Thursday, Oct 6
Friday, Oct 7
Saturday, Oct 8
Sunday, Oct 9
Monday, Oct 10
Tuesday, Oct 11
Wednesday, Oct 12
Thursday, Oct 13
Friday, Oct 14
Saturday, Oct 15
Sunday, Oct 16
Monday, Oct 17
Tuesday, Oct 18
Wednesday, Oct 19
Thursday, Oct. 20
Friday, Oct 7 - Our 5th Anniversary, in Rome!
Took the shuttle bus into Rome. Explored the Forum again, then walked past the Coliseum to go see San Clemente cathedral. Bought some cheese, salami and “panne” and ate lunch in a park in the rain. Bought an umbrella, talked him down to “tre Euro” (3 €). When ordering cheese, the clerk asked “strong or sweet?”
While waiting to enter San Clemente, we stopped in a chocolatier shop. It was just like out of the movie “Chocolat,” and she even had a photo of Johnny Depp on her shelf. She also had chili pepper flavored chocolates. We bought several kinds, and Pat got an espresso. A very charming shop.
San Clemente – beautiful medieval church, got older as you went down each level. Had a Mithrean altar (ancient Roman religion). Then we walked down to San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John’s Cathedral), the cathedral of Rome. (St. Peter’s, which we saw last year, is the cathedral of the Vatican, not of Rome.) Beautiful marble work and frescoes. Lots of Roman antiquity, sat for a while. Bells at 6 pm. Took a cab back to the Campo di Fiori area. Wow what a ride! Everything is a near miss, traffic keeps flowing. Italians love to drive like maniacs, they’re proud of it.
Drank some wine in the Taverna di Campo, then had our anniversary dinner at Grappolo d’Oro (“Golden Grape”), which was a block or two from the Campo. Had a wonderful meal – baked parmigiana, beef filet, mixed pork, then divine desserts: flan cioccolato and baret di rum (hot chocolate flan with a liquid chocolate interior in an orange sauce, and rum cake). Drank a terrific Primativo wine – 13 €.Our waiters were from Sardinia, Sicily, and Brazil.
Caught the shuttle back to the hotel at 11:00 pm. We’re doing pretty well communicating with Italians this time. Prego (please, thank you, you’re welcome)! Bon jorno (good day)! Buena sera (good evening)! Gracie (thanks)! Ciao (bye-bye)! Arrivaderci (good-by)! Due (pronounced doo-ay, meaning two)! Toilette (restroom)! Aqua (water), panne (bread), fromaggio (cheese), autobus (bus). Bella! Bene!
