AI: Day 1

At 4:30 in the early twilight we stirred with an excitement for the journey that awaited us that day. Quick to rise and efficient to get out, taxi amazingly on time, we made our way to the airport. We checked with no issues. We enjoyed breakfast at the airport Anthony's and I started my vacation immediately with a Mimosa. All seemed to be going fine, a little too fine. As we stood waiting to board and noticing that 1) the minutes were ticking past our boarding time and that 2) there was no plane - that maybe this trip was too good to be true and therefore not happening. We were soon notified that the plane was having mechanical issues, that we must recollect our luggage and proceed back to customer service. Ryan being the clever brown bear that he is went and waited at the customer service desk while I grabbed our luggage. It was timed quite perfectly so that when I arrived he was just walking up to the counter. We were rebooked to Paris and then on to Rome. Instead of taking off at 8 we were now leaving at 1. So yeah, pretty bummed out, but grateful to be leaving the same day at least.
Fast Forward: Arrive in Rome. We collected our luggage and made our way to the train station. I had read online that the Leonardo express would take us into Rome and so I looked for that. It was so confusing though!!! We assumed going into Roma Termini was the right stop but couldn't figure out how to work the "Fast Ticket" machine and so we ventured over to a teller. They only took cash, which luckily we changed over in Seattle. This was our first experience with only accepting cash- travelers beware this happens quite frequently and I suspect only to tourists. We then couldn't figure out which track to go to and where to validate. But we eventually figured it out after watching the first train drive off.
We arrived at Termini with an iPhone that wouldn't work internationally. Luckily I had printed off all the phone numbers, names, and addresses of where we would be staying in advance. We attempted to use 3 different pay phones but something was amiss, I doubt it was international operator error.
We decided to just grab a cab and go to the address. When we arrived though none of the names at the apartment matched our hosts last name. We wandered into a "bar" and found someone to call and she came down and got us. *Side Note: in Italy no job is a 1 person job, it takes at least 3. This was consistent in our travels, which I found very endearing to the Italian people*
We took a much needed and intense nap. When we woke up we freshened up and made our way to the tram that was conveniently close. We ventured into the heart of Rome and went to the first restaurant we could find called "Rosso Pomodor" or the Red Tomato. The food was very good!
After dinner we decided to track down the Trevi Fountain. We stumbled upon the Pantheon without knowing it. Wandered around some more, up and down streets. Let's note that the streets of Rome are so completely confusing! Get a map, but still be prepared to get lost. Found the Trevi Fountain and it was so beautiful. It was nice to see it at night, still a lot of people but less at least. Then made our way home.