Once upon a time...

 two intrepid travelers, friends since high school, took off to explore parts of Italy and Greece.  First success, we made it through the Charlotte Airport (the first of several airport adventures) and on to our overnight flight to Rome.  Day one was spent with views of Rome and dinner with our fellow travelers. There were 45 of us on a Trafalgar tour, a first for us.  Day two was when things got really interesting.  We spent the morning touring St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, then took our first bus ride, from Rome to the city of Montecatini in Tuscany.  A lovely little city with a unique hotel.  The beds were comfortable and the shower was good but the decorating was very strange. Picture frames, lamps, mirrors, chairs, all adorned with heavy curls and swirls and upholstered with zebra striped fabric, heavy drapes, dark red bed spreads, you get the idea.  Happily, most of our time spent in that room was with our eyes shut. No, I did not take a picture.

The biggest thrill for me was seeing Michelangelo's "Pieta" in St. Peter's Basilica.  Sadly, these days it's behind glass (sorry for the blurry picture) because of vandalism a few years ago.  I do not understand a desire to deface anything so beautiful.

A quick view of our faithful bus.  We had an excellent driver which is a really good thing.  Italian traffic is astonishing, but more about that in a later blog.

Exterior view of St. Peter's Basilica, where the Pope greets the faithful.  We got there early and didn't have to stand in line too long.  The line was much, much longer by the time we left.  So many people.  Thankfully Tuscany wasn't so crowded.