When in Rome...

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I used to think that the drivers in Jamaica were crazy! Then I came to Italy and we have not met a cab driver that would disappoint the contestants on the Amazing Race! Pedestrians do not assume the right of way but there is a mutual respect between the drivers and the pedestrians that seems to work here in Rome. I would not dare to test this at home.

Rudi and I have spent the past 2 days exploring Rome. We have toured the Colliseum and imagined what life was like back then when killing people in an arena was a sport that everyone enjoyed. It sounds like it was alot like you see on the movies and being there was very surreal. The ruins in the forum were incredible and right next to a very busy street. We were amazed to exit the subway and the first sight in front of us was the Colliseum. It was right there, across the street! We went on a lengthy walk first, around the entire Forum area where the leaders of the Roman Empire used to meet. It was the hub of their empire and, though in a state of decay, remains a profound site.

After the Colliseum we went back to the hotel for a quick refresher. Then we set out to see the Vatican. With relatively small expectations, it's safe to say that we were absolutely blown away by both St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum. The latter has statues that rivalled the Louvre in Paris and so many of them that ones which would be centrepieces back home were mere sideshows here. The museum is quite large and we've taken many photos that we'll be sure to share when we get back home. Of course, the pièce de résistance was at the end - the Sistene Chapel. When we walked into the room, you couldn't help but be in awe of Michaelangelo's extraordinary work. Our tour guide was very good and explained to us the intracacies of the various paintings but nothing could have really prepared us for the murals we beheld. The most astounding part (again, not captured in photographs which we weren't allowed to take in there anyhow) was the three dimensional view that the paintings conveyed. They really appeared to be stepping out of the ceiling and the walls. We really could have spent hours in there just staring, but we still had the Basilica to go.

Again, we had no idea what to really expect with this second portion of the Vatican tour, so it was quite easy to blow away our expectations. And blown away they were... The sheer magnitude of the building itself, not to mention the colossal statues and other fine pieces of art was once again overwhelming. It is said to be two football fields in length and ends in a vast circular dome below which is the largest copper artwork in the world - a tall canopy that accentuates the white altar beneath, focusing the eye on the front of the building. So many enormous statues and all were awe-inspiring. As Rick Steves says in his audio tours, no matter how many times you visit this building, you can't help but be awestruck by what you see.

There's not a lot for us left to do on our list in Rome. While we walked around the Pantheon we have not yet been inside. Almost everything in Rome closes at 7 with final admission at around 6:15 and we just missed it by a hair. Since we have had a very limited amount of time to explore Rome we have not been back in that area during their hours of operation. We hope that we will steal some time before going to the airport on Saturday. Tomorrow we're hoping that the weather will continue to be perfect (24C with a slight breeze) so that we can visit the ruins of Pompeii. There's apparently an express bus from Rome to Naples and then a half hour commuter train we can take to the ruins. If we can figure out those schedules, we'll have managed to hit everything we really wanted to see in Rome.

For now we go to sleep, resting our tired legs for the last full day of our adventure. Ciao and goodnight!

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