As soon as we arrived on Sunday, we dropped our bags off at the hotel, and headed out to explore the city. Our first stop was to be the Trevi Fountain. We soon found out that the Rome Marathon was taking place, which meant streets were closed for the runners, and there were huge crowds. Of course, the race was headed right by all the famous sights - including the ones we had planned to see. It didn't deter us, but made things a little more challenging. Although we had been offered breakfast on the plane, that was hours before, so we tried to find a place to get a pastry and coffee to go. People in Rome don't do "to go" very well. In fact, as we've learned, meals are to be enjoyed, and are often rather long. So, my "to go" coffee was a small plastic cup (hot!) that makes a Starbucks Tall coffee look huge. We continued to the Trevi, which was amazing. Both Erik and I tosssed a coin over our shoulder to ensure a return trip to Rome.
The weather was gorgeous - although a bit windy. We spent an hour or so people watching and enjoying the weather, then moved on to the Spanish Steps. This proved challenging, as we had to cross the marathon to get to the steps. There were literally thousands of runners, with very few breaks where you could cross the street. But, eventually we made it to the other side. We ventured to the top of the steps, and enjoyed the view of the city. We also go to see the illegal street vendors grab their stuff and run from the police. Who knew you could move that fast with a big sheet full of purses and sunglasses on your back? Policia Policia! After a late lunch at a sidewalk cafe down the street from our hotel, we headed back for a nap while we adjusted to the time change.
Monday morning we had arranged to meet a tour guide for the morning. She gave us a tour of the Colesseum, Forum, and Pantheon. This was the best money we've spent so far. She was fantastic - an art history buff who is born and raised in Rome. The only way to truly appreciate the innovative engineering feats of the Romans is to see it. We were again blessed with beautiful weather, and the only challenge we enountered today was navigating the large groups of school children from across the world that are here on vacation (spring break?). Here's a bit of what we learned today. Ever heard the phrase "don't rest on your laurels"? We now know where that comes from. The life of a gladiator was very hard. Once they entered into that life, it was nearly impossible to leave. Because of this, gladiators entered each battle thinking it may be their last. When the gladiators won a battle, they were given many things, including coins that spectators had thrown into the arena, which was then used to buy food and drink to celebrate that night. They were also given a crown of leaves - laurel leaves (also known as Bay leaves). Since the gladiators knew that they were going to be in the arena fighting again the next day, they knew they could not "rest on their laurels", for their life may end the next day. 
In the afternoon, we journeyed to the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. All were amazing, but I think we were most impressed by St. Peter's. The size is so vast that we didn't even make it to every nook and cranny before we were too tired to go on. Erik took this amazing picture of the sun streaming through a window.
We've had a long day, so it's time to say Ciao, as tomorrow we travel south to Sorrento for the next phase of our journey.
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