2009 05 07 Rome, Italy

We are so mixed up - were awoke around 2:00 am and clearly it was too early to get up so we forced ourselves to go back to sleep. Still early, some construction noise outside our window would let us sleep no longer - it was time to move.

We enjoyed walking the city. We checked out a local market packed with wine, olive oil, cheese, meats, and gorgeous vegetables and fruits. Flower vendors are everywhere and this city has such colorful baskets hanging from every veranda and balcony.

We snap pictures of monuments and sculptures, too many to count. We manage to step inside a half dozen gorgeous churches that are interdispersed throughout the city. They must number in the thousands.

Most of all we are intrigued by all the history of Rome, how it evolved and grown over the centuries. You can hardly put a shovel in the soil here without unearthing a relic of some sort. When you think about he history of the US - our own history cannot stand up to Italy.

Finally we walked to a Saint Anna restaurant near our hotel and medicated ourselves with fresh fish, lovely pasta and wine to help us lull ourselves to sleep.