Note: Though this might or might not be of interest to others, I'm documenting this trip because I want to remember it, which gets harder as the years go by. Clicking the title line to view a slideshow or the pictures for a larger version of the photos.
The Coliseum:
Not under reconstruction. But if it were, would they start "The Games" again?
A rather creepy display of bone art. Pretty much have to agree with Ricardo, our tour guide while in Rome. The monks were drinking too much wine one night while discussing what to do with all the human bones they had laying around. "Hey, let's turn them into art!" So now Rome has a church with rooms decorated with bones. No pictures allowed so lifted these from the web.
Talk about being in a fog. After paying the admission and touring the crypt, didn't even think this site was connected to an actual church. Would have been refreshing after viewing the bones.
Trevi Fountain:
We continued on down the hill to see the fountain. (You remember the fountain from movies. Right?) Well, it didn't look the same the day we visited. It's under reconstruction and will be magnificent again some day. But we had to use our imagination. So Eva threw three imaginary coins over her shoulder to insure that we would return some day. Imaginary coins = imaginary trip.
Here's how it used to look and will look again some day.
And of course there are still fountains around the city that still work.
Spanish Steps:
The steps were open but, as you can see, the buildings at the top were under reconstruction.
A "rose guy" (one of those guys who give roses to the ladies as "a gift" and then hit up the their guy for 5 or 10 euros) told me I had a nasty temper when, after he ignored me when I tried to wave him off, I stepped between him and Eva told him to "get lost". (Maybe I used some harsher language. Don't remember for sure.) He told me that I had a bad temper and tried to shame me into buying a rose for Eva. Fat chance of that after he threw out the insult.
The Vatican:
Unfortunately Pope Francis wasn't in but we made ourselves at home anyway.
The expression on my face probably says it all:
"Yeah, now this is an impressive church!"
The Sistine Chapel:
Probably the high point of the trip. Our group had an after hours tour of the Sistine Chapel so instead of thousands there were maybe one hundred or one hundred and fifty people. And instead of no cameras, photos were OK as long as we didn't use the flash. (Of course, my little camera was no match for the space - it's huge.)
Even the hallways to the chapel were grand.
Upon entering the chapel, everyone was pretty much awe struck. Our guide, Ricardo, gave us a lot of the back story and pointed out much of the details about how the perspective and technique made the work such a masterpiece. Of course I've forgotten most of it but will never forget the experience.
As I said earlier, being in Italy was worth the trip but the trip home was long and arduous - we had been up and on the move for over 25 hours when we checked into a room in Rockford. Luggage finally arrived here in Moline a day later at about 10 PM. Think we might make it a road trip the next time we want to get out of town for awhile.
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