We got home last night and went to be early. Linda and david left early this morning. It has been a great adventure and so much fun with them. We really enjoyed their company.. We aree good and easy ravel companions and seemed to like the same things. 

 

Diane and I took advantage of buing up early to go hike up to Duxbury window. Our bodies craved being outside..  It was great seeing the first leaves changing

We got hoem and foudn that opne of the road crews had accidentlay lost a sign in our front yeard.. it sauid “Be prepared to stop”.. 

J

sut the right message.. for us.. We’ve just come off a torrent of fun bussiness.. fluffy build, burning man (for me)., moms 90th biurthday and this trip to italy.. We have one more burst of happy bussiness coeming next week when max, becky and gabe are all in town.. After that maybe life returns to normal.. whatever that means..

I guess we need to “prepare to stop”  at some point too 🙂 

nite all, nite sam

-me

Our driver poicked us up at 6:45 for the transfer to teh airport. .. I got diane , linda and david into the airport lounge to eat breakfast.. I am fasting today for Yom Kippur

We boarded our flight and 10 hours later we were in Dulles airport.. I used the time to think and reflect about he last year and my intentions for the next year. It was a good peaceful time. I’m very thankful for all the love I have in my life.  I also did not have trouble coming up with things  I could do better.

If there’s anything If I did this year that hurt you or anyone you know.. I’m very sorry..  .. and will try to do better this year. 

As we say in the tribe גמר חתימה טובה

Wishing you a good seling in the book of life 

As we landed back in Vermont.. I was very grateful  to be home

nite all, nite sam

-me

We woke early and packed. Our driver Pasquale showed up a little before 8 and we piled in and headed to Rome. It was easy to say goodbye to Sorento.. We’d had a good time.. but  it wasn’t our type of city.. we’re definitely more at home in the countryside. 

Pasquale was great.. he kept us informed and entertained the whole 3 hour ride to Rome . 

We got to our hotel earlier than expected which was great.. more time to explore the place. We dropped our bags, settled in and headed out to explore this beautiful city. 

I’ve been in Rome several  times over the years (I think this is my 5th visit ?) .. and have always loved this city. Its such a cool mix of modern and ancient.. . 

We started on the roof of our hotel .. checking out the view

 

Then headed out on the streets. Our plan was to see as much of the city as we could on foot without getting into any lines to get in to stuff. Suits me.. as I’ve been here    First stop was The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore .. It was beautiful.. and (I don’t think I could have imagined saying this) we haven’t been in enough old churches yet on our trip. We even got to watch a baptism !

Here are the paper shoulder covers they provide for women who are “immodestly dressed” 

 

From there we started to walk to the colosseum… The roman streets are full of surprises

 

 

All the manholes still have the letters SPQR  ..I.e.  Senatus Populusque Romanus ..Latin for  “The Senate and People of Rome”

 

Right outside the colosseum we came upon a skate park. they were running some kind of jam. great music and somewhat great riding..   Made us think of our kids !   We put a samstone there for good riding

 

There were ancient building everywhere.. here was the roman baths

 

The coluseum always blows me away..Its so huge and well built.. and it’s 2000 years old !!!  last time we were here together .. which must have been in the mid 80’s (!!) .. we took a tour inside.. today the crowds were gigantic.. and in keeping with our plan.. we gave ourselves our own outside tour

robust crowds for sure !  but still enough space to move around

As always, We quickly tried to get away from the crowds.. we walked up a deserted path .. and got these unimpeded vies.. almost looks like no one else is around !

 

I remember the first time I came here in 1979 ? 1980 ? ,, we were able to walk around in the palatine gardens  without seeing other people . I remember posing in one of the statue niches before getting caught be a bunch of girlscouts 🙂  Whata. funny memory..  Now its fenced and way too crowded to get up to anything

 

We enjoyed follwoing the quiet streets only blocks from the swarm of humanity

 

From there we battled the throngs to head out to the old jewish ghetto

 

Luigi has us all tuned in to Julius Ceaser.. he was everywhere !

 

We stopped in the old Jewish quarter and grabbed lunch from a coffesho anbd grocery store.

 

Then we plunged in to the old ghetto.. I was shocked to see something I know as Stolpersteins.  literally “stumble stones”. They are used to mark the places that people who were killed in the holocaust once lived.. I didn’t expect them in Rome.. we read more about the deportations.

. \it was hard to read about

 

There was all sorts of judaica oin the square.. most of it modern some was ancient

That remionded me that there is a tone of speculation that leanardo davinci was half jewish.. (check out his hairstyle). I did a little digging.. from what I gather there is soem speculative evidence.. but nothing conclusive.. But I’ll take him as a knsman if it turned out to be true 🙂

 

There was a whole jewish tourist culture here.. with lots of kosher restaurants

 

We made it to the great synagog.. the place was liek a fortress.. you had to submit your passport a few days before youre visit if you wanted to enter.

 

From there we headed to … hmmm.. somewhere.. maybe .. oh yeah.. the Trevi fountain.. T

Hat part of the city was absolutely packed. THe square with the fountain was so packed with  people it felt like watching the Haj in Mecca. 

 

Its supposed to be good luck to throw a coin over your left sholder into the fountain for luck..DId that. but better yet.. a samstone !

 

THen through more busy streets to the Pnatheon !

 

There are 7 egyption columns that were brought over in antiquity and repurposed to hold saints

 

THen all of a sudden.. .tehre was the Pantheon !

 

Again.. just amazing antiquiteis in the middle of a busy modern street.. WOW !

Now on to the spanish steps. Kinda just like it sounds.. some steps.. on a rode line with gucci, cartier, bulgarie, hermes shops.. ugh

 

We found a back way up and di our own stairmaster

 

By this point we were hot and thirsty and craving green grass.. so we found our way to a huge beautiful park

 

We searched out a temple to Dianna.. the goddess of the hunt.. wouldn’t ya’ know that the statue was missing. Good thing we brought our own Dianna !

 

 

It was now time for the walk back to hotel.. our last mile

 

We got back to the hotel, washed up .. then went aroudn the corner to a place that was well reveiwed on trip advisor.. we got there to find that the place that was reviewed had been closed for 10 years (!).. there was another place there.. we waited for 30 min.. and it was worth the weight.. Our last meal in italy.. 

it was also my last meal for 24 houra.s Tonight is Erev Yom Kippur…

From this point I’ll be fasting for 24 hours. 

I checked my watch and realized that  we’d walked 10 miles today.. almost exactly.

A great way to end our trip

 

nite all, nite sam 

-me

 

Today it was supposed to rain  most of the day.. and that was pretty nice. We didn’t have anythingn more we wanted to do in Sorrento anyway..

Diane and I went for a short hike up the same trail system we’d walked yesterday.. we took a few different trails.. and we did it at a fast pace.

That took us through town a bit.. but it was early enough .. that the crowds wernt too bad.  The town is much prettier when it’s nearly empty

 

once again it was so nice to get out of town into the country.. looking back we saw  a huge ship waiting to land. 

the trail was beutiful

 

Everywhere We saw olives being caught in large nets that had been placed underneath to catch the ripe olives.

 

We got up on top of the ridge.. then the bad weater started to come in.. thunder, lighting then heavy rain.. we started running the last couple of miles home.. it was really fun.. we got soaked !

we spent most of the rest of the day hanging out in our beutiful Airbnb.. readin, sleeping and (In my case ) blogging.. .. it was pretty blissful

 

At one point the power went out several times after biug ligtning strikes.. Our great host mariangela texted us to remocve one of the paintings.. in order to find the breaker box to turn things back on

 

Aroudn 5 Linda and Dianes hig school friend Liz and her husband Jeff came by .. THey’r both very nice p folks. THey live in charelston and had great sotuhern accents. they were in sorrento by pure coincidence. We hung out for a while then went to a nearby resturant for dinner. Dinner was good.. even when diane got several cups of wine on her when a waiter got bumped.. The witer wasreally apologetic.. strangely.. the maitredee didnt say anything.. no big deal.. diane wasnt hiurt… it was kinda funny,. she smelled good and winey

 

We took a short walk to see the night .. teh air had turned cool.. and the crowds were lower due to rain

 

It was fun doin g soem window anti-shoping.. the stores had some  really strange stuff. I saw these clowns .. and said aloud that lall we needed to see was soem dogs playing cards.. and next store over.. tehre the y were 🙂 

 

Tomorrow we leave  early for rome.. thats good. we’re ready to move on from here.

nite all, nite sam

-me