We veni’d, vinie’d and were eventually vinicied during our first day in Rome.

A leisurely stroll, mostly downhill to the Fountain of Trevi.

But it was closed for cleaning

Since the planning for this trip began over two years ago, I placed three coins on my bathroom window ledge.  Each cold winter morning that I drove myself out of bed for 5.00am start I would look at those coins to remind myself why I was doing this. Now, I had nowhere to throw them.  I looked longingly at a few workers seeing if there was anywhere I could stuff them and then sighed and walked away.  Won’t be back I guess.

Then off to the glorious Forum and Palatine, covered in Debbie’s blog.  What she did not mention was the goose bumps that rise as you sit and look down a road along which walked, Julius Caesar, Ovid, Trajan, Pliny, the younger and elder, and Vespasian.  What an extraordinary privilege and the dismay as troops of Asian tourists walk by, fixated with the marble remnants of 16thC restorations. Ah well, their loss my gain.

Marc Anthony walked past here

Off to the Coliseum, not as big as the MCG, but an impressive piece none the less, standing  about bay 13, you could sense the same passion of the crowd.  Lions 3 Christians nil, but they have the wind in the last quarter.  No problems getting in thanks to Debbie’s advice, but terrible trouble getting out, not having photo ID to leave for the hire of the audio tape, we had to go back to the entrance to return it. But rest assured, unlike the adage about where all roads lead to, let me tell you they lead to the exit, not the entrance.  Puzzled staff, when questioned, replied that “you are already in, that is the way out”.

Historians date the fall of the
Roman Empire from the time that
Centurians began wearing tights

Sorted in the end, then troop off home only to have a bloody ATM swallow my debit card without issuing any money.  Frantic phone calls to the cards hotline proved mercifully smooth, big tick for Wpac.

Back home safe, more pizza for tea and you can say what you like about the Roman Empire but the boys knew how to build

Ilzes will report from the Vatican tomorrow.

Peter.