On to Rome

It snowed overnight and the rental car was covered in about 3 inches of the white stuff.  School was cancelled, however, the roads were in good shape.  We had a few bumps in the morning but all ended well.  Brian's credit card was denied when we tried to make a purchase.  Apparently, someone had attempted to make a $38,000 transaction on it and the bank shut down the card.  The charge was from a Japanese source.  Janet's charge card on the same account was not affected.  So, we can still use that account while traveling.  All of us were TSA Pre and expected to move quickly through the security checkpoint; however, Dwayne's passport was temporarily missing shortly after we passed through TSA security.  It was eventually found and we were soon in the British Air Lounge looking for something to fill our stomachs since we really didn't have a big breakfast.  The flight to JFK was short and uneventful.

Rome Airport

British Air Lounge - Dulles Airport

Wingtips Lounge - JFK

The Delta flight to Rome was as good as it gets.  We had very little turbulence and the tail wind gave us an hour early arrival.  The baggage was among the first off the plane.  We were soon on a bus headed to our hotel.  The Donatello is small but comfortable.  Carlo checked us in and gave us a very good run down on how to efficiently get around to all the major sites.  After storing our luggage, it was off for lunch and then on to the metro and the Colosseo.

Lunch was pizza and calzones at a small shop about a block from the hotel.  The metro was a few more blocks from there.  We bought a 3 day pass.  The subway dumped us out right at the foot of the Colosseo.  We were able to get a guided tour without waiting in long lines.  The sun was out and the temperature was in the low 50's.  Couldn't have asked for better this time of year.  After our tour, we took a table at a nearby cafe overlooking the Coleseum to watch the sun set.

We took the streetcar back to the hotel.  A brief stop at the supermarket got us chianti, cheese, bread and beverages for our before bed snack.  So far, everything has gone very well and we are looking forward to another beautiful day tomorrow.