"That's the biggest thing I've ever seen!" "Dad, that's a station wagon"

Let's talk for a moment about the size of the average vehicle in Rome if not in Europe. I've been here for just over 2 weeks, and still smile when I see Smart Cars. Maybe not as much as when I first got here, but generally, I still smile. And as a point of reference, it's like going to Kansas in June and smiling when you see wheat fields. Or Iowa and smiling when you don't see houses. Or Minnesota in January and smiling when you see snow.  Basically it's a lot. All of the cars are pint sized, or fun sized depending on your mood. A Mini Cooper-though considered adorably cute in the states- is a relatively good sized vehicle in Rome. I actually saw one today (they're not terribly common) driving down the street I was walking on and thought to myself-wow, that Mini looks huge.  Which not only is an oxymoron in and of itself, but is just a frightening concept all together. If a Mini Cooper is huge, then what do you call a Hummer? or a Semi-truck? They would squish a Mini like a bug. Or a Bug like a bug. Same idea.

So that got me to thinking, what would a Hummer, or an Escalade look like on any one of these streets? Ponder ponder ponder. Conclusion: It wouldn't fit. It just flat out wouldn't. Basically, each road is lined on one if not both sides with these little cars (Mini, Bug, Smart Car etc) and scooters (not the kind with the infomercial when you were ten, the motorized kind that you mock and coo over in KC).  This leaves about enough room for one small vehicle to drive down the street, and one pedestrian to walk, and maybe a dog.  Not much else. And sometimes there's no room for the pedestrian. So pay attention. If someone then got the bright idea to start driving, let's say, an Escalade in Rome, it would look something like a monster truck rally. Not even kidding. There would be crushed little baby Smart Cars, toppled Vespas, and peeved pedestrians wondering why there was so much noise and breaking glass all over the place. It would simply kill the atmosphere.

Now I'm wondering what my father's truck will look like when I get back. Still maroon, still large, but how large? Will my baby Scarlet look big too? So tonight when Erica and I went out to take some night pictures, I was s-h-o-c-k-e-d to see a limo. Yup. A bona fide limo.  Cruising around Rome. It looked massive. We're talking the length of 6 Smart Cars.  That's a lot. That must have been one swanky party. That's for sure. Maybe one day I'll be invited to such a snazzy occasion. The kind where you can rent a limo in Rome. Just 'cuz.

That all being said, the cheesecake is gone. And that was party enough for this apartment. We are a rockin' group. That's for sure.