Rome is a small small world...

The best story from the rest of my weekend in Rome is a small world story. I was going out to dinner on Saturday night. I asked the concierge for a recommendation and she gave me three restaurants to try. The first was too secluded and I wanted to people watch. The Second was terribly far away. So, I tried the third place. As I was walking up, I heard an American voice say, Oh look, there it is (and then gave the name of the restaurant. Oh, I said, have you heard good things? I was speaking with a young couple who looked vaguely familiar to me but not enough for me to play “do I know you from somewhere?” They told me their concierge had recommended the best place for lunch and that the dinner locale also came from her. Sold, I said, and we each went to our separate tables al fresco. Ot turns out the one thing on the menu that I wanted/could out was sold out for the night so I decided to go somewhere else. As I left, I said goodbye to the couple.

Is your name Rachael? The woman asked. I was stunned. Yes...Rachael Bregman? Yes...

The night before I left for Africa, I was at Brooklyn Heights Synagogues for my last service and their old board/new board installation. There also happened to be an aufrus that evening for the Rachel and Andrew Fingerman, the couple before me in the restaurant, now married, and on their honeymoon. I pulled up a chair and sat with them for a few moments, just mostly dumbfounded by the amazing nature of our running in to one another (that we walked up to the same restaurant at the same time as they said it out loud etc etc...) When the shock wore off, I wandered off into Italy for a my dinner adventure (which was quite lovely).

Sunday morning, I woke up early ish (very worn out from all the walking) and went to the Roma flea market

I walked through it for 40 minutes (stopping very little) and maybe covered half the market. This this is huge!! If ever there were an epicenter for useless junk that someone else has already used, this is it!! I eventually walked home, took a little rest, watched more about what is happening in Iran, and then headed off for the Roman Catholic Leadership Conference I am in Rome to attend.