Too Many Damn Tourists Up and out early today, as we were headed out to attack the Vatican. We wanted to take the City Sightseeing bus again (the tickets are good for 24 hours) but the damn thing never came so we hopped the infamous city bus #64, also called the "Pickpocket Express". The bus was so crowded that we couldn't reach the ticket validation machine, but we figured our chances were remote of getting caught so we took our chances.

A few stops later, the Transport Police got on! Michael and I tried to exit immediately through the front door, but they blocked us. We did manage to escape at the next stop, through the rear door. Close call that was, especially since we weren't even trying to beat the fare but were just hemmed in by other people.

After having a quick cappucino and pastry, we set out for St. Peter's Square. We took reams of photos and movies out in the piazza, and then decided to head inside into the Basilica. I felt simultaneously impressed and repulsed by what I saw (how many hungry people could be fed with all of the money spent here, I wondered) but soaked it all in and took lots of pictures nonetheless.

We then decided to climb the 320 steps - many of which were very steep and very narrow - to the top of St. Peter's dome. We enjoyed a breathtaking 360° view of all of Rome, but it was crowded and hot up there so we soon made our way back down the dark staircases. Starving and knees shaking, we relaxed near the top of the dome drinking Cokes and thinking about what we had just accomplished and looking forward to seeing the Sistine Chapel.

Fatigue soon set in, and so we blew off the Sistine Chapel and went to try and catch the sightseeing bus again, figuring it would be a good break from the heat and provide some much-needed rest for our travel weary legs. The bus came early, and so wound up waiting another hour to catch the next one - too tired to hoof it back home. When the bus finally came, we climbed on and just joy-rode it for the rest of the evening until we got to our stop.

Except they never went to our stop. They bypassed it completely and so we wound up again at the Vatican - exactly where we had been an hour before! Apparently our road was "shut down" or something, but they never told us. Exhausted, hungry, and with full bladders and short tempers, we decided to just walk home after all.

We stopped at the Despar supermercato and bought the makings for what turned out to be a delicious home-cooked Italian meal, courtesy of Chef Michael. After dining on proscuitto with ham in pesto sauce, garlic toast, and fresh fruit, we relaxed and contemplated the next day's activities - our last day in Roma.

Note: This will be my last entry from Italy, as we are flying out of Rome tomorrow morning. I will update my blog with our visit to Campo de Fioro market, the Forum, and other adventures after we land in Portland. Arrivederci!  ¶ 8:00 AM 3 comments

  Monday, Our First Full Day in Roma Up and out by about 9:30am, we enjoyed cappucinos at our local cafe and then set off for the Pantheon, just a few minutes walk from our apartment. While there, we took many photos and marvelled at the oculus - the 30 foot wide hole in the ceiling of the Pantheon which provides its only light source.

After a quick refreshment break, we walked around forever trying to find the City Sightseeing open top bus - the same type we used in Florence. We assumed that the stops would all be marked but were wrong on that assumption and eventually just gave up looking for it. We then decided purchase city bus tickets at a local Tabacchi shop but every one we came across was either a) closed or b) didn't sell tickets for the "boos". Short on food, and long and frustration, we stopped to rest at some ruins.

While looking at the ruins and trying to decide what to do next, I noticed a cat gallop across the courtyard. Then I saw another cat sunning himself comfortably on a grass covered rock of an indeterminate age. Then another cat, and another cat, and another cat. Soon, a young woman came into the courtyard from under the sidewalk and picked up a cute tabby with a round belly. She kneeled down and turned him on his back and rubbed his belly, something he couldn't seem to get enough of. It started to dawn on me that this had to be Torre Argentina - the cat sanctuary that I had read about months before.

We found the entrance and went downstairs to a cat lover's heaven. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of cats milled about enjoying the sunshine. Others slept peacefully in their cages. I met Deborah D'Alessandro, a transplanted New Yorker who now runs the volunteer program at the Sanctuary. Deb and a small army of decided volunteers take in and care for these poor animals year after year, relying only on the generousity of animal lovers who visit from all over the world. I found myself having one of those heartwarming, very human moments in what appeared to be a very crass, appearance-obsessed metropolis.

As I was talking to Deb and petting my share of attention-loving kitties, M rolled video on the cats.

Rum was the first cat to run up to Michael, eager to star in Michael's motion picture. I was still preoccupied with talking to Deborah, petting cats, and shopping for souvenirs but soon Rum demanded my attention as well. He was a lithe orange and white shorthair with clear eyes and leading man good looks. As I petted and he purred, I found myself really falling for the little guy, however, having a fourth cat (especially once flown in from Rome!) was not an option.

It didn't take much convincing on my part to get M to agree to adopting Rum for $15E a month. For that sum, we are his adoptive "parents" and essentially pay for all of his food and some of his medical care. I felt it was the least we could do. After taking lots of pictures of our little guy, we reluctantly left the shelter. Rome had redeemed herself.

Starved, we found Mad Jacks Irish Pub just in time. Two pints of Kilkenny ale and some salad and pasta later, we stopped briefly at an Internet cafe and then walked along the Tiber River to try and find the sightseeing bus again. We had just about given up again when along it came. We were exhausted from the standing, walking, and smog and decided to just ride it around for rest of the afternoon, resting our feet and enjoying the sights.

After stopping at our beautiful little apartment to clean up, we walked to Campo de Fiori - just steps away - and enjoyed a memorable and delicious meal at a restaurant called Magnolia right on the campo. We briefly stopped into a quaint little shop called Zaba where I bought a handcrafted purse.

Energy restored, we hopped the city bus to Trevi Fountain. After some searching, we found it by listening for lots of water and lots of people. As we were approaching the Trevi, a young man approached me with long stemmed roses, and I waved my hands and said "no grazie". He INSISTED that the flowers were "free for me" and I took them, not wanting them, but not wanting to be rude, I took them. Big mistake.
Just a couple of minutes later, the same guy approached M and insisted that he "pay up". M obliged, figuring that he hadn't bought me flowers in awhile but I was still angry at myself for being duped.

After admiring the Trevi fountain, we wandered through the cobblestoned back streets of Rome towards the Pantheon and on to Piazza Navona, which has two or three fountains and is lined with restaurants and shops and is all lit up and abuzz with people at night. Soaking it all in, we bought a piece of interesting art from a vendor and made our way back to our apartment, collapsing around midnight.  ¶ 7:50 AM 1 comments