Our last day in Rome because our Tuscan adventure begins. Decided today was going to be an easier, slower paced day ... pffft, I don't think Rome understands what should be easier and slower.
I've been to Rome 4 times now and never been to the Pantheon which is one of Romes oldest temples, dating to around 120 AD. That was where we headed first. Jumped on the right bus and only had to wait 4 stops. Got talking to some young Aussie guys and giving them some tips ... and missed our stop .... by a long way. In fact, we went to the very end of the bus route. Stayed on the bus and waited for it to go back the opposite way.
Finally got to our destination: The Pantheon. Walking past the typical roman columns into the bottleneck that is the entrance (there's only one way in/out), your eye is drawn upward to a massive dome with the best skylight I've ever seen! Light was streaming in and my camera just couldn't do it justice. The multi-coloured marble was a feast for the eyes and as I leaned against a column, a positive and cooling tactile experience was had after standing outside in the heat. Cannot believe how many tourists are burnt to a crisp - too easy to spot. We have been slathering on the suncream and I've still got a watch tan on my wrist!
After the Pantheon we side stepped over to the Piazza Navona, probably the most famous of Rome's piazzas. Market stalls line the centre of the piazza and restaurants are right around the perimeter. Beautiful water fountain in the centre which I believe is sculpted to represent the four great rivers of the world. Very hard to get a decent photo with all these damn sunburnt tourists hanging about! Walked past a couple of restaurants and made our decision on which one to eat/drink at based not on the menu prices (for that would be smart) but on the amount of water misting from the room of their alfresco umbrellas. Oh my ... it was divine. People watching was never so much fun. Sweaty red faced visitors, grasping their water bottles and desperately looking for shade ... and all this was witnessed from the comfort of our little table as the mist gently drifted over us dropping the temperature by at least 10 degrees. Lovely meal and as luck would have it, we had dined at the oldest restaurant in the Piazza Navona. YAY US ... the bill was worth the comfort!
Site-seeing done for the day it was time to do a little shopping. I hate shopping. I really hate shopping for clothes. I really hate shopping for clothes that look gorgeous and then don't make ME look like the mannequin! We found Zara again (remember ... Hong Kong .. Bobbie in Zara?) - I left her there in a state of glazed eyed bliss and went for a walk. I was actually looking for a bookstore that sold English language books because a book on Italy, particularly Tuscany, would come in really handy for the next week. I must have walked for about an hour and had no luck. Went back to find Bobbie and found a bookstore literally right across from Zara and found the book we wanted. *sigh* Where were the signs huh?
Caught another bus to a different area and got off a stop too late and found ourselves in front of a non descript church. Wondered why people were lining up to go in (maybe it's a mass or something). Got back to the hotel, did a little reading and found out it's the church that monks used human skeleton parts to build with in an underground area. Duh - that would have been strange/interesting/macabre to see.
Finished with shopping, we washed our filty feet at the hotel .. all day walking in thongs made our feet black! Walked about 50m down the road and sat and ate some more. Cannot maintain this eating thing - I'm fairly sure I'm about to explode and it ain't gonna be pretty! Upside was ... free wifi! Downside; no-one but Bobbie & I to share it with. Don't even know the password ... as the waiter said it's a very rude word in Italian. Glad I didn't ask.
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