We took the 11:53 Eurostar from Florence to Roma on Sunday, June 4. After checking in to the very nice 2-star Hotel Stella, just a 5-minute walk from the Termini train station, we grabbed a map from the front desk and started off for the Borghese Gardens. Known in some circles as the "Central Park" of Rome it truly is an amazing place and this Sunday was filled with strollers just enjoying a beautiful afternoon. We then walked to the Piazza del Populo and found our way to Augsutus' Tomb. I had heard about the recent opening of the new museum dedicated to the Ara Pacis, a monument to Augustus built originally near the Pantheon shortly after the emperor's death but eventually moved to a location along the Tiber River next to Augustus' tomb. Anyway we were unsure as to whether it was worth the €6.50 entrance fee; there is little inside the very dramatic structure which now houses the Ara Pacis. But it was interesting to see a model of the entire "campo matius", the ancient open field where troops trained during the height of Rome's military power.
After we spent the afternoon wandering around the city we had a late lunch in the Piazza della Rotonda, facing the Pantheon. The piazza was filled with tourists so we sat outside to watch the waves of humanity surging passed us. Afterwards we spent the evening strolling the streets of the historic center, ending up near the Spanish Steps when it began to our rain.
Since we had 2 Metro tickets left over from our trip to Roma last November we decided that in this case discretion was the better part of valor and decided to take the subway rather than walk back to our hotel. We got off at the Termini train station Metro stop and decided to buy our tickets for one of the Monday morning express trains out to the airport. So we stopped at one of the fast ticket machines, checked out the train schedules for the following morning and purchased our tickets, as easy as 1-2-3, and then walked back to the hotel. (photo: street in Montmartre, Paris.)
The next morning, June 5, we packed up, checked out and walked to the train station where we hopped aboard the "Leonardo Express" which oddly enough goes to Leonardo da Vinci Code Airport, more commonly referred to as Fiumicino airport because, well, it is near Fiumicino. Anyway we had a pair of uneventful flights on British Airways, connecting through Heathrow for Boston, and got into Boston on time, as did our luggage. After we grabbed our bags off the carousel we zipped right through customs and out to the exit and a few moments later Dick, Susan's brother, pulled up to the curb. We loaded our bags into the car and traffic was light as we cruised through Boston and along the Mass Pike to their home in Douglas.
On June 6 we rested, sort of. Our first goal was to get a US “SIM” card for our Italy phone -- a pay-as-you-go plan really -- and we stopped at the T-Mobile store in Millbury, MA. Afterwards we had to pick up a few other odds n' ends for our swing through the US and so spent a relaxing afternoon doing just that. That night we had dinner with Dick and Dorothy and were joined by Dirk and Susan, friends of Dick and Dorothy's, who are planning a trip to Italy in the fall and who wanted to talk about just that. We all had a grand time. Susan fixed a delicious tart: the shell had a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom, then the pastry creme and topped off with the berries. What a blast it is to talk travel, about travel, and especially travel to Italy!
The rest of the week we just hung out in Douglas, MA, and caught our breath.
It was raining Friday when we left Dick and Dorothy's house in Douglas and headed north for Rutland ("Rootland"), VT. We dropped off the computer with our tech guy, Bill Dugan at Computer Assistance -- Bill is one of the most tech-savvy people I have met -- since I had a couple of issues that needed attention. In particular I was having difficulties accessing Wi-Fi spots and come to find out that somehow I had assigned my wireless network a permanent IP address. Anyway that got straightened out and all the diagnostics checked out just fine. So tidied up some loose ends in VT and pointed our car east for the Maine Woods, or rather Orono, Maine. We arrived in the early evening spending most of the trip in a light rain. But no snow so that was a good thing.
Tomorrow is “Graduation Day”, Rachel moves from her HS phase on to the college phase of here life, and we’re here to see it happen.
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