July 12, 2013 – Interlaken to Roma

Yesterday we left Interlaken early because we knew we had a 10-hour drive to Rome ahead of us. However, before we could leave Switzerland, we had to drive 35 miles through one of Switzerland’s highest passes, the Susten Pass.  The 35 miles took us 90 minutes and also took us above the tree line to 7000 feet!!!  The drive took us through waterfalls too numerous to count, snow capped mountains, luscious green mountain pastures and s-curves and hairpin curves that would have challenged the most experienced mountain drivers.  Rita did a great job on roads without guardrails with sheer drop-offs thousands of feet to the valley floor below just a few feet from the edge of the road.  Did I mention the road was a two-lane road???  Every turn in the road was a “WOW! Look at that.  Did you see that? Unbelievable!!! Stop the car, I have to take a picture of that”!!!!!  Please see our photos of our drive.  Of course, Rita did not look at a lot of these or she would have driven off the edge.

We arrived in Rome in the early evening.  Finding the hotel was a challenge for “Betsy” our GPS gal so I had to guide us in by map, intuition, luck, and of course Rita’s driving skills again. She had to drive down one-lane alleys all to find out that we were on the wrong “lane” and then had to back up the equivalent of three city blocks to get out.  All while dodging cyclists, pedestrians and Vespa’s galore!  Rita learned a lot about Rome drivers in the first 45 minutes here. They disregard lanes, use their horns a lot, yell at you and shake their heads.  We are so glad we have a French plate on our car so know one knows we are from the USA.

Rome hotels are expensive even by European standards and Rome hotels are notoriously small. It took me 5 hours on my iPad to find us a room.  It is 12 by 12 and barely enough room for us to walk around the bed.  The bath, well, it is probably 4 by 5 at the most.  I am not complaining, because the air-conditioning works great, although it does not go below 19, it has hot water, lots of water pressure and a great location for walking the city.

Last night we had some good pasta and organic baby chicken that was fabulous at a restaurant near our hotel.  Then we walked to see the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain.  See our photos.  Of course, we had to sample the gelato at each tourist sight and it did not disappoint our taste buds. Not sure we will be able to eat ice cream again after sampling Rome’s gelato!!!!

Today should be personal maintenance day, laundry, cut our nails, get haircuts; we are a bit shaggy after 6 weeks of traveling.  But, with so many things to see in Rome, we may have to put off personal maintenance awhile longer!!!  What do they say???  Mañana!

We love you and miss you.  Thanks for your emails and following us.  Norm & Rita

No shortage of motorcycles

There is so much fashion here, even the Police Women wear heels.

Beautiful Trevi Fountain at night

Coloseum

Coloseum / different view

Spanish Steps/ Daytime

Spanish Steps at night

Hotel is on this beautiful street

More curvy roads with steep drop offs

A couple curves along the way.

Just so you get the true perspective !

A little snow capped mountain up ahead

Ten feet of snow in July.. and NO he didn’t hit me with this

It was only 9 celsius here, but warm