Destination Rome - Damiano David

2 - Good morning Rome!

The sun enters through a gap between the curtains shining on my face, and wakes me up.

I open my eyes confused, not knowing where I am until all yesterday's events come back into my head. "So it wasn't a dream" I think to myself.

Last night when I landed in Rome I connected to the airport's WiFi and quickly sorted out a room to spend the night. Then I took a taxi to the hotel and crashed out on the bed until now... 9:45 AM. I can't remember the last time I woke up so late. During the week I would get up at 7:00 AM, and on weekends I wouldn't let it go any later than 8:00 AM otherwise I felt I was wasting the little free time I had.

Before I put my feet on the floor I grab my phone and put some music on. Music is what gets me going, what makes me feel alive. Right now I'm really into an italian band my cousin Carla introduced me to just recently. She returned from an Erasmus scholarship in Italy a couple of months ago, and she didn't stop talking about them, so I gave them a chance and they soon turned into my favourite band. They are called Maneskin.

I take my clothes off to the rhythm of "Chosen" and get into the shower. We're in the middle of June and it's quite warm, so a fresh shower feels so good... When I'm finished I wrap myself in a towel and enter back in the room "Well, let's see what I managed to throw in the bag. I hope I have something that matches..." Luckily I have a pair of white shorts and a purple vest top, so I dress up quickly, brush my hair and make my way down to reception. I need something to fill up my growling stomach as I hardly ate anything yesterday.

I really don't fancy a buffet breakfast in the hotel, so I go out to the street searching for a coffee shop or somewhere where they'll feed me. After ten minutes walking through little narrow streets I find a beautiful little place that serves drinks and food. It has a little terrace enclosed with plant pots. The pots are filled with flowery bushes and high plants, so you can hardly see who's sitting at the tables. Locanda dei Fiori it's called. "Wow, what a charming place!" I think to myself.

A lovely old lady greets me as I enter, and invites me to sit down wherever I wish. The terrace is empty, so I take a look and choose a table next to some red carnations, my favourites. The plant is full of flowers and they smell lovely. "Mmm, I could sit here sniffing them all day...".

I ask for an orange juice and some toast with egg, tomato and avocado. The lady soon prepares it and serves it to me.

-Here you are dear, buon appetito! - she says as she places the glass and plate on the table.

- Grazie, it looks delicious! - she smiles at me and walks away.

I take a bite and it tastes as good as it looks. "Mmm, Oh my God, it is delicious! I'll be having breakfast here every day for sure". As I keep eating I take my phone out of my bag and start staring at it.

There are so many things I have to sort out... I have to tell my parents and my best friend Natalie what has happened.

My parents live in Spain. My father is spanish and my mother is english but she always says she was born in the wrong place, as she can't stand rainy days and only feels good under a sunny clear sky. I quite understand her now. I was raised in Spain, in the beautiful Costa Blanca by the Mediterranean sea, but when I turned 18 I decided to "live the adventure" of going abroad, and London seemed like a good idea at the time. Little did I know...

Then there's Natalie, my best friend. I met her one night in the toilets of a disco pub, shortly after I arrived to London. She bursted into the women's restroom asking for help while I was washing my hands. She had come with a friend after work to have a quick beer before going home, but her lifetime crush had suddenly phoned her and was arriving at the pub in 15 minutes. "Girls please, I need your help! Look at me, I've just come out of work, he can't see me like this!!". None of the women there moved a finger for her, but I instantly opened my bag and handed her some makeup and a hair brush. She did a great job with what I lent her, and five minutes later she handed my stuff back "thank you so much, I owe you one!". We exchanged phone numbers and a few days later she contacted me to invite me to a coffee. We connected instantly, and to this day we are best friends.