we had 4 days in Rome, and probably could have spent 4 weeks without doing it justice.

I was VERY pleasantly surprised by Rome. I had expected just another big city, albeit one with more than it's share of interesting / historic things to see. WOW, was I surprised. Historic and interesting for sure, but it's also a really enjoyable place in its own right. At least that was my experience. Tour guides, maitre d's, waiters, hotel staff, taxi drivers, stall vendors, all were just great - and occasionally quite colourful...

What's shown on these pages is only a tiny sample of some of what I "discovered" in Rome. St. Peter's Basilica is mind-boggling in its scale and grandeur. The Vatican Museums are almost beyond comprehension under the best of circumstances, but when we arrived they'd been closed for a day due to visiting Chinese dignitaries, so us plebes simply doubled up (and lined up for an hour or two) when they re-opened a day later. Madhouse? You wouldn't believe. It was physically very difficult to move, or not to move if the hoards were heading somewhere. Let's just say it was an experience!

The Guards trying to silence the crowds in the Sistine Chapel had a distinctly Kindergartenish touch to it. But the physical surroundings and artwork were simply out of this world!