These messages are from a series of e-mails written after our vacation to Paris and Italy, in the summer of 2002. The events recounted in this internet diary occurred on Monday, July 1.
--Jim McQueen
Monday in Rome we had our first breakfast at Hotel Cesari, and it was pretty nice. Good coffee, and American-style donuts for the kids.
I guess this was the day our vacation officially got too long. We started to retrace our steps to the colosseum with the kids, and after a couple of blocks my back started aching. There wasn't any particular provocation, just sudden pain. I hobbled along past Roman antiquities, trying to keep up with the kids.
At the colosseum we waited in line for tickets, then went inside for a self-guided tour. As we entered, Nancy began feeling slightly dizzy, and found a seat on an ancient bench in the shade. We all sat there for a while, wondering what would make her feel better. She drank some of the bottled water I'd brought, and after a while we let the kids go off to explore the interior of the colosseum.
Nancy couldn't think of anything that would bring her relief, so she sat there in the shade for the hour or so we were inside. My back was still sore sitting on the flat stone bench, so after a while I left her alone to chase down the kids, and explore some.
The colosseum was pretty much like the pictures I'd seen. They've recently built a walkway across the center of the arena, so you can walk to the middle and look down into the narrow passageways where they used to keep the lions and whatnot. A portion of the southern end of the arena floor has been rebuilt, to help imagine what it was like when the wooden floor was complete.
I quickly found Sean, but we didn't see Scott anywhere. I wasn't worried, he's old enough to look out for himself for a few minutes. Sean and I climbed to one of the higher levels of the seating, and the ancient steps were surprisingly steep. After a while we spotted Scott, across the colosseum, at the highest level open to the public. Eventually we were able to catch his eye and wave for him to join us.
None of us were in a mood for much archaeology, so we gathered up Nancy and left. Nancy was well enough to walk, but wanted to return to the hotel to lay down. That sounded good to all of us, so we posed for a family photo and walked back.
We spent most of the day cocooned in the hotel. I rested my back while Nancy felt light-headed, and the boys watched TV. We all took a break from being tourists. In the early afternoon I went out to explore a little. I stumbled across an English language bookstore and made note to bring the boys to get something to read on the plane. I found the Amex office at the Spanish Steps, but the steps themselves were roped off to the public for a TV broadcast. There was a piano and other instruments set up, and camera and lights crowded all around the piazza -- it felt just like work. Nothing was going on, they were between rehearsals with everybody just standing around -- that was just like work too. I walked back to the hotel, stopping at a little shop to bring sandwiches back for lunch.
The rest of the day passed as we rested, until it was time for dinner. Nancy was feeling good enough to poke her head out of the room, but we didn't want to work very hard for dinner. Sean was hungry too, but Scott was still far more interested in the TV. (May the donuts for breakfast?) We wound up leaving Scott locked alone in the room while the three of us ate on the sidewalk right in front of the hotel. The busy pedestrian walkway was mostly tourists, and the sidewalk café that catered to them was pretty bland. We counted the days -- only one more full day before we could head home.
Love,
Jim