1. Travel

Italy & Greece - 2008 - Rome is where our journey begins

The Beginning. Traveling from Phoenix to Rome was 16 hours of flying time & total travel time of about 26 hours. We were so glad to finally arrive at our hotel, The Star Metropole. The next day was spent getting our bearings & checking out Rome. Later we met our group & leader, Michelle & set our schedule for the next day. Michelle & Francesco start us out at The Forum. Next we tour the Colosseum, the surrounding area including Cesaer's Palace, visit the famous Spanish Steps & the square where there is an art show taking place. Later we board the bus for a trip to "St Paul Outside the Wall" (cathedral). Monday begins with a tour of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel , St Peter's Basilica & St Peter's Square.
Read More
We found this hotel on our discovery walk.  There was also one named the "Chicago Hotel" but it didn't look as inviting.
6 / 97

We found this hotel on our discovery walk. There was also one named the "Chicago Hotel" but it didn't look as inviting.

Italy_Greece 20080673

  • A sunrise escorted us out of Phoenix on our way to Italy & Greece for the trip of a lifetime.  Four years in the making, it was more than worth all our struggles.  The people we met and shared a month of our lives with will remain the most memorable part of the trip.  To all of you, we wish you well & many more trips on your horizon.
  • The Italian Coastline - 16 hours flying time
  • The people here drive like they are insane.  I wouldn't drive here for anything.
  • The locals park any place they can find a hole for their vehicles including the crosswalks & intersections.
  • The inside was much nicer than the outside and the location proved to be excellent.
  • We found this hotel on our discovery walk.  There was also one named the "Chicago Hotel" but it didn't look as inviting.
  • The first real images I captured were that evening.  This one has the Italian signs.
  • This one was secondary because the signs were in English.
  • We found the "Hop On - Hop Off" Buses to be just what we wanted to see some of the city......until we ran into a political rally late in the afternoon.  They dumped us off & we had to walk over a mile to find our hotel & that made us late for our Globus meeting.  NOT the way to get started with Michelle, our guide.
  • The first "shopping center" was part of the Roman Forum over 2000 years ago.
  • Churches & other buildings have gone up around them over the years.
  • Much of the ruins are still lying as they were discovered centuries ago.
  • The beautiful National History Museum.
  • Across the river Tibor is the older part of the city.
  • Scene 2.
  • Scene 3.  The top 3 windows in the far right side of the square building to the right are the Pope's apartment.  He will often greet the croud from the center window.
  • Scene 1 of a rough panorama of the Vatican & St Peter's Basilica.
  • A bishop walks past me as I was trying to capture the light & shadows from the hall of columns.
  • So many priests wander the grounds as visitors.
  • You can't escape them, even here in Rome.
  • No Comments
  • Photo Sharing
  • About SmugMug
  • Browse Photos
  • Prints & Gifts
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Owner Log In
© 2022 SmugMug, Inc.