When In Rome...

When in Rome is the only phrase I have to describe this post for a couple reasons....

Just wanted to update everyone on some interesting and funny happenings.... so, yesterday at lunch we went to a restaurant in the Jewish section of Rome that made every dish with artichokes.....yummmm I was in HEAVEN.  Well, in the true spirit of being adventurous....I split an order of fried lamb brains with one of my friends and ordered an appetizer of a fried artichoke.  I would like to say that they weren't bad but tasted a lot like a softer version of chicken gizzards, for those of you who have experienced that delicacy.

Also, yesterday my friend and I were walking through a side street and we came upon a lady with 2 parakeets sitting on a stick.  She proceeded to shove one on my finger and one on my head, and I was shocked while my friend started snapping pictures.  She put them on my friends head and finger, and we thought it was so funny and so strange.  I then  asked her if she spoke English, and she then said "yes.  Give me 10 euros for the pictures".  Thats about $16.  No.  Thanks.  An astonished Ann Burgwin could only say "that is NOT how things work!" haha...she was nice and her birds were cute, close but no cigar for her. It was funny and such a strange experience, and this kind of thing seems to happen all the time.  But whats new, I have always attracted strange characters.

There are also these people dressed up as gladiators and other ancient people that stand in front of touristy spots, such as the Pantheon, and you have to pay to take pictures with them, unless they are creeping on you.  The job criteria for this job seems to be mainly that you are a borderline 

creepy man, and yesterday I was standing in front of the Pantheon with our group and 2 of them came up and were talking to us, asking us where we were from and other questions, and one pointed at me and said "bella, you want to dance?" Who can turn down dancing with gladiator in front of the Pantheon? Not this girl.  He actually was a pretty good dancer and we swing danced in front of the Pantheon.  I wish I could say there are pictures to document this, and I am still looking for them, but in any event, this is the only picture I could find....