The Vatican City

The Vatican is the smallest country in the world. It measures about one half mile square and has less than 1000 residents. We took a guided tour of the Vatican and although we were always in the middle of a croud, it was the best way to tour the city. Our tour started in the Vatican Museums where an average of 20,000 people a day pass through. This is by far the largest attraction in Rome.

The Trevi Fountain

This fountain was built in 1732 and is impressive enough to fight the swarms of tourists. Thousands of gallons of pure cold water per minute, come to the surface here. I am filling up my water bottle for a cold shot in the 95 degree heat. We have gotten used to traveling and being stuck in the midst of huge crowds. Living in Europe and using public transit you've got no choice. Here in Rome the tourist trade brings in millions of people and is thier largest industry.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum is quite a sight and very hard to believe it's size without going inside. This is now 2007 years old and the city of Rome has ongoing restoration to hold it's remains together. This Colosseum held 73,000 people and had enough exits that it be completely emptied in 15 minutes. It was home to sporting events where gladiator fights and animal hunts were held. Behind us down low, you see many pens and rooms where animals and prisoners were held under a massive wood floor that is now partly rebuilt.

Piazza di Spagna

This sight is on every tourist list, and of course jammed with people. This is called the Spanish Steps. At the top of the steps is the beautiful 18 th century Trinita dei Monti Church. At the base is the Bad Boat fountain, fed by the Aqua Virgo (aqueduct). This natural aqueduct feeds cold pure water to the surface, and is the place to refill your water bottle.

Breakfast Roma Style

In Italy you gotta eat pasta and pizza, and lots of it. Our first breakfast was a pizza and it was just as good as it looks. We have come here in a very hot time of the year. It is in the 90's every day, so we go out in the mornings, take an afternoon nap and stay out late at night. Restaurants don't often serve dinner before 8 PM.

When In Rome

Rome, Italy. When in Rome we will do what everyone else is doing, eating, drinking, and sightseeing. We arrived here Friday night and got settled in for a week. We are staying at the Historic Hotel Majestic shown with Julie. We met up with a good friend Rick that we had met in England. Here we sit in an outside pub with the Great wall of Rome in the backgroung. Rick is a geologist who is working with a company drilling for gas. His office is now in Rome. I'll keep the blogs coming

July 4 th

We went into London to celebrate the forth of July. Of course it's not a big holiday here, we X patriots will always remember July 4 th. We were invited for a good ol American barbecue by Julie's boss, Bob Bond. Here are pictures I took from a cruise boat on the Thames River. One Picture of the London Tower bridge and a night shot of the House of Parliament next to Big Ben. We had never taken this river route before but the Jubilee tube was closed down so we had no choice. These fast cruise boats are actually used by many as a regular way to commute.