Yummm… 
My bestie Lynn
That evening our flight to Rome was relaxed and comfortable, the service was surprising good considering the reasonably priced tickets we had gotten. I would highly recommend Norwegian Air which operates out of London Gatwick to Rome Fiumicino. The only drawback is that the cost of checked luggage is not included so you’ll have to be a notoriously light traveler like I am.
We arrived late that night and took a taxi to the Quirti Vatican Relais, our home for the next 2 days. The bed and breakfast is located along a picturesque tree-lined street in what is referred to as the ‘old town’ and is within walking distance of The Vatican. When we arrived that night I was struck by the huge ornate wooden doors that guarded the main entrances of the buildings on both sides of the street. I had never seen such huge doors, they appeared to be about 8Ft. wide and 10 Ft. tall!
I thought the doors of our bed and breakfast would open onto a grand lobby of some sort. Imagine my surprise when after we had used the access code provided, the huge doors creaked open unto a dimly lit courtyard! Given the late hour, there was no one around to welcome us. We found our room and settled in as quietly as we could.
The next morning, we set off on a walking tour of the Vatican City after fortifying ourselves with great coffee and a continental breakfast offered by our hosts. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were in great spirits, happy to be alive and excited to see the sights of Rome. We found our tour and set off along with a small crowd. It is difficult to describe to you here how amazing an experience it was, and I encourage you to experience it yourself. The atmosphere of The Vatican City is like no other. I heard little of what the tour guide said despite my earpiece, I was lost in the poignant beauty of the sculptures and paintings.
There were hordes of other tourists jostling each other to take photos – I did not want to take any. A picture is worth a thousand words but nothing could describe how I felt seeing everything exactly as described in the books I had read as a child. To be standing in the same rooms as those who had stood here so many years ago! I was in awe of the rich legacy left behind and it seemed incredibly crass to even bring a camera into such a sanctum.
I admired the incredible work of the great artists and I thought about the dedication it took. Imagine how difficult it must have been to stand or lie on 40Ft. high scaffolding every day to do the intricate frescoes and paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel! It made me wonder if some of us may not be fulfilling our destiny because we are so prone to giving up easily. What if we did the things that were not so easy? What if we worked excruciatingly hard like Michelangelo did? He took on an exceedingly daunting task while still a relatively young man and look at what he accomplished!
When we finally emerged unto the street again I was famished! I hadn’t realized how much time had passed and how much walking we had done! we were now in the Borgo and we decided we were going to have our first authentic Italian meal at a restaurant that afforded us an unobstructed view of the street.
Don Chisciotte’s had the sidewalk seating we preferred so we sat and rested our weary feet. Not trusting ourselves to order, we put ourselves at the mercy of our server. The meal was delicious! every bite of the strange looking crusty pizza and incredibly creamy pasta was heavenly. I am happy that I took pictures of that! After lunch we set off to find the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and all the other sights I was anxious to see before nightfall.
To be continued..
