Day 15-18: Rome, Italy

Rome, Italy.....historic, breathtaking....so many words come to mind to describe such an amazing place. I still cannot fathom everything I actually saw with my own eyes! To know that the Apostle Paul may have walked the streets I walked...he may have seen the buildings I saw---it blows my mind!

St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel

The Pantheon...this building was built around the first century! It started out as a pagan temple and than later the Christians converted it into a church. 

Trevi Fountain

The Colosseum ...it was incredible!! Walking inside felt like we were stepping back into history! You could almost hear the roaring of the lions and the screams from the crowd! It took my breath away!

Lunch next to the Colosseum...scratching that off my bucket list! :)

This was a Prison where they believe the Apostle Peter and Paul were held prisoner. This would have been where Paul wrote some of his letters. We were able to go down into one of the cells. It was so dark...you could hear the sound of water dripping from the ceiling. I touched the stone walls and couldn't help but wonder if Paul or Peter ran their hand over the same stones. To live in such a dark, lonely place...only by the Grace of God!

And of course a trip to Rome would not be complete without some Italian Espresso. Three packs of sugar later...it was quite delicious!! :)

Our very last day of this marvelous adventure turned out to be Al's Birthday. And so we found a cute little cake at an Italian Pastry Shop and we celebrated his special day...Italian style! :) 

Tomorrow we head for home...and boy are we all ready to enjoy everything American again! We have greatly enjoyed experiencing the European life style, seeing the sights, indulging in the food...but as far as I'm concerned you just really can't beat life in America! America...where you can get water with LOTS of ICE ... showers with shower curtains ... free public toilets ... salads that don't have any odd toppings or dressings full of horseradish ... English speaking people! And of course we all cannot wait to see our beloved family and dear friends again! 

It has been a truly marvelous adventure full of much laughter, memories and new experiences! 

Someday....someday these Southern Belles will be back! :) Until then Caio, Arrivederci, Au revoir, Cheerio, Farewell Europe...and Hello America!