Day 1 - Rome

It's funny because Paula and I were talking about how the flight would probably be the 2nd hardest thing for me about the trip (you all know the #1 hardest thing). I'm a bit claustrophic and the thought of not being able to get off that plane for 9 hours was a bit unnerving. Wow, it was a terrific flight, I read some Twilight, ate, and then slept the rest of the way. Every time I woke up, I convinced myself to just go back to sleep. Very pleasant flight. I think I'm still in disbelief that I'm actually sitting in a hotel room in Italy. Yes, there are Italian flags everywhere, and yes, most people are speaking Italian (I am surprised how many are speaking English though -- we even met someone from NC), but it's still unbelievable. It almost feels like a dream, a good one though. We checked into the hotel, took a tiny nap (jet lag), and headed out to Rome. We started at the Colosseum, which was breathtaking. I loved the Roman Numerals on the outside. It was just surreal. Then we walked passed the Forum, which was quite fascinating as well. We ate dinner a little cafe outside (like you're supposed to) and then figured we still had some strength left, so we headed to Trevi Fountain. It was incredible, my favorite part of the trip so far. I just marveled at the time, dedication and thought that was put into this structure. It was mind boggling. The detail leaves you speechless. I wish I could sit down with the artist and listen to him explain all that he was thinking as it was designed. Next we found the President's Palace which was also beautiful (and well secured). There were tons of steps, so you know I had to do the Rocky dance once I made it to the top. Yes, we walked everywhere in Rome. That pioneer song comes to my head "and walked and walked AND walked". If you don't see a "Day 2" in my blog, it's probably because the soreness kept me in the hotel :) What an amazing day!! David took over 80 pictures, and it's just the first day, there is so much more to see. I'm especially looking forward to Zurich!