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We had time to visit just one, the original, so down into the earth we went, crisscrossing worn stone roads, gaping as our guide described one legendary spot after another.

Amidst it all, I stare in amazement at a huge set of bronze doors that have managed to stand intact for two millennia.

Close at hand, the Coliseum, in all its ancient mass, would do well in comparison to my neighborhood equivalent, the University of Michigan Stadium.

Admittedly, Michigan Stadium can hold an additional 44,000 Romans (or Michiganders), and modern materials technology has resulted in a trimmer, albeit more utilitarian facade in Ann Arbor, but otherwise, there seems to be very little new under the sun. The queue to enter the Coliseum reminds me of game day, with long, slow lines backed up at the ticket windows, and even advanced ticket holders waiting patiently to enter. You'd think Michigan was about to play Ohio State.

Forget the slaves that hauled stones for the great pyramids. I'm staggered by the amount of hand-mixed concrete that went into the Coliseum.

But you never know... maybe some enterprising Roman mounted an old wine cask to the back of an ox cart to became the founder of the ready-mix concrete business. I'm more impressed with what the Romans accomplished with concrete and brick than what they did with dressed stone, although those huge, one-piece marble pillars around the Forum and ain't so shabby, either. Imagine what it took to move them!

We emerge from the depths of time to take a lunch break. While most shorex meals have been mediocre at best, today we dined in the elegant banquet room of the Hotel Mediterraneo Roma. While not quite a four-star meal, at least the pasta was al dente. As with my other shorex meals on this trip, the conversation with my table mates (a vacationing Royal Caribbean crew member and his father) was more memorable than the meal, and that's not a bad thing!

Vatican City. Is it coincidence that the light got better when we arrived at the Vatican, and went downhill after we left? Our bus deposited us beside the broad boulevard that leads into St. Peter's Square, and our tour guide set us to wondering just how much more majestic the entry into that huge open space would have seemed before Mussolini replaced the old neighborhood streets, detracting from architect Bernini's original concept.

Even so, the majesty and awe of the place is unmistakable. The familiar encircling colonnade, the huge dome of the basilica, and the stone-paved expanse in between dwarfs us all.

Incredibly, the queue to enter the basilica (easily four abreast) nearly circles the entire plaza.

The line to get into the basilica!

Thanks to the wireless headsets supplied by our tour guide I can wander the plaza with my camera without missing a word. Eventually, we manage to pass security and enter the breathtaking interior of the world's largest Catholic Church.

The basilica dome

I try to imagine what it'd be like to be Pope, with the opportunity to spend the remainder of my lifetime becoming intimate with the creative and spiritual wealth contained in St. Peters and the surrounding acres that are the Vatican.

Michelangelo's Pieta

The mastery of the architects, artists and artisans that conceived and made St. Peter's is unbelievable. Although I'm not a Roman Catholic (or Christian, for that matter) I'm awestruck by the immense glory of the place. St. Peter's may have been raised to glorify a god, but the heights reached by the mortals that made it cannot be denied.

After that, it's back across the square towards the tour bus.

As it turns out, our conveyance is parked alongside the official Vatican Gift Shop. It sure beats the normal tourist trap souvenir stops arranged for by excursion operators. And guess what? No VAT taxes at the Vatican! While I found it challenging to find gifts to suit my secular sensibilities amongst all the religious items, find them I did, and at reasonable prices. Jennifer had assigned me the task of finding and selecting Christmas gifts for her family, and I returned a hero, and with wallet intact. Souvenir-sated for the moment, I'm back on the bus for the ride back to port.

A statue whizzes by on the bus ride back

Whew! On a jam-packed excursion like this it's hard to know just what you've missed. And that's OK, because nobody yet has found a way to do it all in a day, whether it is a Disney park or a 2800 year-old capital of empire, religion, and culture. Whatever you've missed will be here when you return (and you have to return), and that'll be the time to block out entire hours and days for detailed exploration and contemplation. I, for one, feel like I've seen it all (although I know I haven't come close), with no regrets for what I have undoubtedly missed.

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