May 17, 2018 Happy Birthday Chris!!!
We arrived in Rome last Sunday for a 5-day visit to see the Eternal City before boarding the Celebrity cruise ship, Reflection, to sail around the islands of the eastern Mediterranean. It’s been 15 years since we last visited Rome and I was curious to see what changes had occurred in the city.
There are many more tourists this time than during our last visit. The Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps were jammed with international tourists. There are more gelaterias and many more restaurants everywhere with signs advertising “Pizza” and “hamburgers.”
Huge billowing clouds threatened rain all week, but otherwise the weather was cool and sunny. We were only caught in a downpour on the day we visited the Colosseum. We walked along the Roman Forum and tried to imagine it filled with people wearing togas instead of jeans and sneakers, and carrying umbrellas.
Fifteen years ago we easily walked all across Rome. This week, we moved a lot slower and rested more often. Nonetheless, we saw everything we wanted to see, had several delicious meals, and had a great time. Did I mention fantastic gelato?!!
Rome is still an awesome city and a wonderful historic place to visit. My only regret is not being able to speak Italian!