Rome - Day 2

March 21st
This morning we were hit with the first
real problem of not being in the city.  No access to a local pastry shop
for breakfast.  So we wound up eating in the hotel.  A few eggs,
croissants, and small glasses of orange juice apparently cost more than 50
euro.  Who knew?

We tackled St. Peter's basilica in the morning.  Amazing.  Pictures
simply can not express the magnitude of what you are seeing.  The immense
size, the history, and the architecture are all incredible.  We got in line
for the climb to the dome but Jacob started crying so we left and said we would
come back.  We never made it.  We simply don't build things like this
anymore which is a real shame.

After eating some lunch, we decided to hit the colosseum.  It had been
closed the day before so we wanted to get their well before it closed.  A
taxi ride and four tickets later and we were strolling through the ancient Roman
colosseum.  Magnificent!  Alot of it had been taken apart and use for
other monuments (such as St. Peter's basilica) but you could still see the basic
structure and imagine an immense crowd cheering as gladiators fought in the
arena.  This site just gives you chills!

Katie was anxious to see the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain (both
featured in her favorite movie - Roman Holiday) so we hopped a taxi and went to
both of those.  The steps were covered up with chain smoking teenagers so
that was a downer.  The fountain was crowded too but we tossed a few coins
into the fountain to insure our return.  After a typical Roman dinner it
was back to the hotel for some sleep.

Here I am tossing a coin into the fountain.