Roma II

My internet connection is spotty and unreliable (damned Tuscany country side and their IT people) so here's the second Rome entry. For the first, please scroll down. No peeking at this one first.

Our first day of seeing the sights was by car. I know, you're probably thinking "why would they drive in Rome?!" but for a number of reasons, we had to get the car the day before we left the city. It actually turned out to be a really fun adventure!

For those of you who have never driven in Rome, let me explain. There are no speed limits, the traffic signs are merely a suggestion, lane lines don't exist and parking is a free-for-all. Romans drive incredibly fast, make three lanes when there should be one and maneuver round-abouts like nothing. Remarkably, there was little road rage, no accidents (that we saw) and people were actually aware of one another in their vehicles.

We heard stories about how hard it is to be a pedestrian in Rome, but we found that people were good about stopping if you were brazen enough to step into their path. On the flip side, I had to be hyper vigilant about people stepping out in front of me! None the less, we made it through our tour. Here are some more highlights.

View from the car onto a typical Roman street.

The Pantheon
(not to be confused with the Greek Parthenon, which I do constantly)

Corinthian columns in the entrance

View into the great dome
Coliseum drive by

Coliseum closer

Trevi (Trivoli) Fountain
(By throwing a coin into the fountain backwards, you are assured to return to Rome)

Detail of the top of the fountain

Random ruins. No name, no hoopla. Thousands of years old. -Yawn-

Viva Roma!

Wow! We made it to Italy. After a nightmare at the car rental place, then a two hour delay leaving the US, then missing our connection from London, then our rescheduled connection being an hour late...we made it! From door to door, we were traveling for more than 24 hours. Yikes!

Our apartment in Rome was very well located, quiet and warm. There was Italian TV to watch (what a spectacle) and espresso to be made. Up the street was a small park where we mingled with the locals and down the street was any kind of shop you could imagine. We ate lots of pizza and got a great Italian lesson from the guy in the Gelati shop.

Day one comprised of sleeping all day then searching for a place to eat, then sleeping again. Day two and three on the other hand were packed full of excitement. Basically, we went to the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica and all the ancient Roman sights we could pack in.

St. Peter's Basilica

Sneaky (illegal!) picture of the most famous part of the Sistine Ceiling

There are many more things to post! My internet connection isn't great (damned Tuscan country side and its bad DSL) so, I'll try to post a Roma II.

In closing, we are now in Tuscany enjoying the amazing wine, food, art and culture. Everyone is enamored with Elliot and he seems to be enjoying all the museums we've been dragging him to. We are learning the language by rapid fire here (no one speaks English) and are loving every minute.