Back in New York

Ben and I spent the last 16 days exploring Paris, Rome, two hill towns in Umbria and Tuscany, and two small towns on different parts of the Italian Mediterranean Coast. 

Some highlights:

1.  Ben asked me to marry him!  We did that slightly backwards, considering we decided to have a child in February, got pregnant in March and I'm now 7 months pregnant.  But we're engaged!  How many people get to combine a baby shower with an engagement party!?

2.  We drove the ENTIRE length of the Amalfi Coast.  This was not planned.  Ben's friend, Michele (pronounced Mick-kay-lay) suggested a route for us to take that minimized our driving on twisty, windy roads.  We took a detour to Pompeii for a few hours and when we got back on the highway we just missed the next turn that would send us to the coast and then require a drive along 1/4 of the Amalfi coastal road.  We figured we could take the next major road and drive north along the route, which meant driving the other 3/4 of the way north instead of south.  The road was barely wide enough for two cars, and in some cases was not wide enough, necessitating backing up and honking of horns.  To make matters worse, the motorinis and motorcycles zip in and out of lanes and cars from both directions, around hairpin turns that overlook 1000 feet drops to the sea. 

3.  In Paris the concierge found it ridiculous that we were avoiding restaurants whose draw was a fabulous wine list.  I was obviously pregnant and he and I had actually had a conversation about my being pregnant the night before.  His confused look and the comment that followed showed an obvious cultural difference.  He asked why we didn't want a great wine list, and Ben made the big belly gesture, to which the man replied, as only a Frenchman can, "Woooiinnee...wha...?"

In another "our country has a much different view on pregnancy than yours" moment, an Italian police officer stopped us for a random check along the Amalfi Coast, and when he realized I was pregnant he suggested to Ben that I remove my seatbelt.  Pregnant women in Italy are urged to not wear their seatbelts.  I've read that you should be more careful about the placement, and of course to make sure it's not too tight, but I supposed the baby is safer if I don't get ejected through the windshield.  I kept my seatbelt on.