Few notes from Roma

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This time I am more leisurely putting up photos and sitting at our nearby "internet point" after a walk around the Tiber River. I also borrowed a picture card cable from the guy at the desk...it worked a few nights ago, so while I now have one (thank you Kodak), I already saw that it would not be coming to my aid here. We have been to the Vatican, and I would like to go back just to walk in St. Peter's again. That church is enough to make one want to the Catholic, even if I have been a happy Methodist all my life! :-)

I have more of the necessary tidbits from the Vatican (one being how Janice had a corkscrew that they wouldn't let her take inside the church. She went to get it back from the trash, and the way she came had no one stopping her. She managed to drop it on the ground, though!) and our walk along the Appian Way today after the catacombs of St. Sebastian. There is the picnic you were hoping someone would be taking, Mom! Yes, that comment was just for her. As I get ready to sign off, I wanted to draw your attention to the few more new pictures that are up.

I at least wanted to add some before I headed home and found myself in the process of printing them, putting them in albums and sharing them with the "ASU and friends" group. Good thing that this is the core of my project...I have many ways to go with this, and now I am getting audio from Ray and some of the students and so on as we get ready to depart Italy in the early morning hours of Friday. Tomorrow, we go to the Coliseum, and I must get myself to the Mouth of Truth and the Spanish Steps. I may try the bus system for that, since we have been using it (with the addition of the Metro to get to another bus stop today as well).

At least Mary Donnan has the motorcycle part down for re-enacting "Roman Holiday." She is actually out right now with the guy from the front desk at the hotel...he offered a ride on his bike, so I can't wait to hear how it went tomorrow. And she did tell me that she had her will done back in Augusta--I told her that that would be a wonderful way for me to begin her 'side story' about this. :-) Please do check back for some time after we are home...more gems from this trip will be waiting!

Arrividerci,
Katrina

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Photos

Something I just saw
So trite a title that I give to this picture, but about true. This was seen after we had been to the famous Sistine Chapel (side story there) and were heading back to go to lunch. We walked through so many rooms that day, but so many more were left unseen by my eyes. Some things struck me to capture as we walked, so this was one.

Truly Roman, but no name
This marble sculpture at the Vatican (nearby which were many, many more--I have lots of photos of famous figures and works) basically had no major name assigned to it. I thought this figure truly Roman "looking," and the title was something like that...regular Roman man. He was the average joe, but worth seeing!

Master of the domes
I'll be the first to admit that I gently used Photoshop on this picture. However, most all that you see is what is in St. Peter's at the Vatican. Michelangelo was indeed a genius, and I could barely get over seeing the "Pieta" so quickly and simply as I came in. One could wander for some time before coming to the dome, and then again, I wished I had had more time to look around. I also wished that more of the group (especially students) had spent more time in here.

Saint Pietro--buona sera
This was from my trip back to St. Peter's at night. I didn't mind the trip back on the notorious bus 64 (again, side story of how no one got pickpocketed there, but almost did elsewhere) and the striking out on my own...it was the best way to feel like a travel writer at times. I went to the Vatican, walked around, and found myself at the Castle St. Angelo before going home.

Tiber River
One of the views from one of the many bridges. Walking down to walk along the river was a blast at night--so much was going on, and one could sip a cocktail and lean against pillows while people watching. I'm glad that we weren't too far from all of this.