R is for Rome.

Rome, Italy. 08-08-08

That place, that date, will always be ours. We cancelled all our wedding plans in San Diego and decided to elope, so to escape the family madness, the religious judgment, the emotional persecution. Although we were in the midst of remodeling our home, we got it in our heads to just get married in Italy since were headed there and to Spain anyway for our honeymoon. Although the hoops and fireballs we had to jump through in order to get all our license requirements together (in Italian!) were insane and demanding, it was still a million times better for us than having a "normal" wedding.

It was crazy. It was romantic. It was hot. It was humid. It was fun. It was funny.
It was PERFECT. The trip of our lifetime and it was unforgettable.

We actually landed in Venice first, but that's a post for another letter in a few weeks. :-) For now, our letter is "R", and it is for Rome.

Departing New York's JFK, contacts out, nerd glasses on for the cross Atlantic flight. We were SO excited! Gosh, I can still remember that energy coursing through me. I couldn't BELIEVE we were ACTUALLY going through with it!!!

Our flight attendant found out we were eloping and hooked us up with some NICE champagne from 1st class. Nothing like a good buzz to get you rockin' on a flight, huh? She actually gave aus another full bottle to use as a toast at our wedding. It was special and I took a picture from our garden reception and sent it to her.
On our way.
We spent some time in Venice, but like I said, that's a post for another letter. Here we're leaving Venice by train to head to Rome. We had a LOT of administrative work to complete before we could be married.
My baby napping on the train.
Italian cypress trees passing us by.
Field of sunflowers.
After arriving in Rome, we immediately got "prepped" and headed out, which meant I carried all of our valuables in my trusty little backpack. I've had that bag for almost 20 years. We like to walk, A LOT, so my pack had water, wipes, snacks, all of our important docs, you name it.
Passed a sarcophagus. (did I spell that right?)
Stopped at a cemetery that was simply beautiful. I'd never seen a tombstone with actual pictures on it before.
Cemetery grounds.
"United Forever." Creepy and romantic. I wondered where their "safe" place was if they argued. No where to retreat and cool off!
Cemetery grounds.
Roman street life.
Graffiti on ancient ruins. So sad.
Colorful buildings. I love the red one. Europe impresses me with how much of life is depicted on a balcony.
Ran into a fellow Chicagoan! (Keep in mind we are walking through Rome in the middle of hot, humid ass summer!)
Beloved recycling like the good boy he is. :-) Sue would have been proud.
Tiny yellow Euro car. No one batted an eyelash while walking past.
Balcony life: herbs, flowers, laundry.
My very own Gladiator at the Coliseum.

You all DO KNOW that Gladiator is one of my all time FAVORITE MOVIES, right? Right!??? Needless to say, I was breathless as I approached this ancient building. It could have been the heat, but methinks it was memories of Maximus! ((sigh))
My gladiator was better looking, no? Tee hee.
Fern ivy on crack.
The Quirinale Opera House. Our hotel was the Hotel Quirinale, right behind the opera house. It was majestic.
Columns, vespas, traffic.

One of our first stops, the American Consulate, so we could get our Atto Notario and a bunch of other required documents. Gosh, that was kind of a nightmarish part of the whole ordeal, but looking back, it was a helluva lot of fun too! I didn't know I could get arrested for taking pictures of the consulate in a post 9-11 era. Ooops!
Not fond of W, I guess.
The first time we saw our church, Chiesa di Santa Susana. These pictures do not do its beauty any justice. After we got our first required set of documents, we went to meet with the priest.
Ed and one of the priests connected as they found out their hometowns were mere miles from each other. Small world.
This is not the last picture of a ceiling you will see here. I was FASCINATED by the intricate details, the painstaking hard work that it must have required of the artist to create these ancient ceilings. Amazing. Simply amazing.
Our altar, without flash or extra light. Simple shutter release on my camera.
Exhausted, sweaty, dirty, thirsty, and happy at the end of our first day of wedding day errands. I looked like a hot mess with no makeup and greased up skin. Gross!
I think I must have eaten 10 gallons of Nutella by the end of our 17 days in Europe. I. LOVE. NUTELLA. I love it!
Roman life: Nun riding a bus, and I wondered to myself....
....what did she think as she stared out the bus window at this lovely kiosk of retail goodies?

One of our other wedding day "errands" required that we take the ghetto Roman train to the 'hood, where the Italian Prefeturra office was.
It was a public building, much like your local county's DMV or similar, and the wait was HOURS long. We needed one stupid seal for our wedding certificate. Just ONE. I nearly cried when I found out that the ticket number 54 I had was actually ticket number 154!!!
It was hot and sticky and smelling in that crowded room. No A/C and crying, no, SCREAMING babies all over the place. As soon as the babies cried, their mamas would whip out a boob and plug their baby's mouth. Ed was UNCOMFORTABLE to say the least. It was actually hysterical! Public breastfeeding is not something American males are accustomed to. Here he is about 5 seconds away from losing his patience with my camera (and me!) and tossing it (and me?) out the window. Ha ha ha!
Took the ghetto train back to the non 'hood part of Rome after successfully obtaining the seal. There was a man on the train with an African drum the size of a small car, and the drum's hide looked like it was literally skinned from the poor animal that very day! It was so scary, and the man was even scarier. One of the few times I refrained from snapping a quick picture. Ed was just afraid he'd get anthrax from the drum. Fun train trip all around.
Going back to our church to drop off the updated SEALED docs for the priest. There's Ed climbing the front steps. You want to know how you can tell the American Catholic churches in
Europe? Look very closely....do you see that plexiglass wheelchair ramp? It is ADA compliant! Only the American churches are required to comply.
Oh, have I mentioned yet how much we ATE on our trip??? We nom-nom-nom-nom'd our way through Italy and Spain like you wouldn't believe. Here's a pizzeria...
....that made the BEST SALAD I HAVE EVER EATEN. It was DELISH.
A handful of our friends flew to Rome for our wedding. Here we're at the Trattoria Polese. Food was ok, but the wine was OUTSTANDING.
Roman life: Hot chicks in skirts on Vespas wearing pink helmets causing near-miss accidents as they weaved in and out of traffic.
Roman life: Rules to obey while at monuments and ruins. I still laugh reading these.

Roman life: Old gypsy woman getting water at the Spanish Steps.
Trust me, that water was very delicious. And soooo cold. A welcome change in a city that charged per ice cube!
Trevi Fountain.
Don't know about you, but cops don't like THIS in my town! Ha ha ha! He is rockin' the hell out of his spandex cop pants.
Trevi Fountain again.
Another masterpiece ceiling.
Castel Sant Angelo......by far my favorite building for sightseeing. It was incredible. We hiked all the waaaaaaaaaaaay up to the top by that statue.
Another view.
Remember how NO ONE batted an eyelash when passing the little yellow Euro car? Well, NOT SO with this gorgeous American number!!! This hot rod caused people to stop in their tracks, circle the car, and gawk as if it were a naked lady. Made me feel right proud!

Our wedding day finally arrived, we had walked ALL OF ROME, were able to get all of our ducks an documents in a row, and it was TIME. :-) My handsome groom....
My beautiful baby sister walked me down the aisle...
Our photographer/paparazzo took pictures of us in the terrace garden of our hotel.
As well as the Coliseum. On our wedding day, the temperature actually cooled down by about 10 degrees and the most refreshing breeze blew all day. It was magically beautiful day.
Back at our garden reception, we cut into our cake and laughed with our friends and family. Oh my God, I cannot describe in mere words how PEACEFUL it was in that garden. Soft classical music, the breeze blowing, all of us laughing, tipsy, happy. It was so different from the mad shouting and angry words we left behind at home.
Just us.
Father Greg blessing our rings.
Ed and I just hangin' out at the altar. :-)
After our wedding, pictures at the Coliseum, and garden reception at our hotel, we took a much needed afternoon nap so we'd be ready for our SECOND reception....dinner at La Pentolaccia! OH. MY. GOD. The food was out of this world!!! Yum. Yum. Yum. Highly recommended!

Our good friends who live in Germany flew to Rome for our wedding, and their 2 little girls were so adorable. This little one was not only adorable, she had quite the snazzy eyeglasses and I wanted them!

My new husband at our dinner reception.
Our fabulous waiter.
Ooops, pictures are a bit out of order....here are some from earlier in the day after a little too much champagne in the garden.
Pretty flower girl.
Our garden reception site at our hotel. I loved that place.
My Beloved and my baby sis.
Last shot of me before I walked to the altar. Funny story, but I chose the "Queen of Sheba" march for my walk down the aisle. Ed and I still laugh about it because that's his nickname for me when I'm, ahem, a bit "demanding". Ha!
Father Greg and I talking sports, waiting for the music to cue.
After our wedding, we walked even more in Rome! My feet at the Vatican plaza.
The Vatican from above as we hiked down.
This is the statue at the top of Castel Sant Angelo.

We even climbed the spiral staircase ALL. THE. WAY. UP. to the basilica, where I got this great shot.
Roman life: pigeons.
Magnificent wrough iron lanterns at the Vatican.


Roman life: priests, Catholicism, coffee.
Hey, here's the picture that should have been up by our dinner reception! La Pentolaccia restaurant....if you travel to Rome, please dine here. You will NOT be disappointed.
Our magnificent waiter, and the restaurant owner who looked like the long lost child of Abe Vagoda and Vito Corleone.
What???? We were thirsty. It was our wedding day!
Ok, more out of order pics, and more gorgeous ceilings.
There are strict rules about modest clothing required before you can tour the Vatican. I don't know how she got past security. And boy did she STINK! Probably the worst case of b.o. I've ever encountered. I was breathing through my mouth trying to rush past her.
More ceilings!
Stone, stairs, spirals.

So, the reasons we chose 08-08-08 for our weddings....my birthday is on 8/6, Ed's is 8/10, and for the years we'd dated, we'd always take 8/8 off from work (even if it was a Wednesday) and celebrate our birthdays together. So, two days after our wedding, my "husband" celebrated his birthday in Rome! We were tricked into paying $50 for that tiramasu cake, but hey, how often do you celebrate your wedding and your birthdays in Rome?
Sooooooo, if you haven't fallen asleep yet from looking at my millions of photos, please take the time to see what other fellow Blogistanis have done with the letter "R" for A to Z Mondays! You know, the irony of this post just occurred to me after my Mother's Day post. Two situations in life couldn't be more different if you ask me.

Anyway, if you think this was long and boring, just you wait for next week......here's a hint: after our Roman wedding, we headed to S-pain for our honeymoon! Bwuuuuaaah-ha-ha-ha!

Thanks for reading!