Being stationed in Europe has some amazing, fantastic, out-of-this-world benefits.  Last weekend Tess & I joined our guests (Mini-Movie) for a long weekend in Rome. ROME!

We had a terrible experience on an insanely cheap flight (Vueling.com).  No flight.  New flight,  5-hour layover in Barcelona (such a gorgeous city, I need longer than the 3 hours we had downtown). Delays. More delays and some more delays.  However. The Barcelona airport is my new favorite airport in the world. Clean, modern, roomy, beautiful with great shopping & food.

We finally got to Rome, and our fabulous friends picked us up after midnight.  No need to figure out trains, buses or taxi’s in Italian on little sleep.  We stayed in a fabulous convent ( DOMUS NASCIMBENI) near the Vatican.  I highly recommend this for budget travelers, who love air conditioning, lots of cappucino’s & free breakfasts!

We got up bright & early to a very hot day.  We asked very carefully for directions on taking the local buses, with our maps in hand, to get to the Coliseum.  Our first big tourist stop.  We found the bus, the cigarette shop to sell us our tickets, and got on the bus.  And stayed on the bus. And got hot on the bus…. and finally realized, we were going in the opposite direction. LOL!

Off the bus we got, crossed the street (dodging Vespa’s all the way) and waited for the next bus.  Which was, of course, the exact same bus.  The poor driver could hardly stop laughing.  Thankfully, after that, he made sure we got out at the right stop and we all got to see a little more of the wonder that is Rome.

Oh! I have so much more to say.  Look at me babble. I will stop here, this is one of my favorite pictures of our first full day in Rome.  ROME!

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