When in Rome….Day One

We made it to Rome last night after fairly short flight. It took a while to get to the hotel and get situated, so we decided to just eat dinner and get a good night’s sleep. While eating dinner, we saw a famous soap opera star walking with her daughter (Alexis on General Hospital if anyone watches that show). As it turned out, it was Wendy’s turn to get sick. We got here some medicine this morning and she decided she wanted to try to do some sight seeing anyway. She was a trooper! We went to the Vatican today, which is absolutely spectacular. We were prepared to wait in line for an hour or two, but we were surprised to walk right in a get a ticket. The tour through the Vatican takes a while and it is very crowded. It seemed that most people were like us and really just wanted to see the Sistine Chapel. That’s not to say that the things you see in the Vatican aren’t beautiful, but what you hear most about is Michelangelo’s ceiling. They let you take pictures just about everywhere, except for here so we apologize for not having any pictures of it. It lived up to the hype as it was amazing. St. Peter’s Basilica was even more amazing and they do let you take picture in there. But they don’t let you in if you are not dressed appropriately. That is why you will see us in jeans in the pictures from today. There was a long line of women that could not go inside because they had bare shoulders or midriffs. Also, shorts must come down below the knees. Once inside, the church is easily the most beautiful I have seen including Notre Dame, Sacre Cour, and Westminster Abbey. It is built on St. Peter’s tomb and dates back to 1506 as currently constructed. We were going to go back to the hotel and get some rest since Wendy still wasn’t 100%, but the Trevi fountain was just a couple of metro stops away. We wanted to try to see as much as we could, since our last trip to Rome was so short. The Trevi Fountain is built on top of the end point of the one of the original aqueducts that brought water into ancient Rome from over 14 miles away. Legend has it that if you throw a coin into the fountain it will ensure that you make it back to Rome one day. We are about to head out for dinner. Tomorrow will be an even bigger day as we plan on seeing the ancient Forum, the Coliseum, and the Pantheon.