Blogs from Rome, Lazio, Italy, Europe - page 9

Peggy stayed in bed most of the day, getting up to meet John for a drink at the end of the day high atop the Grand Hotel Minerva. So John was on his own during the day, exploring some of the interesting structures he has missed when visiting Rome at other times. He started with a search for the Tarpeian Rock from which criminals and traitors were thrown in the days of the Roman Empire. It is on the south side of the Capitoline Hill but John discovered you can’t get to the top of it as there are fences everywhere. He was not planning on jumping but did want to know what happens to traitors in Italy as it may be helpful to the United States. After the unsuccessful search John proceeded to the Victor ... read more

John was up early and took a walk to Piazza del Popolo then met Peggy for breakfast stop the hotel. Another beautiful day but hot. Perhaps not the blessings of climate change. We made our way south to the Campo dei Fiori and took in all the stands full of fresh vegetables and fish and meat and flowers. A busy place on Monday morning. We continued on to Palazzo Farnese, which is the immense French Embassy and has been for more than 300 years. They do a few tours a week (to see the handiwork of Bernini and Michelangelo and others) but we are not sighed up… We visited Theatre of Marcellus or at least what remains. It must have been quite a place in its day (surprising how much is left after so many stones ... read more

OK, economy is not the greatest fun! Neither of us really slept at all … but the flights were easy (we went through Newark) and on time. Of course there was one hitch: we went to the wrong gate in Newark and had to take a bus back to the right gate. The last call announcement was underway as we arrived at our correct gate. After getting our luggage and meeting our driver we made it into Rome and hour hotel at around 10:00 AM. Our driver (Florin) was nice and took us on a little tour as we entered the city. Of course our room was not available until around noon so we went for a walk to Trevi Fountain (jammed with people) and the Piazza de Spagna and the steps. On the way we ... read more

For the third year in a row I have decided to walk a pilgrimage. In September and October 2016 I walked various stages of the Camino de Santiago starting in Pamplona and ending in Santiago de Compostela {see blogs starting with ). In July 2017 I walked the portion of the St. Olavsleden from near the Swedish border to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway (see my blog at ). The reasons for walking these pilgrimages without my wife Linda remains the same as previously...someone needs to be home to take care of our pets; our dog Bonnie has diabetes and cataracts. Also Linda can't walk long distances. My reason for walking pilgrimage trails (see a representative map of the trails in Europe) is that the slow pace without electronic devices and other daily interruptions allow ... read more

Day 34 - Sistine Chapel On Saturday, we headed for the Vatican. Our scheduled time at the Vatican Museum was 10am, so we slept in a little, ate breakfast, and walked through Rome (down side alleys, of course). From the group meeting spot to the entrance to the museum was a half-mile walk with very little shade. Therefore, we were more than happy to spend a lot of time walking slowly in the crowded, but air conditioned, Vatican Museum on our way to the Sistine Chapel. The museum’s pieces were incredibly preserved, and some of the best we have seen at any museum. It is not surprising given the influence of the Catholic Church and the fact these pieces have been in private collection for hundreds of years. There was an express path to the chapel ... read more