What a day this has been. Certainly one for the records. I had a trip to the Vatican planned with my group but I dropped my alarm clock last night and seeing that we always receive wake up calls I figured it would not be a problem. Well the phone in my room was not working (the wires had been cut) so you guessed it the tour left without me as they should have because I was not there. So in order to get into the Vatican during rush hour traffic (it is always rush hour here to me) I took a cab at the cost of 27 euros. I about had a heart attack at the cost. Once I got there I actually enjoyed going to the Pope's house and touring around at my own pace. So many beautiful and amazing things to see. And just the pure fact of standing on these grounds is an experience in itself. It is a mass of humanity all around which is not always easy to get from place to place but I handled it. Again a day filled with lots of prayers and wishes for all those I love. Darn with all this praying I sure hope someone gets some great things in the near future. Well after hours there I decided that I was not about to spend 27 euros again on a cab and that I would find the bus at 1.50 euros. Well what an interesting and for the books experience this was for "no sense of direction Joan". And remember everyone speaks only Italian. Well after a couple of hours of people (including a priest who spoke english) directing me to the wrong buses I finally rode two different city buses and made my way back to the hotel. The Italian people were so nice and patient and tried so hard to explain in Italian what it was so hard for them to understand I was asking. All in all it was a bit frustrating but a good experience. It taught me things as well as showed me some areas I would not have seen otherwise. The last bus I was on was so packed the people were crammed in the stairwells but a nice man still told me where to get off (in Italian) after I pointed to a card with my hotel address. I do have to say after all that I jumped off the bus and went into a cafe for a nice cold beer. And that was my big adventure in Rome. Tomorrow morning off to Florence,Italy I think. I believe there is a big bike race there so I do not know how much that will affect our plans.