Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Rome

Highlights:

1. The Colosseum. TC's favorite. It's big, and amazing.






2. The Vatican. Gordita's favorite. We climbed to the top of St. Peter's dome. Great views, lots of fresh air which is helpful when you've climbed 400 or so steps and it's warm and not everyone around you believes in anti-perspirant.


In front of St. Peter's Cathedral.


Kacy and TC half-way up to the top.


View from the top.


More view from the top.


Gordita in front of the shrine above Peter's tomb.


Hail to the priest.


Jesus giving Peter the keys.


Modesty strictly enforced.


And no on the pocket knives.



3. The Pantheon. TC's second favorite. So big and donut holey.



TC sure is excited to go in!


One of the giant columns.


The hole.


The outside.



4. Gelato. It was love at first taste. Every day we were in Italy we searched obsessively for the best deal on gelato, but none matched the creaminess and excellence of La Dolce Vita, our first love.




5. The Spanish Steps.

TC sitting on the steps.


TC and Gordita on the steps. We are so grateful to the girls behind us who posed in every photo taken of us. We're glad to have their smiling faces forever recorded in our minds, and in our hearts.


The church at the top of the steps.




Sunset from the top.



Lowlights:
1. Sistine Chapel. Rundown: silence demanded; photos prohibited; camera put away; shouting ensued; silence demanded; lots of stinky people packed in the chapel; cameras confiscated (not ours); no ventilation; no light; no explanation of paintings; blanks stares toward ceiling; shouts for silence; left with inside joke about "Silence please" forever. Our advice: buy a great book about the Sistine Chapel.

2. Food. Weird right? We found out later that one must be careful of touristy restaurants that aren't restaurants at all. They have a microwave in back and warm up your frozen meal for you. Plus side: service is really fast. Down side: it tastes like Stouffer's and the servicio is lame.



Overall:
Rome is a must see, it's just not all puffy hearts and fluffy pillows.

4 comments:

  1. I am sooooo super jealous. I love every one of your photos especially the one with the pretty girls behind you smiling. It must be hard coming back to reality...can't wait to see more photos so I can live vicariously through you.

    xoxo

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  2. So my total favorite picture was "Kacy and TC half-way up to the top" although the pictures from the top were really amazing!

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  3. #1 you are so NOT gordita!. Hot as ever, AND what's up with the amazing trip! You are so lucky, i have decided i need to get my passport renewed so i can accompany jared on his business trips, leave kids behind and enjoy the world!

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  4. I agree with you on the downsides of Rome; I went ten years ago and it was exactly as you describe. It was my least favorite city in Europe.

    Your pictures are great. It looks like you guys had a really good time and visited lots of cool places. I cracked up at the girls who smiled in all your picutres. Oh, I guess even the Italians have a sense of humor.

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