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”
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