Thanks be to God, we have all arrived safely. Our flight was uneventful. The smiling Delta crew- many of the same folks- did all they could do to make it pleasant. Neither Jim nor I slept for very long but we both read and watched some stuff on the entertainment screen. Weather in Rome on this Monday morning was beautiful- not too hot and not much humidity. Luggage arrived. We transported a bag for Kate of winter clothes since they will be going back to winter in Australia. Our mini-van  driver was right where he was to be and we were off for a true Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride through the suburbs and center of the city of Rome.

I forget how loud the traffic in Rome can be. The cars, buses and motorcycles were racing. The horns were blaring. Several times ambulances raced by with their blue  lights flashing but not a single vehicle stopped nor slowed down for the emergency vehicle. Guess that is how life is in this city.

It does take my breath away to come from the airport, through the less attractive parts of town with graffiti everywhere and into a drive which has you surrounded by legendary sights.

The Hotel Mascagni is right in the center of all the famous monuments, fountains, steps and buildings.  Since we had paid for our room last night we could get right into it.  Will Cheek, Kathryn’s husband, came sauntering down the steps hoping for an extra key that would let some of the lights and the power stay on while they were either sleeping or away from the room. Apparently charging any sort of electronic will be a challenge. Bill said there were more plugs at their coach seat on Emirates Air than there are in the rooms. The room key, as in many European hotels, controls the electricity. You need the key to lock and reenter the room and therefore you can’t leave things charging. We are just too spoiled in the US and not so careful about waste.

Ethan

Jack

Kathryn and her family were off for a day in Pompeii. Can’t wait to hear how it goes. We met Bill and his family in the breakfast room and had a good visit. Jack must have eaten 3 pastries, about a dozen tiny sausages, some cereal and several glasses of milk. He will be on a sugar high all day.  He said, “I’ll eat this and then we won’t have to buy lunch.” They had a great day yesterday at the Coliseum and then a good night's rest. Ethan was much more careful and left  behind a plate of things he didn't like. Michael, Kate and Bill also enjoyed the breakfast. The breakfast room is small but there were two guys serving coffee and tea and provided gracious help as we moved two tables together. The coffee was wonderful and strong!

Michael

Bill and Kate

We are on the 6^th floor in a tiny room that is lovely. There is dental molding at the top of the 10 foot walls. The only window is about 6 feet off the floor so we aren’t tall enough for any view, but perhaps the tall wall serves as a sound barrier for the traffic noise that seems almost constant. Jim asked the tour driver for Kathryn's trip the name of this huge fountain nearby - the man said ,”One of thousands” which must certainly be true and maybe an under estimation of the number of fountains.

We took a nice nap and then cleaned up and are headed to the bar for wine and some sort of light supper. The hotel doesn’t have a full restaurant, but we are not up for a food search.

Feels good to know we are all safely here and under one roof to explore the area and enjoy being together. As we left the plane this morning one of the flight attendants asked if we'd like to take a bottle of wine with us too celebrate our anniversary...and we said "is the Pope a Catholic?" and since we are in Rome we know the answer to both questions.