The Skinny on the last 2 days

We had intended to extend our stay in Rome through tonight, the 4th, and leave Rome late tomorrow, the 5th, to make up for the time we spent in Cintukey. However we would have been homeless tonight since the Mimosa had no room for us except the "Emergency" room, which is a room under the stairs with a cot. So we opted to stick to plan A and go on to Florence. Because of this wimpy decision we lost a day in Rome and had to bust our hienies to try to see some of the stuff on the must see list. Since we last logged in we : learned to use both the bus and the subway system in Rome, saw the Santa Andrea della Valle, went to Mass at the Pantheon ( or at least stood outside and watched), tried to crash the Villa Borghese museum (you MUST book a week in advance which we negleced to do and thus missed one of the biggies, major blunder, so we bought out the bookstore) Walked the Villa grounds over to the Museum of Modern Art( only in Italian) which we really enjoyed for many reasons, not the least because it meant we got out of yesterday's rain, went to the Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain where we both threw coins over our shoulders and then tried to eat Pizza at the Buffetto but gave up after we saw the line, and went instead around the corner where the locals eat. There I was able to ask 2 adorable locals next to us about what it was like to live around all the art. They say they never tire of it.
Today we spent the day at the Vatican. We got up very early to get there but by the time we figured out the post office ( another story) we didn't arrive until 9:30 am which is too late to avoid the longest line in the entire universe which leads you to the next longest line in the entire universe. Because of the fact that we had to be on a train at 6:30 pm we choose to pay really big bucks for a guided tour which meant we got to skip the first line. We still stood in the second line for over an hour. We met a bunch of nice folks in line so it wasn't so bad and once we got in we were really glad we both paid for the tour and stood in line. If you go, take the "When in Rome" tours. You will be glad you did.
We went straight from St. Peters to the train and had a wonderfully enjoyable trip up to Florence on the Euro Star where we not only enjoyed the view of the Italian country side, which looks exactly like, if not better than, the postcards, but also the company of two charming Italian men who took us under their wings and gave us all sorts of travel advice. It turns out that they are both brilliant ( as well as handsome), one a seasoned scientist, and one a recent Ph.d who is working as an electronic engineer. I'll let Lisa embellish on all this but that is the gist of it.
I have some observations about Rome:
1. Gotta LOVE that it has a cat sanctuary right in the heart of the city which is also a ancient ruin, (Largo di Torre Argentina) which Lisa has dubbed "The Divine Order of the Sacred Cats". Gotta also love that the cats are all fat.
2. Who is wearing all the FABULOUS ( and I mean it) clothing in the store fronts? Beacuse it sure isn't the locals.
3. You only think your shoes are comfortable, but they're not, I don't care who makes them and how long you've been breaking them in, they are miserable. Bring a lot of pairs and change them up every day, that way you can be miserable in a new way each day and it somehow makes it better.
4. I love Rome, Lisa not so much. I love that everywhere, everywhere, no I mean everywhere you look is beautiful and very very old. I love that the streets wind in crazy ways and that there are no rules of the road. I love that within 2 feet of you there is something and someone beautiful and interesting or good to eat no matter where the heck you are. And much more. So, So far, so very good. Italy: thumbs up.
And so far so good in Florence. Our hotel is precious and the internet cafe is right accross the street and the phones seem to be useable. We're happy. (Anne)

**Addendum by Lisa. I love Rome too, very fortunate to have been there and agree on the oppulence, bustle and beauty of the city. My reasons for not loving it in the same way as Anne is that it is one of the hardest cities to navigate in my experiences, namely my comparisons to Paris and now Florence. It offers some of the same beauties as any of these cities (beautiful architecture, beautiful people, great food) but it is VERY crowded streets, very and the maps are not accurate. So navigating an ancient city full of piazzas, back streets, side alleys, etc, with essentually no map and being on a tight schedule, makes it much less enjoyable than say Paris. Also, Rome's public transportation is a mess. The bus routes are ill marked and in some cases not marked at all, the two metro's only go in straight lines on the outskirst of the city so basically are useless unless traveling out of the city center which we did to get to the Borghese and the Modern. Taxi's are too expensive to take everywhere so we are left back with our bad maps and aching feet to get place to place. So while I love the sites and sounds of Rome and will never forget my experiences there, I don't love trying to see Rome.