Rise and Shine came early this morning at 7am. Perfect timing to see Rome in 1.5 days. After our breakfast served in our room, we headed straight to see Il Papa. Our timing, as usual, could not have been better for see St. Peters. We zipped straight through the short line and into "the most beautiful Cathedral in the world." Now I must admit, the pope has got quite a place. I am partial to the St. Louis Basilica for sentimental reason but St. Peters was stunning. As Rick Steves says, "to call it vast would be like calling God smart." It just doesn't quite say it right. The best part of this experience was Dan's suggestion to listen to Ave Maria on his IPOD while wondering. Call me corny, but it was a very moving, beautiful experience. Generally I am not a fan of religious art. It doesn't do much for me. However, I greatly appreciated Michelangelo's Pieta, which he sculpted at the age of 24; a sculpture of Mary holding her dead son. From the inside we journeyed to the top of the Dome for a fabulous bird's eye view of Rome.
The Colloseum was number 2 on our to do list of Rome. We joined a tour for the full history of the structure. While somewhat tedious, the info was very interesting. Very cool place. We sat in front of the Colloseum and had lunch. Wow. That is all there is to say. How many times can you sit across the street for a 1900 year old building and have lunch.
The highlight of the day was stop #3 which was the Keats and Shelley museum on the Spanish steps. Keats lived in this building for a brief period and also died here. We had the chance to see some original writings of Keats as well as Oscar Wild, Lord Byron, and Shelley.
It's siesta time again. I am preparing myself for a garlic filled Roman meal. MMMMMMMM. Tomorrow..Florence and to our Tuscany hide-a-way. "Heaven. I'm in heaven."
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