Byron's First Thoughts on Rome

My first thought? "Oh look, it's raining. Again." Let's see..Penney planned our London Trip--it was cold and rainy the entire time. She took me to Kiev--cold and snowy. Now she's dragging me across Europe and guess what? Cold & rainy. The boys & I took a vote and I'm in charge of picking vacation destinations from now on.

I've really been amazed at some of the things I've seen. The Eiffel Tower is huge--nothing you've ever seen will prepare you for its size. Some of the lesser-known works in the Louvre are awe-inspiring. Think about it--a single painting telling the entire story of Jesus in a fashion that the illiterate masses of the day could understand. Statues thousands of years old with exquiite detail so fine that you swear the statue could draw breath and walk beside you. An entire city built over the open ocean and residents who say, "Oh, look...the living room is flooded, let's go up stairs" and don't bat an eye. Last, but not least, I remember much more from those French classes I failed (repeatedly) when I was in high school and college.

We took a walk around the Colosseum this evening (we figured we might as well since it's just about 3 blocks away and in view from our apartment) and saw 3,000 years of history in our neighborhood alone with the dozen or so active archeological digs, the Church of San Clemente, the Forum, and some other ruins we'll explore tomorrow. I'm a history buff, especially ancient history, and am loving it.

Of course, I'm a food buff, too. I stopped in a store in Nice to see if they had a t-shirt for a band that I like in my size but didn't know how to ask, "Do you have it in a bigger size--I'm a lardo". We stopped at this incredible restaurant just a block from our place here in Rome and had a meal that was to die for. I'll never see Maggiano's in the same light.

So, my first thoughts summed up? Wow.
--Byron