Admiring Rome

The picture above was taken from the Borghese Gardens.  This is my second trip to Rome but I have an all new appreciation for the city.  We did enjoy the Borghese museum (even though it is a little overwhelming), but museums are not necessary to appreciate the art in Rome. There is art in the streets, in churches, on people faces, just about everywhere you look...

I have never had a granita but this afternoon treat is incredible. It is shaved ice, sugar and (in my case) lemon and lemon zest.

As we walked around Rome we popped our head into yet another amazing church that dates back 100's of years. The amount of effort and money that went into churches all over Italy is unbelievable. How can any one city have so many gorgeous churches?

The church that my hubby is standing in front of is one of the oldest churches in Rome. Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere was built in the 4th century AD.

Near the altar of the chruch is an amazing mosaic that shines like gold in the light.

We very much enjoyed the Trastevere, which is known for being a more traditational Roman neighborhood.

We completed our last evening in Rome with a nice dinner at a wine bar. While sipping on red wine we enjoyed the scenery and this gorganzola, walnut, and apple salad and a mushroom pasta dish.

The Holy See

Our second day of Rome began at the Vatican (also known as the Holy See). Once again, I bought tickets online, this time through tickitaly.com because it was less expensive than other ticketing agencies. And once again, we walked right in with no line. Fred and I did the typical Vatican self guided tour, starting in the museum and slowly wandering through the huge building, past hundreds of art pieces until we eventually made it to the Sistine Chapal.

After the Sistine Chapal we walked through the world's smallest country to St. Peter's Basilica. There were virutally no lines, a nice treat when it is so hot outside!

Roaming Roma

Fred is trying to cool off in front of the Pantheon. It is definatley summer!

The Pantheon is one of Rome's best preserved buildings. It is absolutely magnificant. It was built in 129 A.D. yet looks newer that some buildings in the U.S. built 129 years ago!

As we were walking from the Pantheon to the Trevi fountain we walked past a church and decided to go in. We were surprised at the beauty that lie inside. This is the Church of San Ignacio. It was built in the 1600's and was completed in just 6 years! What took them so long? Hahaha.

The Trevi Fountain is a 'must see' in Rome. If you through a coin in you are ensured to return.

It works! I through in a coin last time I was here in 2003!

Now it is Fred's turn...

There are fountains all over Rome that are constantly running. Anyone can fill up their water bottles or cool off at these fountains. It is easy to be sceptacle of the water but it is delicious, and it is free (and so it is hard to deny).

Our last stop on our first day of Rome was the Spanish Steps.

The Steps are not super spectatular (although it is another tourist 'must see') but at the top there is a great view of Rome. What a perfect first day!

Colosseo

For our first day in Rome Fred and I went straight to the Colosseum. We took the metro there.  It was very impacting to walk out from the metro and be standing directly in front of the Colosseum. Fred was very excited to be there, as he loves the movie Gladiator and other similar movies. Fred and I bought our tickets online through omniticket and so we didn't have to wait in line at all (my OCD planning realy pays off!). I was a little apprehensive about buying the ticket online but it was totally legit. They just scanned our printed ticket. It was a perfect way to begin our European vacation.

The Colosseum was completed in 80 A.D. and could house 50,000 spectators for such events as battle re-enactments, animal hunts, and plays.

The Arch of Constentine can be seen from the Colosseum. It is part of what my travel hero Rick Steves calls the 'Ceasar shuffle'.

From the Colosseum we walked over to the Palatine, it was included with our Colosseum ticket. The Palatine is where many affluent Romans once lived.

It is unbelievable to see statues carved out of marble that look so lifelike. Sometimes when I see a painting I think 'I can do that'. But I never feel that way when I see carved masterpieces like this one.

From the Palatine we walked to the Roman Forum, ancient goverment buildings in the center of Rome.

Our first day in Europe, and Fred is feeling right at home...

Father's day

Happy Father's Day DAD!

My sisters and I were actually all together to celebrate Father's Day with my dad. We all went over to Marla's for pancakes, eggs, fruit, and sausage (thanks for cooking Josh!).

My, what pretty girls my parents created. :)

I guess my parents knew when they had girls, that they would eventually come as a package with boys.

Happy Father's Day Dan!

My, what pretty girls Dan and Marla created. :)

Old Town Temecula

Fred's dad, Don, drove down from Camarillo for an early Father's Day, and to see us before we leave for Europe. We took him for a walk on the Santa Rosa Plateau, and followed that up with a trip to Old Town. It was great to start on the plateau considering that 165 years ago this is what much of Temecula Valley look like.

I haven't walked around Old Town Temecula since I don't know when. I enjoyed reading about it's history, and reliving my own history (since I spent so much time in this area when I was a kid). I went to preschool right behind Butterfield Square, and my mom had a flower shop right in front.

The sign posted in this window says 'Quarenteed! Small Pox. This sign shall not be removed under penalty'. I don't think I would have wanted to stay at this hotel in the 1800's.  Life was rough in the Wild West!

For Temecula history check out this website.  http://www.oldtemecula.com/history/history1.htm

The Swing Inn Cafe opened in 1827. Not much inside or out has changed since, but the food is excellent.