When in Rome......

....I do as the Romans do.

I drank wine, sang, laughed a lot, drank more wine, ate my weight in Gelatos, drank espresso that was like filet mignon, sang, drank more wine....then went to the Vatican to repent. Hehehe.

Aw hell. I didn't regret any of that.

So we arrived to Rome and the first thing we did was pack up the "rents" and took them to the Vatican. This was Mom's dream. She even went down to the tomb of Pope John Paul II who is an icon in our family.

The Vatican City was spellbinding for those Christians and non-Christians in our little group a like. Very impressive.

Our tour guide, Claudio, then took us to the one and only Trevi Fountain. I can't go to Rome and not see the fountain that was the famous backdrop for one of my favorite movies, "Three Coins in a Fountain". It was totally mobbed there that day.

Then we passed by this particular street performer who was a total riot so of course, three out of 4 of us girls had to get in on the action.

Claudio took us to a vantage point I don't think we would have found on our own. This is overlooking the ruins of ancient Rome and the catechomes. I found it so interesting that columns lay where they fell (course they were entirely too heavy to move anyway). Very good energy here at the ruins. You can just visualize the scene so long ago.

Now this....was special. Claudio drove up to a large wooden door and stone facade. There was a tiny keyhole that he said was a surprise to look through. I did and this is what I saw. Talk about taking your breath away. An arboretum was delicately tucked away on the other side with a perfect view of the Vatican dome.

No trip would be complete without a visit to the Colosseum.

But this was the site that cracked me up. Gladiators with rollerboard luggage. Now that's new meets ancient isn't it? Good luck getting through airport security fellas.

This is the Pantheon.

And this is what I liked best about it. An opening in the center of the dome. When it rains, it rains right in the center of the room. How cool is that? I would love to have a little ritual bath here. It also was used for astrological reasons and sun/moon positioning as the sun hits different places on the wall of the dome and floor. This building, now a Christian establishment, was once the site of many a pagan ritual.

Then on to the ship.

Up next: Pictures from the ship, my search for George Clooney in Portifino, Goudi's Barcelona, Palma de Majorca, and Tunisia. Tunisia by far my favorite stop. Then we have Malta, Sicily, and discovery of an Italian fashion show on the streets complete with antique Vespas.

Ciao!