When we arrived in Rome, it wasn’t without characteristic mishap: us staying awake all night so we could catch a 3 a.m. cab ride to the airport; Kim getting sick as soon as we arrived at baggage claim, and spending the bus ride to the camp ground clutching a barf bag.

Matt flew here with Kim and I, but only stayed for two days, during which time we did a whirlwind tour. Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peters Basilica, Colisseum, and a dozen or more statues, fountains, ruins. There is no end of activities in Rome, Rome is the tiny city that gave us the 26-letter alphabet, the January though December calendar, and the Roman Catholic Church.

Matt’s departure at the end of the weekend marked the end of an era — and the start of a new era, the last two and a half weeks of my trip with Kim. In Era 1, Kim and I spent 6 weeks frugally camping, farming, biking and couchsurfing in Spain and Portugal. In Era 2, we”re taking a 2.5 week “vacation” in Italy, Germany, and Austria.

We slept at a campground about an hour outside of Rome’s center, although it is the most luxe campground I”ve ever seen, complete with jacuzzi, buffet and on-site disco.

We arrived in Florence without characteristic mishap — just a simple train ride from Rome.

Florence, Italy is a cute little city, a lot like Boulder without the mountains. Kim and I settled into a new campsite located walking distance from the city center. The walk is up a large hill, and from the top you can get a beautiful birds-eye view of Florence.

On Day One here, we flipped roles: this time Kim was the one venturing into the art musuems, while I stayed outdoors, wandered through the piazzas, and browsed at a used bookstore.

Kim and I have been eating like its an art ever since we arrived. Gelato, Italian cappucino, pastas, pizzas featuring top-shelf mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and whole basil leaves. The other night, in the process of trying tiramisu, we met a few guys who told us that Florence is a horrible place for studying medicine or engineering. All the social and parental pressure, they said, is to encourage Florentines into studying art. What a strange reversal.

Today we’re going to start walking from Florence to Siena, through the wine region of Tuscany. We have a haphazard map, no real walking route to follow, and no idea where we’ll sleep at night. It sounds like Bike Trip, Part Two, but this time at least we won’t be burdened with bikes.

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