Day 15: Facchiamo una passegiatta lungo

15 gennaio, 2010

These days in Rome are mostly about showing John the main sights while trying to see some new places that Margaret and I haven't seen before.  So, walk walk walk... today we took a long walk.  First we took the bus from the B&B (per the instructions of our host), but, apparently we did something wrong.  It didn't seem to be going the right way, and then it stopped and everyone got off.  I asked the bus driver "Dov'e` Colosseo?", he pointed to the cross street and said, "via corso, sempre dritto"  which means just follow that street, going straight, not turning.  Well, when I saw signs for the Pantheon, I knew we were way off course... maybe we were supposed to stay on the bus after it looped back around.  I changed the plan and we started our walk from the other direction back to the colosseum instead.  So John saw the Pantheon for the first time, and then we walked to Campo Fiori because neither Margaret nor I had seen it before... very disappointing.  I had imagined it to be a much nicer outdoor market.   We had a nice pizza and John conversed about beer with the Italian waitress and waiter.  They said there was a good pub near the colosseum, so, my plan to walk to the colosseum  and forum took on new resolve. (John kept saying he didn't want to see the colosseum and forum).

We walked along the river which was very lovely, with great palazzo's along the strada... and eventually came to the back side of the forum where they were still excavating.  It was a side of the city that I hadn't seen before and the perspective on the forum really showed the huge area that it covers.  But... there was no easy way to get from here to there (the colosseo).  except  walk around the forum and up a tall hill.  Margaret's back was hurting, my knees were hurting... and we started thinking of taxis.. and Eccolo!.. one pulled up to drop someone off.  So we got in and, after giving him the address I asked him if he could please drive around the colessum.  (I asked in Italian and he understood me... Margaret and John were impressed).  The driver didn't speak English but he spoke slowly and simply to me, pointing out the sights and I played interpreter.  It was great fun for me since now I'm not croaking... but I still sound like an adolescent boy who's voice is changing... (why do I always get sick on vacations?)

When we saw the colosseum, John had another wow moment.  The driver also showed us the Quirinele and some specific sites at the forum and I forget what else... but I knew at the time what he was showing us and was able to explain it to John and Margaret..  John took a long video hanging out of the  taxi window.  Sort of like a dog but he managed to keep his tongue inside his mouth.  Parts of the video are good but it needs to be edited and put to music because, aside from my stammering commentary, it is mostly static and traffic sounds.

We arrived a casa and ci addormentiamo alle cinque (we fell asleep until 5pm).  The figli di John DeGrazia (the children of John DeGrazia) can saw down a forest when they sleep.   Nice to know my snoring is also part of my geneology.   I am tempted to set the camera to record sounds an hour after lights out.  It is quite il concerto.

Now we are debating what to do for the evening.  No one is hungry (I wonder why?)  and tomorrow is a very long day.  I will wait to tell you what we are doing until after we've done it.

Maria...

PS: at the B&B, we learned how to make expresso on the stove, the manual way... and it was better than the cafe at the bar(s).

At lunch.. pizza and il birra

Il Pantheon