Roma: 2 hour bus ride from the port. One hour was on a freeway but the last part was in horrendous traffic. Our tour was called ‘Eternal Rome’ but I think it referred to the traffic. Traffic signs and rules are viewed as suggestions, not absolute. Our guide was difficult to understand. We had earphones so that we could hear her, but with the background noise and her accent, it was hard. We started off with Vatican City. We stood in line for half an hour, compared to the two hours for non group people. First was the museum with statues of various gods and things and then huge tapestries that told Biblical stories. We couldn’t hear our guide, so just moved through this hallway with the items on the sides. Volume of people is such that you can’t stop to look at things, but you also can’t walk at a normal rate. Very tiring. We then went into the Sistine Chapel for about 15 minutes. You have to stand and are not supposed to talk. Hard to believe one man painted those 500 years ago. I had seen pictures of panels of some of the fresco, but seeing it all at once was surprising. He obviously knew his bible. The lighting is dim and the ceiling too high to see much detail, but it is very impressive. Next we went to St Peters Basilica. The Pope was busy, so we just showed ourselves around. It is so…catholic. The design and the art are awesome and very hard to put into words. As we noticed in Westminster Abbey, whose glory was all this for?
We went for the compulsory shopping stop and watched a group of scam artists selling handbags. When a cop appeared, they grabbed their stuff and fled, only to reappear after he left. This was followed by a very long lunch in a restaurant.
We drove around town to the Coliseum. We saw the Forum, Pantheon and other land marks from the bus. After standing in line for awhile, we had free time to explore it. Amazing building – 2000 years old. It was built in 10 years. Much has been removed or destroyed, but still a lot to see and appreciate. Unfortunately Wendy was not feeling very well. It is something that had been building since Turkey. Head ache, upset tummy and the like. That, plus the 30c and the crowds, and rude Italians made for unpleasant impression. I really liked the Coliseum, but I think in part because the crowds were bearable and we were able to explore on our own. We snoozed on the way back, but Wendy really felt awful.
We went for the compulsory shopping stop and watched a group of scam artists selling handbags. When a cop appeared, they grabbed their stuff and fled, only to reappear after he left. This was followed by a very long lunch in a restaurant.
We drove around town to the Coliseum. We saw the Forum, Pantheon and other land marks from the bus. After standing in line for awhile, we had free time to explore it. Amazing building – 2000 years old. It was built in 10 years. Much has been removed or destroyed, but still a lot to see and appreciate. Unfortunately Wendy was not feeling very well. It is something that had been building since Turkey. Head ache, upset tummy and the like. That, plus the 30c and the crowds, and rude Italians made for unpleasant impression. I really liked the Coliseum, but I think in part because the crowds were bearable and we were able to explore on our own. We snoozed on the way back, but Wendy really felt awful.
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