We end up in Rome

All roads lead to Rome – at least they do for the visitors we’ve had.  They’ve all flown in and out of Rome, so at the end of everyone’s trip, we spend a night or two (or three) in Rome.  After the peacefulness of Anghiari, Rome is a dramatic change.  It’s a huge city and it’s always busy – traffic, protests, tourists, government in action (or inaction) – but it’s Rome.  It’s where the ancient lives side by side with the modern.  It’s beautiful and chaotic and we love it.

I’ve mentioned before that we always stay on the Aventino hill.  Aventino is a great neighborhood, very quiet and tranquil and off the beaten tourist path.  It’s also very close to the Testaccio area, which has great restaurants.  We were there with Tim and Julie three nights and we ate in the neighborhood all three nights.  Some were repeats of places we’d been to with David and Edith and Myra, some were different.  All were fabulous.

We went to the familiar sights, Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori, the Pantheon, Trastevere.  Tim and Julie spent most of a day at the Vatican going through one of the world’s great museums, The Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s.

Rome, like all of Italy, is starting the Christmas season.  Decorations are going up and chestnuts are roasting over open fires.  There was a distinct chill in the air as we walked around town and it felt very festive.  I’m really looking forward to spending Christmas here, despite the fact that I will miss my family more than ever then.  I think it will be beautiful and a wonderful experience.  This was a great little preview.

As our time with Tim and Julie came to a close, we were reminded again of how important our friends are and how much we miss them.  We were very glad that so many of them were able to come and visit our home away from home.  It was especially sad to see Tim and Julie leave because they were the last of our guests.  We’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent with all of them and each one was a different experience.

While Tim and Julie were in Rome, they celebrated their 34th anniversary.  It was the day of the Georgia-Georgia Tech game and those who know us, know what an important day that is.  Dinner that night was delayed because of the game, but was happy because of the result.  Happy, also, because of the celebration of the marriage of some of our dearest friends and truly wonderful people.  How appropriate that we celebrated these things together in Rome, one of our favorite places.  A little odd to most people, probably, to be celebrating an American college football game in Rome, Italy.  But not odd at all to us.  After all, the Colosseum is the model for sports arenas everywhere.

Thanks for a wonderful time, Tim and Julie.  May you have many more happy years together and may the town kaki always bear fruit.