“I have a proposal for you…”
“…Ok…?”
“What would you think about…for your vacation time…of…going with me to…Rome?”
“Yes.”
It was out of my mouth as soon as I heard the word.
Rome. The Eternal City.
My response, was, what they would say in French, une évidence. Of course, I would go to Rome with Christophe. If I had travelled the world, – lucky me – and yet had never been, the reason was quite simple. I had been waiting to go with him.
He has come into my life like something like a fire-bomb, one that burns in the very best way. The first night that we spoke on the phone, it was until 2am. The second? 5:30. Rooster-crowing time. And so the connection began.
He lives in Paris. I live in Provence. And yet we somehow see each other nearly once a week. Or try our best to do so. I am broke from the train tickets and yet grateful. That was the word I used this morning, in speaking to the owner of my studio flat. She is one of my guardian angels. “Grateful to the Universe?” she asked. “Yes. Exactly,” I replied.
And so to Rome.
He doesn’t travel like I do, preferring to get up when I usually go to bed in order to take the first flight out. And so I felt a little blurred around the edges as I stepped out of the Termini Train station. Walking head held high because this is Rome after all, and realising with the turning of gazes that the weight that I have put back on (yes, its true, all of it) is actually a good thing in Italy if not in stick straight France. Mamma mia.
And somehow that bubble of non-reality never quite popped. Arrival on the morning of the 22nd, departure on the evening of the 26th. Four quick nights, and no, I won’t tell you about those nights. Those are mine. Those are ours.
But the evenings? They were my favorite. It had been my hunch, somehow, but how could I have known? Maybe I have been to la bella Roma before after all, another lifetime ago. To walk and walk those cobblestone streets. To turn a corner and find the Pantheon looming above me, Jack and the Beanstalk-like as tears of surprise rose like the columns lit in a pale golden light. We leaned on each other when we got tired. We kissed and never got gelato.
He planned it all, having lived there last year and only very recently haven given up trying to start a business, too complicated, too frustrating. So he knew what he enjoyed and suspected where I would feel the same. It is amazing how right he was.
The Eternal City.
One could say that Love, with the big L, is the true Eternal City and Rome is an expression of that. Love in all its deep complexities, Rome in love with itself. Christophe and I were in the midst of all that, bouncing around in taxis through numerous piazzas, politely ignoring the well-intentioned texts declaring what we “must” do, knowing that each Rome is personal. In my photo dispatches my beautiful Mother and Sister exhaled, “you look blissfully happy,” just as my friend Gérard responded, “you have a glass of wine in your hand in every single one.” Both were right.
My joy, my love and my gratitude to Christophe. And to Rome.
For there is only one first time for everything, and this first felt both newer and older than the monuments, full of nothing but beauty and absolutely all that is good.
Grazie, grazie mille.
So nice to hear from you again. Thanks for the beautiful pics of Rome. Brings back lots of memories – Very happy for you. Best wishes FLRose
I check ever so often to see if you have surfaced! …..and to my joy you have. Gorgeous pictures and joyful news. As everyone else has said “so happy for you” !
I took that same picture of the corner statuary medallion, as I recall it was right there by the Trevi fountain – another incredibly romantic and beautiful place! Love your photos, memory makers!
I am beyond happy for you! When I saw your name in my inbox, I just knew it had to be extra good! Rome is so beautiful. 'My Christophe' & I stayed, along with some other relatives, in an apartment about a block from the Pantheon, and that building and piazza is probably one of my all time favorite places in the world. It was all so romantic and awe inspiring. Eating dinner under candlelight in the piazza – I was there with you, reliving our wonderful experience and hoping that yours was just as fabulous – which beyond doubt, it appears to be so!!! Happy happy happy for you! Love, Judi
Dear Heather. I am so happy you've shared Rome with us. It's always good to hear from you. And I am so happy that you're happy. Because I can feel it, your happiness. And it is well deserved.
I did not know that you had never visited Rome but now I know why your words always resonate with me so much. Because we are a bit alike in many things. You too have made the connection with Rome. Like you, I always feel like I have walked those ancient cobble stones before, no matter how many times I visit (last year was my 5th time), that feeling is always there. It has never left me. And it will never leave you. It will stay with you. Forever.
Dear Heather, It's good to read these comments and see that so many others of your readers join with me in simply being happy to read that you're happy. All I have to offer are two things…….a song and poem (which you should know)…
Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKWcJnvqOMs
And, then?:
Recuerdo
By Edna St. Vincent Millay
"
We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable—
But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,
We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;
And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon.
We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;
And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,
From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;
And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,
And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.
We were very tired, we were very merry,
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
We hailed, “Good morrow, mother!” to a shawl-covered head,
And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read;
And she wept, “God bless you!” for the apples and pears,
And we gave her all our money but our subway fares."
Sincerely, and with all the best wishes for you………
David Terry
Quail Roost Farm
Rougemont, NC
USA
I am so happy you are so happy!
Very happy post. I've been holding my breath for you for a long time, and there is nowhere better to be in love! I was once, and in the Eternal City, so enjoy for all it's worth! XO
Heather, can you imagine how happy I am for you? Discovering Rome in Love…I doubt that anyone experiences that as fully (or shares it as beautifully) as you. Thank you for this post. Jubilantly, Leslie����
What a wonderful trip, Heather! Am so very happy for you! All the waiting and all the wisdom has now become manifest. You are so deserving of love and happiness. Thanks for sharing your story and the photos.
Best to you!