Mallorca & Rome

The harbor at Palma de Mallorca contains a spectacular array of yachts of every description.  We can watch a continual parade of beautiful boats coming past our docked cruise ship.  We took a shuttle the 4 km. to the town center and then went on a taxi tour with another couple.  Palma itself is just another city (half the island population lives there); thus, we went to Valldemossa, a cute village toward the mountainous NW, for more relaxed surroundings.  Very enjoyable; would have been nice to stay there a few days.  But on a cruise, you only get a brief taste of the places visited.

Looking across a park at the cathedral in Valldemossa, Mallorca.  The village is easily walkable.

Fountain in a park along the waterfront in Palma, Mallorca.

Courtyard of the cathedral in Palma.

The yacht harbor and view of Palma from our cruise ship.

The alley our Rome "hotel"is located on.  Would you suspect a hotel is located here?  No sign; you must know the address which is printed in tiny numbers.

  Our room in central Rome was completely modern, beautiful, comfortable, spacious, custom breakfast, with an outdoor sitting area.... and less than $140 per night, with the complementary bottle of Chianti.  What a score!

A person could spend many days admiring the architecture and art of Vatican City.  This is the interior of St. Peter's Basilica.  (Yes, we weren't alone.)

Several blocks of semi-excavated Roman ruins.  A few structures are actively being rebuilt.

What is amazing is that there aren't hundreds of people in this photo, because they are there but cropped out.

We had been hesitating to visit Rome: just a big, congested, dilapidated, tourist-infested city. (all true)  But, the Roman and Catholic structures and art are truly amazing.  We took a taxi from the port (1 1/2 hours) to our "hotel" in the city center. Our room was not ready, so we dropped off our luggage and went out to explore for the next eight hours. First the nearby Pantheon; next lunch; then Castle Saint Angelo; and finally, the Vatican.  Walking back that evening, we stopped at a grocery store for meat, bread, and wine for dinner.  And our room (perhaps the wedding suite?) is outstanding. We slept with the doors open unto our third-floor patio.  Quiet.... in the center of the city.

May is too late to avoid the crowds, tens of thousands, that flock to Rome. To avoid the crowds, we were told to visit in January or February.  We visited the Colosseum today, but did not go inside.  The crowds were just too much.  We walked through entire city blocks of ancient ruins, also many blocks of interesting shops and restaurants.  Amazing that this all existed for thousands of years.  Just north of the Colosseum is a "bums' park" full of vagrants and trash and un-excavated ruins.  The new city is built among the foundations of the old city; you may find some ancient columns standing in a back alley.  The Rome airport, FCO, is excellent; it was selected as the best European airport for 2018.