When in Rome...

Ciao my loyal readers!

I am now in Rome, a glorious, hot, beautiful city! Our last night in Florence was just perfect. We ate dinner in one of the main piazza's, close to the Uffizi Gallery. Our meal was fine, but the surroundings were even better. An orchestra and choir were set up on a stage in front of the Uffizi, facing the square. The square was packed, I mean full of people; we were lucky to have gotten there when we did to get a table. The choir sang Joyful, Joyful in voices that carried into the night sky. It couldn't have been more enjoyable!

I took some night shots of the Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo, I love experimenting with my camera when the subjects are so interesting and attractive!

This morning we got up and headed to the train station. We got on the right train, with a reservation and fine seats. In less than two hours we were here in Rome. Our first experience was not the best as we were cheated, in more ways than one, by a taxi driver, but that was probably our fault. Oh well, you live and learn. The frustrating feeling left by the taxi driver did not last long, so no worries!

Our hotel is great. It is close to the train station and not too far from most of the main attractions of Rome. It is on the opposite side of town from the Vatican, but pretty easy walking distance to most other attractions. Our room is huge compared to the last one with air conditioning, although, no great balcony. The shower, as all showers here have been interesting, is again. Our last shower was basically just a corner of the bathroom, with doors, but the floor was equal to the bathroom floor and no way to keep the bathroom floor dry. Our shower here is a tub, with a shower head on the wall in the middle of the shower, but no shower curtain. Perhaps the maids appreciate our help with mopping the floor!

We had no real plans for today, but decided just to walk, enjoy the city and perhaps get in a few attractions. Of course we started our journey with pizza. (I have gotten very used to pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner... it is just perfect!) Then we went to the Spanish Steps. This is a very popular place to visit at night, and while the steps themselves were not crowded when we visited, the fountain at the bottom of the steps was full of people, people even drinking water and sticking their feet into the fountain for some small relief from the heat.

From the Spanish Steps we walked down a street surrounded by stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and others that were all a tad out of our price range. Our next destination was one of the most well known spots in Rome, the Trevi Fountain. It was packed with people from all over the world, tossing coins in and making wishes. The fountain is breath-taking, largley because of the incredible size of the fountain. Water gushes out of the fountain from ancient aqueducts and provides visitors with a beautiful wishing well. You are supposed to throw a coin over your shoulder, make a wish and hope to return to Rome someday. I can't say a lot about the wishes yet, but as I have thrown a coin into the fountain upon each of my visits and this is now my fourth visit to Rome, I guess it is working! :)

We enjoyed some banana and strawberry gelato as we sat in the shadow of this great fountain. We watched people, children, pigeons and even a sea gull who seemed quite at home at this fountain.

Why not continue our walking tour? It was hot, but not unbearably, and with frequent stops to sit for a bit, we enjoyed ourselves. We walked on to the Pantheon. This incredible dome building is one large room, similar to the dome area of a huge cathedral like that of the Duomo or St. Peter, but only the dome part. The top of the dome is 142 feet tall. When that sounds tall on its own, imagine building it without crains or heavy machinery. The one piece granite columns are the tallest in Italy, shipped from Egypt. It is pretty cool just to sit in awe of this creation.

We continued on to Piazza Navona, a large rectangular piazza with three incredible fountains. There are people impersonating statues, kids playing soccer and artists trying to sell their works. A nice place to sit and enjoy the sound of water running.

Along our journey today we discovered an incredible secret! Most of the churches in the area are open daily, cool and free. Why not stop in and visit? We stopped in four churches, because, why not. Now, I know that most of you have heard of St. Peter's, but how many of you could name another church in Rome? I don't think I could. The churches of course in no way compare to St. Peter's, but if they were in the US, we would all be amazed. Emily and I did stop and awe at each of the churches because they are incredible. They were all quiet, VERY few people in any of them. It was a little oasis, a place to escape the hectic, busy Roman streets. All of the cathedrals were beautifully decorated on the inside, peaceful and calming. We stopped in St. Ignazio of Loyola, St. Agnes, Chiesa el Gesu and one other that I cannot find the name of right now! It was the most pleasant of all though! We happened upon a mass, being conducted for a small group of people, I believe in German. Now how many people can say that they have seen a Catholic mass in Italy in German before? Though I knew little of the words being said, the actions were easy to understand and so the deeper meaning was easily conveyed and I fell into a peaceful trance as I watched the group of youngsters taking communion.

In times of despair or times of complete bliss, I usually feel another presence around me, comforting me. For me this spirit is God, the Holy Spirit, but I believe that most religions have a comparable feeling and being that they feel during times of need. I also have felt God's presence in certain places before. I knew I felt him in Jerusalem and Bethlehem when I was there before. I usually feel him in my home town church at the Christmas Eve service as we leave in silence. He's here too. I know He is always around, but there is just a feeling, a certain spirit in this place. Walking through the churches today, I felt that spirit and it calmed and relaxed my spirit. For so long this city has devoted so much of its time, energy and money to the Lord, to His glory. I know that often times it was a symbol of pride, but we also know that there were people who built these incredible monuments for the right reasons.

Next we walked by some ruins, that I had walked by many a times before. What I remembered about them was still true - all the cats! This small square of ruins, lower than the level ground now, is surrounded by a fence. It is a cat haven of sorts. I saw a sign today that said all the cats were sterilized and taken care of all by donations and that there was a shelter nearby you could visit. Can you imagine being a cat, spending your days lying around ancient Roman ruins? Not too shabby. I'm not sure I could count the cats, I probably saw 20 - even a three legged cat like my little Alex at home!

What I noticed today though, that I do not ever remember noticing, perhaps because it is only a tiny sign to mark such significance, but Julius Ceasar was assassinated on these very steps on the Ides of March. Kids, does anyone remember the story of the Ides of March? Julius Ceasar began fearing that his power may come to an end, just at the height of his glory. He found a fortune teller who told him his fears were credited and that he should "Beware the Ides of March." At the time, most dates were told in relationship to certain days of the month. Every month had an "Ides," it was the 15th of the month. On the Ides of March, Ceasar met with his council where they attacked and murdered him. The betrayl was led by his best friend Brutus. Ceasar's famous last line... "Et tu Brute?" (Mr. Lusco would be so proud!) So anyway, I saw the spot where this famous event took place today, even though I guess I had seen it before!

We then decided to head towards our hotel, and stop somewhere along the way for dinner. Neither of us were really hungry though, and we saw the internet cafe which sounded like a perfect alternative, so here we are! Tomorrow we will go to the Colosseum and the Roman Forums, a real history treat! I can't wait!