Hello everyone-

Shay, Baby and I arrived at the airport in Rome around 8am local time Sunday. We got in a “shuttle bus” that looked a lot like some dude’s car, and drove to the hotel Ara Pacis very close to the center of Rome.

The plan was to get tickets to the local pro soccer game, but due to a tragedy involving a policeman being killed at the last soccer game, during the game in the stadium, all games have been cancelled while the investigation takes place. Tough crowd.

So instead, we stuffed our bags at the hotel desk and went wandering around. We visited the Piazza di Spagna and the famous Spanish steps. Somehow, the word got out before we got there that the steps were famous, and we weren’t the only ones there. Weird.
We stumbled back to the hotel exhausted, and took a 5 hour “nap”. We got up, sorta kinda refreshed, and took a walk south from the hotel, stopping at Caffe Dolce Vita in Piazza Navonna for a pizza and lasagna.

This morning we woke up refreshed, and set out after the hotel continental breakfast on a walk over to Vatican City. We just spent the morning in the Vatican Museum, which was breathtaking. Between the ancient works, the Roman art and sculpture, the
Renaissance sculpture, tapestries and frescoes, we were in art really-liker’s heaven. Then we walked into the Sistene Chapel. Wow. Wow.

Wow.

We visited the Vatican library, with the super double dog secret archives. We learned things that would turn the world on its ear, and also got a few keepsakes from the gift shop. I would tell you, but then, I’d have to make you listen to Michael Bolton records.

We mailed off some postcards of the Vatican City with real Vatican City stamps (way cool), and now we’re off, likely to a siesta.

Oh, and bàck tò thè stràngè éùròpèàn keybòàrds. Ugh.