I've arrived! After an 11 hour trip, I've finally made my way onto Italian soil {we had a 1.5 hour stopover in Paris which was torturous -- imagine knowing you're in Paris, but not being able to leave the airport. Sacrebleu!}.

Before I delve into my first day in Rome, let me fill you in on a quick secret of how to make the flight seem shorter. Aside from knocking back a couple of glasses of wine to help you relax, invest in an eReader. I brought my Kobo along with me {only $149 from Indigo} and it provided hours of reading; when I was tired of reading my fiction book, I would switch over to a juicy biography. I love that I can have a variety of books to choose from on my trip but not have to lug around print versions. Oh, and did I mention my great Jonathan Adler cover? It's all about traveling in style! Alright, back to beautiful Italia! I was exhausted after getting off the plane, so I slept for the short ride to the hotel. When I woke up, I was so excited to see some of the most stunning architecture I've ever laid eyes upon. Everything is so incredibly grand and historic -- I instantly became jealous of the people that live here and get to look at this every day. I also quickly began seeing the pro's to traveling on a tour like this one with Trafalgar Tours. I was a Grumpy Gus when we got off the plane and it was so nice to have a big bus waiting for us, and also to have all of our luggage and transportation taken care of. After a quick nap in the beautiful hotel, I rejoined the group and we all went for dinner to a lovely Italian trattoria. The food was obviously delicious and I think the word 'full' doesn't scratch the surface of how I felt after that meal. Might as well get used to it! Below are a few pictures of the gorgeous Aleph Hotel and the sights I saw around Rome at night. Tomorrow is Vatican City so I will have incredibly lovely and inspiring images to share with you. Ciao! [caption id="attachment_5568" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="The romantic balcony in my room at the Aleph Hotel"] [/caption] [caption id="attachment_5569" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="The spacious bathroom in my hotel room {anyone who travels to Europe knows that 'spacious' and 'bathroom' are not usually two words said in the same sentence}"] [/caption] [caption id="attachment_5570" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="The lobby of the Aleph Hotel -- drama, drama, drama!"] [/caption] [caption id="attachment_5573" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="The breathtaking statue outside the Castle of Angels"] [/caption] xo, Lauren