When Kate returned to her room, the first thing she did was place her passport inside the hotel room safe, deciding to carry the photocopy with her instead. Mario's scolding had not fallen on deaf ears and after this mornings fiasco, she wasn't taking any chances. She got herself ready for today's adventure by throwing on a simple white t-shirt, a comfortable pair of jeans and sensible trainers. She tied her long brown hair up into a high ponytail and applied a light layer of tinted moisturiser, not really ever being one for heavy makeup. And Kate didn't need it, she had a flawless olive complexion with just a light sprinkling of freckles across her nose and the apples of her cheeks.
Kate wandered the streets of Rome for what felt like hours. Armed with the map she had been given yesterday and her phone’s GPS for good measure. She made her way around most of the city, astonished at how small it felt now that she was actually here.
She window-shopped through a strip full of high-end fashion stores. Kate eyed the women inside, class exuding from their pores, not to mention the Gucci, Dolce and Prada most of them were wearing. These women were already carrying at least three or four designer shopping bags and readying themselves for their next big purchase.
She spotted a pink Versace purse in the store window, made from Italian leather and lined with pale pink satin fabric. A simple V embossed just beneath its golden clasp. It's gorgeous, Kate whispered to herself, even though its price was equivalent to a full month’s rent back home.
She moved on, walking past what could only be described as a dessert lovers heaven. Golden cream-filled pastries lined the front windows of Mama Lina’s Pasticceria. Behind them, rows upon rows of sugared crostoli, amaretti, florentines and savoiardi, the kind of light and airy sponge biscuit used to make Kate’s favourite, Tiramisu and this was just the store’s window display. Inside the store, cakes of every variety imaginable. Chocolate cake, vanilla cake, strawberry shortcake, mud cakes, tea cakes, light Italian sponges, covered in cream and decorated with glazed summer fruits filled the refrigerated display. Kate could already feel her waist size increasing just by breathing in the delectable sweet smell coming from inside the store. She would most definitely be coming back, but she had something else in mind for today.
Next door was a gelateria filled with a rainbow of irresistible flavours. Kate selected just one, in a cup, never a cone. She wasn’t much a fan of ice cream, finding it way too cold to enjoy and sometimes, even a little bit boring. But it was fairly hot out and this wasn’t ice cream, this was gelato, so when in Rome.
Slowly savouring the pale green pistachio gelato she had chosen, she stopped to watch a group of young boys play a game of football in an open field. The ball shooting off into the street many times, but not once did it seem to bother anyone driving by. They were all happy to stop or slow their vehicles down to allow one of the boys to retrieve the ball, cheering the game on as they drove off. Kate recalled waking up at ridiculous hours to watch many a football game on the television with her father growing up. It was something for just the two of them, neither Elise nor her mother were ever interested in the sport. She listened as one of the boys commentated on the game, recognising some of the better-known football players he was using to refer to some of the boys.
Kate climbed the grande stairways of a large white building, wandering in, out and around the museum inside. She marvelled at all the intricacies carved into the white marble walls and made her way up to the terrace which provided a panoramic 360-degree view of the beautiful city. Kate could see the Colosseum and couldn't believe it was right there below her, only a short walk in the distance. Immense excitement peaked in her once more and she was certain this would forever be her favourite place in the world. Kate pulled the map out of her travel bag and searched for the building, trying to figure out exactly where she was. It seemed she had wandered too far off track and couldn't get her bearings. In a moment of sheer brilliance, she opened the GPS app on her phone. Kate searched for that little blue dot, and there she was; The Vittoriano.
It’s funny how just a few short weeks ago, all Kate could dream about was champagne breakfasts and lazy days in bed with Ryan. She was completely blinded by her love for him and the excitement of planning their wedding. Kate could hardly believe that there was an actual point in time that all of this seemed boring to her. How on earth could any of this ever be boring? She was having the time of her life, free to do whatever she felt like doing and go wherever she felt like going. Imagine what I could have missed out on, she thought. But Kate didn’t have to imagine, she was really there taking it all in and enjoying every breathtaking minute.
As the sun began to set behind her, Kate entered the hotel’s address into the GPS app and prepared herself for what was coming. She was meant to stay nearby the hotel today, not wander off all over the city and knew she had gotten a little carried away walking some of the uneven cobblestone streets. Her gelato was now more of a lumpy green soup peppered with chunks of pistachio nuts, than the delicious frozen dessert she had first purchased. Okay, so she may have travelled a lot further than she originally planned but thirty-seven minutes, that’s not so bad, she thought, as she started making her way back towards the hotel.