Hi Everyone!

This leg I visited what is known as the Eternal City of Rome. I loosely go by this rule for how many nights to stay in a given place (coding nerds will enjoy this - I hope):

if I have never heard of the place but need somewhere to sleep then 1 night only otherwise, if I have heard of the place and it isn't super well known for sight-seeing and adventures then 1 or 2 nights at the most, otherwise if it is a known tourist destination with lots to see then 2 or 3 nights, otherwise if it a ginormous place or one of the "cradles of civilization" then surely 4 nights is justified.

So far I've only stayed 4 nights in Athen (as a base of operations for day trips elsewhere etc.) and now here in Rome.

I got to see the Colosseum, the Vatican (including the Sistine Chapel - sorry couldn't even sneak a little video clip they were being hyper vigilant), the Spanish steps, and many other of the well-known sights.

Perhaps one of my most favorite things to do now is to rent a scooter (I use Lime scooters/e-bikes whenever they are available in a given city - very reasonably priced). It was especially handy and fun in Rome - I didn't realize how hilly some cities are with Rome very much included in that.

Scooting around I stumbled into an amazing park overlooking the Vatican for a great drone shot.

Highlights perhaps not fully captured in the video:

• The Vatican has a truly stunning array of art, sculpture, and artifacts in their museum collection. So many of the pieces are fully intact and complete. Simply amazing, and yet seeing it all gave me a bit of a pit in my stomach. I would never wish to offend my religious friends and family so I will try to be careful here but also to the point. It was upsetting on some level to see all of the art that was given (taken) to (by) the church belonging to the various tribes and people of the world that the church helped to decimate and destroy. Ok, it's getting offend-ish more quickly than I thought here. I will give the point of argument that this church as a whole/as an entity did not destroy and cause harm on purpose, if you (who may be thinking of being offended by all this) concede the point that destruction and harm did, in fact, occur and on a very large scale. 215. Moving on...
  

• The Roman Forum was so cool to tour through. Amazing views of the whole city from the upper sections and such cool little details to be seen everywhere.

• Best hostel I’ve stayed in so far - thank you "RomeHello". Even got all my laundry done up there without having to find a laundromat.

From here I'm renting a car and driving through Tuscany, stopping in a little town called Siena before heading onwards through to Pisa.

Hope everyone is doing well. Please nobody wish me to have a good trip. Don't want to end up like Auntie Wanda ;). Too soon for jokes? :P. Hope you are feeling better and better each day. Love you!

Eric