Roming Rome

Rome Day 2

We began at the Pantheon. This large dome was originally a temple to some Roman Gods. It has since been converted to a catholic church. The Pantheon’s dome was the largest dome in the world until the 1960s: it is as wide as it is tall. Next we trekked over to the Vatican. The line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica was daunting, but didn’t take too long. Once inside, we were awed by the grandeur. I liked seeing Michelangelo’s Pieta statue and Bernini’s decorative work. The line to the Vatican Museum was in the three hour range, so we opted for Rome Chinese food instead. The food was good, but it does not beat Grand Fortune in Omaha.

Because there are so many sites to see in Rome, we decided to do a Metro-guided tour. We got off at each stop and saw the sites. These included many fountains, a church with the bones of thousands of monks arranged in an artistic manner, the Spanish stairs which is a very popular meeting site in a great shopping district, and stairs supposedly the original ones from the palace of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. People are allowed to go up these stairs, but only on their knees.

Rome is full of interesting places to visit. There are museums, churches, libraries, plazas, ruins, ancient buildings, and fountains. This doesn’t even begin to list the other things to watch: the crazy people, the beggars, the scam artists, the tourists from all over the world, and, especially today, the soccer fans. We have only been here one day, but it is obvious to us that we won’t see it all. Nevertheless, we have drunk of the essence of Rome and found her fountains cool and sweet.