We are in ROMA!

We made it!

We are here safe and sound. The trip wasn't too bad, Flights on time, and not too bumpy. David really liked it - and he sat by the window and really enjoyed flying over the Alps. We were squished into a bank of 3 seats with a French woman who spent the entire 7 hours primping, fooling with her clothes and shoes, and even putting on a WIG!! And she was whacking me with her elbow every once in a while, so it was hard to ignore her.

When we got to Rome, it was easy to get our bus transfer to the hotel, and the driver was very nice. He read my ticket and said, 'Italian name!!!' And we had a little conversation about my dad and grandparents in Italian. I think we got preferential treatment over the other people on the van - yay for the Italian ancestry!

On our way to our hotel, we were driving by places like the old city walls, and the Constantine Arch, and then poof! the Colosseum was right in front of us! David said that was a bit of a shock.

Our hotel is quaint (!), that's not a bad thing. It is a small pensione on the third floor of an old building downtown near the train station, and there are several other hotels in the same building. It's clean and has a nice bathroom, and the desk kids are nice. They are playing along nice when I try to use my Italian. We can rent this laptop for Internet access from our room for 3 euros an hour, and there is a dispenser out in the lobby with drinks, and we can buy bottles of water for 60 cents!!!

We are very tired! After we got here, we took a nap and then headed out for a walk. We stopped at a little place for a bite to eat, walked some more, happened on a big church that was ''re-purposed'' by Michelangelo out of the ruins of Docletian's thermal baths. It was beautiful - St. Maria degli Angeli. I lit candles for everybody.

Tomorrow, we have a wake-up call for 8, and breakfast reservations at 9, so we can get out there and DO ROME!!!

-Annie



David's comments:
So far, the biggest impression (for those of us who have never been here before) is that the cars are really really small, the buildings are really really old, and I'm glad I'm not driving.

So far I have not been pick-pocketed but there is still time. I have to get used to this Euro thing, having paid $4 for a bottle of water at the airport in Paris. I am anxious to see the sights but I must remember to relax and keep my Pantheon.

-David "The Chin" Bianco


See why I love this man????

Anna Maria