Thursday, October 21, 2010

Thursday, October 21, 2010 - ROMA

If I should happen to expire in Rome (probably from overeating) encase me in a casket filled with bleu cheese from the Hotel Lancelot; it is the most heavenly thing I’ve found on earth. Breakfast here is crusty breads, various cheeses, some Italian meats and fruits. The hot chocolate is rather like heating up a bottle of chocolate syrup. I love it.

Oh, right—the famous sights of Rome. This morning we walked to the Colosseum; although you may have seen hundreds of pictures of it, there is no way to convey the immensity of that structure, or the antiquity. An inscription over an entrance reads “Anno VII” That’s right: 7! It makes the mideval ruins in Switzerland seem modern. We took a Hop On and Hop Off bus tour of the city and I was overwhelmed by the things we saw. Turn a corner and there is the site of the Circus Maximus, or a gigantic cathedral that looks like a movie set; it is adorned with not one massive statue, but fifty. There are Roman fortifications and villas, cathedrals on every block, and astounding plazas and fountains. At the huge arch on the main entrance to the city you can almost hear the throngs cheering triumphant Roman legions. We walked from the Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps. Yes, Marlene, I did toss in a coin—I remember “Three Coins in the Fountain.”

In the morning we will go to the Vatican and the Vatican Museum. I have loved every minute in Rome; it is visually breathtaking, a bustling, people friendly place, full of energy. Tonight, in a little candlelit cafĂ©.with a full moon in the sky and soft jazz music wafting on the warm night air I thought, “this is my kind of place” Love, Mom, Barb/G/ /GG

2 comments:

  1. SO FUN!! Sounds like a very fun and very busy day, but well worth it! It makes me want to go visit. Love you!

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  2. LOVE the pictures - they make me want to go back. The time has just flown by, I can't wait to hear all about it. Travel safe. love, Jill

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