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I just got back from a trip to Rome. I was humbled by what humans can accomplish. The Basillica is a marvel to behold. If you ever get a chance to go, you should. Even just standing in the middle of it is awe inspiring. And it's free.

The trip also reaffirmed my atheism. Go figure. My tour of the Vatican and its gardens was given by someone that explained how everything I saw was the result of divine inspiration. It made me sad that she couldn't ascribe any accomplishments to human skill and creativity.

AuntieMame 6 May 11
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Don't you know that you have no human skill or creativity? You could not do anything without god. Take breathing. It's because of god that you can breath in and out. Imagine that you can just do one of those and not the other. Very frightening. If you have crossed yourself and said the magic words god will help you.
Now all we have to do is get him to heal all those kids of cancer at St. Jude.

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Hello again Auntie.....I have just woken up to the fact that I do have a photo of this Church wall, I have scanned it and I include it in this post for your interest.... It was not in France as I remembered, it is actually in Austria. Best wishes to you Aunty.......

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That sounds cool.
I'm mindful of walking in history wherever I've lived.
Nearby here are ancient cliff dwellings, native village sites.
Rome would be interesting - in the footsteps of Tiberius.

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I spent a couple of weeks there studying The Popes and the Papacy for my history of Europe degree. At that time there was a garbage strike going on and Rome didn't look or smell so great. There were lots of "bag ladies" carrying bags of pasta around for the hundreds of cats occupying the city. We saw so many Basillica's they all started looking alike. We visited the catacombs which were amazing. Our instructor lived there for a few years and knew the city. I was the only one who turned down a chance to see the Pope (John Paul II). One truly amazing place for me was the basement of St. Peters. This Basillica was built on the top of a Roman necropolis. Pius the XII started to excavate underneath and the necropolis as found. Imagine walking down streets and going into houses that were once used 2,000 years ago.

I found the Romans somewhat arrogant. They considered themselves superior because their predecessors were once rulers of the known world.

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that's why we never signed up for any tours . we just took it all in. as a carpenter i was stunned at the beauty but have to say" try the kings palace in Bangkok for amazement"

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Well spoken Auntie, one of my memories along the same lines, was a visit to a church in France,
[ I am a kiwi from New Zealand ] here was a magnificent building, constructed by someone with an acute imagination, where translucent [ partial see through ] marble had been chosen to encase the building.Viewing the scene in daylight from within, the walls were lit up with the different colors of streaks of multicolored minerals, present in the marble,. lit up with astounding brilliance which I will always remember.

Wow. That sounds amazing. I'll be in France this fall. What church was that?

Well Aunty, it will be about 30 years since Yvonne and I were there.We were on a bus tour calling at many different countries, it is beyond me to remember where this church actually was. [ I am from NZ.] Sorry about that, but, if you are on a grand tour, your chances of seeing even more wonderful things, will surely eclipse this church. Have a great time while you are there.... Your main problem will be, is how not to face death by drowning in a French loo. If you have your handbag with while you in one of these squat downs, lift it high as it can flush while you are wobbling about trying not to fall down the hole. Yvonne had her handbag and shoes flushed as well. !..........[.about time too, as it was full of rubbish !. ]

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Sounded like a fun trip.

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I first went to Rome when I was around 13 or 14. I was at a Catholic school and we did Rome (easter blessing!) Pisa, Florence, Milan & Venice. I thought it was great but little did I know the seed it would sow.

25 years later I did a degree in History & Archaeology (90% Roman) my eldest daughter is named after Julius Caesar and my youngest after the love interest of Ovid. 🙂

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I am making a trip to Italy - Rome included - later this summer. Even as a non believer I can appreciate the art, architecture, and history of the place.

GwenC Level 7 May 11, 2018

If you love to be pampered while eating and have a TON of money to spend, get a reservation at Mirabelle for dinner one night. It's an experience that's hard to match.

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I've been to Rome, but never visited the Vatican.

Awww, the gardens were impressive, kind of like Versailles.

I'm a big fan of Medieval history. With the Popes at the time, it's like a bloody soap opera. I'm also a huge fan of Bernini. I'm not big on staring at paintings for hours, but I enjoy sculpture and architecture, and he was the king.

@AuntieMame we were in the vat but missed the gardens entirely. next up tivoli, florence perugia and cortona

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Flash back .... You know what they say, if you go to Rome then do what the "tourist" do. This is 2003, smart phones didn't exist as the ones today. I was carrying a digital camera. I am standing at the plaza outside the basilica and I see Wonder Woman !!!!! ... It was a girl that I guess, was going to pull some sort of political protest ... Not sure. Pulled my camera and turned the knob to get it ready. I was very impressed that within the 3 to 4 seconds my camera took to boot and get ready, the secret service personnel wearing suits came out of nowhere, got a hold of Wonder Woman by the elbows and in a jiffy she was gone. My picture captured the suited dudes and the rear of Wonder Woman walking away and pretty quickly and quietly...puff...the rapture, she was gone. Very efficient indeed....

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