Happy New Year!

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On the last day of 2006 we left Florence for a 90-minute train ride to Rome. These trains are amazing. They go from 250 to 300 kilometers per hour. I tried to take still pictures out the window, but couldn’t focus on the fast moving landscape. I have some video footage showing the Italian countryside. Down in this neck of the woods it looks a lot like the Napa Valley. Many hills and vineyards and villas that are even similar in design to the Napa Wineries. You can see where the winemakers got their ideas.

I liked the feeling of Rome right away. We arrived at our hotel, which is attached to a 13th century church. The building is fascinated and located on the grounds of a 2,000 year old mini-coliseum. (3,000 spectators, as opposed to the big colosseo here that held 50,000). We were escorted to our cell, er, room. One single bed in an 8’x12’ room. The boys got a double, but they were completely full. Today they moved us to a larger room. Much better.

New Years Eve in Rome was the most amazing New Years Eve I have ever witnessed. We went out to a very traditional Roman New Years Eve dinner with three antipasti, two primis, two secondis and on and on. The meal took two and a half hours. We finally had to ask for them to stop bringing food and just bring us the bill as it was 11:30 and we wanted to see New Years Eve from the rooftop terrace of our hotel/church.

The hotel/church is about 6 stories tall (about as tall as anything in Rome) and we had a 360 degree view of the city. We got up there about 11:45pm and there were already fireworks going off in all directions. Huge explosions and firecrackers were going off everywhere. The cacophony intensified for the next 15 minutes and went absolutely insane at midnight. In every direction you looked at any distance you could see and hear fireworks. I think we had the best seat in the house. I have video of it and will try to get that posted to this blog. As I am writing this on New Years Day at about 6:00 pm I still hear the occasional firecracker.

Today we went to the city center and walked our way back past the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Coliseum. The ancient buildings and ruins all around the city fascinate me. It is gratifying to see the boys get into this as well.

I think we’re going off to the Vatican tomorrow. I want a ride in the Pope-mobile.

Happy New Year to all!

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Photos

New Years Eve 2007 Rome
From the rooftop of Domus Sessoriana with statues

Ponte Vecchio Bridge
Looking across the Arno River from our Restaurant in Florence.

San Croce De Gerusalem
This is the church with our hotel on the right side of the picture

Comments

[chuck & lorna]

Happy new year guys!
Gotta tell you. this is very cool to vicariously follow you guys thru this trip.... tell the pope we said hi. ciao.