Rome is a crazy city. There are people everywhere. It's loud. Everyone seems to have a camera or a baby-stroller and one gets the impression that it's impossible to escape from tourists. So you might as well join them!!

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Me at the Fontana di Trevi"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Me at the Fontana di Trevi" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6306312119/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6306312119_6f3b78c999_b.jpg" alt="Me at the Fontana di Trevi" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

Oh and did I mention that Rome has tons of crazy traffic?! The streets are narrow. Sidewalks often don't exist and people wizz by in cars, scooters and bicycles.

It's intense and makes me want to take up riding a scooter.<!--more-->

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Bikes and more Bikes: close up"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Bikes and Bikes: close up" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6303827556/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/6303827556_9f2649ff99_b.jpg" alt="Bikes and Bikes: close up" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

It's also kind of unsettling.

I knew I needed to get out of the way but I didn't always know where to go. The surprising thing? Well that was the fact that cars stop for pedestrians at corners and crosswalks. Often they stop if you even look like you want to cross the street but sometimes you just have to walk out into the street and wait for cars to stop for you. <em>Ag</em>.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Tree lined streets of Rome"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Tree lined streets" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6306140235/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6216/6306140235_d5235ddd31_b.jpg" alt="Tree lined streets" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

Luckily we were staying in a hotel near the Pantheon and we were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go.

On our first full day, we went on a walking tour of our greater neighborhood then we went to the Jewish Quarter, crossed a bridge and wandered into Trastevere. We had a late afternoon nap and then went on a night walking tour. The city is beautiful by day and by night. Then we strolled back to the greater Piazza Navona area for dinner.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Our feet on the Spanish Stairs"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="Our feet on the Spanish Stairs" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6306851060/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6053/6306851060_0b729ec597_b.jpg" alt="Our feet on the Spanish Stairs" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

There's something really nice about a city that encourages walking and not the crazy city walking of New York or Washington DC. The go, go, go walking. Walking with a purpose. Walking that gets you somewhere. In Rome you can engage in walking that lets you enjoy your surrounding, the night (or day), the sights and maybe even the galeto. It's walking at it's best: walking that slows you down rather than speeds you up.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="The Spanish Stairs"]<a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Large" title="The Spanish Stairs" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6306858948/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6239/6306858948_a5b3817785_b.jpg" alt="The Spanish Stairs" width="614" height="410" /></a>[/caption]

Rome this past weekend was a whirlwind. But a pretty amazing whirlwind.  Oh and I took tons of photos. I'm in the process of uploading them to flickr. It's just slow because apparently I am supposed to <em>work</em> after going on holiday. Funny how that works.