Rome

5/5/13 Day Six

Ciao, Positano... On to Roma!

Awesome train ride from Naples to Rome (super clean and spacious). We were a little nervous about going to the bathroom (which we had to pay first), since we heard there were a lot of pick pockets there. Getting from the bus to our hotel was a bit challenging, but we did it.

After we got settled in, we took a walk and stopped for a glass of wine/appetizers before we met up with our tour group. Linc had spaghetti with meat sauce. Of course it tasted just like Nona's. Dinner with the group was fun. We had huge personal pizzas and wine. After dinner we were entertained by a woman Opera singer who was fantastic. Afterwards, Linc and I took the bus ride tour excursion through Rome. It was beautiful seeing the Forum and Coliseum at night. Tom and Patty took a walk and found Trevi Fountain and The Spanish Steps. We had an early night in our little room.

5/6/13 Day Seven

We had a quick breakfast before going to the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. I loved our tour guide, Franca. She was a very nice, classy Italian lady. We were so glad to be with our group because it allowed us to go ahead of everyone and avoid the 3 hour long lines. Once again, words fall short in trying to describe the beauty of St. Peters Basilica. After lunch we toured The Coliseum in the rain. I have never really enjoyed history until now, but I'm excited to get home and start reading The Old Testament and more history. Even though it was rainy, it didn't prevent us from seeing anything. We all had our umbrellas.

"Aloora" (sp?) was the word our tour guide kept saying over and over again. We finally learned it means okay! :)

We came back to the hotel to re-group and rest for a little while. I had a cafe (while texting Meghan back and forth) in the lobby bar before we walked the streets of Rome. We took pictures of Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps and The Pantheon. Linc was determined to have a Big Mac at McDonald's and he enjoyed it! :) We had an amazing dinner at a small restaurant that the Peru couple recommended. It was in the basement and was their wine cellar. It was my favorite meal of our trip so far. Patty and I loved our pasta with fresh pepper. It was a long walk back to the hotel.

We have never travelled with friends for this long, and we are learning a lot about each other; this is where the rubber meets the road; I hope they aren't getting sick of us. ;)

5/7/13 Day Eight

We enjoyed our private (12 person) tour of the Scavia below St Peter's Basilica. We had made our reservation months in advance. It's amazing that they really know where the bones of St. Peter remain today. I got a little (lot) claustrophobic and almost had to leave, after our tour director told us it was going to be very humid and dark. What a great opportunity and I'm so glad I didn't miss it!

We had lunch at a real authentic Italian restaurant before climbing The Holy Stairs on our knees. It was humbling to say the least. I thought it would be painful emotionally/Spiritually, putting myself in Jesus's shoes, and thinking about Him climbing them. They had areas shown where His blood had dripped and people stopped to touch and kiss them. I was surprised that it was also vey painful, literally. All I could think of was that I never deserve to complain about anything again. My knees where killing me. It was so nice sharing the experience with Patty.

We went to the last part of Mass at another church. It was special having communion. One thing I love about the Catholic religion is that no matter where in the world Mass takes place, it is exactly the same.

We stopped for wine and appetizers at a restaurant on the street. Dinner was a little disappointing. Patty and I split Lasagna, and it was just okay. We found some better spots we wished we would have found earlier. Oh well... We had desert and cappuccino with sambuco at a cute place and sat outside.

Our weather today was "Moody," as our our tour guide, Giovanni puts it~rain off and on.

Highlight of Rome for me? Definitely the Sistine Chapel. I could have stayed in there for hours!!