Rome Part II

You haven’t heard much on this site for a few days. It has been difficult putting into words our two weeks in Italy.

The balance of our time in Rome was wonderful--HOT--but wonderful. We could spend much more time there and never tire of it. Every street offered a history, architecture or archeology lesson. All of Rome is built on something older so one discovers interesting tidbits everywhere.

This trip to Rome will be memorable partially because of the interesting people we met:

• A young Irish couple from Limerick with whom we sat up talking and socializing until the wee hours;
• The French woman eating alone at a table next to us with whom we struck up a conversation knowing how lonely eating by oneself can be;
• The Danish couple who had made a boodle in business and now occupied their time with their philanthropic foundation that helps less-fortunate Danes.
• Emanuel, a desk clerk at our hotel who was always so helpful when we were stressed out;
• The Australian with ADA and his Italian boyfriend who was constantly trying to get him "off stage."
  

I will also think of the gallons of delicious mineral water we guzzled in an attempt to fight the heat and dehydration. Every day the sun shone and the high temperature was in the mid- to upper-90s Fahrenheit. The cold bubbly water was a natural antidote.

On our last full day in Rome, we took our rental car on a trip to the sea side. We stopped in Ostia, ancient Rome's port. Apart from the sprawling ruins at Ostia Antica, the seaside city could have been almost anywhere in the world. We continued our drive down the coast to Anzio where the Allies landed in January 1944 during WWII in an attempt to circumvent the German lines. The area is dotted with war memorials, military cemeteries and centuries of history to put it all in perspective.

Click here if you want to see our photos of Rome. I'm still working on describing all the shots, but it will give you an idea of our week in the Eternal City.

(Creative credit: John and Peter)