what sets your soul on fire

The rain poured down through the oculus, uniting structure with the forces of Nature. The interior was nearly empty - it was still early and the rain was keeping tourists away - the hush broken only by the sound of raindrops pelting onto the marble floor. 

I sat down on one of the pews and admired the dome above the alter. This 1900 year old building has surely moved many.

Earlier we’d had our breakfast at a little cafe across the square. The continental breakfast (with a few eggs & bacon) was included with our room. We had the best pain au chocolat ever. A steaming long espresso washed it down, the bitter finish scrunching my face for a moment - a mixture of like and dislike.

Last night as soon as it was dark we strolled the cobblestones to the Trevi fountain and beyond, passing many cute sidewalk cafes. Tempting, but after indulging in such a huge lunch, not to mention giant lunch and supper the day before, we opted for sandwiches and wine in our room. Our legs and feet were aching and we were exhausted from our long day. We wouldn’t have done justice to another big meal.

There are lots of shops: souvenir, wine stores with amazing selections, leather shops with a tempting array of purses, are the majority. I dragged Carm into every leather shop in my quest for another Italian bag. The cost of everything is not totally outrageous - lots of competition I guess.

later in the day…

At 10 am we struck out across the square to the taxi stand. There were a few drops of rain falling from the sky, but we were armed with a giant umbrella courtesy of the hotel. But never mind the rain, we were taking a cab to Villa Borghese, a museum tucked in almost 1500 acres just outside the old city walls. 

It was a museum of wonders. Original art by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian, to name just a few, lined the walls. Best of all though, to my mind, were the statues by Bernini - he released Gods from lifeless blocks of stone and caught an instant of their lives forever. The marble seemed to glow from within perhaps bursting with the energy captured.

After the museum visit was over, the guide walked us through a snippet of the gardens. Rain clouds glowered above us but showed mercy on us mere mortals. We walked and walked. At the end of the tour Rosy pointed us in the direction of the Spanish Steps which was on our journey back to the hotel.

We found the steps and tottered down the slippery stone. We took the road straight ahead, passing all the high end shops where the rich people shop… and walked and walked some more. Pain shot through my feet. Hunger pains tormented me. And when we looked at the map again and saw that we had overshot and walked way PAST our turn I almost cried. It was there that the rain poured down. We stood beside a little park and waited for the worst to pass and then hobbled on our way. Finally we were here. 

Carm grabbed a couple of small sandwiches and poured us some wine. It’s only 4:30 pm so we’ll catch our breath for a bit. I’ve got the windows open so we can hear the hubbub of the square - well, almost, CNN is babbling away… it seems that even when we are in the most wonderful city there is no escape…  I’ve been resting for a while but the shooting pain in my right foot has not abated. I think it will be a quiet night at some lovely cafe and then another early night. On a side note, we have adapted to the new time remarkably well.

“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” 

~Jennifer Lee