Italy...Week One

No, we didn't come here on our sailboat! We flew! But this is an easy way for me to post pictures and text, without doing Facebook.

Speaking of transportation...let's talk about Italian drivers. The problem is, I'd have to use lots of four-letter words. Poor Barry...he is the driver (thank God). He does a lot of sighing and exhalations and needs a drink when we reach our destination. The roads on the coast are basically like alleyways in St. Louis--narrow and filled with obstacles. He says he feels like he is in a pinball game, where people step off of curbs, motor scooters swarm from all sides, tour buses hog the road, street signs are non-existent, hair-pin turns are the norm, and local drivers pass us while on blind curves. HONK HONK HONK is the music of the road here.


Anyway, upon our arrival, jet-lagged (who can sleep on an overnight flight?) and desperately trying to stay awake through our first day in Rome, we visited the Trevi Fountain
and several other landmarks within walking distance of our hotel. After a light dinner, Barry crashed at 6:15 p.m. He was still sleeping at 7:30 a.m.--so I actually checked to see if he was still breathing! He was:)

ANCIENT ROME
The following day, we visited the Colosseum and the Forum. The Colosseum held 50,000 people and could be emptied in 15 minutes flat! The Romans were genius engineers. (Could use a little of that after ball games and concerts at home). Romans of all walks of life came to the Colosseum to see gladiator battles, executions of slaves and criminals, exotic animals, dog & porcupine fights, live hunting exhibitions, and maybe a few meetings between Christians and lions. (Not proven) The floor had 80 trapdoors and lifts, from which animals, gladiators, hunters and scenery would be transported up to the waiting crowd. This took place 2000 years ago.

The Forum was almost more impressive. Here, Caesar met his fate and emperors installed magnificent monuments and temples. We walked on stones that Caesar may have walked upon.

We were only in Ancient Rome for two evenings, at a lovely old family-run hotel. While we drank coffee on the 3rd floor patio, we could usually hear someone practicing opera or classical piano somewhere nearby. Where else can you hear that?

SORRENTO
This is where we learned to be patient with and forgive our iPhone's GPS. It had us driving in circles (literally) for about an hour in heavy traffic until Barry asked a waiter at a cafe for directions to our hotel.  Easy, he said! And with the help of a human, it was.
Sorrento is known for its lemons....lemon liqueur to be exact. But they also sell lemon marmalade, lemon ices, lemon pottery, you get the picture.
At one of our favorite restaurants in Sorrento, we sat outside
We just happened to be in Sorrento during a music festival--so we got to hear a trio of folk singers perform in a beautiful room, filled with Italian paintings; a woman singing with a harp accompanist, and a family troupe dancing and singing in the streets!