Venice and Roma isn't just a variety of tomato

Well Venice was nice I must say. We stayed on the mainland in Fusina at a campground just across from the floating city. It proved to be nice choice, we had our very own little camper and there was always something going on. Even better was that Venice was only a short boat ride away. Our time was short here, but you don’t really need a lot of time to see the city, just a lot of money. A famous gondola ride will set you back a cool $120 for about 15 minutes. What a racket. Skipped on that! Dinner? A nice $100 for 2 is the going rate even on the sidestreets. We wandered about most of the day more or less because we kept getting lost. The streets are smaller than an arm span. But it was nice not having to dodge cars and bicycles, just the occasional lost tourist like ourselves. We did find out that the city was all abuzz with the upcoming Venice Film Festival. Glad we missed that (I’m sure prices climb even higher then!). All in all it was worth seeing just not worth spending on a trip like this. Oh, and bring bug spray.But Roma I love love LOVE! They say if you throw one coin in the Trevi fountain you will in love with Rome. Two, and you will come back soon. I threw one on our first day, and I fell in love. What an amazing city all around. Wonderful cheap transportation, free fresh water everywhere, gelato on every corner, and of course the coliseum. Our hostel was at capacity but it provided breakfast and dinner assuring us we would not starve to death. Jeff truly shined here. With all his Roman history knowledge, he was an excellent tour guide. Albeit a bit pushy: we did spend some 15+ hours our second day on foot seeing the city. But if you’re going to have a history lesson you mind as well do it in person. By our last day I was overdone. Rome still feels like a whirlwind in my memory. Everything is so much better than I could imagine. The coliseum at night will leave you in wonder. Trevi fountain will inspire you. The Spanish steps will weaken you. The Vatican, even as a protestant like me, will bring you to your knees. Everything here is so bella and more than a bit otherworldly and mysterious. Sitting in front of the Pantheon I ponder how they built the dome (architects still don’t know how they did it) over a bowl of out of this world banana gelato. In the end, I can only admire its beauty. Tyson, I thought of how much you would love and appreciate this city. I wish you were here. Sparty feels right at home amid the soaring columns and massive marble buildings. Sometimes, it all feels overwhelming. I feel small in face of such Roman greatness. I leave with the hope that Jeff’s one coin and my own one coin in the Trevi fountain will mean we both return again soon.