The Allisons

Rome

Mom and I flew to Rome for a couple of days during her second week in Italy. We took a bus tour which deposited us at most of the top destinations in Rome. Although I've never been in, Castel Sant'Angelo looks kinda cool. I think I gave some info. about it on another Rome blog.
Another stop was the Vatican. We did brave the line for the Sistine Chapel. It was longer than when Jennifer and I went, but after talking to Shelah and Michael and hearing how long it was when they were there, I guess it wasn't near as bad as it could have been.
Something we witnessed near the Vatican that we did not get a picture of was a seagull eating a pigeon. Yum.
These were some members of the Swiss guard. It was actually the first time I had seen them, so I was pretty happy about it. Their outfits were a little less flashy and ornate than I thought they would be, but still nice.
A trip to Trevi Fountain would not be complete without enjoying a gelato. Jennifer and I found this shop on my first visit to Rome and they were so friendly and fun that I decided to take Mom there. Don't you love how they do their cones? Looks good huh? Left, of course, is Mom and I at Trevi Fountain. Still my favorite place in Rome. If you throw a coin in the fountain it means that someday you will return to Rome. It worked for Mom, so she was sure to do it again. I'm not sure if it works twice though. Or even if the fountain recognizes Euro. It might only work if you throw Lire in. Ha. You might notice that we are wearing sweaters. Can you believe it? The middle of June and still chilly. Yea! I love Italy.
This building is where the President of Italy lives. The band of one of the branches of Italian military was playing and there was a crowd gathered. I don't know what occasion it was.
It was also my first time to see the Mouth of Truth. It was a little hidden and we had to ask a vendor where it was. Sadly, it was already closed so we had to take a picture thought the fence. The legend is that the Mouth will chomp down on the hands of liars. Who would be crazy enough to stick their hand in there anyway? Not I. You may also recognize it from "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn.
We spent all day the next day in Pompei. Unfortunately, the battery in Mom's camera died. Despite our efforts, we could not track down the right kind of battery. We did manage to use video camera for some video and still pictures at Pompei, but I haven't figured out how to load them onto the computer. It was awesome though. What they had excavated was so much bigger than I thought.
It was a fairly short trip, but we managed to see a lot.