Goddamn Gelato.

I would drop kick a small child right now for some damn gelato! Seriously. Enough is enough. Im trying to be all "shanti shanti" about my cleanse and pretend that I'm content only eating vegetables for the next two years, but goddamn- I say, GODDAMN...I could really use a gelato right about now. My wolf pack (of 7) has been enjoying gelato wherever we go, and while roaming the streets tonight [in Rome] we stumbled upon the best gelatoria in the country. I had a small lick of my moms coconut gelato and it was truly, absolutely, hands down the closest thing to heaven that exists here on earth. The best part was the man who owned the place, whom took his gelato *very* seriously...giving specific instructions for how to consume this sweet treat (pistachio before coconut, coconut before chocolate). He couldn't wrap his head around WHY all my friends were having cones and I was NOT. Quite frankly, I couldn't either! But then I centered- reminded myself that this cleanse is going to truly heal me- and I took a bite of my green apple, sipped some water and tried to erase thoughts of fresh bread, coconut gelato, aperol spritzs and homemade pasta.....
On an encouraging note though, the whole crew was hungover this morning and watching them all defeated, dehydrated and delirious made me happy that I'm off the booze. As my mother reminded me, Rome has been around for a LONG time- so I'm sure that it will still be here, serving up delicious gelato when I return.

We cruised on foot, meandering without any specific destination in mind. You can't help but to stumble across amazing architecture and breathtaking sculptures, fountains and monuments. This city is magical, with its cobblestone streets and cozy back ally's. We popped into a restaurant on one of the romantic side streets and had a proper Italian meal. I thoroughly enjoyed my no-frills grilled squid- which was seasoned only with olive oil, lemon juice and a touch of salt. Perfection.

Tomorrow they are calling for 80% chance of rain. Meh, what to do? And so it is. One more full day in Italia before I start the journey home...