Rome

Hello from the Eternal City! We are actually leaving tomorrow for Athens but after three days in Rome, there is a lot to share.

We started with an audio tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.

Colosseum:



Palatine Hill (think of this as an old Roman subdivision):


Arch of Constantine

The Gardens in Palatine Hill:

There were so many young women posing for their "influencer" personas it was hard to avoid them - so I decided to join them...


Roman Forum 




After we were done with the Roman Forum we had a wonderful wine tasting with a lovely cheese/meat board.


Everything was so delicious and the wine selections were paired nicely. Fantastic!!

After this busy morning we explored the city in the morning. The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Piazza Novono were highlights:





The next day we had a 2:00 Vatican tour so we messed around the city in the morning before our tour.

The Vatican Tour basically is a two hour walk through the Vatican Museum to get to the Sistine Chapel (the big attraction). Lots of statues and art. The big artists are Michaelangelo and Raphael.









We entered St. Peter through the Holy Door. During this Jubilee year four special doors are opened in the main Basilicas in Rome. The immediate former Pope Francis opened them in December 2024 in preparation of the 2025 Jubilee. They will be closed at the end of 2025 by Pope Leo. The next Jubilee will be in 25 years.

Today (Wednesday) we had tickets for the Papal audience. Pope Leo XII does a little service with a scripture and homily. He speaks five languages and many more were spoken for the crowd.

When the Pope Leo arrives he rides around in his cart interacting with the crowd.


The crowd-control people would get the babies and bring them to the Pope for a blessing.



The crowds were amazing!


The service made me realize again how small the world is and how much we have in common with people from all over the world. I did yell out to Pope Leo that I was Lutheran but I loved being there and received his blessing with gratitude. We can all use a little blessing!

After we were done with the Papal audience we went back to the apartment to rest a while. 

We headed out to see Basilica John Lateran and Basilica Mary Major, we wanted to walk through their Holy Doors.

John Lateran Holy Door

Inside the Basilica 


Holy Door of Mary Major Basilica 

Inside of Basilica 



We had a whirlwind time in Rome. I had 59,500 steps in three days.

All of us, Joni, Wayne, Kathy, James, Carsten and I had a great time! 

We will let you know what we get up to in Athens.

Sheri and Carsten 














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