Buona Sera!

Well it has only taken the entire trip but Jim has finally let me have a turn on the blog.

Today was a slow day for us as we realize our trip is coming to an end.  We slept in today which I think may be a first since we seem to always get up early and get started.  However, we have learned that for this trip it has turned out to be a good thing.  This method of vacationing has allowed us to bypass a lot of crowds and the heat.

Today’s adventures took us back to the Colosseum to listen to Rick Steve’s audio guide about the exterior of the Colosseum.  Before going back to the Colosseum we visited the San Clemente church.  The current church sits on top of two other “churches”.  The original is underground and was a “pagan” church.  San Clemente was built on top of it but burned in a fire—a common occurrence evidently—so obviously it was rebuilt.

From San Clemente we used the Metro subway and went to visit St. Paul’s Basilica.  It’s claim to fame is that the bones of St. Paul were found here and are still buried there.  During our visit a group of visitors sang a song and said a prayer in front of Paul’s tomb.  We think they were German but not sure.  For a minute I thought one of the guards was going to stop them but I guess he realized it was OK since everyone was very sincere and respectful.

We spent the evening going back to our “favorite” corner for a quick drink and appetizer to watch the world go by before going to dinner.  Of, course, Jim had to have ONE LAST…….you guessed it gelato.  Oddly enough, he did not have his favorite coconut and Nutella but instead opted for cookies.

This has been an AMAZING trip, the trip of a lifetime.  Growing up I never in a million years thought I would see the things that I saw on this trip.  I always thought I would have to be content seeing pictures in books or on TV.  With that being said we decided to end our blog with a “Top Ten” highlight retrospective.  These are not necessarily in order however. since we each have our own favorites but some were the same.

10. The big pretzels in Germany

9. Hirschgarten

8. Secret itinerary of the Doge’s Palace

7. St. Mark’s Basilica

6. Day trip to the Neuschwanstein Castle

5. Leaning Tower of Pisa

4. Pompeii

3. Wandering the alleyways of Venice

2. The Roman ruins

1. Views of the extraordinary scenery in Tuscany and Positano

While we are not looking forward to tomorrow’s long flight home we are looking forward to a few things.  Obviously, our family but also normal bathrooms, normal driving –NO MORE  4 lanes of cars, bikes, people, buses and scooters all trying to share and squeeze into 2 lanes (or less), air conditioning, golf–that’s Jim’s–and TV shows in English.

Thanks for joining us on this adventure!!

Ciao!!!