Rome Wasn't Seen in a Day

We must look like tourists, locals spontaneously ask to take our picture.















The waiters choice since I couldn't pronounce it.

Minestrone














Smart-Car for tight spaces














Me addressing the crowd in Saint Peter's.















Ananias and Saphira painting. It always helps to increase the tithes and offerings.


















This is the arm of a skeleton holding an hour glass from the ground below a martyr.














Stained glass from above the main altar in the Basilica.




































Saint Helena, the patron saint of my high school. The Brothers told us she was the patron saint of the deaf & dumb. But in our case it was just the dumb.
















We missed the canonization of J2-P2 by a week. We missed out on being there with a half million Polacks. He was the the most influential person of my lifetime.
































Saint Peter's Square & the Tiber River
















I figured out that the big button was for poo and the little one for pee; too bad I was in the Ladies Room.















Pizza-Frita




















Rome Metro Police, not to be confused with the Carabinieri which are the Armani models with sub-machine guns. The first one I saw I thought he was a statue.















Sky light in the Pantheon.



















Finally, I saw someone of my own species!



















I'm getting statue fatigue.



















We walked about ten miles today. We were lost for about half those miles. We did have a map, but only about a tenth of the streets were marked on it. We may as well have been carrying a globe. But with the help of a compass we did manage to snake our way through alleys where cars managed to drive through and send you jumping into doorways. A French lady asked Carol about a bus stop and Carol told her to get off about a mile from her destination. We waited for an express bus at a non express bus stop and thought he just didn't like us when he drove by. A lady started talking to me on the bus and I used my favorite line on her, "non parlo italiano". Tomorrow we start our museum tour. We have a better map now.

I have to give it up for these Rome drivers. I feel much safer stepping out in front of thirty screaming motorcycles, scooters and Smart-Cars than I ever did in Asheville.