rome I am going to stay over there. Drinks in a bar first and my wonderful, wonderful friends gave me my birthday presents. First up was Ellie who gave me a Oliver Bonas necklace and matching earrings along with a Cross pencil (I requested this to replace the one I left on the Eurostar!!). So very generous.

Antoinette gave me the most amazing Tiffany earrings and they match my Tiffany necklace form Corinna perfectly :) I love them. Claire showed me a photo of these killer black stilletto knee high boots that are waiting for me back in London. I went out with her a few weeks ago and couldn't work out why she wouldn't show me what shoes she had bought. Didn't click that they were for me! She also got me a picture of one of my favourite men in the world (after Normann Stadler and the Hoff) Mr Moretti!!! It triggered us all doing our best Mr Moretti lookalike, I'll get the gallery of pictures up here shortly. Wasn't so hard to impersonate him towards the end of the night.

Kat & Geoff gave me a lovely card and have something back in London for me. I love it when birthdays just go on and on!

For dinner we went to this local Trattoria called….Capo de Fero which roughly translates to IRON HEAD!!! That is of course the name of my triathlon club. Photo’s will be appearing soon on the website J. The food was fabulous and we rounded the meal off with the waiter bringing us a bottle of lemoncello and a some other disgusting herb liquer that I couldn’t get past the smell of but everyone else seemed to love. Just meant more lemoncello for me! There was a guy sitting near us and he ended up joining us. Very entertaining, and after leaving the restaurant around 1am he took us into the back streets of Travestere for a chocolate liquer shot. It’s exactly as it sounds, a chocolate shot cup, filled with rum, topped with cream and chilli sprinkles. You put the whole thing in your mouth in one go. It’s like swallowing a firebomb.

We then walked back across the river and into Campo di Fiori for a final nightcap, but that didn’t last too long as everything was closing up. Claire and I were wandering around arm in arm and had this guy come up to me and ask did I have a boyfriend, I said I was engaged (standard answer in Italy) and turns to Claire, same questions and she said she was engaged to me. Guy says. ‘Lesbians?’ we say yes. He shakes his head and cuts to the chase with ‘can you give me a cigarette?’. Cracks me up he was perfectly happy to try and chat us up for a fag.

The taxi ride back was excellent, our driver fancied him self as a bit of a rally driver and going through Piazza Venezia was something in itself. I swear at one stage we were on 2 wheels and wiped out a couple of scooters.

Saturday included a long sleep in and then over to Piazza Popolo for a spot of lunch in the sun and some shopping. Success! I am now the proud owner of this gorgeous dark brown boots. Can’t wait to wear them!! Dinner was in a trattoria near the Pantheon and again the food was excellent. One of my favourite things about the weekend is that I allow myself to have an espresso after evening meals. Because it keeps me up, I don’t do it during the week, and to do it in Rome is always just so enjoyable after some fantastic food. Walked back to the hotel and into bed ready for my 4am wakeup to get to the airport and catch my flight to Bangalore.

Stay tuned for the entry that will be Bangalore…

Cx