Banana Yo!

Happy New Year everyone! Or as they say here "buon anno" which is pronounced with impeccable similarity to the phallic shaped yellow fruit, leaving both Steve and I wondering why the entire city of Rome was shouting "BANANA!" at one another. After figuring out what it meant we both got (perhaps too much) enjoyment at shouting "banana!" at people. No one caught on that we weren't actually saying 'boun anno'.

Truth be told, New Years in Rome was a little rough on us both. We found a couch surfing event where the beer was overpriced but the crowd was friendly and rung in the new year in true roman style (whatever that means). The metro stopped running before we left for the train station home and we found ourselves walking across Rome to the train station. A bag of pistachios, a pit stop at the pantheon, gelato and falafel snack breaks, and two hours later we arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare before our 5:40am train ride home.

The station was cold and the only seating was on the floor, I fell asleep shivering while Steve fought off pick pockets, and woke up just in time for my hang over to kick in. Happy New Year to me.

Every cloud has a silver lining and this is no exception. Last year Steve had the idea to write a list of goals for the upcoming year on a cocktail napkin which we both, in turn, signed.

Last years heavy hitters included learning french and going traveling together - check and check! This year we've committed to purchasing a car, volunteering, taking some more advanced dance classes, a trip out east, and skydiving... all of this, of course, when we return safely and soundly home.

In the mean time, we're finishing up our Italian tour of Rome -> Venice -> Florence -> Pisa (where I'm blogging from) -> Siena (maybe) -> Rome -> Turkey.

Yes, Turkey. We leave Italy on the 13th, which is a good thing because one more Gelato and my pants wont fit.