My current Papal adventures ended yesterday with my safe return home.  I've been asleep much of the time since then. . .well, maybe not asleep.  Unconscious or "in a coma" is probably a more accurate description.

I didn't sleep well on the road.  I never do.  Even when I'm staying in a decent hotel, it's difficult to get used to the temporary surroundings.



On the last trip to Rome, we stayed at a pretty fancy Marriott near Embassy Row.

This time, we stayed at the Hotel Amadeus Roma which is run by Comfort Inn.

Yeah, Comfort Inn.



I've stayed in worse.

The room was clean.  Maybe a bit shabby, but I could walk around and not feel like I needed to avoid touching things.



Maybe it's a European thing, but for me, the bed was one of the worst I've ever slept in.  It felt like I was sleeping on a box spring with no mattress at all.

Not exactly what you want to fall into at the end of a long day.



Thankfully, the bathroom was also very clean.  Plenty of hot water helped my sore muscles at the end of my shifts.

The hair drier kept making a buzzing sound that drove me crazy, but I resisted the urge to rip it off the wall.  It wouldn't have made any difference.  The toilet had a habit of running and the room was situated above a courtyard that was very popular for socializing.

It was not what you would have called a "quiet" room.



It rained most of the days I was there.  I mean, we're talking some serious downpours.

That wasn't a bad thing.  Heck, I was okay with that.

Wet ground photographs very well.  Not a lot of fun to work in the rain with the news camera and equipment, but it gave me a different feel than the last time I was there for still images.



Did we have fun?

It was a difficult and amazing trip.  This was my third European excursion and I like feeling that I'm a smarter traveler for having gone through the experience.  It might all help when I finally get to do some traveling just for fun.

You know, like when I take a real vacation.



There's a ton of stuff I want to share.  I'm still working on photos and doing my best at getting them uploaded.

Also, keep your fingers crossed.  I have one more large case of gear that didn't show up with the rest of my bags.

One last quick little detail I want you to see.  On the second day we were in Rome, Paul Magers (he's our station's main anchor and I was primarily partnered with him on the trip), noticed the logo for the "Hotel Amadeus" had one little unusual detail.

I'm not sure how many days would have zipped by before I noticed it on my own.  Considering that we got progressively less and less sleep through the week, I might not have seen George Washington until I got back.

George Washington?  Ha-ha, you Italians.