Happy Anniversary

After working out this morning at the brand-spanking new AquAniene gym, Josh and I rode our bikes to a neighborhood spot, just 2 blocks away and enjoyed an "anniversary lunch" complete with wine. I just can't say enough about how good the wine is here. Any wine, anywhere is bound to be good and sometimes even great! For the first time in Italy, we had a "buffet" for lunch - a very American concept. You don't see these too often in Italy; at least we haven't to this point. It was a perfectly beautiful day (again) and it felt really nice to enjoy the day, the food, the company and not have to worry about work. I really had a feeling of complete liberation, as if I had not a care in the world - perhaps - for the first time since my retirement earlier this year. Or, maybe it was just the wine?

Now, let me make some random observations about the way things are done in Rome....and some things we can learn from them:

- In the area of environmental conservation, they do a couple of smart things here. First, at the grocery store, you must bring your own bag(s) for your purchases, otherwise you pay .05 euro for each plastic bag you use. Very smart. I wonder what happens if you raise the price to a quarter?

- There are no stacks of towels for your use at the gym - you must bring your own (same concept as the grocery store). In some gyms, they will issue one bath towel and one gym towel per person per visit. There are also gyms where if you don't want to bring your own (or you forget) you can pay 1euro per towel to use theirs. This is really a powerful way to conserve water (and energy). How many times have you seen ladies (perhaps the men too, but I can't say for sure) use 10 towels during one visit to the East Bank Club locker room?

- In the sanitary department, there are also some good examples that come from the gym and the grocery store. At the grocery store, you must first don a plastic glove before touching the produce. All produce is then weighed and priced in the produce section and not at the register (like Treasure Island).

- Swimming and water aerobics are all the rage now. Young and old, everyone is getting in the water these days. They even have a class called "hydrobike" where you're riding a bike in the pool. But no one is allowed in the pool unless they have their swim caps on. Men, women and children... no loose hair in the pool!

- Lastly, in the area of appearances, no one "does" wet hair out of the locker room. It doesn't matter if it's the little 7-year old girls after a swim lesson, or competitive athletes, or mature women. No one leaves the locker room without drying their hair. Since it's 80 degrees every day (and 70 degrees at night), you know it can't be about the weather. Now that's attention to appearances.

So this evening after the kids had dinner, Josh and I strolled out in to our neighborhood in search of an aperitivo. The Lord Byron Hotel is just around the corner - unfortunately their lounge is underground in the lower level and we had something al fresco in mind. In Piazza Euclide there are a number of restaurants and lounges and so we picked one for toasting our anniversary. And, in Italian style, we were dressed for the occasion.