Family Unity

Sue and Ryan made it to the apartment about 1pm without any of the unpleasant side stories that we described (the rip off conductor and the broken down tram).  initially Sue insisted that she’d power through the day on just a few hours sleep.  We went to the Colosseum tour together.  It wasn’t quite as a hot as the day before due to a few clouds in the sky.  During the tour we learned about all of the gruesome things that Romans did for entertainment.  It made me feel better about earning my living (in part) from shows like The Batchelor, Survivor, and Temptation Island.  They’re all tame compared with hanging Christians and letting wild animals rip their limbs off until they die (that was the half time entertainment while they waited for the Gladiators).  Really classy stuff.

Sue and Ryan slept for about 3 hours until 7.  Cal Roby and I went to visit the Palantine Hill which was very pretty and certainly has a lot of historically interesting stuff, but without a guide, we didn’t get too much out of it.  I’m sure we’ll read about it later. 

After Sue and Ryan woke up, we really wanted to see St. Peter’s and we bought bus tickets but after waiting for 45 minutes for the right bus, we just gave up and walked to Piazza Navano by way of the Pantheon (which was closed).  We then had dinner, saw the crowds at Trevi fountain and walked home.   The kids enjoyed introducing mom and Ryan to the gypsies and the various trinkets they sell.  Somehow they all make a living selling knock-off handbags, belts, watches and pens.  Roby seemed to think that he needs a good gypsy pen, but we talked him out of it.

We hung out for a bit in the apartment before going to bed.

Today we’re leaving for Tuscany as soon as we can get organized.  We have no idea whether there’s an internet connection anywhere near there so it could be a few days before we check in again. 

More photos posted on Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/61465501@N00/

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