Here and There Blog

Staying for one night at the Grand Hotel Savioa in Genoa before getting on the cruise ship. Have a nice balcony but it's slightly chilly so the door is now closed.  The view from the balcony is way better than the street below  As Paul recommended, the street food is good! Didn't find the squid dish but pizza and a salad worked great after a long & crowded train ride from Rome.  Time to relax with some local wine  LG alsow with red and wireless

 Rome really has a lot more to see than the biggies. On our bus this colosseum wasn't even given a mention by the guide. Below these structures were part of a large complex but this was all I could get from the bus. I saw lots of tour busses here so it must be something worth looking into on the next visit.  Part of Nero's House of Gold. Didn't stop, this was only a bus circling around moment.

Sunday morning started with a trip to Carrefour to buy fruit then shopping. Guess which bag LJ bought? Both! She couldn't choose.  Then it was off to the Crypt and Catacomb tour. The tour was fun but no photos were allowed.  Me by the sign so I remember where we went.  There are 9 miles of catacombs here of which we saw only a small fraction. Due to the Vatican canonization event today the crowds were worse than normal as everyone had to find something else to do. Crypts are still fun but less so when you are packed in and can't take your time. Above - part of the building of where we entered but since the catacombs are underground, that was it for pictures!

 The Wedding Cake and the Colosseum. Classics at night.

Still at Templo Adriano, LJ is inspecting the road below. The rain was coming down more heavily at this point so the crowd had scattered.  And looking up at the columns.  Earlier in the day before the downpour the sun was still glistening on the river  And the trees were yellowing with Autumn's glow Below - the ruin we couldn't get into. Masoleo Augusto was closed for unknown reasons. Several tourists tried to find an opening but it was gated off.  Oh well, the walk wasn't for nothing. Cool church to look at was right next door.

Light rain and heavy crowds greeted us in Rome. After a surprisingly non-eventful flight, Lisa and I arrived on time and with our bags.  Last time I saw Trevi Fountain there were no crowds and we could flip coins at leisure. Now, no such luck.    Strolling along we encountered the random fish sculpture in front of some government building.  And later the Templo Adriano which if it wasn't cool enough, some modern art was added to the plaza.   Above, looking down to the road and entrances to Templo Adriano from centuries past.

WATER is the topic for this year's Blog Action Day. Each year I'm at a loss for what to write about and then the story manifests itself with impeccable timing. California is always in a drought situation but we still have water to waste. Many parts of the world are in drought and have to water at all. I can't help create a lake in a remote region but I can do something at home. I leave tomorrow for a trip, followed by another trip, then one more. In many of these places I will drink bottled water and enjoy hot showers while some people in those countries might not have the same lifestyle. Keeping that in mind, my showers are short and the water bottles are used as needed to keep me healthy on the road. But Karma has a way One of the toilets has decided to spring itself a leak. Now in worst case scenario a leaking toilet results in gallons of lost water each day. I'm out of here tomorrow and don't want to deal with this. So I've dried, caulked and shut off the ...