When In Rome...

After all the pacemaker excitement, it was so wonderful to have that behind us and have our 3-week trip ahead of us. Rome, here we come!!!!

We were excited to see our good friends, Patricia...

and Steven Morgan when we got off the plane in Detroit. From there we flew to Rome,

After flying all night, we arrived at our rental apartment the next morning and got instructions about the place. One thing we learned was it was a so-called third-floor dwelling, but for some reason they don't count the first level as a level. So we had to walk up four flights of stairs--98 steps to be exact. Put the pacemaker to good use right at the beginning of the trip!

On the other side of the wall where Patricia is sitting was a small kitchen. Beyond that was the master bedroom and bathroom that our friends insisted we use.

On the other half of the apartment was a dining room where we ate our breakfast each morning. Beyond that was a smaller bedroom with two twin beds and a bathroom.

This was the beginning of many a cobblestone street we walked upon. And we learned to watch out for cars and motorcycles driving down the skinniest of streets.

Lunch at Mastrociccia where I ordered pasta. I decided to throw caution to the wind and eat pizza and pasta on the trip. It was sure delicious!!

Gelato was very popular in Rome and the Frigidarium was where we would find ourselves at least once a day.

We took a taxi drive out to a mall where we could get a view of the new Rome temple site. Apparently it is taking quite a lot more time than originally planned for the temple to be built. It's on a complex with other church buildings also being built.

The Morgans would love to serve a mission in this temple in a few years.

There were naked marble statutes and fountains galore in Rome.

Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain.

 The Pantheon--the temple to all the gods--was built around 120 A.D.

The interior of the dome. The oculus, or eye-in-the-sky, is the building's only light source and is almost 30 feet across. It contains the world's greatest Roman column--the pillar of light from the oculus. There is no covering, so when it rains, it gets wet inside the building.

The Trevi Fountain was drained of water because of construction. Legend says if you throw a coin in, you'll be sure to return to Rome.

There was a makeshift water enclosure where people could throw in their coins if they wanted. Coins must be thrown with the right hand over the left shoulder. Make a wish, toss a coin and dream.

 More city streets.

 Yummy pizza dinner.

 Eating on the steps

Steven loved the drinking fountains. The water would flow from the faucet and when he put his finger over a hole on the top, it would divert the water upward so he could get a drink.

 These three found their evening snack in a different gelato store.

Seeing more sights at night.

Glen took his step counter on the trip and was anxious each evening to see the final step count. He and Patricia were determined to get at least 10,000 steps each day.

At the end of our first day in Rome, we had 23,527 steps--just short of 12 miles of walking.

Jacob's comment made me laugh. "Is it just me or does 12 miles seem like a lot for someone who just got a pacemaker?!? I hope there's an energizer battery in that pacemaker!"

I am happy to report I felt great at the end of the day. We were all exhausted from our all-night flight and then hitting the ground running. But, it was a good exhaustion and my heart was performing magnificently. What a blessing!!!