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Rome, Day 2

One year ago today, we spent our first full day in Rome.  This was my favorite day in that crazy busy city because we went to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.  We had the best tour guide ever, because she was not just a tour guide.  She was a Roman-born archaeologist with a PhD!  Yeah.  She pretty much ruled.

(Stay tuned for trip and tour booking information at the end of our 7-day journey!)

Our first Metro ride!

The Arch of Constantine (Rome’s first Christian emperor)

Umbrella Pine Trees inside the Roman Forum.  Pine nuts come from these trees!  You can just pick them up off the ground and eat them!

Our amazing tour guide.

My feet on the 2000+ year old Via Sacra, the former main street of Rome.

Best. Lunch. Ever.  Pomodoro (tomato) panini in the heart of Rome.

View from the top of the Spanish Steps.

The Tiber River at sunset.

And finally, we went back to the Pantheon that night.  It was so magical, we just had to.

If I recall correctly, this may have been the night that we stayed out too late in Rome and almost didn’t get a bus home.  The Hubs absolutely REFUSED to get a cab, even though we couldn’t understand the bus schedule and almost all buses were done for the night.  It got bad.  At one point, when we were finally on a bus, the driver stopped at the bus station (leaving us on the bus) and got out.  We thought he just left us.  We were really freaking out.  But we got back to the hotel safe and sound!

Tomorrow: The Vatican!

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One year ago today…

One year ago today, The Hubs and I got on a plane and went to Italy.  We spent time in Rome, Florence, and Venice.  It was truly a magical trip, but this blog had not yet been created, so I wasn’t able to do a proper blog post.  I was also a bit bitter about the trip at first, so the post I did on another blog focused on everything negative about the trip…like the fact that it was cold as hell and we were not prepared…and the fact that Rome was way busier and crazier and hard to understand than we expected.  But looking back on it now, I loved that trip.  It truly was magical.

I’ve decided to devote these next 6 or 7 days to our trip, one day at a time.

So, one year ago today we hopped on a plane in Mobile….

…and eventually landed in Rome!

It was a bit difficult figuring out what train to get on and how to get a ticket, but once we figured it out we were on our way to the hotel.  We stayed about 30 minutes (by bus) outside of the center of Rome.  Not only did this allow for a less expensive hotel room, but it enabled us to really chill with the locals.  We were staying where the locals lived.  I mean, our barista couldn’t even speak English!  The only English she knew was, “Do you speak French?”

When we arrived at our hotel, we went for a stroll in the area we were staying in, and even though we couldn’t speak Italian, we managed to get ourselves some amazing pizza, beer, and espresso.

After that, we both needed a nap, since we didn’t sleep all night on the plane.  Due to the time change, we arrived in Rome a whole 24 hours after we left mobile.  We were tired.

After our energizing nap, we ventured out into the center of Rome for the first time.  It took us a while to figure out which bus would get us there, but it was worth it.  This first night was my absolute favorite night in Rome.

First, we found ourselves a spot for an Italian dinner, where we had glass upon glass of chianti, fresh beef carpacio, carbonara with pancetta in a parmigiano reggiano cup, and penne rigate in marinara with pancetta.

This is when our first night in Rome turns magical.  Right after dinner, we went for a stroll along a back alley near the restaurant.  There weren’t many people out and we just wanted to see what there was.  This was our only night to truly relax and do whatever we wanted without a schedule, so we took advantage of it.  The sun was almost set…

…and all of a sudden, we saw the back of The Pantheon!

It was incredible!  We were so excited to have accidentally found this place, that after we toured the inside, we hung around just to stare at it afterwards…with plenty of wine, of course.

And that was how we spent our first day in Rome!  Tomorrow: the Colosseum and Roman Forum.

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Photography: Fall Mini Sessions!

I want to get to know you guys, and I want you to get to know me!  So let’s have some Fall Mini Sessions, shall we?

This is the perfect opportunity for you to get a beautiful family portrait, quick engagement photos, or a picture for your holiday card.  Its very simple.  All you have to do is sign up for one 25-minute slot during the weekend of October 16 & 17, and make sure to be there on time and ready to smile!

Here’s how it works:

  • The mini sessions will take place Saturday October 16th and Sunday October 17th.
  • Mini sessions will cost $75.00 which will include a CD of your images from the session.
  • Your session will last exactly 25 minutes … Be sure you’re there on time. There will be clients in the next time slot, and we want to be sure you have as much time as possible for your photos.
  • Expect 10-20 final, edited images.
  • You will receive a CD of your images with the print release which means you can print them anywhere.

The mini sessions will be taking place outside of the Mobile Museum of Art. When you contact me, please let me know which day works best for you, and I’ll send you two time slots to choose from. Slots will be available from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM. Payment is required in order to book your session. I accept checks or money orders only.

If you are interested, email me at evdavis83@gmail.com.  Its simple!  I’ll send you the portrait agreement, and we’ll go from there!

In the event of rain, the mini sessions will take place on October 23rd & 24th.


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For now, I’m a photographer.

If you caught my raging post last night about my career woes, then this might surprise you.  Not 5 minutes after writing that post, I took a step back, turned on Harry Potter  and the Half-Blood Prince, and realized what I need to do for now.  I have decided to really push myself into photography to see what happens.  I think I have a pretty good eye for photos and don’t ever want to wonder “what if.”  So its on, people.  It is so on.  (By the way, I should totally drop the F-bomb in my posts more often, cause I got more readers from that post than I’ve gotten in a while.  You guys make me sick.)

I can totally make this work between saving the wildlife and writing a book.  I got this.

So if you would like to book a photo session, please email me at anerdlikeme@gmail.com for pricing and info.  We got this!  For now, enjoy some of my favorite photos, taken by The Nerd herself (that’s me, in case you haven’t figured out that I sometimes write in 3rd person).

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