Rome

I thought I had taken careful note of the directions on which train to take, but somehow something went wrong; instead of being on the train to Rome, I found myself on my way to Switzerland. I got off at Bologna and half an hour later took another train to Rome. Thank goodness for that Eurail pass. I lost time, but I didn't lose any money due to my mistake.

My immediate reaction upon arriving in Rome was to be taken aback by this wonderful city. The history, the architecture, the multitude of beautiful centuries-old buildings, etc., flabbergasted me. I immediately thought this ancient city was a strong competitor to Paris as a tourist destination.

There is no denying the historical importance and beauty of London and Paris, but Rome! Oh, my! This city is so full of important sites that one can come across something important and not know it.

This happened to me today as I walked down the Spanish Steps and didn't even understand where I was. Back in my hotel room, I researched the Spanish Steps and learned about their significance in the city's history. If one counts the elegant steps, one will find 135, forming a beautiful, sweeping staircase. Apparently, the name comes from the Spanish embassy to the Holy See, which is located in the Square at the bottom of the steps. I immediately decided to revisit this site. I slowly walked up to the top and back down, realizing as I did that I was walking in history.

There is no denying the historical importance and beauty of London and Paris, but Rome! Oh, my!

We live in a small world. Walking around Rome. I came across a girl whom I knew. She had been a student at Saint Joseph Teachers' College when I was there. What are the chances of two people finding each other in "a small city" like Rome?

Later, I toured the Colosseum, the Forum, and the famous Michelangelo statue in the Church of Saint Peter in Chains. Subsequently, I simply walked around and enjoyed the sights. I was joined by Terry late last night, and, together, we had our first look at Saint Peter's. We took a tour of the inside and, frankly, I was very impressed. Later, we visited Saint Mary Major, the Holy Stairs, St. John Lateran (the Pope's official residence), and finally entered the catacombs. Very much enjoyed the latter. That evening, I took a tour of Rome's illuminated sights and found them more impressive than Paris's! In fact, I had now concluded that Rome has much more to offer.

I look forward to my next visit, whenever that may be.

The following morning, I returned to the Vatican, visited its museum and the Sistine Chapel. Although I found the Vatican Museum to be quite extensive, I was not particularly impressed by it, other than the lodgings of Raphael (the papal apartments in the Vatican decorated by Raphael). As for the Sistine Chapel, I found it gaudy. I guess I'm not a very good judge of art. There was a continual buzz of noise from the horde of visitors. Every few minutes, a guard would loudly shush us - thereby making more noise than the tourists. Nevertheless, I'm glad I went. It's an experience no one should miss when visiting the Eternal City.

Later, we visited the Gardens of Tivoli at Villa d'Este and the ruins of Hadrian's Villa. Found the former to be extremely attractive. Probably one of the most beautiful sites I've seen so far. John and Elena joined us in the evening, and, together, we went to see the opera of Aida at the Baths of Caracalla. In summary, Aida is secretly an Ethiopian princess but serves as a slave in Egypt. Radamès is chosen to lead the Egyptian army against Ethiopia. He loves Aida, but Amneris also loves him, creating a love triangle. The conflict of loyalty, love, and duty drives the drama, ultimately leading to a tragic ending where Aida and Radamès are buried alive together.

By the end of the performance, it was extremely cold, and I was shivering. I didn't think it would get this cold in Rome during the summer. But it certainly was that evening! My final visit the next day was to the Trevi Fountain. I threw a penny into the water, and that was supposed to guarantee that I would come back to visit the city. Unfortunately, I have not returned to Rome yet, but there may still be time to do so. Nevertheless, it made for a fitting end to a nice stay in Rome.