Happy birthday, Liz!

There is a birthday girl on the other side of the Atlantic who I wish to hug with this post.

As it happens more often than not, internet connects people. And then steps are made and things happen, if you let it.

Things happen also if you don’t let it and they hurt but if we are lucky, and sometimes life is just luck, it goes on.

Liz, who blogs at Fetching the World with beautiful images of natural and urban environment, especially birds, was the first blogger I met in real life and we got to spend two wonderful days together in June 2017, the first one in Rome, which I showed you on my second blog and more is coming today, and the second one in Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio, which I showed you on my third blog.

We had known each other online for quite a while but not much more than that and had never spoken on cam, for example, before amore and I picked her and her two West Coast friends in front of their hotel in Rome and we took off on our adventures with amore as a natural born Romano leading the way.

We got along just splendidly and met again a few days later – without amore who had to work, but with bestia instead – and gorged on amore’s handmade tiramisu in a particularly lovely setting of Civita di Bagnoregio (I saw a recent photo of it yesterday and it was covered with snow!).

I know that it’s just a question of time when we meet for the third time and have you here with us for some time as agreed but not carried out yet. All in its sweet time.

Here is our day one, with special emphasis on street art which followed us throughout. For those who like comparisons, here is how Liz captured the same day.

Without you none of these photos would exist.

Happy birthday, Liz, and much love, health and new adventures!

First stop: Non-Catholic Cemetery with the graves of John Keats (this is his memorial) and Percy Bysshe Shelley, among others.
Then to Ostiense and its street art. Via delle Conce, by Blu.
Nessuno, by Axel Void.
Pescheria Ostiense, Via del Porto Fluviale, by Agostino Iacurci.
Rome is the kind of place where you don’t know what is old and what is new.
By Carlos Atoche.
This surely hit the spot. U Sicilianu, Sicilian restaurant. Amore says it’s out of business, sadly.
Nearby. Unknown.
Opposite of the basilica. By Sam3.
The Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Inside the basilica. Extraordinary.
This passageway in Ostiense is full of street art.
I had it saved to visit but we passed here by chance. (There is no chance.)
One reason why I wished to go here. Is this Shelley or Keats?
The other one, at the other end of the passage.
Then we moved to Trastevere which is a quirky little haven. Liz in action.
Smile, please.
Anna Perenna, by Neve.
We hopped over to the Stadio dei Marmi. “Follow your dream. Never stop.”
Happy day! Let them never stop.
Last stop: Monte Mario with the wicked view.
All girls together pose for amore. This monument was put here ages ago for us to sit on it in that moment. It was a glorious day and we were tired.