We were lucky enough to have 1st Class "Coach" tickets on our flight from Chicago to Rome. What does this mean? We were in seats 21A and 21B on our Boeing 767, which are the exit rows. Hello legroom, and a great view of the TV. On our flight we watched the movie "Five Year Engagement" on our iPad, which helped pass the time. At the same time, we were served our not so great in-flight meal. American Airlines attempted to feed us Italian food, which was a bit of a fail on their part. However, we did enjoy receiving the full can of soda when ordering a drink. And don't forget the free wine and beer on International Flights.

After a few restless hours of "sleep," we were awakened to a small breakfast and the beautiful sight of Italy out our window. After de-boarding our plane, taking the shuttle to the airport, and funneling through customs; we picked up our luggage. Luckily, it all made it in one piece. We then headed outside to find our driver holding a "Bechtold" sign. Yes, we had a hired driver waiting for us. After a short drive through the city and some Roman traffic, we arrived at our gated private apartment, greeted by the owner. After a few words of advice, and a few directions, he and his wife were off to Munich for Oktoberfest.

Now it was time to explore "The Eternal City." On our walk, we stopped by the "Second Basilica of Rome." From there, we made our way to the Colosseum for our afternoon tour. Upon arriving early, Trev ordered a pizza sandwich for lunch, and we wandered around the amazing structure for a bit. About an hour later, we met our tour group (Walks of Italy), led by our guide, Tyson. On our tour, we first walked through the Roman Forum and saw what is believed by some Italians to be where Julius Caesar was killed. From there, as we walked down the Via Sacra, we saw the Arch of Titus, the Arch of Septimius Severus, plus much more. Unfortunately, during a few of these sights, due to no sleep, dehydration and very warm weather, I almost passed out. However, after a short stop on a very cool rock, and quick drink from one of the hundred's of natural fountains all over the City, I was good as new, and ready to go.

We then headed up the Palentine Hill, from which we got an amazing view of the Colosseum. We also saw what used to be a revolving dining room, which was used by the former Roman Emperor, Nero. The sights we experienced while at the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill were far beyond what any history class had explained or TV show had depicted. We were truly amazed!

Luckily for us, there was still a lot more to be seen on our tour. Up next, a visit to a few areas in the Colosseum, restricted to most visitors: the Colosseum floor, the Underground, and the Third Tier. All in all, we couldn't have asked for a better tour. We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of great information we received.

After a short walk and break at the apartment, we cleaned up and headed out for our evening tour of the Vatican City. We took one of the two Metro lines in Rome, as it would have been quite a walk to get there by foot. As we wound our way around the large stone walls surrounding the Vatican, we checked out the millions of little cafe's and shops in the area. Upon going through security, and taking the multiple escalators up to the start of the tour, fireworks started going off outside. We quickly took a right and headed out onto a large outdoor plaza to watch. They were amazing, and sounded as though they were pretty close. After they stopped, we headed inside to get started. There were so many things to look at; amazing paintings, sculptures, etc. Towards the end, we walked through the Sistine Chapel. It was pretty amazing to see in person, but honestly, smaller than I had pictured in my head. At the end of the tour, you had to walk down an amazing spiral staircase made of pink and green marble.

Now, it was time to eat! We stopped at a small sidewalk cafe and enjoyed a pizza, a Coca-Cola for Trev and a glass of wine for Me. To my enjoyment, the wine was cheaper than Trev's Coca-Cola. After dinner, we headed out to find the famed Trevi Fountain. A few wrong turns later (it's very easy to loose your sense of direction in Rome, as no streets run in a straight line) we were there. Along the way, I picked up a bottle and a drink of Lemoncello to take home with me. While at the fountain, we each threw a coin in, which is supposed to ensure that we will be back someday. We hope!!! After a few more pictures, we headed back home to grab some sleep before another busy day of traveling.

The next morning, we headed out to find breakfast. Our choice, gelato, from the first gelato store opened in Rome. Unfortunately, the Romans don't believe that gelato is a suitable breakfast food, and the store was closed. Back to the apartment we head, to grab our things and head to the Termini Train Station to catch our train to Venice. Luckily, we left a little early, as the train station and metro station were not actually connected as we originally thought, and it was quite a trek. At the station, we picked up a couple of sandwich's and snacks and headed in what we thought was the direction of our train. Wrong.... a short half run/walk later, and we were on our train.

The train ride was very nice and relaxing, and naps were in our future. During a quick change of trains in Florence, we indulged in a little gelato, and then right back on another train we went. Next stop, Venice!