Woke up this morning to tremendous booms of thunder and flashes of lightning. Looking out the window, the sleet fell softly - half snow, half hail, and collected in the small courtyard below. Cold - very cold today.

It sleeted all the way to Porte Portese, which isn't far from our room. We walked the length of the flea market - easily a mile long - and wandered back, uninspired by the goods offered. Mostly clothes, and I am of an age that I have to try things on. No longer can I just pick up something and know it will look good on me. Anyway, by the time we had made our way back to the entrance (a good 90 minutes from starting), the sun was out and the rain was over. So we walked.

We went to the Palatine Hill, and walked through the ruins there. The one place you really get to walk through ruins. Amazing. And the views are fabulous. I can only imagine what Rome is like in the summer - now, in winter's light, there is such a golden glow over everything but I am sure it pales in comparison to summer.

After the hill, which we stayed at for a long time, we walked over to the Trevi, to toss our coins in one last time, since it's our last day. We left there, hit up some rock shops (bought some pretty stuff out of onyx, got myself a mortar and pestle out of carrera marble - beautiful!), then walked to the Piazza Navona, finally filled with people and buskers and jugglers and the scent of chestnuts roasting (wish I liked the taste better, but it will always be the scent of Rome in winter) and the artists. Bought some more stuff, then we walked home.

By this time, it was after four and the sky was darkening rapidly. We finally found the river, and discovered we were so far north that we had about a two mile walk home. Which would have been fine if we weren't exhausted to begin with.

Watching the Tiber this week has been another fun curiosity. Seeing the water rise after a night's rain...it crept higher and higher, so now all the landing area of the Isola is gone, water laps most of the first couple steps of all the stairways. The Tiber is light brownish grey in color. We kept expecting to see people fishing in it, but I suppose nothing worth eating could live there. Too bad, really. How wonderful if it could be clean and clear. But then it wouldn't be the Tiber, I suppose!

Our last night here. We're going back to the restaurant we found yesterday. Lots of smokers, but a salmon and sour cream and garlic fettucine to die for, and house wine at five euros for the liter that tastes better than any bottled wine we've had since hitting Rome.

I'm sad to be leaving. We can find our way around the Centrale Storico now pretty well. We've actually seen everything we wanted to see. And Florence is supposed to be just so amazing...a hard decision to make. Glad we're not making it right now. But if we have the chance to travel next year, I'm betting we're off to Florence.

So. Our plane leaves at 11:15am on Monday morning, and we land on the ground at 9:05pm Monday night. It's gonna be a long day, but I'm looking forward to going home, seeing the kids.

Besides, the wine is better. I really need to study my Italian wines before coming back!