Today is the official start of the tour. I am to meet our group in the hotel lobby at 3 pm. So, since I have some free time today, I decided to get up early, get my breakfast and head out to explore the sites before we meet this afternoon. I wanted to visit places I did not have time to visit yesterday. As I was leaving, my wonderful roommate, Joyce, arrived. She just got in and was tired, so I left her to rest and would meet up with her again this afternoon. I followed Rick Steves' walking guide and visited Piazza della Repubblica, Fontana del Tritone at the Barberini Station, the Spanish Steps at Spagna Metro stop (beautiful mosaics at this station) then walked past the posh shops along Via Borgognona, passed Augusto Mausoleum near the Tiber river (fenced off for restoration), walked along the Tiber River to Castel Saint Angelo, Ponte Saint Angelo, Ponte Vittorio Emmanuele, photographed the Vatican then headed to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, passed Victor Emmanuel Monument, then back to the hotel by 1:30. It was time to rest, refresh and prepare for our group meeting.

Everyone gathered at 3 pm promptly. We introduced ourselves and where we were from, chose "buddies", learned a little of Rome's history with our guide Cecilia, then took a walking tour of Rome around the Colosseum, a bus to the Pantheon (it was closed when we arrived), then had our first group dinner at Origano. It was delicious Italian food. We caught our bus back to the hotel arriving around 9 pm. The Colosseum was lit up. It was beautiful. What a great day! Looking forward to tomorrow!!

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