ROME FOR THE DAY
We were on our own. While in Florence we had picked up a train schedule to get to Rome. Everyone else was taking the day off to sit back at the pool and relax. I grabbed my husbands adoption papers with the information about the orphanage and addresses. Hopefully, we would be able to see where he grew up. We got dropped off at the rail station in Florence and discussed with the driver that our return would be in Arezzo, which was closer to the villa. We took the express train (Eurostar) which took about one and half hours. Very fast and it compares to traveling first class on a plane. Rome was huge. A lot of tourists! A lot of vendors. We tried for awhile to ask for directions to the orphanage. No one could help us. We tried to find the address of his sister. No luck there either. We couldn’t find any of these on a map or even asking guides who spoke English. We had to make a decision - keep looking or see everything. Since we never thought we’d be here in our lifetime,we chose to see this beautiful city. While we were weaving our way through the tourists and vendors we were getting closer to the center of the city. We looked ahead and could see what we’ve only seen pictures of in history books, this ancient ruin, The Coliseum. Having this in front of us made us stop and just take it all in. We were amazed at the site. We spent the rest of the day sightseeing, St. Peter’s Square, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We only had a day. We only had this week. There was so much to see. We were so happy with what we did see. The history. When you approach all of these sites it just amazes me how long ago they were built and the condition they are in today. When you’re in the Coliseum you can picture it in your mind. It was just so long ago. Yet it’s here and now.
More on Rome - Travel and feature writer John MacDonald
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