Roma

Dr Anne and her friend SS visited Roma over the weekend to celebrate life.

Her memory will be crowds, queues and a sea of noise.

There were crowds at the tomb of the unknown soldier, a cycle protest, and the main tourist sites.  

There were queues at all the main tourist sites, three hours for the Colosseum, one and a half hours for the Palatino and five hours for the Vatican.

There was a sea of noise everywhere indoors.  Even in the Sistene Chapel there was this sea of noise although one had been told to be silent.

Dr Anne loves to be the observer so she was in her element looking and people watching.

This was the tomb of the unknown soldier.  The group in orange looked link Mussolini's youth groups.  The Italians do love uniforms.

Outside the Collosseum, the Palatino and the Roman Forum was a large demonstration for cycle lanes.

People sat around resting at every opportunity.  Here they are in the Colosseum. 

People rest in the Pantheon.

Not much wonder.  The crowd was immense and they had to hang around until the service finished.

The crowds at the Trevi Fountain.

Dr Anne could barely see the Spanish Steps for people sitting around.

The queue for the Basilica of St Peter.

The queue for the Vatican went on and on and on and on.  People tried to creep up the inside of the queue but were stopped by the Stazi, a name given by Dr Anne to three young women who kept the row in order.  One woman had a son who was hop skipping and jumping up the queue.  The woman was following until the Stazi stopped her, stood in front of her and said behind...  The young guy eventually had to fall back into position.  

It didn't matter if you were on a tour or just standing in line... queue...

Once you queued then you rested in the quad of the Vatican.

Once in the Vatican one was carried along...

There were queues in the Basilica.

There were queues in the toilet.