Settling in back home

 Very long travel day but we sailed through both the Rome airport and LAX.  But Wow. It was tough staying up until dark but we did some grocery shopping, had an easy dinner and I made it until 6:45, Kirk a bit later.  But 2:30am rolls around and we are both wide awake so we are up drinking coffee and doing boring adult stuff - like 48 hours ago we weren’t roaming the streets of Rome and it’s ancient ruins!

What I will miss (in no particular order)

-The food.  Simple, fresh, amazing and let me be clear VERY INEXPENSIVE!  We estimate we spent 1/2 of what we thought we would, including the wine.  There are strict rules about what can be farmed and where so everything is quite fresh and it is their honor and expectation.  We saw very little snacking out and about and their ‘fast food’ was a fresh sandwich made at a local shop.  The meat was gorgeous and I ate things I cannot even touch here, like sausage.  Yes we did see McDonalds but they were not busy and it seemed there were more tourists in there than locals.  And they were not all over town, but on the outskirts if at all.  And one of them, not 100.  

-The wine.  Not just b/c we love wine but b/c the love that goes into the wine, the family traditions and rich history.  Learning about Chianti was wonderful.  And delicious.  Similar rules apply for what and where and how much you can plant of each grape.

-The casual days of roaming the city, hiking, seeing and feeling the history, learning so much.

-Listening to the people, the guides and our hosts talk about the history of their cities, their families etc. The good, the great, the really bad.  Feeling part of the life for just a moment.  There is a great love for their home and an honor in being 8th generation or even first.  No one talks about moving to a better place for politics or home prices or weather.  They live and love for their home.  Even with all of the problems like unemployment (over 30% in Italy!), the politics and influx of travel to their home towns.  And by the way gas prices in Europe are 3 times ours.  

-Spending so much relaxing time together.  We did it!  And came out just as happy as when we went in, maybe more so. We planned the trip like we live, with a bit of go go go and a bit of relaxing, hiking and exploring.

-The marble.  OMG it’s just gorgeous and everywhere from the train stations, shops, staircases and ancient buildings.  

-And strangely the lack of clothing choices made each day easier.  And we both did an outstanding job of packing in just a carryon and backpack.  I could have even packed less - one less pair of shoes, jacket and pants, no shorts, less socks, less jewelry and makeup.  We did not bring home any souvenirs. 

-The trains.  We traveled all long distances, after we landed, by train.  The system was fairly easy to navigate once we understood it, calm and in most cases very beautiful countryside.  Cheap, too! Kirk had this all done before we left and was 100%.

What I will not miss - 

-THE SMOKING!  Yep, Paris was the worst but it was everywhere.  Hard to believe.

-The pillows.  For some reason in France and Italy we just didn’t have good pillows or enough of them.  

-The showers.  In a few places we did not have proper showers.  Even in newer, 5 star hotels, it was a long arm hooked up to the tub ad in some it was not long enough for Kirk to stand up and rinse.  I think this is more normal than we originally thought.  

Arrivedeeci Roma!

 Up at 5 to get to the airport. We were a bit nervous bc we heard it can be crazy here. Thankfully we had priority and literally sailed through in less than 30 minutes. It was mostly waiting for passport checks and walking from place to place vs waiting in any lines. It takes a long time (I didn’t know this) bc unlike when we travel in the US as citizens they spend about 5 minutes per passenger group to review the passports, fill out some emergency forms etc. Now I know!  

I can’t believe we’ve been gone a month. Feels unreal. 

The Colosseum WOW

Had a spectacular tour of the Colosseum and Forum today.  I had no idea at all how immense the Colosseum is - 190 feet high, 600 ft x 500ft.  People look so tiny from across the sides! I didn’t know that so much of the ruins it was also covered in marble, mosaics, paintings, carvings and more before it was plundered for St Peter’s (to be fair this happened all the time in many places all over the world).  It must have been a shiny white beacon.  There were 2 levels beneath the stage for the animals and gladiators.  They even found a school on the other side of the Colosseum. Funny things happen in Rome when you start digging - you find soooo much stuff.  And apparently a lot of parking lot plans have been ruined b/c of ruins :). And the Forum!  It’s so long.  I don’t know what I though it would be but it’s many football fields long.  It used to have a court building for actual trials.  There was also a Vestal Virgins living quarters, garden and pools, temples and more temples all mostly gone and of course stripped of most of their marble. So much there.  Back to 80 AD or further.  Layers and layers of civilizations.  The Forum was recently dug out I think 20-25 years ago!  

But first here’s some ruins on our way to the Colosseum.  People were just sitting by them on the phone, reading the paper and going to work. 

The Colosseum inside and out.

These 2 levels were beneath the floor

The Forum

Had lunch and wine after then did some more walking in another part of the city.  Found truly the best gelato and headed back to our hotel to pack, have dinner here on the roof top restaurant and hit the hay.  6am car tomorrow.  We are a bit nervous about the Rome airport.  Couldn’t check in like we normally do. Wish us luck!

Another fountain.  They just pop up!

One of the few things Kirk is looking forward to is bigger chairs!

Vatican

 Wow.  We had a 4 hour private tour and it may not have been enough.  The history, the art, the beauty, the expanse of the property.  They took 80% of the stone to make this from the Colosseum so it didn’t just ‘ruin’ itself.  So much intimate details that would be impossible to understand or maybe even know without a lot of research.  Some are pretty funny, some are tragic but all a magical, woven part of history.  The art is endless.  The Sistine Chapel is unbelievable.  You cannot take pictures in there so our guide sat us down before had to show us the pictures and explain it all.  St. Peter’s Basilica is IMMENSE.  Understatement. You can be baptized, go to church every day and even get married here.  Hard to comprehend the size from pictures.  Dead popes and even a (former) queen. They were also setting up for Wed mass tomorrow outside, which happens every week.  

This is actually a guard  a Swiss guard  in one of their real uniforms.  Apparently they are bad asses despite the uniform. They live on the property. 

And then the Vatican 

Giant Bathtub used by Nero.  Probably not alone.

Maps in the hall of maps (dozens of them) The pope commissioned maps Italy to be done.  They are 85% to scale done hundreds of years ago.  

Insane, gorgeous, precious mosaics.  A dying art.  

Acorns are good luck, prosperity.  Peacocks eternal life.

Tapestry.  A dead art.  

800 yards from the entrance to the altar.  

Michaelangelo’s most famous piece.  Behind bullet proof glass.  

The WINE GOD.  With crazy, googley eyes :)

St. Peter’s outside.  

And then lunch w wine. Carafe w $8  🤣

We came back to hotel and enjoyed the air conditioning. It was super humid out today. And then dinner w more wine and a walk by the Trevi Fountain which was only slightly less crowded than day light.