"Thanks for agreeing to have dinner with me tonight. With Michael out of town, even Rome seemed very lonely. How was your day of visiting production facilities?"
"It went very well. Everyone was very helpful and my translator and guide were very nice to talk to. I think that this venture with these people will go quite smoothly, no worries for Michael. What did you do today?"
"Mostly sat by the hotel pool, chatting with a couple of older retired ladies on vacation here from Ohio, they were a hoot. Had a good lunch and then went back up to my room and slept some. I learned a long time ago that when you're bored, sleeping keeps your mind from running away with you. Yeah, what can I say, I'm in Rome Italy and I was bored, something's wrong with that picture."
"You should have gone on another tour or something."
"You spoiled me yesterday. Even though I liked the first half of my tour, it was far better having you to talk to as we went along."
"I agree. I feel the same way. It was definitely nicer having you to talk to as we went on our walking tour."
The waiter brought out their plates of food. Jennifer and John sat there, mouths wide open and amazed at the food on their plates. John snapped out of his shock first. "I can't believe this, the portions are huge, did we both order party plates? This is simply amazing, if it tastes as good as it looks and smells, they may have to bury me right here tonight because I will have died and gone to heaven."
After their dinner they sat with contented looks on their faces. Jennifer looked over to John. "I have never had a meal that was that good before. And the atmosphere in here is incredible. I'm glad you asked for a restaurant off the beaten path. I may need to walk this meal off before I go to bed though."
"I know the feeling. I think I'm starting to really take a liking to Italian wines too, and I thought I could only love California wines. I have an idea that might help you walk off our meal. I asked the Concierge to give me a list of nighttime must-see places close to where we were eating. He wrote down a list, mainly fountains, statues and buildings that are lit up at night, he says they take on a whole new life after dark."
"I'm game. He hasn't steered us wrong yet."
After they finished their wine they headed out to follow the list John had been given. The first on the list was an incredibly large monument. It was called Vittorio Emmanuel II. John and Jennifer were in awe at the sheer size and the beauty of it. Jennifer shook her head. "I remember seeing this on my side of the bus the other day, I can't remember the story Sergio told about it, but it really does take on a different look lit up at night like this."