Part 2.
After our visit to Vatican City we headed back to the rooms to change clothes, get a snack, and a little rest. Italy played against England last night (actually midnight) and the streets were filled with rowdiness and cheers. I knew every moment Italy scored without the aid of a television. It made for a very long night. I wished I had remembered those earplugs Beth Fite encouraged me to get.
And so this brings us to our tour of Ancient Rome. Gone was the beautiful sky we had a glimpse of the day before. Gone was the shining sun with beaming rays of gloriousness. Dark ominous clouds lingered above. This did not bode well for us. However, I packed the umbrellas thinking they would be needed in London. Ten bucks says I won't need them at all there. Go figure.
We begin our tour at the colosseum. The rain that was barely a trickle has now turned into a torrential downpour. We take shelter in the metro station for a few moments before running across the street. Brand new shoes are ruined. They are mesh and I can feel the yuck seeping between my toes. Who knew Italy had this much dirt on the streets?! Oh wait. I did. Because my sister warned me.
Our tour guide, Luca, was not lacking in looks, sense of humor, or information. Qualities one looks for in a tour guide. You know you're getting old when you want give a 20 something man's cheeks a pinch and pat on the head.
We arrive like drowned rats at the Colosseum, huddled and freezing. We get the true accounts of this piece of history. Interesting. I've never seen Brendan so engaged. He knew every answer to every question Luca posed. It was meant to be trivia but this is the kid that got an A in history first semester. Apparently, he studied a lot about Italy.
We made our way through the Colosseum and headed toward the Forum. The amount of information I was processing was enough to make my head ache. The commonly known facts were easy enough to remember. Caesar was born here. He was stabbed 23 times here. He was burned here. The Vestal Virgins lived here. The church was built with parts from Colosseum. That was all fine and dandy. Learning how and why certain people were killed, why certain people did certain things, and how they did it was fascinating. The ancient Romans were so ahead of their time. These people who lived over 2000 years ago used technology that was so advanced it's beyond impressive.
We concluded our tour just in time for another downpour to hit. This is really starting to feel like St. Louis. Fickle freaking weather. My legs are now covered in dirt from mid thigh down. No more tours in dresses for me. My backside was soaked. And despite being turned around and the rain slapping me in the face I somehow knew how to get back to the station. No children were harmed or lost during this time. I consider this a Roman victory for our family. As we head toward the subway we run into the family we met at the hotel. We tell them an easier way back and exchange highlights from our day. It has been less than 12 hours yet it seems like we've been with this family for a week. We run into them again after showers just before we head out to dinner. Felipe, Monica, and Teresa. They live in Northern California and her family is from Zacatecas. There is a slight possibility we could be related. I probably should have exchanged emails. Damn.
Dinner was even better than the previous evening's meal. The prosecco was crisp yet smooth. I am closing out this birthday on such a high note I kind of feel badly Marc's Father's Day was overshadowed by the focus on me. Kind of. But not too much. I mean, as my kids explained to him I was born way before he became a father. Man, I raised smart kids. He was fine with it. It is a milestone and now he can officially say he's been with me for half of my life. Oh wait. I had a gag reflex moment on that one. Uh, wow. Half of my life. Makes me wonder what the next half will be like.
Whatever the case I hope it's filled with gelato. Gelato can make anyone happy. I think gelato should be served at the next summit meeting. Alora has become addicted. The dark chocolate is dairy free and she is obsessed with it. She has also caught on to the Italian ways. As we were exiting the store she yells, "Ciao!!" to the server.
Naomi, Brendan, and I can only laugh in earnest. We clearly need to keep a close eye on this one.
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