Rome

Rome The Vasilik's spend four days in Rome.

At our hotel, the Residenzia Frattina. We were told that the building dated from the 1600s.		The ceiling in our hotel room looked like the original wood


		At the Trevi Fountain.


The Pantheon - the best preserved example of a Roman monument		The Pantheon has a big hole in the ceiling. Apparently it's quite interesting to be in here when it rains.


		The parliment building


		Familiar, friendly McDonalds. This McDonalds is MUCH cheaper than the one in Geneva - it actually had hamburgers and cheeseburgers for 1 Euro, about 1.30 USD.


These ladies were advertising a particular ski resort, I think.		At the Spanish Steps





We rented one of these 4 wheel electric bikes to go around the Villa Borghese park


Kenny bargained with on of these vendors for a little squishable ball.		At the Coliseum. Very crowded, and much of it was closed off.





Views from the COliseum to the Roman Forum, which I enjoyed much more


This worker was scrapping away at the cement work		It would have been really cool if we could have gone down into the passages beneath the COliseum.


		In front of the Roman Forum


		Roads, rutted from actual Roman chariots!


		The garden of the Vestal Virgins


The Basilica Maxentius, the largest building in the Forum		Peter wanted to display his treasures - his ticket stub, and some daisies he found


This guy looked like an archeologist, taking measurements


At the Piazza Navona, Kenny demonstrates how to use the drinking fountain hole by plugging the main water outlet		Putting on a show


Kenny took a few pictures of our hotel room before we left.		In front of the Castel Sant Angelo


Along the bridge we saw this priest doing some geocaching. We talked to him a bit, he was from the US.		In front of Saint Peter's Basilica. Unfortunately we timed our visit poorly, and were there while it was closed for mass.


The pope, Benedict XVI, giving his weekly homily. He was born in Marktl, Germany, which is about a 30 minute drive from Altheim, Austria, where my father was born. Also, his middle name was Alois, as was my father's first name.