Jess & Mrs. Freesen Arrive!

This week couldn't come fast enough! Jess and Mrs. Freesen arrived yesterday, after a smooth flight from Detroit-Amsterdam, Amsterdam-Rome (first class, by the way-I was just nudged by Jess...her Dad is a Northwest pilot, so they can fly stand-by for free and were upgraded!). Anyway, this week was another good week over here in ole' Roma. Monday, the public transportation department decided to strike (convienently in the morning and at night, they had to take a siesta in the afternoon, of course) http://www.lifeinitaly.com/news/news-detailed.asp?newsid=10210, so it took about 2 hours each way commuting. My internship has gotten a lot more intense (a good intense) and I am more involved in working with my colleagues. So, things are going well on that end…Oh, back to Jess. Well, they got in yesterday at about 10:30am and C+F picked them up at a nearby train station. They were able to take a nap and relax before I got back from work. Today, we went to “Calcuta”, which is a medieval village/fortress about 30 minutes away (see pictures). It is absolutely beautiful, unique, and untouched (I went there last summer with Rian/Matt too!). It is well over 2000 years old and has a very rich history. Tomorrow, Jess, Mrs. Freesen, and I are going into the city to wander around for a few hours. I am taking off Thursday/Friday to relax a bit with Jess/Mrs. Freesen… I also have a tour planned for us-The Vatican Necropolis. Most tourists don’t know about it, nor do they book ahead of time in order to see it (they only let something like 100 people down a day). Anyway, it is the underground tombs of the Vatican, not to be confused with the Pope’s Tombs (which are a major tourist attraction at St. Peter's). The tour actually goes right under the high alter of St. Peter’s, where he is believed to have been buried! Then, we’ll go to Campo de’Fiori (an open air market) and pick food for a picnic in the Protestant Cemetery! I am definitely looking forward to seeing something new and unique in Rome, compared to the typical attractions. Well, I have to go siesta…Take care and I’ll write soon!