Enjoying the quietness and views of my neighborhood,

high above the craziness of the tourist infested streets
Midnight photo shoot at the Colisseum
The glory that is the Pantheon
Taking my Dad to my (and Pope JP's) favorite

gelato shop
On the path of the Illuminati, Dad showing up

Tom Hanks
Dad putting St. Peter's in its place,

right at his fingertips
From my favorite park in Rome, full or

orange trees and a view of St Peter's (which

this lady failed to get in the picture, don't

worry JB made sure to tell her it was a fail)

Hitting up the tourist hotspots
Clowning around on a rainy day in Rome
First time sunbathing on an Italian beach -

very ready to get used to this

I have now successfully made both my parents

pose like statues. I can now come home

While I was a bit worried about how I was going to be a tour guide in a city I can barely navigate after three months, I quickly realized that it was going to be the other way around....my Dad came to Italy to show me up and teach me a thing or two about getting after it. My Dad came for ten days and managed 5 days in Rome (with a day trip to Sperlonga) and 2.5 in Florence and Venice. He tore it up in all of them while taking time to nap and get spa treatments, was a trooper with all the walking I put him through (when will I learn), became a connoisseur of Italian art and history, and somehow managed to become a regular at his favorite spots.

A few things I learned from my Dad's visit.....

Patience - If I had any doubt about where I get my impatience, I've found the answer. It was clear real fast that Italy's pace was going to be even more difficult for him...My Dad says he prays for patience every day and then God puts him in a line a mile long. If I thought I had trouble with Italy's pace of life, my Dad's visit to Italy finally gave me what I've been searching for for the last 18 months - a sense that I can find my patience, I may have to dig real deep at times - but maybe that's what my Dad means by God's long line.

Who's the Boss - If I wondered where I get my 'desire to take charge of situations' nature......From the moment my Dad stepped out of the airplane he wanted to take charge (insisting that I was telling him the wrong train to my HOME). While I've always known this about him, I thought being in a foreign country/where he doesn't speak the language/know his way around AND the fact that I live here - might shift the balance where he would let me lead the way. We could not go anywhere without him insisting upon seeing a map, even in my neighborhood and me insisting that I LIVE HERE, I know where we are. Or ordering food - I wanted to show off my newly learned Italian, but my Dad would beat me to it with a couple - due's, and an aqua naturale and insalata di mare (his fav), and then throw out a Grazie, before I could breathe a word of my carefully crafted full politely worded sentence to place our order. I could use a bit of that initiative

Shopping - As you know, I gave up shopping in NZed and although I've managed to get back into it a bit in Italy (more on my new strateegery shopping soon), I've mostly avoided the famous Italian labels for more quaint little shops near my house. My Dad had already scouted out all the best labels while in Florence and found a few items he liked, and insisted that I definitely needed to own a pair of Prada/Fendi/Gucci/Feragamo sunglasses/shoes/bags/etc. When I found a 15 euro pair of sunglasses that looked pretty similar to the Prada ones he liked for me, "No, those look cheap". In the end I won, and we window shopped, but I'm now dreaming wistfully about a few of the options we saw/tried and I may be back on the shopping wagon...

Becoming a regular - There are a few restaurants right on my street, very close to my house that I always walk by but have never eaten at, because frankly I usually venture further or eat at home. We tried out the restaurant on the corner of my street and it was great (my Dad's favorite meal). He liked it so much that we went back the next night - and now everyday when I walk by they wave at me = Dad made me a regular at my own neighborhood restaurant.

The quiet above the storm - In my typical life here I don't venture into the tourist zones too much if I can help it (although I work next to the Coliseum so somewhat unavoidable). Hitting up the tourist hotspots with my Dad, made me realize how much they've descended in force since I arrived. I've always loved my neighborhood, but I'm even more able to appreciate it now that I know what awaits me below. However, the other night I went to take the garbage out and opened my front gate to a group of tourists taking a picture of my front door - THEY'RE EVERYWHERE

The law is no joke - Unfortunately I implicated my judge father in an Italian crime on his second day in Rome. A bad habit that I've developed since moving here is taking public transport for free. Now this was never a plan to cheat the system, but more of an accident since they never check for tickets and there is often nowhere to buy a ticket/open place to buy a ticket when I want to hop on the bus. I've joked that this was becoming a bad habit and I would probably get caught soon, even on the day my Dad arrived. I tried to straighten myself out for my Dad's visit, but then the bus was coming and we were running late, etc. One stop before we got off - police jumped on and gave us both tickets for 50 euro each. Now while I actually legitimately owed this to the Italian public transport system, my poor Dad did not. Dad - know that I've learned a lesson and I will follow the law from here on out (except when I'm running late/nowhere is open to buy a ticket, and I will endeavour to wear something cuter and get caught by a male policeman instead....)

Some of my favorite moments -

-Eating pizza and watching soccer in a tiny pizza place near Campo di Fiori with my Dad yelling at the screen (not knowing who the teams were) on a rainy Sunday

-Strolling through Trastevere and restaurant hopping to sample some of my Dad's favorite dishes of insalata di mare and spaghetti alle vongole

-Going to night of the museum at the Capitoline and both being on the same page for the speed version of the museum

-Being able to serve my Dad his favorite snack Italian style in my apartment - salami, cheese, and crackers (I added artichokes and olives to the spread)

-Popping into random churches on our walks and conducting our own Illuminati tour

But the biggest thing I learned and my very favorite part of my Dad's visit was how much closer we are. While I get homesick being so far away and feel guilty for not getting to see you all on a daily/monthly basis, I feel so lucky that I get dedicated/special/one on one visits like this that I've never had before. Thank you Dad for coming all this way and showing me how to live it up, eat it up, and generally get after it in Italy