Travelspam

Quick apology for the lackluster blog. WiFi doesn't allow photo uploads or ease of use, unable to sign on at times.... Still trying!... read more

The Musei Vaticano & Sistine Chapel Our tour of the Vatican Museums begins with our first significant wait in line. We take a taxi to the Vatican Museum in the rain, rather than walking, arriving about 30 minutes before the tour. Rome is even more beautiful in the rain, everything sparkles and shines with added glamourous mystery. The museum guards are attempting to corral a few hundred visitors through the lanes in some type of order, with little success. As we stand to the side, a young woman approaches us, hesitates, staring at Tom, turns away, then back again. Does she find him compellingly attractive, does she think he's a famous Italian movie star? Turns out, she thinks he is her archeology professor from Boston University. Ah, no. :) When we finally get into the museum, ... read more

Ancient Rome, Part II We leave the Colosseum, and wander over to an area of outdoor cafes for a bite to eat. Tom has his favorite, Carbonara, I order the Arrabiata and we get Pomodoro Bruschetta and Caprese salad to start. Not up to the standards of our first night dinner, but still really good, and besides, we're in ROME! We head down the street for a gelato ..... these people know how to live, let me tell you. A bit more wandering on our own, then over to the Vittorio Emmanual II monument, to meet up with Brian. Brian is taking us on our Night Tour of Rome, along with a group of three here from Boston. We begin with the building where we meet, a huge building locally referred to as "The Wedding Cake". ... read more

First Night After several hours of napping, we gather ourselves to head out for a special dinner at Ristorante Aroma, atop the Palazzo Manfredi, a rooftop terrace location overlooking the Colosseum. What a wonderful evening! The view is breathtaking, we can hardly take our eyes off of the incredible site of the Colosseum all lit up. It is one of those 'pinch me' moments. We begin with a cocktail and a shared plate of Rigatoni alla Amatriciana. Fresh made rigatoni, cooked perfectly to al dente, with a complex tomato based sauce, crisp pancetta and shaved pecorino. The sommelier, Allesio, pairs it with a wonderful, soft pinot noir. Just perfect. A few minutes later, the staff laughingly brings us each another plate of rigatoni, they say that Tom raved about it so much the chef sent out ... read more

Tomorrow? Tomorrow's the big day! I have 90% of the packing complete, printed all of the travel documents/itineraries/reservation confirmations....not much left to do but anticipate! Anticipation for me includes second guessing everything I've already packed, do I need more/less shoes?, have I planned for weather contingencies, and where's my passport!?! (It's okay, I found it) Tom often asks before a trip, am I excited? Well, who wouldn't be? I think it's because I have so many other things that I am responsible for that it will be hard for me to relax until I have crossed all my T's and dotted all my I's. Kids/pets/house/work/bills.....they all need some of my attention before I can feel free to leave. We have reservations our first night in Rome to eat at the Ristorante Aroma, atop the Palazzo Manfredi ... read more