Arivederci, Rome...for now

We leave Rome today after three full -- and I mean full -- days of experiencing her majesty and charm.  All six of us have fallen in love with this bustling, colorful city.  We marveled at the Colosseum, imaging all the terrible and fantastical events that made that place the center of Roman social life. We stood, mouths open, before the breathtaking works of art in the Vatican Museum, the high note being the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel, with Michelangelo's famous creation paintings.  And yesterday, we felt goosebumps descending into the cold and mysterious catacombs, where the first Roman Christians buried their dead in secret, since Christianity was outlawed in its early days here.

One of the highlights came unexpectedly yesterday, when our bus to the Catacombs arrived (after 30 sweaty minutes) too packed for us to fit without risk of suffocation.  We decided to switch gears and head to the Villa Borghese Gardens instead -- which many call Rome's Central Park -- and let the kids have some fun outdoors.  We had planned to rent bikes to explore the enormous park, but Isabel and Noel begged to rent two rickshaws instead.  What a payoff!  We laughed so hard as we tried to peddle these shaky, semi-motorized vehicles over dirt paths and up hills with tour buses and taxis on our heals.  Bereket found great delight in being the "bell girl," ringing the small bicycle bell to alert pedestrians and small children in our path.  I'm so glad we made what could have been a frustration into a delightful opportunity.  (Bev Ginn, you are exactly right.  Flexibility is key to traveling!)  We did eventually end up at the Catacombs of St. Cecilia, so nothing was lost in the end.

I'm determined to get back to Rome one day, because I would love to spend more time savoring the incredible art (without kids, preferably, whose attention span is approximately 90 seconds), exploring the smaller delights of the city, and just sitting at cafes with my Italian coffee (as I am right now!), watching those beautiful, well-dressed Italians wander by, linking arms and chattering away in their lovely Italian.  Aaah, this city is not to be missed.

Today we're off to Cinque Terre, a set of villages along the coast, for a few days of swimming and hiking.  We're expecting a nice change of pace before we head to Switzerland for my family reunion.