We arrived in Rome with aplomb. Descending from our first class train car with bags in hand, fighting little old oriental women ("You mean people are still getting off the train? Silly me, I thought it was time for me to get on.", she said as she blocked the doorway. I was trying to get our big bags off, and the man next to me was trying to get HIS big bags off. She did not get off, we handed things over her head.). We no longer rush in train stations, unless we are changing trains with just minutes to spare. But that does mean that we are more likely to confront boarding passengers. Oh well, we can only push and shove to get our stuff off the train. No one ever gets hurt.

The depot was very crowded as we walked to where we thought the cab-stand was located. We picked up a map, a copy of The Pilgrim’s Journal, and headed outside. It seemed to be the least organized cab-stand I had ever seen, and that was for a good reason. We were not AT the cab-stand, but at the side entrance to the terminal, where people were being dropped OFF. I was able to snag a cab (this is technically illegal here in Rome, but not many traffic rules are enforced) and tell him where we going. He was not happy – the apartment is only about four blocks from the station. But as any good cabby would, he high flagged us, drove us around in circles for a few minutes, and double charged us. It was only $10, and I was not willing to either wait in line for a half an hour, OR walk to the apartment, so we paid. I didn’t give him a tip, though. As I was leaving the cab (from the passenger’s side rear door) I opened the door into a your (17 year old) kid running down the street! I mean I really hit him. It must have hurt! It really startled me, and he stopped and looked VERY angry, until he saw how big I was, and then he just turned around and kept on running. Could have been a gypsy pickpocket, for all I knew. But it was not the most auspicious way to start our day in Rome!

We walked into the apartment, and I can tell you that we hit another homerun. This place is really beautiful. It is owned by a Swiss woman who lives in New York. She must spend part of the year here, because it is furnished as a house, her own house, not as a rental. She has all sorts of tribal art, other art, and books here, so you can see that she takes great care in her surroundings. We really don’t know what she does, in spite of Doreen’s best snooping around the place. It is not in a real fashionable part of the city, but it is large, has a nice roof terrace, and has all the comforts of home. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Since we arrived in the late afternoon, we went through our usual routine – Doreen unpacks, and I hunt up treats and drinks. This time, no weevils in the bread. There is a great little deli with cheese, sausage, ham, and wonderful bread right across the street. They have a non-labeled wine for about $3 that is drinkable, and while they don’t have Splügen, (we found that elsewhere) they did have Peroni for a reasonable price. So we settled in for the night, took hot baths to clean off the train grime, and went to sleep. Now, we are on the sixth floor (top floor) of this building, and as we were lying quietly, I could occasionally feel the bed start to shake gently. Now, now. This is a family newsgroup – so don’t think of that. But the WHOLE BUILDING was shaking. At first I thought it might be the elevator, but we are about the only residential tenants of the building (it is mostly office space). Then I thought it was the subway, which passes close by here, but stops running at midnight. All we can figure is that it is busses are heavy enough to shake the foundations of the building. Scary, when you see the number of busses passing up and down Via Nazionale. Very scary.

The next day we got up and started our usual walks around the city. It was a Sunday, so we decided to head down to Vatican City in a very round about way. Via the Spanish Steps. Now, if you take a map of Rome, and look where we are, and look where the Spanish Steps are, and look where the Vatican is, you will see no direct line.

We walked first to the Spanish Steps, mainly because of that old Bob Dylan song. (The Streets of Rome is the song. The line goes something like "You can almost think, that you're seeing double, on a cold dark night on the Spanish Stairs") Then we walked on to Vatican City, to see the Dome of St Peter's, that Michaelangelo designed.

When we got to the Via della Conciliazione we could see that something was going on in St Peter's Square. We both thought that the Pope was going to give a talk, so we walked briskly down to the square. It was a little confusing to figure out exactly what was going on, and how to get INTO the square (you had to go past metal detectors) but it turned out that The Pope was celebrating Mass for Refugees, Workers of the Sea, Foreign Students, and Air Transportation Workers. It was really something to see. There was also something for Filipinos, as there were several Filipino Priests, and many Filipinos in the crowd. Many Filipino flags, as well. We took communion from a Filipino Priest who said "The Body of Christ" in English to us.

There were hymns in Italian, Latin, and Tagalog - the national language of the Philippines. When Mass was over, The Pope (Who looked very frail, indeed, but has a very strong voice) drove around the crowd in his Popemobile. We were within 50 feet of him as he drove by.

Later that day, we wandered down to get our first view of the Coliseum, though it was dark, and they do not light the place up (They only light up the Coliseum now when a death sentence is commuted somewhere in the world. One day when we here, a death sentence was commuted in Maryland. We thought it would be cool to visit the place and see it "Bathed in Golden Light" as they said. It was pitiful! A few bright yellow lights lit up a few of the undersides of some arches.). It is an impressive place.

I think that we walked about six miles between all those sites. A nice way to ease into our Roman Holiday.

RETURN TO THE GRAND TOUR HOMEPAGE!