Rome May 13-14, 2007

From Venice we took a train down to Rome. The first thing we saw was the colosseum.. To see this ruin was something, but it was sad to think what it was used for. We saw many other ruins there such as the forum and had a guide from the U.S. who was very informative. We saw Capital Hill which was designed by Michelangelo. Near the Peter-Paul church is the place where Paul was buried. We made it to the Pantheon just before closing time and was able to take a few pictures. The only source of light is the eyehole in the roof. It survived because it was turned into a church in the 7th century and is still in use today. Jolene, Katie and I each threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain. We walked to the Spanish Steps. We ended up taking a taxi back to our hotel because the subway had closed for the evening. The next day we went to the Vatican. The Vatican museums are very impressive also. The most famous art work of course is the Sistine Chapel. It was so-o crowded. One is not suppose to take pictures in the chapel because the company who did restoration work wanted exclusive rights for photography but there were lots of people taking pictures so we joined in and took a few. After visiting the Vatican we went to St. Peter’s Basilica. It is massive. Michelangelo’s Pieta is found there. What a trip this has been.