Rome...return to Dallas safe. Mission accomplished!

We are back. Arrived DFW Sunday evening around 8:30PM. Thank you are for your prayers and going along with us on our journey to Rome. In a few weeks, I will have open house and would love to share with you all our trip with pictures and stories. This is the Trevie Fountain...and Shirley and I did put our coin in fountain...that means we will return to Rome. Y'al have a blessed day. nola

Saturday...last evening in Rome

Little Italian girl feeding the pigeons in front of our convent.



Piazza in Travestere



San Giovanni of Lateran Church



View from near the Colloseum



Gas station right on the curb!




Nola & Shirley at the Trevi Fountain..



Trevi Fountain

View of Rome from the bridge over the Tiber River.



Nola and Shirley ... just us again . Today it was just the best...I think we have said this about each day we have been blessed to be in Rome. I hope y'al have had a good journey with us and we are so pleased that you have been reading along. Our journey in Rome is almost to a close. We leave for the airport 6:15AM for a 10AM flight to New York and then to Big D. We get into Dallas around 8:45PM Dallas time on Sunday evening. And yes, Shirley and I do have to go to work on Monday...but it was all worth it. Our hearts are full and energy is high...and it will take us at lest a year to process all what we have seen and experience. We are now going to put in several pictures with just a few words to describe it. In a few weeks or so, when we get back and have rested up, we will have our friends over to my house, with all of the pictures on the lap top and the stories will be flowing. Shirely is going to write a personal analysis of what her trip to Rome was to her. As for me...each moment I had on trip is my analysis. I could not have planned it any better than what it has just been. Enjoy the pictures. Shirely has done some great photos.

Friday 9am Rome pics from Thurs

This is the Santa Maria of Travestere...which I have already mention in the blog on Thursday evening.

Cats of Rome kitty litter box. This is full of cats...cannot remember who brought them here, but they have been here for years. They are living among the Roman runins...not far from Pantheon.


Dinner on Thursday evening. Tiramisu was the best. Shirley had chicken and potatoes and wine and Nola had meat balls, potatoes and beer.


One of the best pizza places on the planet!


The dogs have their own parking place.
They take their dogs everywhere...inside shops and eating places.



Breakfast in the plaza in front of the convent


Aquaduct 1609


Villa Doria Pamphliji

Estate at Villa Doria Pamphilji

Apartments in Travestere

Emmanuel building ,

Pantheon interior

Pantheon at night

We are off again in the city of Rome. This is Friday.... we have a full day ahead of us. Will blog again tonight. The weather is fine and perfect for us today.

Thursday March Madness Rome

Hi to you all...it is 10PM Rome time. Today we started out very early. Went to the Southwest part of Rome. It would be considered upper middle class of living and business. Trastevere is the area. We had Gelato around 10:30AM and walked through Villa Doria..which is located in a public park .... also, running along the paramaters is a aquaduct built in the 1609. We are having problems loading pictures to night...but what we took are fabulous. Then we went back toward the township of Trastevere and had the best pizza, of course, again. Have been very blessed with college students studying over here from America... and they have helped us to get directions. A nice young girl took us to the Church of Trastevere, one of the oldest Chrisitan churches , which was built in the 13th century. It was built on a site when the first Christians worship when it was not legal. This plaza is used alot when Hollywood comes to shoot. Then were off to the Roman Cats...this where they live among some ancient ruins. Off again to the Panthon...the only that is in exitistance and was saved from being burned down by a Christians and they built their church around it. We had a great day....more tomorrow...

Wed March 12 Rome 9pm

This is where we ate dinner just outside of the Vatican.




Courtyard inside of the Vatican museum




Inside of th Vatican courtyard



One of many fine quality sculpturs ; detail of anatomy is wonderful!





2 fine looking Texas women

Bronze of Hercules in the Vatican Musuem

One of the many different altars at St Peters

This is the fountain outside St Peters...just as we were leaving in late afternoon....The day ended just wonderful. Shirley and I ate spaghetti and had panna cotta with berries. We had been at the Vatician museum since 2PM on a guided tour which included the Sistine Chapel. MY only words would be, you all gotta come and see it for your self. We slept in late and left the convent around 12 noon and as we walked out of the door, Sister told us our luggage would come today. And sure enough, it was there when we came home tonight. We were like two children opening presents on Christmas. The next 2 days we will be doing check list of sights we want to see...Shirley worked very hard with the Rick Steves book, making a plan for us. The book was in the luggage, so we got lots to do before we come back. Our luggage has been all over the world without us. Finally we are all together and now do not have to wash out clothes by hand.

So, stay tuned for up comming attractions. So, we are very tired and Shirey and Nola say God Bless to you all .... happy dreams!

P.S When we went through security at DFW (our 2nd or 3rd time, we lost track!) Shirley kept setting off the alarm...I had already been through and she asked me to hand her the boarding pass and the security lady didnt like that at all...they made me go back through again...they used the wand on Shirley and ended up frisking her!!! That was just one more experience in our airport escapades.

Tuesday March 11 Rome

As we were walking back from the Vatican this little puppy was parked on the side walk. I told Shirely if we deflated the air out of the tires we could bring it home. We see alot of this all of the place.




Us at the Spanish Steps. If you know why we visited the Spanish Steps...please let us know. Shirely said we needed to go..so, I asked why... and she stated " because I said so"... and I always do what she says... now... in addition she had not eaten for several hours... and I do believe she was acting out of charcter due to hypo glycema...so, for now on, I make sure she has someting to eat evey 4.5 hours. Do I hear an "AMEN"




Bon apetite ! Shirely and I ate at a little restaraunt after our SCAVI of the vatican. I had canneloni and Shirely had lasagna and we both had bruschetta. I saw all of this food and asked to take a picture...the owners were very proud and wanted the picture taken. We invited them to Dallas for BBQ and they said they would come. Can you all guess what the dish in the center with the twiggs sticking out is?


Swiss guards at the Vatican.



The Vatican around 8AM on Tuesday. Took the 40 exprss bus and got there within 20 min. The view will take your breath away...and it does look just like on the TV and movies. Every Wed. there is a public mass. May I also, say Shirley and I were very emotional spiritually. Prayers were said for each of you ...and you know who you are at the grave site of St. Peter. We saw where the tomb is under the bascilica.




Colloseum at night Tues Mar 11



This is looking down the street from the convent at night...at the end of the street is the Colloseum...


It is 10:05pm and we just got back from walking to the collesuem...it is very impressive...will go back in the morning for more photos and tour...went on the SCAVI tour this morning and it was historically impressive of St. Peter having the church built on the rock as Jesus said. We went back 2000 years...

The excavations are perfectly perserved. Will tell the story when we get back. We are going to try and download some photos...finally!!!

Today it was great out weather wise...sun and no rain. We have laughed, and grown together and also prayed for our family, friends, and perhaps future enemies... tonight, I am going to give Shirely a foot spa...the rocks on the road are very hard on the feet. Say good night Shirley good night Nola...........................

nola and shirley monday10.... 9.45PM Rome time

sunday: left DFW on time to new york. Good flight. A nice Italian man sat next to shirely on the plane and he gave us some good suggestions. Also, he too..

Our flight was 3 hours delay leaving new york ... as we were waiting... I notice a nice looking young man, with a great profile of his face.... Shirely nicknamed him THE CHIN. We got on the plane and then they said, the plane was taken out of service. So, we got a new one and sat on the driveway for over 1 hour and then took off. We sat next to an Italian family with two older children...very nice...the flight was very short, only 7 hours, they took a route over New Founland....flight was very rough...lots of bouncing around...

We landed and took the bus from the plane to the terminal which was very different...we got inside to check on our lost luggage and found THE LINE again! >Our bags are still lost.... may show up while we are here...turned out to be a blessing though because the trip from Termini to our hotel was very hard...lots of stairs, etc....<

When we bought our train ticket the guy short changed us and

The train from Termini to Rome looks just like our "hood" in Oak Cliff....not well maintained, graffiti, run down, etc.

Got our Roma Pass and took the metro to our stop near our convent. Several stops to ask directions, we got a personal guide, a young college student, who took us straight to our convent. We got checked in and everyone is very nice.

We rested for about 3 hours after being up for about 32 hours...Shirley slept on the plane.-..

Found this internet cafe right down from the convent...also a

nola again.. shirely and

We just had gelato...

The elevator at the convent is only big enough to turn around in with 1 piece of luggage. So we have been taking the stairs.

More tomorrow...we will try to blog every evening if we can...love to all...