Vatican City, June 5, 2008

We started the day visiting the Vatican City - the heart of Catholicism! It has been more than 12 years since my last trip to Italy & the Vatican and I was excited to see how things have changed (but really, Peter. St. Peter's Basilica change...???). Well, post-911, you now need to clear security before entering St. Peter's. The Vatican security worked efficiently to keep the long line of visitors moving briskly and soon we were in the cavernous basilica.

Rome, June 5, 2008

This is the morning view from our hotel balcony. It was quite a long trek from Roma Termini Rail Station to the hotel in the cover of darkness. However, we discovered that there is a shorter route to Termini which we found in daylight. Note to self: Avoid arriving into a new city at night...