1st night in Rome

We arrived!  I think we were all relieved to arrive in Rome's airport where we were met with transport to our hotel Donna Laura Place where we met our guide Rebecca.

To start the evening we had a few minutes to get settled in our rooms and then off for a short 10 min jaunt down the street to Grotta Azzurra.  We feasted on appetizer plate of flat-bread crust and assorted toppings, spaghetti, the house red wine and mimosa cake for desert. 

Originally everyone was heading back to the hotel to crash or have a glass of wine before bed and most did.  However Robert and i felt adventurous and knew that night viewings of certain sites may be trickier to fit into our schedule.  So we set off in our 1st official Rome taxi ride to the Spanish Steps a short distance away before walking to the Trevi Fountain... in the rain.  We got out of the taxi and a light sprinkle turned into a downpour... but that only heightened the fun.  Purchasing a 2nd umbrella from one of the many indian umbrella vendors wandering the streets we set off see all we could.

We got a few breaks from the rain at the Trevi Fountain and the place just took my breath away.  It was so large and gripping to look at.  And the people.. omg... rain wasn't keeping anyone away.  Many like us took pictures and tossed coins into the fountain and you could see people from nations all over the world take in the beauty of the moment of being at this place.  This was a great way to cap off our first night in Rome- I am so glad we saw it all lite up in the evening.. picts in daylight will be to come.  Our trip out was not complete though until we had some gelato and a second taxi ride through Rome.  We took a ton more picts but the wireless is being a bit slow tonight so i will upload them later.  We have a very full day ahead of us and it is very late after two days of no sleep so i will say goodnight for now.