  okay so I am back now and pretty much in one piece but lemme tell ya, Rome is NOT THE CITY TO CRAM INTO A WEEKEND. Or to wear stillettos in. So.....my story....haha "that would suck if the only store open was Gucci and I bought designer flip flops, that would be exactly like the story of my Cousin Carrie who bought like a gucci umbrella because she didn´t have one and it was raining. " I´ll give ya one guess what area we were in that first night after walking half of Rome, by that time, I was willing to trade a kidney for flip flops...VIA CONDOTI. Yes, the Spanish steps the shops, my MECCA. The place I shall retire to one day and take Imelda Marcos´collection by storm.
My idea of heaven is what Gucci apparently looks like from the inside, the original, not the Saks Fifth Avenue San Antonio/last-stop-on-the-saks-delivery-route-reject-Gucci, but the good stuff. I think I have a problem, an addiction of sorts, I had to leave cold turkey. Anyway, so we get there, and I am suddenly skipping swollen feet, stone bruises and all, down the street, only to realize....they were closed. My pace quickened....my heart stopped, oh no! they have all just closed!, but no a light in the distance....Look, one is open!....MaxMara.....the door doesn´t have the gates locked over it.
We went in looking for flat shoes....and then hahahaha....oh my god designer flip flops...truly and really I own plastic flippies from MaxMara . The best 23 euro I have ever spent. So I continued the night in flippies and my super-stylin outfit that now looked strange with the beach shoes.
Night one, was long, day two began early and we waited in the line for the vatican museum/ sistine chapel since the crack of dawn, and literally, keeping in mind vatican city is large, the entrance was on one side of the walled circular city, the end of the line was directly on the opposite side next to the St Peter´s entrance. FUN. The lines make Disneyworld seem like nothin. But I got in, and soon you´ll see the pics. Then we got lunch and walked more (big surprise) and by the end of the trip we had seen just about everything in Rome short of the forum, however, we did see it opposite the colliseum, so really the trip was a raging success so long as my ability to walk (and not hobble) is regained.
This weekend I will be in Barcelona, yeah Eurail pass! BUT, I am absolutely, positively not doing the melee, kamikaze, tourist frenzy. I am plain tuckered out, and my feet may go awol if I don´t give them a day off. So, if you need me over the weekend, tough, I will be on the beach getting burned and reading crime and punishment. Beautiful. Viva Roma. 
