Christmas in Roma

It was Christmastime in Rome, but there was no snow and plenty of sunshine:

 The Christmas lights and decorations were strung up in the Roman streets:

Even the Nutella was decked out for the season:

This was taken a the Christmas market in Piazza Navona, where we browsed through the stalls full of ornaments, figurines and toys.

This is the witch, Befana, who brings Italian children presents on Epiphany.  I considered buying one, but wasn't so sure I wanted a witch hanging on my Christmas tree!

And finally, some pictures of the Vatican at Christmas.

I hope YOU had a

Our Mini Roman Holiday

We made it to the Trevi Fountain...

And managed to thow in a few coins to ensure our return to Rome:

Here's hoping our next visit is longer than 12 hours!

Outside the Pantheon...

...and inside the Pantheon...

We saw some of Rome's many beautiful fountain sculptures...

The birds like this one!

At Piazza Navona

A quick taxi ride and we are in Vatican City!

This photo of us was taken by a lovely Swiss man who was preparing for his ordination at St. Peter's on Christmas day.

Enjoying the sunset on our walk back from the Vatican to catch the airport shuttle bus.  Even though I had an exhilarating day in Rome, I'm definitely tired here!  

A Journey of 6695.8 Miles...

A journey of a thousand miles may start beneath your feet, but a journey of 6695.8  miles starts at the airport!



This is me at Chicago's O'Hare airport waiting in line to check in.  We brought our full allowance of 4 checked bags and two carry-ons.  Most of our luggage is filled with presents!

After a long overnight flight and an amazing view of sunrise over the Alps:



...we ended up here for 12 hours:

I won't go into the reason why I had to buy that Italia shirt except to say that a long flight, a cappuccino and a vanride on an Italian expressway during rush hour were not a good combination for me.

Since Ahmad hadn't been to Rome before, we somehow managed to pack in a full day of sightseeing during our short time in Rome.