Italy

Rome rocks! The two days of airport hopping are over, Dave is safely back in the states, and I am at a very cool hostel experiencing Rome in all it's glory. Throughout the next few days I get to see what's in the history books up close. I wander through the city streets and huge parks with stories from the past all around me. I spend a half a day at the Colosseum reflecting on Jewish and Roman history and my place in the whole scheme of things. I spend a whole day at the Vatican walking the hallways of Catholicism. The Sistine Chapel really grabs me and I am able to really get a feel for the place because it's off peak tourist season and there is a lot of room to explore and move around. St. Peter's Basilica is mesmerizing and the scope of the building is hard to grasp inside and out.

I meet some really cool people in the hostel, some Aussies, and Indian, and a Kiwi. We all get along really well have some awesome conversations about travel and what it can bring out in a person. The Indian guy introduces me to cricket and somehow makes it seem exciting. I know that India will definitely be one of the next places I visit. The following are some snapshots of me in Rome:

Piazza de Populo I spend an hour here people watching

Rome from a hill top on the outskirts of the city

One of the many beautiful fountains

Midway up the Spanish Steps

The Sistine Chapel blows my mind I spend two hours here contemplating the paintings and what they represent.

Outside St. Peter's Basilica

The Merry Go Round from Heaven

The place that has the biggest impact on me: The Colosseum, built by Jewish slaves.

Inside the courtyard of the Vatican by a strange sculpture entitled: Sfera con Sfera, meaning a sphere within a sphere. It trips me out and I spend an hour contemplating its meaning, especially in that setting.

So there it is... the first leg of my Grand Tour. Thanks for accompanying me Dave, and all the people and places that helped us on our way. We were truly blessed I think with luck and travel skill and good people. I will probably add a bit more photos and videos when I get a chance to in Australia (where I am boarding a flight from here in London in about an hour) but don't be a stranger. I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth or anything! Drop me an email it will be good to hear from you. And here we go to the second leg of the journey... the land down under. OOOOO scary:-) I hear that where I am going, anything that moves can kill you... That means I better chill and work on my tan as much as possible! Till next time.

- J Lev