Vatican

Today, was a rough day for me. Thankfully, Brett was there to carry the weight of the extra batteries.

Massimo picked us up again at 9:30 and we visited a few sights we had not seen yesterday. Visiting St Peter in Chains Church and got different/better views of the Coliseum, the Forum, Palatine Hill, and other parts of old Rome.

Massimo dropped us off to join Lorenzo - our Vatican guide. Luckily, our guide and my portable concentrator got us by many of the lines.

I won't even try to name the paintings, sculptures and other artwork that we saw in the museums. If you've there, you already know. If you haven't been there, I simply can't describe it. Master artists whose names even I recognize.

I eventually lost track of Lorenzo's info when I became so tired that the best I could do was to simply keep up and look at what I was struggling to pass. Of course, we finally got to the Sistine Chapel. Gorgeous, serene and over-powering. We were able to find seats - so we sat for a while.

Next, we headed to St Peters - a part that I chose skip - just too pooped. Instead, I sat by the entrance and watched security stop people who didn't meet dress code - no bare shoulders or bellies, no shorts above the knee, no short skirts. It was humorous watching some people try to get around the dress rules which are published all over the place.

After the Vatican, Massimo picked us up for the return to the hotel. First, he stopped for Jill's Mom at a small shop to buy a rosary.

Once we were back in the room, I once again passed out. I slept for several hours. I think Jill and Mom also napped some. But, they headed out a couple times - once to find cheaper bottled water and another time to get a light dinner. They found a deli and brought salads back to the room.

I think I have recovered but I haven't decided what to do about food - if anything.

Tomorrow we will be picked up by Luigi - our guide for 3 of us since the kids are going to Pompei. Quite honestly, I'm not sure what we are doing tomorrow. On Sunday/Monday we have done all of the things I thought we were doing totally. So, whatever we do tomorrow will be a bonus.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.