October 18th to November 20th

Rudy and I have been getting Boundless settled and ready to be our home
afloat while in Gaeta, Italy for the winter. There are about 15 other
liveaboards, which include 5 other American boats. The other 10
international liveaboards, for the most part, speak English. We are getting
some minor repairs on the sails and canvass completed as well as winterizing
the boat.  We have taught five more couples to play dominoes (more to
follow) and a game night on Wednesdays has started again.  I have also
started to volunteer my services at the Navy Base Elementary School.

Gaeta is a quiet little town that has many open fruit and vegetable markets,
butchers, grocery stores, pharmacies, hair saloons, all sorts of other
boutiques and PASTRY shops!!!  Both Rudy and I have gained at least 10
pounds each because the Italian pastry is really wonderful!! There is a bus
stop at the gate of the marina that takes you to the next town five minutes
away (Formia) for $.77.  Formia is an up beat little town with many shops, a
huge department store and a Mac Donald's!!  From here you can get a train to
Rome or Naples. The trip to either city takes only an hour to an hour and a
half if the trains are ever on time. We purchase a single train ticket for
$8. It is good for a round trip to Rome and ALL local transportation as
well.

Rudy bought me a WASHING MACHINE!!!!  Now no more washing clothes by feet!!!
It is amazing what makes a cruiser ECSTATIC!!! Although, now I do have to
share my shower with this big white box!

We finally took some time off from working on the boat for a trip into
Naples.  About 14 of us went for lunch and to see the Museum.  When we got
there we were told that the museum was closed.  So we all went to the
restaurant to eat as planned and then set off to see some sights on foot.

The same week we also went to Rome for two days and a nite.  We walked from
the train station to the hotel and two hours later we were picked up for our
first bus tour.  We saw the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Capital building
(Campidoglio) and out tour ended at St. Paul's Cathedral.   The Colosseum's
name was derived from the huge  bronze statue of Nero, which was called
Colossus because of its size. It stood 120 feet tall next to the Flavio
(Flavian Dynasty) Amphitheatre or as we call it..the Colosseum.  In the
square of the Capital building, there is a museum, which is the oldest in
the world. It opened to the public in 1471....a museum before Columbus did
his first Atlantic crossing! St. Paul's Cathedral is the second largest in
Italy with alabaster windows and 7 different kinds of marble. Each column is
constructed from a single piece of marble.  The tomb of St. Paul is in the
center of the nave. There are mosaic portraits of all the Popes as well as
mosaic murals throughout the Cathedral.  Since nothing was painted, I was
allowed to take pictures with a flash.  We also passed the Circus Maximus,
which seated 300,000 people. It was most noted for the athletic events and
chariot races held there.

The next morning, after breakfast, we were ready for our second bus tour.
This time we saw the Trevi Fountain (Three Coins in a Fountain), Navona
Piazza, the Pantheon, Saint Angelo's Castle (prison) and ended the tour by
visiting the Vatican and St. Peter's Cathedral.  Standing in front of the
Pieta by Michelangelo in St. Peter's was breathtaking.  The Vatican is the
smallest state in the world and there is a gray line made of stone showing
its boundary with Italy.

A few days later, we went into Rome again to see the Sistine Chapel.  It was
truly an overwhelming and breathtaking marvel.  It is very difficult to
describe the powerful beauty it radiates!!!  You will understand when you
come here to see it...

I could write several pages more about each of these sights...but I won't!!!
Just come to Rome and see them.  Rome is magnificent. Each of these sights
could take a whole day in itself. Rudy and I will come back and do them
justice after the New Year!!!

We have had a couple of Pot Luck Dinners and Game Nights with other
cruisers.  Many are preparing like us to step back into their other lives to
see family and friends before returning to the world of cruisers.  Everyone
has a different time schedule and agenda, but all seem to want to pack as
much as possible into our last days together before we go to our other
lives.      US...well we will be leaving Italy to fly to London and stay
there about 4 days.  Then we visit our daughter Jaclyn and her fiancee Jason
in San Francisco before we fly to New York and be with our daughter Stacy
and her boyfriend Rob.

We will let you know if it always rains in London next log!!