Rome- Day 1 Bathroom locks and sci-fi lighting

We made it safely to Rome in what had to be the most anticlimacitc drive to LAX ever (which is the best kind to have). We took the red eye out of LA on a plane that felt like Star Tours at Disneyland.  Some new mood lighting that's supposed to reduce jet lag. Ha. We flew straight up through canada and over (not the way I would have expected to get to Italy, but we cut off an hour of flight time so no complaints).   

First imperpessions of Rome are that the locals who live here tolerate travelers like older siblings who have to share a room with annoying younger siblings. A mixture of charm, eye rolling and sarcasm.  All well deserved. 

The weather, climate and outskirts of Rome look and feel exactly like San Diego, which prompted Hayley to wonder if maybe the plane just flew around in circles and landed us back in southern CA.  But if the outskirst of town felt similar to home, the closer wer got to the heart of Rome, the more it hit us all like a ton of bricks. (very ancient and crumbly bricks). We weren't in Kansas anymore West Coast USA in this case.  

It's so crazy to see ancient palaces sticking out eveywhere in the midst of freeway onramps and traffic lights. It's almost feels like you're in jungle temple ruins... but in the center of New York City.  I wonder if it's hard to live with the ghosts of your history all around you... providing income in the way of tourist trafifc, and standing as a reminder of what you once were and now can't tear down and start over.  For which the world is clearly very grateful, since the place is jam packed with people from every continent.  

Started off the night with some delicious homemade pasta carbonara and wine... and then finished with one of the kids getting locked in a bathroom. (the apartment we're staying in still usees those skeleton keys from the Victorian era).  Thankfully we have dads on this trip who can stand on balconies and haul people out of little shower windows. I think we only truly irritated one neighbor who couldn't figure out why a bunch of loud teenagers were staging a rescue operation at 11:30pm. 

Good times.  On to new ones tomorrow.