Day 1 Rome

       The first day Patti and I arrived in Rome early and went straight to our hotel.  My baggage didn't make it so with 24 hours in Rome we tried to hit the top points of interest we could.  We dropped our luggage off and then ate right on the street that leads to the Vatican.  After fueling up we head out to take pictures and see what adventures lie ahead.    We stand in line and quickly find out why a lot of folks here take the month of August off.  It's so hooooooooottttttt.  It's a mixture of the hot desert winds combined with the humidity of the sea.  We get out of the first line which was a tour itself of the Vatican and head towards the Sistine chapel.  The artwork we found there was awesome.   It was like taking a quick tour through the Dark Ages, Gothic period and the Early Renaissance.  The grand finale was entering the chapel and seeing not only "Man and God" by Michelangelo but all of the frescos around it!  I didn't realize that there were so many and so high above.  The mere thought of painting under those circumstances boggled my mind!

       After took a 3 hour nap  we charged our batteries both physically and mentally.  After e flew 24 hours straight getting there.  My luggage arrived at 9pm.  That was good news because we were leaving for Florence in the morning.  We the venture out and stumble upon a summer nights fair.  There was music, food and vendors.  That was exactly what we were looking for at 930pm!

Here is a hot of the line outside the Sistine Chapel.  It was a lot hotter than it looks.

Once inside  the temperature stayed tolerable.  It was all you can eat for the eyes and my eyes were hungry!

Here are some shots I took of the ceiling.  What a mind blowing idea that you had to paint masterpieces even on the interior ceiling....Beautiful!

Room after room of historical art got to be a bit much but the grand finale was yet to come.

I can still remember seeing slides of Raphael's "School of Athens".   That was over 20 years ago in college!  Now here it is in person.  Wow!

Here was a shot I took looking way up there.  Now the picture on the right was a close up of the center of the left.  This was a great moment in my own personal art history seeing the really famous painting by Michelangelo!  Whew, now it was time for a nap!  The jetlag and 12 hour time difference was hitting us hard....

After a 3 hour nap and charging the camera batteries we head out to explore.  I bought 2 cameras for the trip. Both were small HD cameras that took stills.  I was auditioning which one was going to work the best for me.  I literally shot as much as I could because it was inspiring as an artist and I wanted to remember as well as experience it at the same time.

I couldn't resist standing by one of the smallest cars I had ever scene.  The gas is so expensive there and parking is hard to do.  These might fare well in Hawaii where you don't drive too fast anyways. 

This was a welcomed meal with fresh fish on kabobs.  There was a nice band playing jazz right near the rivers edge.  It gave us time to enjoy the ambiance.

National Museum of Castel Sant' Angelo held the late night fare.  We ate the great meal and ventured out towards the Coliseum...

We took a cab since the walk was a bit far.  We get dropped off and start to explore the beautiful structure. 

We were not alone!  The tourists were out and it was a great time to explore because of the lights and it wasn't quite as hot as the daytime. 

There was a full moon making the night even more spectacular.

After the Coliseum we wander off and find the Trevi fountain.  Once again, what a charming discovery.  There were also lots of people enjoying the atmosphere.

I took plenty of pictures for future painting reference.  My mind and heart was taking in all of the melodies of light and architecture.  I really felt deeply about seeing this place of beauty.

Patti takes time out to get ready for a shot. 

I am exhausted but still power through the evening.... All those late nights hanging out paid off in staying awake.

Here was a building that we just happened to walk by on our late evening stroll.  I can see what Caesars Palace in Las Vegas was inspired by.  I'm sure this was an important building.

Even the corner building were lit late at night.  This corner had a lot of police men hanging around.  It made us feel a bit safer roaming through the streets.

We end our day where we started.  Right in Front of the Vatican.  Its much more tranquil and I enjoy seeing the sights at night. Definitely a future painting series... Next stop Florence....