ROME (08/13/02) - The team convened at the Fieldhouse in the early afternoon on Monday to prepare for its ten-day excursion . Once the whole travel party had arrived the team departed for the Philadelphia airport at 2:45 PM. The squad arrived at the airport by 3:30 and waded its way through both the check-in and security booths before heading to the gate for a 6:30 flight on British Airways. The team will connect through London before transferring to Rome. FLying through the night, the flight arrives in London ahead of schedule at 6:00 AM on Tuesday. The group then weaves through Heathrow airport to its connecting gate for a 9:00 AM departure. After a six hour transatlantic flight to England, the flight to Rome will be only about two hours. When the team finally arrives in Rome, slightly after noon, the group is visibly exhausted from the travel, but still has further to go. After going through customs and retrieving baggage, the team connects with its tour escort Cristina Baruffi at Rome's DaVinci airport. It is then a 20 minute bus ride to the hotel, Starhotel Metropole. The hotel is located in central Rome, just blocks from both the train station and the Colosseum. Now after 2:00 PM, the team has finally arrived at its destination. Upon arriving at the hotel the group is glad to shower and freshen up, as well as just relax. An extended walking tour and Welcome Dinner are still to come. The picturesque tour begins at 4:00 PM first heads down near Ancient Rome, a guided tour of the area is slated for Wednesday. The group then doubles back to take in the famous Trevi Fountain and later the Spanish Steps. The welcome dinner is at a restaurant that when translated is called the "White Chickens." The group's first indoctrination to a real Italian meal is a good one, as the five course meal takes nearly two hours to finish. Bruscetta, a salad, and a fried appetizer, precede a large personal pizza (either Margherita or Mushroom). Tiramisu is the desert. Now well after 9:00 PM, the group is finally free to relax and take in some of the city on their own or to just sleep. While Day 1 and Day 2 have seemed to blur together, Day 3 beckons on the horizon with the wonders of Ancient Rome awaiting. ********************************************************************* Well we made it to Rome and suprisingly we made it without losing any luggage! The city of Rome is beautiful. On every corner you can find amazing restaurants and shops. When we first arrived at the Starhotel Metropole, we decided to take a quick power nap, before exploring the ancient city. The nap was much needed,considering many of us had not slept during our flights. Under the guidance of our tour guide Christine, we began to stroll down the original cobblestone streets. We passed many ancient ruins, including the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. -- Colleen McGahan