We are staying at Courtyard Central Park in Rome, using my accumulated Marriott points. It is, as the name implies, up against a big park that stretches from here to the Vatican. We have a little balcony with a nice view, that you can see in the first picture. It is only three miles, but you really cannot walk, since the path is along a busy, twisty road.
Next picture is the pavement in the parking lot. I like how they do this in Europe. It lets the rainwater soak in and plants can grow in the lot. A problem with this in much of the U.S. is snow plows that would push up the bricks.
Next photo is St. Peter’s from closer up. It is similar to the U.S. Capitol. I suppose the U.S. Capitol is similar to it, since it was built sooner. Michelangelo designed the dome. That guy could do everything, an original Renaissance man.
Next is the tomb of Pope John Paul II, a great man. My Polish friends explained how important he was to the fall of communism. When he visited Poland in 1979, millions of people came to see him. The communist media downplayed the numbers and showed only old people. But the people knew and for the first time many knew that they were not alone in their opposition to Godless communism. Such events are hard to quantify, but they are inflection points in history.
Last is a picture of Angel Bridge going to Vatican. The newlywed couple on the bridge is street art. There are people, and in this case couples, who stand perfectly still, like statues. Sometimes you cannot easily tell that they are not statues. If you are sufficiently impressed, or just feeling charitable, you toss some money into their boxes or hats.