Injured Feet

My feet and ankles are in pain…they hurt while I sleep and when I wake up in the morning. I’ve obviously injured them and especially the left one…when anything touches the top of it, pain shoots through my foot. I’ve never realized how important feet are. Without them in top condition I’m stranded.


Thus, I dedicate this post to my feet which have taken me across four weeks of adventure. They are asking me for a break…and for now I will let them rest, even though all I want to do is go walk all over Rome.

Since my last post, my feet have taken me so many different places and on so many different adventures. Even though it may not be the best for my feet’s health, I just keep going. Here are some of the adventures that subsequently have brought them to this state:

My feet take me on the same path every morning to the metro at colosseo. I pass through the neighborhood loving every moment. Maybe I don’t want to be going to work at 7:30 in the morning, but walking through Roma on the way to work is a dream come true. I get to pass by the neighborhood Cornetteria (bakery, they never close, freshest pastries of my life), Fruttivendolo (fruit and vegetable vendor), local Bar (café), Meat and Wine shop, the Forno (fresh bread), and then of course the coliseum. I’ve now passed by these places for a month. This past week my dream came true…the locals finally noticed me. On Monday morning the locals outside of the shops who congregate outside the shops said Buongiorno. This made me smile; I didn’t think too much into it, I thought maybe they were just saying hi, not necessarily saying hi since they had noticed me walk by every morning, even though I had noticed them. Tuesday morning I was approaching the usual group along with the BIG dog that congregates in the same area. They all said buongiorno, making me smile beyond belief….THEN they started talking to me in Italian. I mean…who would guess that someone who walks by every morning in business clothes doesn’t speak Italian? I then smiled sheepishly, and they all realized I wasn’t fluent. Then we all spoke in slow Italian together, and they got the message that I speak English, yet we still all spoke in Italian. I smiled and said “Mi piace palare in italiano” (I like to speak in Italian). Then they responded by saying we will speak every morning in Italian. This made me so happy, and then as I walked through the group they all shouted “Ciao.” I felt like I was in a movie. A dream come true.

The next morning I was excited to walk to the metro looking forward to practicing some Italian with the locals, never did I expect what happened. As I approached the area, I saw the big dog sitting outside of the bar; I slowed my pace and glanced in. There was the group, they all smiled, and one shouted “Ciao Alessia.” Then they INSISTED on getting me a coffee. I was so surprised. I had only expected to say hi and say a few things as I walked by. Thus, to my surprise I was swept into the bar, presented a coffee and then we subsequently chatted it up at the bar. Combined with the fact that I was still waking up and being shocked by their kindness, I just stood and smiled…thus not too much Italian was said on my end of the conversation on Wednesday morning.

Therefore, for Thursday morning I was prepared. I knew to expect more talk and possibly another coffee. Thursday morning didn’t disappoint. As I walked by their faces lit up and they bought me a cappuccino. They sure do know how to make me smile, coffee and Italian…plus the cute HUGE dog. My mornings are now 1000 times better and getting out of bed in the morning got a lot easier.

Despite my tired feet, I always love to wander around the historic center of Rome. I take the metro all the way to Flamino and then slowly make my way back home. On one occasion I came across an English speaking church. Due to the fact of missing my church back home in the ville, I woke up on Sunday and made my way out to the church. The church was packed and it was fun to sing some familiar church songs. It may have not been exactly what I like, but it was a refreshing Sunday morning. That Sunday after church the congregation was having their annual picnic in Villa Borghese (the huge park in Rome). Picnics in parks can never go wrong, so I journeyed to the park with a group from the church. On the picnic pilgrimage I met a girl from New Zealand who is living in Rome as an au pair. We chatted it up on the way there and then enjoyed the beyond my imagination Italian potluck picnic. We then made plans to meet up later on in the week. It’s always amazing to make a new friend in Rome.

That Sunday afternoon I journeyed all the way back from Villa Borghese home (even though I had told my feet I wouldn’t do it again…now I have to promise my feet I will never do that again). My feet were in pain on the way home, so I walked up to my nearby park to relax. Upon entering the park I saw all the locals reclining on the sloping grass. Some were picnicking and others napping. Thus, I found a good napping spot, laid down, and 45 minutes later woke up with to a lovely breeze and the best view of the coliseum. I walked home smiling all the way, another lovely weekend.

The latest adventure which brought my feet to this ultimate state of injury was yesterday’s 8 hour adventure to the Vatican. No, I didn’t wait in line at all; I just spent THAT much time there. Some friends from work and I made an 8:30 reservation at the museum, thus we walked right in bypassing the long line which I remember vividly from standing in it when I came to Rome with the family 5 years ago. Armed with my Rick Steves’ Rome guide, Rick Steves’ downloaded podcast of the Sistine Chapel, and the museum audio guide, my two friends and I left Italy and entered the smallest country in the world. The Vatican proved to be overwhelming; thus we took each section at a time with no rush. Luckily it was a nice day, so the sun and a breeze came through the open windows. It was a relaxing and intense learning day all together. The whole time I just kept thinking how surreal it was to be back. Five years ago when I saw the Sistine Chapel, I never thought I would be fortunate enough to return. Here I was, once again roaming the massive hallways lined with art and then ultimately gazing up at the most magnificent piece of art by a single artist, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

After making it back to my apartment after the 8 hour adventure, I perched myself on my bed and never left. My feet were about to commit feet suicide and disown my body.

Thank you feet for not falling off and for taking me on many adventures across my dream city, please feel better soon.