June 13, 2012
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Mediterranean Cruise – Rome, Italy Friday 1 June
Today was the most tiring touring day, but the most rewarding. Rome is a truly beautiful, historic, and impressive city that would take over a week to explore properly. After an hour long private train ride from the port town of Civitavecchia, Jeremy and I arrived in Rome, just south of Vatican City. We took a cab to the east side of the city to start our tour at the Coliseum.
From there we wound through the city past the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and back to Vatican City.
Along the way around every turn was yet another beautiful old marble building or church we had to get a picture of. We stopped at a small café for thin Italian pizzas and a bottle of Chianti to give our necks and feet a rest.
Once back at Vatican City, we toured the museum and saw the Sistine Chapel. While rather small, dark, and anti-climactic, it was still amazing to see the paintings of Michelangelo, especially the infamous painting in the center of the ceiling of the almost touching fingers of God and Adam.
I was so tired of walking after five hours of cobblestones and hills, that we bypassed St. Peter’s Basilica, and made a bee-line for the train station. Thankfully the next two days are sailing days so we can recuperate.
