A few interesting experiences, and the best inscription I've seen yet

Tarquinia, l'Infiorata, and Aqueducts

FIrst trip to Capitoline Museum

Arrival

So, I'm finally here after a few travel mishaps.  First, due to a labor strike (how European is that?) my flight to Paris didn't leave until 1:45 AM from Atlanta.  That wasn't a huge deal, but it caused me to miss my connecting flight from Paris to Rome.  After switching to a different connecting flight, I arrived at Fiumicino only to discover (surprise!) that my baggage was probably still in Paris.  Hopefully my luggage arrives tomorrow.  Regardless, I'm still elated to be in Rome after nearly 24 hours of travel time.

I've only been here legitimately for a few hours, but already I have observed a few interesting things.  First, on my Alitalia flight from Paris the prerequisite safety video was particularly awesome for one reason: it specifically advised us to take off our high heels before exiting the aircraft in case of an emergency - it even had a cartoon video of a woman pulling off her giant high heels before sliding down an emergency yellow slide.  Obviously, this section was completely absent from the American and French safety presentations.  I want to say that it was particularly Italian, but I haven't been here long enough to make that judgment.  Second, even though it was dark on my shuttle ride here and I could hardly see anything, I saw an elegantly illuminated sign in Italian advertising for a detective from the local police station, complete with a huge smiling face picture and all.  At first I thought it was either a real estate agent or a TV personality, but after reading it (and sorry, there wasn't time for a picture) it was clearly an advertisement for the police.

Possibly my first glimpse into the Italian mindset?  Maybe.

Let the adventures begin!

At Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris

My roommate and a few pics of my new apartment