Connie taught me a few words and phrases in Italian before and during our trip, so by the end of our trip she was able to send me out to get groceries or food. I managed well enough, and most of the people I encountered could speak English well enough so that there were no significant miscommunication.
My brain, however, would constantly slip into trying to reply to people in what little French I still remember, because it’s the only other language I kinda sorta know. I think at one point I might have actually responded to someone in a mix of French and Italian.
I kind of surprised myself with how much French I still remember though.
Hotel La Scaletta was our home away from home during our vacation in Rome. It’s one of the places Connie stayed last year and we returned this year because she enjoyed staying there so much.
Our Rome home away from home
Hotel La Scaletta is a very nice place to stay. By US standards, it’s pretty small (only 21 rooms), and the rooms are small as well. The rooms are comfortable though, the staff are friendly and speak English (can be very handy). It’s across the street from the beach, a short walk to a stop on the Roma-Lido train line, and there are lots of food choices nearby to pick from.
Our room was on the side of the hotel with a long skinny balcony that ran out to the front with a very nice view of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
View of the seaPanorama view from the hotel
Although you’re outside of Rome, it’s pretty easy to get to. A short walk (~10-15 minute stroll) over to the Lido Centro station. and then ride the train to the Porto San Paolo/Piramide stop (at the very end) where you can transfer to a metro train that takes you further into Rome (you can also transfer to the metro train at two other stops before the end).
If you’re looking for a nice, inexpensive place to stay in Rome, I highly recommend Hotel La Scaletta.
This trip to Rome was my first trip overseas, so it was an adventure. Connie was in Rome last year and she made for a great guide and interpreter for our trip.
Thanks to Connie chasing point and airline miles, our flight to Rome on American Airlines only cost us about $71 each in taxes and fees. The initial itinerary was a simple one: Charleston to Philadelphia to Rome. However, since it was booked so far in advanced, it ended up getting changed several times and we ended up flying to Miami, 8 hour layover there, then on to Berlin and finally to Rome (both on Air Berlin). The 8 hour stay in Miami was made more enjoyable thanks to a couple of passes for AA’s Admirals Club lounge from one of Connie’s Twitter acquaintances.
The Air Berlin flights were quite nice. When we boarded in Miami, flight attendents offered passengers some candy. Seats were pretty comfortable with a decent amount of leg room. There was an in-flight meal (something you don’t see flying around North America anymore) which was pretty tasty (something pasta-y I think…don’t remember what it was now). Upon landing in Berlin (TXL), passengers were offered a piece of chocolate. The plane didn’t go to a terminal gate with a jetway, so passengers got off the plane using the front and back exits of the plane (very efficient) and then a bus to the terminal.
The Air Berlin flight from Berlin to Rome was also uneventful and very nice. We landed in Rome (FCO) and once again passengers left the plane using multiple exits.
For a first transatlantic trip, this was a pretty good journey. I’d totally fly Air Berlin again.
Got back from our almost 2 week Rome vacation last night. Had an excellent time while we were there. Just a few highlights of the trip while I’m thinking about them.
My first trans-Atlantic flight
Hotel La Scaletta – great place to stay at the beach. Easy trip in to Rome on the Roma-Lido metro line.
Seeing St. Peter’s Square/Oval and the four Papal basilicas (St Paul Outside the Walls, St Mary Major, St John Lateran, St Peter)
Sunday Angelus where the Pope wishes you a good lunch at the end
The usual touristy sites
The Pantheon
Roman Coliseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Trevi Fountain
Campo de’ Fiori
Piazza del Popolo
Scavi tour and climbing the dome at St Peter’s Basilica
We got back from spending the past week in a slightly cool but still pleasant Edmonton last night after a long day of flying.
Had a great trip out there, and Connie got to meet mom and dad. It was a busy and full week of driving around to visit people and seeing places.
On this trip, we also discovered that since our phones are on Sprint’s CDMA network (via Ting), they no longer roam while in Canada like mine did on my last trip (even then it was spotty). Future trips means we’ll have to pick up pre-paid SIM cards from somewhere for our stay if we want to stay in touch.
Didn’t go for dim sum quite as much as on my last trip in August, but we did make it out for dim sum at least once. My sister Sandi was able to join us in Edmonton for the weekend and Connie got a nice picture of us after we all went out for dinner Saturday night.
Dinner with the family
We made a couple of visits out to West Edmonton Mall, which we both enjoyed. It’s big, and while there are a few things that I remember, a lot of the mall has changed since I was last there.
I even went skating at the Ice Palace which was probably the first time I’d been on skates in over 20 years. Even though the skates I rented could have used a good sharpening, it was still a lot of fun being on the ice again. Wasn’t exactly the most graceful of skating, but I managed to stay on my feet. Connie got some pictures of me on the ice.
Ice skating at West Edmonton Mall
Ice skating at West Edmonton Mall
Ice skating at West Edmonton Mall
While we were walking through the mall, we spotted a penguin walking around checking things out.
Penguin encounter at West Edmonton Mall
Penguin encounter at West Edmonton Mall
The penguin is part of WEM’s Marine Life aquarium exhibit and is named Taz. Cool random encounter.
We made stops at Tim Horton’s (maybe a few), A&W (mmm, Mozzaburger), a donair place and had a couple of lunches at The Old Spaghetti Factory in WEM. Made it out for beer and wings with the guys, and showed Connie some of the city. We didn’t get to see or do everything I was thinking about doing, but we managed to cram in a fair bit during our week there.
Also, Alaska Airlines might be my new favourite airline. They’ll be starting non-stop flights between Charleston and Seattle soon, which means it will be easier for us to make it out to that corner of the country to visit my sister and brother and their families. It also gives another alternative route home (CHS-SEA-YEG). Plus they still offer snacks.
It’s a little sad that a 14g packet of dried fruit and pretzels is something to get excited about when flying.
