Rome and a new baby!!

Hooray! Leah & Matt had their baby. Anders Lee Pawlowski was born 1:39AM on 7/27/07. He weighs 6 pounds 2.5 ounces and is 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well. I am SO excited for them and wish I could be there. Jen called me early in the morning on the 27^th to let me know that Leah’s water had broke, they were on the way to the hospital, and that Matt had called and left her a message stating “Rebecca MUST be text-ted. Repeat. Rebecca MUST be text-ted.” I’m so happy and a little sad that I’m not there to give Leah a big hug and welcome the baby home. However, the peanut will be 6 months old by the time I return to Minnesota, and that will be the perfect time to get to know him. By then, the drama will have worn off a bit and perhaps Leah will need a friend to lean on again. It’s going to be so WEIRD with them having a KID. Our lives are diverging but running parallel at the same time.

Today is HOT in Rome. It says that it’s 95 degrees, but the heat radiating off the pavement, the burning sun and the cars makes it feel like 110. I went to the Vatican Museum this morning and saw the Sistine Chapel. It was stunning! I enjoyed the whole museum, having to actually leave earlier than I intended because I felt like I was getting heat stroke. It blows my mind that the museum is not air conditioned with the exception of a few parts. More because I think – well, we have the technology to protect these works of art, why aren’t we using it? I mean, less for my personal comfort and more for the preservation of the art. I know they’ve gone thousands of years without, but if we can extend it, shouldn’t we? But be forewarned, if you visit the Vatican Museum during the summer, 90% of the building is NOT air conditioned. Bring water. I had to leave because it was too hot and I had no water. I did take PICTURES (these include the climb to the top of the Basilica the day before and the Trevi Fountain). There are none of the Chapel itself due to copyright issues. No kidding.

There is a feeling that comes with traveling on long journeys like the one that I’m on – a sense of distance from everything that you’re familiar with. I find myself creating mini routines for myself. Eating at the same café for lunch, buying my water at the same little shop, walking down the same street. It provides me with a sense of comfort. I am in a strange place, knowing that I have small bits that I am familiar with lets me feel connected somehow. I am so far from home for so long that I feel the need for distance. I’m tired of running from thing to thing. I want to see the world, but right now I need a vacation from my trip. I want to hang out and read a book. I want to lounge and enjoy a movie or something. Again, I think Australia is the smartest thing I’ve done in my planning. 3 weeks in one place where I have LOTS of time to see things and rest too. I might even just hang out at my hotel in Frankfurt (30^th & 31^st) because I can see the city when I come back at the end of the month – I’m going to stay there the 23^rd thru the 26^th as well. Time to rest from the excitement!