Well, yesterday was more exciting than usual. It was Saturday and we took an easy morning before catching the bus into Rome. Except instead of catching the bus that normally runs every 20 minutes, we waited and waited and waited. After an hour and a half the bus finally came but was standing room only. So we rode into town in less than desirable circumstances, but finally made it! We tried to see Michelangelo's "Moses" sculpture but for some reason the church was closed. We had downloaded several free audio tours from Rick Steves and toured the inside of the Colesseum and the Roman Forum. Both were spectacular and headed back on the metro and bus to the area we are staying. We met some Aussies on the bus and exchanged some stories and traveling tips before parting ways. For dinner we had some authentic Roman pizza that you get only in the evenings because that's the only time they fire up the very hot wood burning ovens. It was so very tasty! The only hang up was when we went to pay with our card they gestured that we couldn't pay with it., even though they had it posted on the door they accepted Visa. Our server kindly pointed out the sign posted near the register written in Italian apparently notifying patrons that ...maybe the card machine was down? We are not sure but we didn't have enough money which meant Nate walked back home to get more money while I stayed at the table holding down the fort. After 30 minutes Nate made it back and we were able to pay and leave without washing dishes to work off our dinner!
Sunday, Nate preached at the church in Ostia and then we shard a delicious family meal at Bea Santonocito's granddaughter's house (vegetable lasagna) and then back home for afternoon naps. In the evening we attended the surprise birthday party for Daniele, the pastor of the church. It was fun to visit with the people from the church and hear more of Bea's stories from her life.
We had a travel day yesterday. Daniele drove us the the airport and we flew to Paris on a short 2 hour flight, which also brought much cooler temps. I am back in jeans and layers but it's nice to have the variety!
Our first day in Paris has been blissfully low key: sleeping in, reading, crepes and coffee/hot chocolate at a cafe, and shopping at a market. We did a little walking to see Notre Dame (from the outside) but are saving the big sightseeing for when Nate's parents arrive tomorrow.
This marks the halfway point of our trip! It's been all we hoped and more!
