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Rome — October 31, 2021
Back aboard the Viking Sky, we began preparing for leaving the ship tomorrow morning.
We began packing our luggage as it would need to be given to our cabin boy tonight so it could be taken to the staging area.
We also met in the dining room for a full meal deal. Perhaps the New York steak tonight?
Following dinner our group met together for a photo op. This had been a great group of folks to get to know a little better and it’s sad to see it end. Our vacation, however, is not over. We will be staying in the same hotel in Rome for two nights. Sightseeing will also be together.
We sailed the Mediterranean throughout the night, docking about sunup. We were in no great rush but we were on a schedule. Every group has definite disembarking times. We had ample time for a full breakfast and coffee. We took a final COVID test, as this one would clear us back into the United States. It’s good for the 72 hour window.
Debby had arranged for vehicle transportation to ferry the 14 of us to our hotel in Rome. As we docked in Civitavecchia, the closest a cruise ship can get to Rome, we were still more than an hour away by car.
At the appointed time, we met downstairs to check out. Our Covid test results would be emailed to us sometime today. It was nice of Viking to provide this test for us because they did not have to do it. They have been very helpful on this cruise. We highly recommend a Viking cruise to anyone.
As we approached the parking lot to meet our driver we discovered they had brought two vehicles for the 14 of us instead of one bus. Apparently that’s the way it worked out best for them.
It was too early to clear in at our hotel but they let us store our luggage while we went on a walkabout.
As we ventured out, we tried following out GPS and map but found it to be a lot of trouble. Steve and Tom we much better at it than the rest of us! We also were trying to follow Rick Steves’ walking tour in this part of
But. 
We were heading for the famous, Spanish Steps, a sweeping staircase popular for a tourist destination where a million selfies have been taken! From the Piazza di Spagna at the lower end, one can take in the beautiful view of Trinità dei Monti church across135 white marble steps.
Next we made our way to the Trevi Fountain, so named because it’s located in the Trevi District. DUH! It is a favorite among the tourists. It is said that if you turn your back on the fountain and toss a coin over your shoulder into the water, that you will someday return to Rome. Mo doubt a rumor started by the Rome Minister of Tourism! Anyway, I hope that’s not entirely true because one of the ladies of our group snapped a photo of Debby down there amongst the crowd of romantics tossing a coin over her shoulder!
Traffiand crowds today are terrible. I think yesterday the fountain was closed to tourists because of the 2021 G20 Summit held here yesterday and today. Apparently all the leaders attending the summit wanted to toss coins into Trevi Fountain so the city shut down traffic, blocked streets and upset a lot of tourists. They even built a wooden walkway out on the water so they could get really close!
Getting around inside this historic district wasn’t nada any easer by our own president. Joe was here with his 85 vehicle motorcade. Talk about climate change! I just realized that today is Halloween! Is this a coincidence? Or an explanation??
Our next stop was the popular Piazza Navona, Debby’s other favorite place in the world! The last time we were here, we paid nearly 20 bucks for a small dish of ice cream. So not to be outdone, we sat down for a meal! The piazza was popping. Lots of people here a young street entertainer was singing and dancing around with her will work for money bucket on the ground.
One of our group came over and told Debby that Rick Steves was over there making another video. She wasted no time going over and talking to him. She told him we were following his walking tour video. He probably went back home and told everyone he saw Debby Thomas at Piazza Navona! 😂
Besides having food and drinks and basking in the free street entertainment and after Debby’s happy dance in the piazza, we headed to our hotel and check in. By this time we were tired so we only shopped a couple of hours along the way. It was a long walk but we eventually got back, checked in and found our tiny European rooms. We ate dinner tonight in our hotel restaurant.
Next day we called a cab and drove to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. This amazing structure took 120 years to build. It was completed in1620. The Catholics believe that the Apostles Peter is buried beneath the Basilica.
Looking over into the main square, we noticed how empty this place looked. There was no line to contend with today. We went inside and shot many photos and videos of this stunning place. We noticed multiple church services going on this morning. We milled around taking in every detail we could see. The marble floor of this huge structure had markings showing the visitor the building size of other Basilicas in the world. There is no other church larger than St. Peter’s Basilica.
Most tourists walking inside for the first time immediately look up at the ceiling. But the floor is even more unique. The Travertino Marble, now extinct, is very durable marble, much harder than what can be found today. They only find it at the used marble store, or steal it. That is exactly what the Vatican did. This particular marble was removed from the Coliseum. In fact many churches and structures in Rome used the Colosseum as a quarry for building supplies. One source says that so much of the Colosseum has been removed over the years that barely one third of the original structure exists today.
This floor is a beautiful design and looks amazing. I think it’s a much more fitting place to adorn than a place of killing.
The courtyard is huge! The many Basilica bells chime for long periods of time. The many statues standing tall along the roofline appear as soldiers on guard duty. The foot of the square was the finish line for some sort of cross country race today.
Steve and Rhonda made it to the Colosseum tour today. A kind tour guide got them in with another tour after they failed to make connections with their tour group. Hey, France! See how you are supposed to do it?
So we made arrangements with our nice cab driver to pick us up about 4:00 am and take us to the airport in the morning. He said he would and he did.
Our final evening. We arranged to have dinner with our group. Not everyone could make it but some did. We ate in the hotel restaurant.
After saying our goodbyes a getting hugs we finished packing and getting things in order.
Our cab showed up a little early then we headed for the airport. We left Rome at 8:55 on United Airlines for New York. What a great trip!
Mike Thomas
