Rome

Carolina's Notes

Today Rome was on the schedule and we had a private tour for all of us booked. Everyday we ask Zoe what city we are in and everyday she says "Barcelona, Spain". After an hour and a half drive to Rome, we picked up our braless tour guide and began our tour. I won't tell you all the details because I am sure you will hear it from my fellow travelers. I will just mention parts I find of interest.

The colosseum is always a highlight when in Rome. Skipping the line with a private tour guide is also definitely the way to go. The Colloseum is one of those places that really affects everyones hearts and minds because it's so enormous and cool. History always makes the best great stories. Another highlight was I had 2 gelatos in Rome today; strachitella and coffee if you were wondering.

The Vatican is also still amazing. We again luckily skipped the line and explored the museum, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica and the Square. It was very crowded but nonetheless breathtaking. Our tour guide was telling us the the Papal officials were seriously considering shutting the Sistine Chapel to the public because it has become to overwhelming and want to preserve the masterpiece. I am glad I got to see it one more time because it truly is awesome. John Gee also noted as we walked by the gorgeous marble columns that he sold these replicas at home for $400. The pope meets with people of the public on Wdnesdays by appointment. I need to get John an appointment to sell the Vatican some fake marble columns and earn a he'll of commission.

Jimi and I were charged with watching Zoe alone for an hour while her parents were at dinner and grandparents were at the casino. So basically Jimi did not help me at all and after an hour I started to panic. I had already read every book to her several times, played Tom on the Ipad, and colored. We were running out of options, she was starting to get testy, and Jimi wasn't helping. An hour later, John and Susan came back and I was very RELIEVED. Maybe Jimi and I should wait on the baby thing......


Susan's Notes

Today was family day. We went on our special tour of Rome. After dealing with the morning traffic, we went to see ancient ruins and the Roman City Council. The Colesseum was spectacular; if you caught a quiet moment you could hear the crowd-all 80,000. Even observing the restoration was a site to behold. The most fascinating thing I saw today was the Sistine Chapel. Micheangelo's fresco on the ceiling is a masterpiece. I could have stayed there much longer to see all the different scenes. To think one person was genius to do all of that by himself. Standing beneath the balcony where the pope comes out to speak was another aha moment. I have seen it on tv but tv does it no justice. Our quick lunch in the square was well deserved nourishment for the energy was expended during the day. Of course, we stopped for gelato and rushed off to the van so we could get back to the docks in time. We wanted to beat the other 35,000 people back to the nine ships that docked her today. In some ways, I think the Romans know how we feel when all the tourists embark on Washington DC on the 4th of July. This short blog sums up a very long day and by the way I am ahead $75.

Sarah's Notes

HOLY ROMA!  This is one place I never thought I would visit.  The Vatican - WHOA.  The Coliseum – HOLY CRAP!  Just amazing.  I have no words to describe what I saw today and there was A LOT!  I highly recommend the woman who was our tour guide.

Standing in the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica and taking in the works of Michelangelo’s first fresco painting and witnessing the massiveness of the Basilica were things I never saw myself doing.  Stepping foot in and experiencing St. Peter Square and seeing the Pope’s office window and the place where he lives put me in awe.  The Coliseum was nothing like I imagined,  yet everything I did.  I could feel myself going back to the days of my Latin class in Middle School when we talked about it. Rome in general was AWESOME.

As Carolina put it, the Italians are lazy…..well our private tour guide kind of put it that way too.  Instead of tearing things down they just build on top of it.  Which, as you drive through the city is true.  There will be a half falling down building with apartments on top.  Crazy yes, safe, no.  Anyhow the city is out of this world and I look forward to visiting again some day.  I will because I threw a Euro over my shoulder into the Trevi Fountain,  which ensures my return someday!

Some observations:

Once again – Italians love some cigarettes.

They also love scooters.  I believe I saw my first scooter today that had a roof.  Don’t ask, it’s too hard to explain.

My child can charm anyone.

Gelato is NOT the same in the States.

When in the Vatican and in the museum do not look at a statue and say “he has a tail, lets go over there and see what the hell that is about”.

Cover your shoulders and knees and no cameras – it ain’t no joke.  Oh and no strollers in the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.

You think I have horrible DC traffic stories?  You ain’t seen nothing until you see the way they drive in Rome.  Just picture no traffic lanes and thousands of cars and scooters trying to merge onto a highway all at once.  Its bad.

John

Without a question I think I may have been in more churches on this trip than I have been in this past year (let alone his life – Sarah). Today we visited Rome, the most anticipated stop for me on this trip. It lived up to all its hype.

For those who don’t know my college education took a long and windy path but after many years I did finally graduate, it was with a degree in history. So making a stop in Rome on our cruise was very exciting. I will admit that I am a history major who can’t regurgitate useless dates and events but I was taught that you must understand the logic of those living during the time in order to relate. Our guide did a fantastic job of explaining events and answered many questions.

Two places we visited were the Coliseum and the Vatican. I am a huge sports junkie, so visiting the Coliseum was more than a dream. As we entered the arena, as much I tried not to, I had flashbacks of the movie Gladiator. Simply put this place is huge, probably close to the size of FedEx Field. Our guide said that at maximum capacity it would hold 80,000 people. The shear size and details put into this blew me away. To think that laborers were able to construct such a building is remarkable. This is a place I will never forget.

The Vatican was amazing. Words do not do justice to how beautiful and ornate this place is; I was taken back more than once. The Sistine Chapel was surreal. Michelangelo’s work was excellent. Listening to our guide tell us how, why, and when made this stop even more special. It makes no sense for me to try and explain how special this place is, it’s not possible.

We had a chance to see a couple others sites and finally ended our trip with an Italian lunch and gelato. A fantastic finish to a fantastic tour.
To summarize our short trip in Rome I would say incredible. Do I want to put on a gladiator’s outfit and fight the world? No. Do I want to become a Catholic and find myself? Not exactly. But most importantly what I found through today in Rome is a sense of unity and perseverance. These are two traits that I hold close and two traits that I think are important to living a successful and happy life. I learned today by setting foot on arguably one of the most historic laden lands we have on this planet is that by having pride in who you are well outweighs any obstacle you will face.

Finally a few observations I found interesting:
1. Italians are definitely good looking people.
2. Rome traffic may be worse than we see in D.C.
3. Goddamn scooters and smart cars are everywhere
4. There was no butter served with our bread
5. The Skelly’s, Gee’s, and former Felipe made it another day!

Zoe’s take on Rome

For some reason I think that I’m still in Barcelona or it’s some kind of trick question. I thought the Coliseum was pretty cool and totally fell asleep and missed the Vatican, who does that? I’m not sure if my Uncle Jimi will remember or not but the major river in Rome is the Tiber River.