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It's hard to believe that this is our last full day in Italy. We say goodbye to our beautiful Hotel Astoria and head for "hot" Roma. It does not fail to come through with the heat either. Our first stop is the Colosseum. The bus dropped us off in front of a soccer field in perfect view of the Colosseum. The locals seem unimpressed as the soccer game took preference. We met our Rome guide Marco once again and began our journey through the Colosseum. At each point of interest, we would try to crowd into the only spot of shade available. Next we proceeded to the Roman Forum. We walked under the Arch of Titus to a perfect view of the Roman Forum. We did not get to view the entire area due to lack of time but what we did see was amazing. We took a shortcut back to the soccer field and traveled to our last hotel. It was a nice hotel with decent sized rooms. I also had Internet access, but not enough time to prepare today's page. We all took a much needed shower and prepared for our farewell dinner. It was wonderful. We had a great four course meal, multitudes of wine, and entertainment once again. After this dinner, we boarded our bus for the last time to travel to the Trevi Fountain. It was dreadfully crowded so a good view of the fountain was not possible unless you were willing to push the crowd out of the way. I did manage to get a few shots, but by this time, the sun was down and using a flash would not do justice to the fountain. The bus took us back to the hotel where we all prepared for an early departure to the airport. Country roads, take me home.

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The peaceful dining area outside our hotel.

 

One of the sitting rooms in the lobby of the Hotel Astoria.

 

Our last stop at the Autogrill.

 

We really learned to appreciate the convenience of the Autogrills.

 

Mother and daughter enjoy a break from the bus.

 

She likes to keep Gino in line.

 

First view of the Colosseum.

 

These guys want money to have their picture taken. They didn't catch me this time.

 

A view from one of the balcony areas within the Colosseum.

 

The Arch of Constantine as seen from the Colosseum.

 

Finding her own piece of shade.

 

This bunch was not so lucky at finding the shady spot.

 

This is a common site around churches or places of interest.

 

We make our way up the hill through the Arch of Titus.

 

Okay, where is that shade?

 

This is the temple of Romulus.

 

He's always on the lookout for a good shot.

 

Bingo.....they found the shade!

 

We all come together for one last great meal.

 

It's been a great two weeks.

 

We've had a once in a lifetime adventure.

 

Finally James is able to relax and smile....until we get to the Paris airport.

 

Mothers and daughters alike shared a unique experience.

 

Some West Virginia faces show up for our last meal.

 

We've made some new friends.

 

We all will have many memories that will last a lifetime.

 

Sometimes we had too much fun.

 

Even Roberto seems to have loosened up a bit.

 

We'll never forget all those steps we took.....miles and miles of steps.

 

And we will never forget "Lost in Firenze"!

 

Our last view of Rome. I threw my coins in. How about you?