Rome by night...beautiful.  Melissa and I ended up doing the hop on, hop off bus and it was so worth it.  We did it once yesterday afternoon and then decided that it would look really cool at night, so we had an awesome Italian dinner and then hopped back on around 8.30.  Once again, we passed by sculptures and huge fountains.  Saw the colosseum light up, many ruins, beautiful  marble churches that towered in the sky, and the dwelling place of the president.  Today we are going to be moving to a different hostel, because it is closer to the airport, and then we have a tour to some villas of emperors outside the city.  Tomorrow, we are planning on a walking tour of the Colosseum and then take in, yet one more tour, which will be of the catacombs.  It is hard to believe that we only have three more days and then we will be home.  Love Rome and would actually like to have a few more days here, but I am also ready to come home and start with real life again.  Well, got to go get Melissa up.  See you all later.

My toes hurt...if an elephant stepped on them, I wonder if they would kind of feel like this...in fact, I was thinking today, since I had to give my right arm to pay for internet in Ireland and had to sell my liver to pay for the gondola ride in Venice, is there a black market for toes as well? 

This was the first day during the entire trip that both Melissa and I had any kind of feet trouble.  As she said in a previous blog, we went to Pompii and climbed Mount Vevisus (sp?) yesterday.  Pompii covered acres upon acres of land and varied from theators, to temples, to houses, to places of meetings.  This place was in existance and thriving over 2,000 years ago and to think that I walked the same steps as many of them has a bit of an awe factor to it.  After Pompii we took the bus to the volcano that destroyed the ancient city.  Our bus kept ascending higher and higher and turning one sharp turn after another.  He would usually lay on the horn as he went around and anyone who was in the way, had to get out of the way (which was fairly difficult seeing how the road was barely big enough for our bus to ride on).  Sometimes, I would see the summit and think, "there is no way that I am climbing that; if this bus does not go all the way up, I am going to let Melissa go up on her own."  After arriving however, I decided that this was a once in a lifetime oppertunity and I had to climb it.  The view made the trek up the rocky, hard to climb soil, worth the effort.  From the top, we could see the sprawling city of Naples and the sea beside it.

It took us a while to descend as well and by the time we got back to the hostel, it was close to 8:00.  We were exhausted, sweaty, filthy, and hungry.   We also still had to get packed for an early train to Rome.  It all worked out and we are now in a lovely hostel that has windows that actually open all the way (the ones in Naples didnt, making it stifling hot in our room at night, even though it was cool outside).  Rome rocks and we are looking forward to seeing the Vatican tomorrow.  Now, my bed is calling my name.  Talk to you all later.