Roma

Our shore expeditions in Rome and Florence were through a private company, Roman Strolls.

Drivers picked us up from the ship and we divided our group into two mini buses; we were with Jim, Claudia and Walter Harris.

Our driver was amazing. He knew every side street, every detour and the fastest ways to get us there. No hesitation on his part - ever. Narrow and crowded street? No problem! We likened it to an E-Ticket Ride for sure. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride tamed in comparison. Wherever we needed to go, he got us there in record time!

Rosanna met us at the Vatican with our tickets. She was an excellent guide and she had lived for years in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe before going back to Italy. We also loved her sense of humor!

So, we saw the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and all the major places one is supposed to see "when in Rome".

Some thoughts: the "gladiators" at the Coliseum are pretty cheesy. Their costumes look like they got them at a Halloween store - fake muscles and all! We'd want our pictures taken with one of those??? Italy could be a lot cleaner. Graffiti is everywhere. Rosanna said they invented it in Italy. She said they invented a lot of things in Italy.

A highlight for the group was the interaction with the Swiss Guards at the Vatican. They exchanged patches and had pictures taken together. They never pose for pictures with tourists unless they're children, so the IPA members were indeed honored.