The last couple of days have been killer: The temperature has hovered near 100 degrees and our forced marches through the Colosseum, the Foro, St.Peters and the Vatican Museum, combined with Italian inefficiency, didn't make the temperature any easier to bear. Today was supposed to be better. It didn't really work out that way.
Because the apartment was supposed to be cleaned this morning, we were out and about by 10:30. Linda and I had seen a little breakfast place down the road advertising an "American Breakfast" for 6 Euro. Since Bill seems none to fond of Italy and mostly seems to wish he were anywhere but Europe, we thought we might try some pseudo-American to try and mollify him. We wandered down to the cafe, only to be told that they don't open until 11. Apparently, "breakfast" as we understand it, is more like brunch or lunch to the Italian psyche. We had to mail a package of prebills for Laura's work, so we completed that errand (learning that the UPS drop site is for DROP OFF only, not package preparation!) and then went back to the restaurant. Our "American breakfast" was interesting, offering a choice of bacon and eggs, pancakes or a bacon and egg roll. The bacon, of course, was European style--nothing like American bacon and the pancakes were crepes. It was anything but American, but still good. The girls loved the "pancakes" with fresh fruit--peach, strawberry and kiwi. I ordered a "misto formaggio and salami" tray, which was fabulous and an espresso. The host who served us runs the place with his Mom and his little girl runs around in the kitchen. They were all sweet and wonderfully hospitable and appreciate our pitiful attempts to speak Italian. The worst part of the whole experience were the two American women who came in and made no effort to order in Italian and loudly demanded "American style coffee". Ladies, it's Italy! If you want the States, stay home!
After a leisurely breakfast we made our way to the Baths of Carcalla, using the bus system. I had left the Omni Pass map at home somehow, so we had to use intuition to figure out how to get to our destination. We did figure it out, however,departing from Piazza Venezia. The best part of the bus wait was discovering that if you sit in the holes cut into the walls, air conditioning pours out onto your back! After an uneventful ride to the baths, we got out to explore. We were nearly overwhelmed by the monumental scale of these facilities, which soared nearly 100 feet into their in some places and covered vast interior spaces. We loved the few remaining mosaics and the towering walls. The girls learned about baths as the center of the Roman social universe. We also learned that many of the columns from the baths were repurposed for the columns of S. Maria Trastevere. Afterwards, we played in a sprinkler before heading out to find transportation to our next destination. We made our way via bus to Castello San Angelo. Again--as was the case at the baths--there was a ridiculous run around related to the Roma Pass tickets with lots of extra paperwork and worry about how to maximize ticket value--something that didn't really concern us. Eventually, we were admitted to the third most visited site in Rome. It was well worth it. Either Laura and I didn't see everything last time, or more of the facility has been opened. The decorated papal rooms were amazing, and we had a hilarious conversation with a carabinieri stationed in a room dedicated to the art of the far East. He was quite proud to convey that Italy is "single handedly" preserving all of the threatened art of the Middle East, that Italy is a great ally of the U.S. in the War on Terror, having soldiers stationed in the second most number of countries. He also took a moment to convey his disdain for President Obama, proudly identifying himself as an Israeli and noting the tension between Obama and President Netanyahu. We had to tear ourselves away, or at least the others did. "Oscar David" as he told me his name was, had more to tell me...and tell me... and tell me... At one point, he opened a closet door, and therein were the weapons--the huge blunderbusses of the 16th century. I was invited to inspect and touch. It was pretty cool! We finally left the Castel and decided to stroll home.
We walked along the Tiber, checking out the shops. We stopped for granitas, which was a hit. About 8:30, we headed out to dinner at Ginos51, run by Gabriele's uncle. (Gabriel is a friend from Roma Rentals.) We had a terrific dinner and checked in the with the owner on behalf of Gabriel. Post-dinner, we went to the square, where the girls ahd their usual good time. Linda and Bill leave day after tomorrow. I think they will be glad to sit on the airplane for a while! Meanwhile, Laura and I were noticing that we have each lost around 1 to 1 1/2 inches of waistline. If I ever lose my regular job, a European Vacation Fat Farm might be just the ticket to restore and expand my fortunes!
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