Day 6 – August 11th, 2006

Bright and early it’s off to Rome! We had debated A LOT about what excursion to try today. How can you see Rome in 1 day?! We settled on one that would take us to the major sights we cared about the most.

After a quick breakfast, we headed to the theater at 6:50 a.m. (yikes!) along with half the ship to depart for Rome. We loaded onto the bus for the hour and a half drive inland. Amy used most of this time to take a nap. The tour guide, Irma, gave us little radios and headsets so once we got there and met up with our guide, Sylvio, we’d be able to hear him. We thought that was kinda silly, since we’d be walking right there with him. We later learned this was a good idea.

Our bus driver Sergio took us right up to the gates of the Vatican so we wouldn’t have to walk far. He must know us. Apparently we could’ve gotten ticketed from the police for such a move. We wait in line for about a half hour and finally got inside the walls. We met up with Sylvio, and boy was it good we had those headsets! It was a complete zoo in there and we were constantly getting separated. He just kept talking about what we saw and giving directions which way to turn, hoping nobody would get lost.

We walked through the Vatican Museum, seeing portrait after portrait by Michelangelo, Rafael and others. The paintings, tapestries and mosaics were breathtaking. Finally we entered the Sistine Chapel. Among the shushing from the security guards and the constant reminders of “no flash, no flash” we admired Michelangelo’s most famed work. The chapel is incredible. We couldn’t imagine how one person (or a whole team of people for that matter) was capable of putting together such a masterpiece. Seth is now setting higher expectations for Amy when he goes out of town in the future for a weekend and she decides to “redecorate.”

After a while, we left the Sistine Chapel to continue on to St. Peter’s Basilica – short one person that got separated and left behind. Oh well, he had the emergency number. His wife looked mildly concerned, but we continued. The Basilica was a sight to see. Talk about cathedral ceilings! We then walked out onto the square and learned all about Bernini’s architecture and design of the square. It was very cool to hear how it had been built and designed to showcase so many meanings and optical illusions. After a quick stop at the gift shop (it was tempting to buy rosary beads or a huge Jesus painting, but we resisted), it was on to lunch.

We stopped at a beautiful hotel for lunch. To our surprise, our lost tour member found us there! We sat with a nice older Armenian couple and tried to make conversation through lunch. The first pasta course was excellent (Seth loved that it was essentially mac & cheese) but the main dish wasn’t so great. Seth couldn’t help but comment on the arteries running through the pieces of veal. Luckily the chocolate profiterole for dessert was yum! Amy made the most of a few extra minutes after lunch to take a quick nap in the hotel lobby. Our tour guide looked concerned that we might not make the rest of the tour.

We loaded back on the bus to head to the Roman Coliseum (after nearly leaving two ladies behind because of a miscount). The coliseum was awesome! Sylvio said that in order for a monument to be considered highly important, it has to be the first of its kind and something that catches on and others replicate. The coliseum is truly the grandfather of all stadiums. While it’s no Big House, it was just incredible to see.

While we were waiting to go into the coliseum, one older lady on the trip passed out and fell to the ground. Luckily another passenger was a doctor. He said she’d be fine with some water. She stayed behind with Irma, while the rest of us (her husband included) went into the coliseum. Then as we were leaving, Sylvio took a head count and started to walk away, leaving three women. One person noticed they were gone so he starts yelling, “where are the Asian ladies? Pretty Chinese ladies, where are you?” It was interesting, to say the least. We decided to stick real close so we wouldn’t be left behind anywhere.

We boarded the bus and headed back to the ship. As we had done all day, we used this time to take a nap. I’m fairly certain when all was said and done, we were sleeping more in Rome than we were awake. When we got back, it was definitely time for another nap! What a long day.

We decided to end the day with dinner at one of the “specialty restaurants” on board. We had planned it for tomorrow, but the regular dining room was having Greek night, and the menu didn’t look appetizing (and that says a lot since we’ve been trying new foods all week!). We went to Sabitini’s for some Italian (after all, we are in Italy!). The meal was a tasting menu. You picked your soup and entrée, and they brought you a little of everything else. There was SO MUCH FOOD! We wandered outside our comfort zone with a few things, but also had to pass on a few things. They brought out raw meats, vegetables, mushrooms, mussels, crab cakes, cheese, latkes with caviar, pizzas, pastas…gosh it was a lot of food! Seth stayed conventional and had chicken for his entrée. Amy went with prawns. She didn’t realize they were going to come with their heads, legs, claws, eyes, etc. on! After watching the grown woman at the table next to us seriously have a temper tantrum when she received hers, Amy was warned of what was to come. She made do. Seth vowed not to kiss her for the remainder of the night since she had just stuck something in her mouth which he had recalled dissected in HS bio class. Amy offered to brush her teeth and an agreement was made.

We finished the meal with some cheesecake, then decided to turn in. It’s another early morning tomorrow as we dock in Naples and head out for a climb up Mt. Vesuvius and a visit to Pompeii. We’re excited!!