Aqueduct biking tour

On Saturday we went on a bike tour through the Ancient Appian Way and Aqueducts Park.  I loved being out of the city and seeing the brilliant ancient structures bringing water to the city over 2,000 years ago.  Roman aqueduct systems were built over a period of about 500 years, from 312 B.C. to A.D. 226. By the 3rd century AD, the city had eleven aqueducts, sustaining a population of over a million in a water-extravagant economy.  As water flowed into the cities, it was used for public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households. It also supported mining operations, milling, farms, and gardens. Aqueducts moved water through gravity alone, along a slight overall downward gradient within conduits of stone, brick, or concrete; the steeper the gradient, the faster the flow. Most conduits were buried beneath the ground and followed the contours of the terrain. Where valleys or lowlands intervened, the conduit was carried on bridgework.

Pasta making class

We had a lot of fun at an AirBnB event to learn how to make Pasta.

We got to eat what we made at sunset on the rooftop terrace.

Rome Italy with April

First, I missed my Ryanair flight to Rome but with Ryan's help and $250 later I was 

able to get a flight at the last minute and get into Rome later the same night. 

I missed going to the temple with April but that didn't slow us down.  We started off the 

next day with a biking tour with Fat Tire Tours and hit all the main sites.  

Then we circled back with eating lots of pasta and a tour of the Coliseum and Forum.  

We crammed a lot into 2 days.

I love traveling with April and feel so lucky to have her as a lifelong friend.

Sydney and Bridget

Bridget and Sydney 

“Wieliczka” Salt Mine

The Wieliczka salt mine, excavated from the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world's oldest operating salt mines. There is a chapel that is used for services and weddings. A wooden staircase provides access to the mine's 64-metre (210-foot) level. A 3-kilometre (1.9-mile) tour features corridors, chapels, statues, and underground lake, 135 metres (443 ft) underground. An elevator (lift) returns visitors to the surface; the elevator holds 36 persons (nine per car) and takes about 30 seconds to make the trip.