Okay - I know it has been awhile since I have posted a blog. We are in Rome!!! Courtney and I made it safely here from Paris, and we have had an unbelievable three days so far.

First - we took a train and had a "couchette" for the overnight ride from Paris to Rome. For those of you who don't know what a "couchette" is - it is like a miniature bed. There were six of us (three on each side) in a room measuring about 6x5. Ben - there is no way you could have fit in there. We were on the bottom, and there was no air conditioning, so we pretty much sweated our entire way to Rome. There was a small Asian man who was in the room with us who wouldn't stop singing. Normally this might not have been a problem, except that he couldn't sing and complained that he was cold every time we opened the window for some fresh air.

Day 1: We checked into our hostel (which is great), showered, and went to the Colosseum. We walked out of the Metro and BAM - there it is! We also saw Palatine Hill, The Roman Forum, and the Arch of Constantine. We ate a a great pizzeria and had drinks at the bar in our hostel.

Day 2: Marcy and Hal gave us the coolest gift ever - a private tour of the Vatican City. It lasted 4 hours, and we have never seen such amazing sights. We saw the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica (the largest church in the world), and the Vatican Museum. We also learned that the Vatican City is separate from Rome with its own citizens, postal service, and shopping areas. If you have never been to Rome, GO!! At night, we saw an outdoor concert outside the remains of the Marcellus Theatre. We listened to classical music performed by a female pianist named Ada and a male clarinetist (is that a word?) named Guiseppe. It was beautiful and gave us a chance to see the city at night.

Day 3: We have visited the Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, and the Republic. We also walked along the streets in a huge shopping district. Tonight we will be going to see the famous opera "La Traviata" and we are very excited about that.

So far, so good. We have great roommates, an engaged couple from Australia and we have spent both nights staying up late drinking wine and talking with them. Definitely a benefit of staying in a hostel - meeting cool people. We are just amazed at the age of many of these structures as well as their beauty. We leave on Monday for Florence, and a few days later to Milan.

I will be posting pics today.

Until next time...