Roamin

We had a lot to fit in today because of the rain yesterday. Fortunately, like anywhere else in the world, the forecast for rain today was incorrect and we had a sunny day. It was muggy and very hot but that was better and less intrusive on our plans than the rain.

I dubbed us the "hit and run" travel group today because we were literally arriving in places of note and then leaving them as quickly as we had come. It is not that any of us is unappreciative of the history or age of the sites, I think we are just ready to move on from Rome and get to the next stop. There are so many people here, mostly tourists. It is specifically the tour groups that I am tired of.

What did we see today?
1. Trevi Fountain, great site but we could not relax with all of the people around
2. Spanish Steps, famous but so many people made them tough to truly enjoy. I had seen them before when I was here with my mom and it was less crowded and more enjoyable. I did not walk up the steps previously and that was not fun but an accomplishment nonetheless. We have done so much walking and climbed many stairs. That probably doesnt sound interesting but that is what we have done.
4. The Pallatine, different last time as well. There was lot of the center of the grand room closed off due to the rainfall last night and a ton of people. I also had a very messy gelato experience before we went in which left me in a mood for a little while. It melted way to fast and I had thrown almost all of it away...at least what hadnt covered my hands.
5. The Forum and Ruins, this was great and I really enjoyed this. The light was wonderful too so we got some nice shots of the Coliseum as well. I am sure that I will be printing a few of these.

Tomorrow is our last day in Rome and then off to Barcelona. I am curious to see the differences between the cities, despite the obvious Spanish v. Italian. In Rome, there are an enormous number of cars and scooters zooming around. I enjoy crossing at crosswalks without traffic lights. You just step out into the street and the cars stop. It is a little scary because there is some uncertainty as to whether the cars will stop but they always have so far! It would be a shame to turn into a human speedbump.

I did make it to a record store (pretty much at Italian Borders) to get my Elton John CD and then found my CD player doesnt work. I was kind of bummed but am happy that I got the album. It isnt released in the US until Tuesday so that is cool. I also picked up a Robbie Williams CD that I could not get, even as an import in the US. Fun shopping for music here since a lot of the people I enjoy dont release much in the US (Elton excluded).

Not much else to say. Going to dinner in a few so gotta run.

Look for more from Spain!