Saturday, May 19, 2012

No lecture this morning and we were on the bus at nine this morning. Our first stop was at the top of the Spanish Steps. There is a French Church at the top and the steps were built by the French to connect the street below with the Church. The fountain at the bottom was already in place when the steps were built. So why the Spanish Steps? The Spanish Consulate is at the bottom of the steps and the common name for the meeting place stuck.

We wandered a lot of backstreets and our guide told us many great stories along the way. Our next major stop was the Trevi Fountain. The structure is enormous and, as you would expect, the square was very crowded. If you toss a coin in the fountain you must sit with your back to the water and throw the coin over your left shoulder (so you are crossing your heart).

More wandering the back streets and more stories and our next stop was the Pantheon. This is the oldest and best preserved building from ancient Rome. While I was exploring one of the tombs inside, a guard pulled me aside to allow a procession to approach the tomb. Three very official looking gentlemen stood at attention at the tomb while several more officials saluted them and then headed to another of the tombs and did the same thing. Apparently on the third Saturday of each month these guards hold a vigil at the tombs.

The last stop before lunch was at the Piazza Navona. As well as the beautiful fountain sculpted by Bernini, it is also a street market with lots of folks selling souvenirs, lots of entertainers, and lots of restaurants.

We walked a little further and, since we were a bit early for our lunch reservation we spent a bit of time across the street at Largo di Torre Argentina. They uncovered four ancient temples when they were constructing the road. Just behind these temples is the spot where Julius Caesar was murdered. I know you’re saying, but what about the Forum? According to our guide the Forum was under renovation at the time and the Senate was meeting here instead. The things the history books don’t tell you!

We had a wonderful lunch and then a bit of free time to explore this end of the City. Pat and I wandered over to the Tiber River and then through the Jewish ghetto on our way back to our meeting spot.

From there it was a short bus ride to the Borghese Gallery. We weren’t allowed to take any photos so you will have to believe me when I tell you that this was a wonderful place. We saw several statues by Bernini, some Caravaggio and Raphael paintings, and so much more.

We were exhausted by the end of the tour and, rather than stop in the gift shop we found a shady spot and relaxed until the bus picked us up and brought us home.

Dinner was on our own tonight but made plans yesterday to join another couple. After dinner we took,another walk through the area, with a stop for some gelato before we came back to the hotel. You wouldn’t think you could plan a night out, and then spend the night out, and still not know the names of your companions. We managed to get through the evening without it being an issue, but as soon as we were back at the room I looked them up on our list – John and Linda!

We’re all packed up as we have to have our bags ready for transport by 7AM. We are free until lunch at noon and then free again until we leave for the train station at 2 PM – we’re off to Florence next.

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