Day 7 we got up and went first thing to Murano by Vapretto 42 which is the long way, and tooled around the island.  David and I went to one of the showrooms and outside there was a vending machine which had a beer for a euro so of course we had to buy it.... We met a Lady name Fiona from Ireland who had lived in LA, Seattle and North Ireland, she heard us speaking English while we were playing with some of the cats and asked if she could bounce something off us, she was staying at a hostel and the owner offered her a job, free room and board, and she wanted to know if she should do it. We both said of course what a great experience. We said our goodbyes and good luck and headed  for shoping David remember to get our years Christmas ornament! then to lunch on Murano and I got a Bitterone which was Campari, Lemon Gelato and soda water, wow it was truly bitter but it was good at the same time. Then we took the faster 5 back the San Marco and walked through the Doge’s palace forgive the bad angle there are no photographs allowed but I had to get this shot for my brother.were we got to walk in the bridge of sighs and then through the San Marco basilica. We paid to climb the Nave but didn’t go down to the treasures or the golden alter as those were an additional price too… then a leisurely walk back to the Hotel and dinner at the Pub next door. It was the first time of the trip that I had something I couldn’t eat- I ordered the bacala and polenta, the bacala was like tuna salad in consistency and had no flavor so I just ate the polenta….

Day 6 up at 6:40 so that David and I could get to hotel check out and breakfast. Then off to the terminal. Our train didn’t get a platform until 8 minutes before we took off. We sat next to a couple from eastern Canada Stephanie and Tom. We actually got off a stop early at Venezia MESTRE not Santa Lucia. We went to information the guy just said get on and take it to S.L. so we did it was only about 5 more minutes. Then we got to our hotel checked in got our vapretto tickets and had lunch at a little place around the corner called the happy kiss. Then took our bags upstairs the room’s door way was a little low - David hit his head hard enough to create a bump. Then we rode the vapretto’ around to San Marco took some pictures, had coffee at the toto room and walked around to the Rialto bridge, and then home. I was so tired I fell asleep at around 7pm. It rained off and on all day which wasn’t bad but neither of us were really prepared for it. I put on a pair of pants under my dress, and wore my only closed toe shoes- so nothing on me matched.
We found two very cool technological things in Venice the first is graffitti to say there is an unsecured wifi in the area ok so it is on a couple thousand year old lion but... and the tag my lagoon sign. I'm going to go look it up right now It's a QR code that would have told us about the area if our phones where working then.

Day 5 was nice we started to just walk around.  This the view from out side our apartment.this the door to our apartment. :)
Our one thing to see was Venus which at the museum Uffizi which as we had know was the most non-user friendly museum. WE went and stood in line which was really a line to no where, I went to take my metal water bottle back to the apartment and saw there was another door (2) so I went in and we got reserved tickets for later that morning. So David and I went back to the main hotel and got online for a little bit. Then rushed to walk through the museum. We were very frustrated with how hard it was to find things and to learn about them. Outside the cafe in the museum this was the view of the tower that is the back of the outdoor David seen in the Day 4 photos. This was a no photos allowed museum, but I snuck a few some.

The Venus was very poorly placed and the windows from behind us cast a glare on the glass in front of it. ARGH Both David and I were feeling the pain of travel so we stopped in at the pharmacy and asked for a ointment for pain and we got the most magical stuff- it's topical naproxin.Then we wondered a little around town then we sat for café completto with grappa, and David got gelato, at a little café in the square of the Duomo.
Then we decided since we couldn’t climb the dome of the Duomo on Sunday we decide to climb the tower, 414 steps, and four stops along the way… I apparently I didn't take any pictures. Then to diner Ristorante La Repubblica David got a pizza, and I had the risotto de fungi and some undercooked meat and then home to repack and get ready for day 6 travel day.

Day 4 was the trip from Roma to Florence we got to the metro station early so we were able to find maps at the book store, one for each city we will visit.
This very cool dog just sat on his cart and checked out everyone who was walking up the stairs.The train was awesome, first class, and we sat in the four seats and no one sat with up so I was able to charge my zune read my book, listen to my book and knit on david’s socks, this was some of the only time I knit on the trip itself. The walk from the train depot to the hotel was short but troublesome, it was had to find the door. When we got upstairs (ask me about the elevator-there was really one enough room for one person and baggage. On our way up this first time David I and our bags crammed in) they had over booked the hotel, so they put us in the apartment they have- 2 bed bath, kitchen dinning room and frescoed ceiling in the dining room, pictures were taken the next day. We rushed to see "David" as we weren’t sure what would be open on the next day Sunday… No pictures are allowed in this museum. But wait for tomorrow more pictures of beautiful thing tomorrow. Then wandered around the city and there wasn’t a corner you didn’t walking to something beautiful.even the service covers are pretty. We ate a great dinner traditional florentine steak and potatoes.and had great wineIt appears that I took very few pictures during the day,  I know David took more but I have only posted the ones from my camera.

Day 3 Friday we started via metro at 8:30 at the Colosseo Always the geek I find a survey point in the floor in the colosseum and have to photo it.
and then to the Foro Romano & Palatino, wow that was huge we walked through almost all of that map! more of those cool drinking fountains!
Then off to the Vatican again for the Sistine Chapel, and the vactican museumi want this tub, the little cat head in the center was the drain!

Tiberius for Keely and someone that looks like he may be related...
there was so many beautiful thing there I dare say more beautiful things then the Sistine chapel itself, in which photos are not allowed, then we lunch at Café Vaticano which was over priced and bad microwaved pasta and slow service… Then to the Pantheon then back to trevi fountain, which we found a orthodox church across the square had some gelato, metro home.

Hello I thought I would chronicle the trip to Italy maybe a little better then I did for last years trip so since we changed a number of time zones I’ll state it like this Day 0 we left our house at 4 am and took off for JFK at about 6:40am PST, slept a little on the plane.
 If you squint you can 3 mountains, that is Rainer, St. Helens, and the one in Oregon...

We just had enough time to eat a fast meal at Chili’s in JFK before getting on the ~9 hour flight to Roma. David and I were not originally sitting next together for the flight but the lady next to David had the seats on either side of him and asked him to switch, then we noticed the chair next to me was empty so he moved next to me. I had a great New Yorker who travels often to Rome and gave me great restaurants and tips. The flight was great we slept off and on and watched our progress and watched movies, and knit of course.
Day 1 we landed in Roma at 7am almost a full hour ahead of schedule. We got through security and I got my first stamp on my passport and you can’t hardly see it. Our shuttle from the airport to the hotel was awesome the guy drove us through and around most of the hotspots so there are many out the dirty car window shots. Rainbow over the Airport.Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II A little part of the Aquaduct by the colosseo.On top of the Castel.

That is the archangel Michael sheathing his sword to commemorate the end of the plague in the 5th century.

Then we went to Castel Sant’ Angelo, where we thought the pope was and he wasn’t it was another Castel way outside the city, so we didn’t get to see El Papa. One thing I was impressed with but should not have been surprised about is that there was water everywhere, fountains of drinkable water...
This one was dry but there was others...

We learned the metro system well, and walked almost to the Vatican. Had a great lunch at a little bistro outside the Plazza Cavour which is getting renovation work. Then off across the Ponte (bridge) Cavour to Ara Pacis and then even though I didn't really need to see the Spanish Steps (they were built in 1720) it was right next to the Metro so we saw them.

They are called Scalinata Trinita dei Monti and we took a few pictures before heading back to the hotel Serena to finally get to check into our room, on the “fourth” floor actually 5 or 6^th can’t tell. Thank goodness it had an elevator, because remember that each floor has 10-12 foot ceilings, so a flight of stairs is twice as long. The room itself is clean but makes me a little claustrophobic, there is less then a foot around the bed! We fell into bed about 5 pm (Rome Time) and slept until midnight got up and repacked our bags, and researched a little for our day 2.