art for art's sake

We were out pounding the streets by 9am this morning, first destination: breakfast! Since it was on our way, and out of the crowded area, we stopped into our local coffee/bar for espresso and of course, pastry stuffed with cream. The guy already knows our order! Then we dragged June and Anthony on another marathon walk - I'm pretty sure they are going to start revolting at our enforced marches! They were good sports, coming along for the walk rather than catching a bus or cab.

We had tickets for 11:45 am at the Villa Borghese and since it was only a few km away we ambled along, enjoying the sights as we went. With a few detours into churches (I’ve lost count of how many), and a long wander through the most beautiful park you can imagine we arrived with plenty of time to spare, giving J&A a few minutes to rest before our tour. 

Carm and I toured the museum in 2019 but were blown away again by the artwork: Bernini sculpture, Rafhael, Titian, and Caravaggio paintings - honestly the rest was a blur - there was just so much to see. Some of the ceilings were lined with what looked like sculptures, but were in fact paintings that looked 3d… I was overcome with emotion multiple times, but managed to keep it together and not embarrass myself too badly! Ella, the tour guide confided that she often experiences the same thing and sometimes visits privately just so she can gently weep! Ah, the Italians!

The two hour tour went by quickly and soon we were back in the park working our way home, stopping for lunch at a cute cafe in the middle of the park. The owner spent much time with us talking about wine and food - he was a good salesman so we ended up sharing a 45 euro bottle of chardonnay which, if you go by J&A's scale, it was a 9 out of 10 on the guzzle scale!

But we didn't take him up on his offer to line the men up with his tailor for custom made shirts - fabric started at 100 euro a metre!

Carm and I had Roman style focaccia with the most amazing mozzarella that I have ever had. It was nothing like I've tasted - so creamy, soft and moist. The tomatoes were okay, the basil was fresh, and the olive oil drizzle was sublime. Roman focaccia is totally opposite to the one that I make: it’s thin and a bit crispy in contrast to the fluffy style that I make. I'll have to do some experimenting!

The restaurant itself is smack dab in the middle of the ginormous park and with the sun shining through the trees and visions of expanses of lush green grass it was the perfect foil for the crowded streets of Rome.

We routed ourselves back down the Spanish steps which were lined with blooming azaleas - spectacular! Of course the crowds were thick. We left J&A in our dust, hurrying ahead to re-find the little grocery store near our apartment. We wanted some more fruit to augment our ‘first breakfast’. Yesterday Carm made some hard-boiled eggs which gave me a little boost of protein and paired well with an apple. As much as I'd like to, I can't live on sugar and flour alone!

We finally got back to the apartment just before 6pm - all of us exhausted from a long day! We did just over 17,000 steps which is a pretty good showing for one day! Since June & Anthony are having a long nap, I imagine we'll stick close for supper! I have a few slices of pizza from around the corner on my brain (although to be honest, at this moment I'm not hungry at all but since they've started cooking in the restaurant below the aroma of garlic and roasting beef might change that!

Last night we had a conversation with an American couple sitting near us… as they were getting ready to leave, he said that he didn't want to bring up politics but wanted to tell us how much he admires our Prime Minister! We agreed with him!

I think I'll open the bottle of Aperol Spritz that we picked up at the grocery store! I discovered yesterday, after two of them, that my Italian pronunciations improve with alcohol! Or at least it sounds like that to me 😀 

Opps! June just came in to suggest pasta down the street! Yes!

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“trees, grass, fountains, and statues in the park”

“watching the dogs playing in the park”

“another beautiful sunny day”

so many sights of sites to see

Last night we enjoyed some prosecco and porchetta sandwiches at our apartment. We were all beat from a busy day so it was nice to stay in for a while. Suddenly it was almost 10pm - time had flown by - and time for bed. I slept like a log until 5:30… I scrolled my phone for a while, delaying getting up until our agreed upon ‘get up and get going’ time of 6:30. A leisurely shower, a coffee, and a crunchy apple fueled me for the walk to the coffee shop which is just a few blocks away. Of course it was a bit like herding cats getting everyone out the door, but we made it!

A second espresso and one of those yummy cream filled buns was ‘second breakfast’ - would there be a third? Not today but I'm not ruling it out for the future!

We all wound our way through the cobblestone streets to the pantheon. It was already 9am so the line to get in was huge - probably a few hours long! Yikes! Note to self: get there for 8am. We left Anthony to enjoy a morning in a cafe while the rest of us hurried (and I use that term very lightly), to the Trevi fountain. There were crowds but nothing like later in the day. We didn't go to the coin toss level but maybe another day.

From there we headed towards the ‘Wedding Cake’ which is a huge monument celebrating Italy's creation. Impressive! There was some construction which made it difficult to get to where we could walk up the stairs so we skipped out on that, instead we walked towards the coliseum which we could see in the distance, skirting along the Forum which houses even more ruins. The sun was blazing in our eyes, but I we still managed a few photos 😀 

From there we turned around to head to Campo di'fiori, but first a deek down into the subway for the bathroom. Of course we had no change! There were a few volunteers directing people who were kind enough to change a Euro for 2 half euro coins. The bathrooms were the kind that spray down the whole thing between uses - I didn't go in as I remember them from France (maybe) - I was grossed out by the dripping water over everything!

Back into the sunshine we ambled down busy roads till we were at the market. Traffic is wild! June wanted some cheese, meats, and lettuce for lunch but we had no luck. Of course the stalls had tourist prices so we came out empty handed, instead stopping at a little shop for a few things. Down one road and across another, around a corner and there we were at Piazza Navona! It was probably around 11:30 by this time but it still didn't have the huge crush of people that seems to assemble in the afternoon. On our way from there to our apartment, we stopped in a shop for some lunch fixings that we couldn't find earlier. I think we were all relieved to arrive back ‘home’! I know I sat down for 5 minutes before making myself a sandwich - Carm was more energetic, cooking up some hard-boiled eggs to have on hand. 

I haven't had a vegetable since last Saturday… unless you count yesterday's tomato sauce! And I've eaten more bread than I would normally in a month! I'm skirting the edge of acid reflux so will have to keep tabs…

I've taken to walking with my phone in hand, glancing at the directions. I have a phone case with a strap that I've tied onto my ‘pac safe’ travel bag so I don’t worry too much about pick pockets - there are hundreds of more vulnerable people to target!

After our impromptu lunch, we all retired to our rooms and crashed. I could have fallen asleep but I'm afraid of screwing up my sleep overnight - so far I've adapted well and feel reasonably adapted to the 6 hour time change! So instead I tapped on my keyboard, putting thoughts into words… hmmm… my thoughts are words so it was really putting words onto ‘paper’.

It's 2:30 now and I still have to have an aperol spritz! We passed a spot this morning that looks promising - actually we passed dozens of places, many of which offer it in a ‘to go’ cup, but I'd rather sit down for a few minutes to watch the world go by. Maybe in an hour we can head out for a refreshing beverage 😉 

Well, it's 3:15 now and I just tried to stand up… my legs have stiffened like crazy! I shouldn't have lay down for so long 😱  Will need a gentle walk and a spritz now for sure!

6:30 - I didn't get my spritz… I got two! First one down a little alley with only a rickey table and high stools to sit on… June and Anthony caught up with us so we picked a street cafe for spritz number two… this one was better and in an actual glass… our little tables were just off the road, perfect for people watching. Olives and little crackers accompanied our drinks - oh, and we shared two bottles of San Pellegrino - must stay hydrated!

We had supper at the little restaurant below our rooms. It was close and we were all tired… the food was good but left me feeling that it was a bit too rich for my stomach! Time for bed now, we have a busy day again ahead of us tomorrow.

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“old buildings fill the eyes”

June and Anthony arrive

We made it to 8pm last night before we passed out in bed. Just past midnight I woke up wide awake but fell back to sleep quickly (Carm says he was awake for hours). It was almost 8am when I finally woke up for good! We showered, had an espresso and half an expensive sandwich that we picked up yesterday and then hit the road - goal, market about 40 minutes away. But first a stop at a coffee shop for another espresso and a typical Italian breakfast treat: maritozzi, which is basically a sweet bun loaded with whipped cream! What is there not to like! Yum!

Everywhere you look there are old buildings with embellishments, statues wherever you turn, and traffic that is unbelievable. I’ll be surprised if we don't end up being hit by a car, bus, or scooter. We are country bumpkins unused to the chaos… With Carm navigating (and my input - he sometimes has us going in the opposite direction!), we made it to the market (Mercato Trionfale), which is a true food market under a roof obviously frequented by locals. It reminded us of the market in Valencia - meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and other sundries lined the aisles. It was impossible not to get turned around but we did find our way out - laden with bread, fruit, cheese, and of course the famous Italian porchetta for sandwiches. Oh, and shampoo - we were stunned yesterday and bought conditioner by accident!

We did leave the pig heads behind!

It was a heavy bag to carry all the way back! When we bought the porchetta, I asked for 4 slices which somehow ended up being a giant container full of meat. Porchetta and olives added up to over 20 euros but should be enough for a few good sized snacks for 4!

We made it back to our apartment just past 11:30am, so a good 2 hours of walking which according to my fitbit was just over 10,000 steps! We are resting with our feet up while we wait for June and Anthony to arrive from the airport :-)  Let the fun begin!

Lots of dogs everywhere… very few big ones, but tons of smaller dogs. Low-riders are the majority! People bring them into shops and possibly restaurants, although we haven't been to a proper one yet. There are very few spots of grass in the areas we've walked, but lots of giant trees line the roads once you get out of the main tourist area.

late afternoon: June and Anthony arrived so after a bit of time to get settled we ventured out for lunch and into the crush of tourists. The main tourist spots here are insanely busy which is a bit overwhelming. We walked to the Piazza Navona where there are a billion restaurants - so much to choose from that it's hard to make a decision on where! And of course none were really authentic - they were more tourist trap places… But we did decide and had a nice lunch :-)  Carm and I both had a traditional pasta dish which was delicious. The waiter got our order mixed up though so I didn't get my aperol spritz! I'll have to keep trying 😉 

Everyone wanted a gelato and since we were near the pantheon, June, Anthony, and Carm went one way and I went the other way… my destination, our favorite coffee shop for a 1.5 euro coffee… they all had giant 18 Euro cones (which makes it a $29 icecream EACH!!!).

We wound our way back to the apartment for a rest, stopping on our way to see the church with the Carivaggio paintings - amazing! Anthony twisted an ankle when he first arrived here and needed to get off it… poor guy is suffering badly and will likely need a few days of rest… I can only guess that he's feeling frustrated and a little annoyed at being laid up!

I have a shopping list of skincare that was recommended by some facebook place so Carm and I took a little walk to check out a few pharmacies - they are everywhere - and after looking in a few finally found one that carries what I was looking for. I stocked up on a few things!

We passed a little gelato shop just around the corner from us - that will be our future destination! I think we'll have some every day - 4 Euros for a proper size cup with 2 flavors! The lovely lady gave us a taste - way better than the high tourist shop!

We've noticed that almost everyone walks around with their phones out, even locals, and I'm sure it's because it's impossible not to get turned around and lost! There is no grid layout and I am positive that if somewhere is east, you have to walk west first!

By the way - we will never move to Italy because I am absolutely pathetic in my pronunciation of even the simplest words. It's embarrassing to be butchering their lovely language…

It's almost 7pm so I'm going to post now - we don't have supper plans but I would be happy with a porchetta sandwich and a glass of Prosecco - which we already have! At some point we'll try the restaurant just below our room but probably not tonight!

Ciao!

Awesome!

“everything everywhere!”

“Tree lined roads”

"18,000 steps today - it is definately a walking city"