Roma: Day 2
Today we took a large map and decided to walk the city and we did. It is not hard and you hardly get lost, because everything goes around. The journey was grand and Skip said that he saw more of Rome that he had intended. Just a few photos from the day. I am not taking photo after photo because I am watching my step. All cobblestone streets and walkways make for watching your feet more often.
Here is the scoop, If you are not wearing a goose down padded jacket, sporting a cigarette, wearing knee high and above boots, walking a dog, talking on a cell and speaking Italian, you are a tourist.
Today we outdid ourselves. We began early in the morning and ended too exhausted to move. We did something called a Piazza Crawl. We took a cab to the furthest point and walked home. We started in the “Italian Quarter” of Rome.They have narrow streets, people are eating outside at all hours of the day and we made it in time for the outside Farmer’s market. We crossed the river at Ponte Garibalde and visited a synagogue there on the banks.
After visiting the Piazza Margana, we took to following a map and went on to an appointed route to Piazza Navona and Piazza Campo, where there are two famous fountains by Bernini. We had a standing up lunch with an Italian couple from Padua. The pizza was awe inspiring and we learned to eat in places connected with bakeries. You can’t mess with the flavor of good authentic food. The couple from Padua were quite informative through broken English and map pointing. We spent a little extra time with them because even though we did not understand each other fully, we laughed a lot.
After crossing the bridge and seeing the magnificent Sant’ Angelo Castle, we knew we had better head home and knowing some previous navigational terrors we started before the falling down feeling set in. We finally saw home and the Via Condoti, saw the Gelato shop, walked into the Spagna Piazzaa and the sight of our Spanish steps made the whole day a circle of success.
Day 3:
We felt so proud of our walking journey yesterday that we felt confident to do another. I purchased tickets ahead of time online to the Galeria Borghese, which is about a 45 minute walk from our location. Off we went. We walked a little over an hour, but arrived through a city walk and a gorgeous walk through the park. There is such a high demand for this Museum of wonderful art, you must arrive on time, plus you are only given two hours to complete your experience. I will not continue writing about the artwork except to say it was as privilege and an honor to view Borghese’s collection of art and I will remember it in my dreams.I will remember the walk as well. Also up there for the day’s memories is the lunch taken in what else, a bakery. Lovely, lovely and the place was packed. Salutations to the couple from Padua who shared eating in a bakery as the ultimate dining for lunch experience.
Tomorrow the train to Spello and the Umbrian Countryside. Before we go let me tell you in all our time here in Rome, I have been looking for a David or any man with such or near physical prowess. He does not exist. These Italian male descendant of the Roman’s are very handsome with twinkling eyes and stern faces, but they are short, thin and not a David to be seen except at the museum. Forgive me guys, but Italian men out and out tell you anything you want to hear. It is their nature, I was told. They try to make it happen. If it doesn’t happen, they are very apologetic. (I’m gonna get in trouble over this one)
In observing the lies, I asked an Italian woman and she is the one who told me they all lie, but they don’t mean to, they just use it as a means to see if they can accommodate your wish. Now that is a sweet way of expressing the trait. Don’t go ballistic Italian fellows, not all lie, just a lot do according to some of the Italian woman who told me.
Before we leave Rome you must know, as you walk down he streets full of stores, very often you see two huge wooden side by side doors with a lock in the middle. Out apartment is behind one of those doors and up a caged elevator. I loved it. During the rest of our stay, we saw people putting their keys in the locks on the double wooden doors, going inside and going up to their apartments. We never, ever would have known that the people were going up to their apartments behind the closed doors if we didn’t have a key of our own. Being in the know about apartment living in Rome makes me feel on the insider track. I keep playing in my head, When in Rome…do as the Roman’s do.”
PS: Please note that I spelled mannequins WRONG. Let me tell you that I am working on a completely new computer with no spell check and the editing program is all gray and cannot be accessed. So I am doing ok without help of editing and spell check. Oops again for the future miss-spellings. This is a new computer for travel. Oh my!
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