The cruise port closest to Rome is Civitavecchia, 44 miles away, and a bus ride of an hour and a half away. Rome: Is the capital of Italy, largest populated comune in the country with 2.9 million residents and fourth-most populated city in the European Union.  Interestingly enough, Rome became the capital of the Italian Republic only in 1946 after World War II, but 1871 has also been mentioned.  Turin and Florence were capitals before Rome. Founded in 753 BC, and some say this is the birthplace of Western Civilization. The Pope has lived here since the first century AD. I've been here several times, Here is a summary of my stay in 2010: My Best Lunch Ever , just off the Spanish Steps, in the Eden Hotel. La Terrazza dell'Eden. I had a  Roman Holiday . Went to all the traditional tourist attractions:  Trevi Fountain. So after lunch walked down the Spanish Steps.  Why so-called?  The Spanish Ambassador to the Vatican lives near here. Walked around St. Peter's Square.  No Pop

Not much is happening.  Sure, Tuesday was a small election day in the U.S., Donald Trump showed more disgruntlement in court and the Israel-Hamas War sort of continues.  Maybe the most newsworthy might be:  Third GOP debate:   Five candidates qualified for tomorrow's third GOP presidential debate in Miami: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.   One candidate fell short . Meanwhile, Donald Trump   will skip the debate   (again) to rally in a city that is 95% Hispanic and where he has broad support.  About our cruise, I've visited Nagasaki at least a dozen times in the past.  Their Peace Park is a more rewarding visit than the one at Hiroshima, which is more famous.  Some highlights from the past. Here is my  posting of 2010  where I mentioned that on an earlier trip my wife and I discovered Nagasaki pork tonkatsu. Not quite the smooth transition, but