Chapter 12:
The ride through the Roman countryside was wonderful. Helena would have much rather sat in the front seat alongside Doyle, or even driven and let him tag along for the ride, but that would not seem proper.
Helena was shocked at how little steam machinery traveled this countryside. Horses rather than steam tractors ruled the day. Often Doyle needed to slow to a crawl to navigate the narrow ancient paths the draft teams filled, pulling their overfilled wagons. It was harvesting season, and the airship needed to land a good distance from the seven hills of Rome. The city was still huge, with room to grow. It had spread out much larger than San Francisco.
A horse and carriage would take forever to reach the Vatican. It still took over an hour to travel the worn Roman roads. Ever
