Vatican City -- morning

I'm sitting in the shade on the cobblestone leaning back against a wall facing St. Peter's Basilica. It's almost noontime so it's starting to heat up. But right now it's not so bad in the shade.

We've been in Rome since Sunday morning (today is Wednesday), but we haven't done much for a couple of reasons. First, it gets so hot in the afternoons that it is just too difficult to do anything outside. That clearly effects sightseeing.

Second, I have been sick since writing the last entry, since last Thursday in Granada. Last Friday, I had diarrhea and vomiting one after the other, on top of a 39* Celsius fever. So I felt I had no choice but to be safe and go to the hospital. They prescribed me antibiotics and it has taken until today to have a bowel movement that could be called reasonably close to normal. But as a result of the long sickness, I have lost weight, and hence strength. That also made any sightseeing a practical impossibility.

Lastly, the whole ordeal has forced me to end the trip prematurely, as Cherise and I are flying out of Rome Ciampino first thing tomorrow morning to arrive in London with the hopes of coming off the waitlist for Air India to fly back to New York. We shall see.

Over the past few nights, we have done some walking, though, seeing the Colosseum and the impressive Vittoriale by night. We also saw the Roman Forum and many other similar ruins right in the center of the city. Most of the streets in Rome are cobblestone, adding to the feeling of history and antiquity. Well, it's high noon, the bells having just rung, so I think we'll go inside now to tour the Basilica.