Il Cavaliere Rome

... where Leonardo played practical jokes, where Mussolini entertained Hitler.

Rome has always been serious about its image. The City was built to have substance. Romans invented concrete and they have continued to build with the most enduring materials available. You won’t find any particle board in Santa Maria Maggiore. Street curbs and gutters are marble, fences are cast iron, many streets are granite, garbage bins ...

So I slept pretty well. It was probably because I was so tired. But then I woke up easily. We don't have a shower, just a tub with a handheld shower-type nozzle. Interesting. We got to the school with the group where we took our test. Oh my goodness, I could barely fill in my name. I have discovered that I have very little retension of language. Oh well. At least I'm trying. After the test our instructor took us around the ...

... last chance to see Rome. On my way back I did decide to buy a fake handbag and I went to a clothing store for a top. For dinner that night, I went to a restaurant/café that was downstairs from the hostel - I merely pointed to the specials poster-I think there was a choice but I just said the meat with red wine - it was an interesting skewered thing with two types of meat and some spinach stuff but my nose was too blocked to taste, I pretty sure it was tasty. I basically crashed after that.

... to solidify and grow. There had been many days when I felt homesick and lonely but I got over it. Nothing like skype... The nights here in the summer are actually gorgeous! The mood is romantic and the moons are huge! One night, when I went out with my friend and her daughter, there was even an eclipse. I had taken an afternoon stroll and after taking some pictures realized there was a full moon ...

Jaime got a bit of a two day birthday celebration, which of course she deserved in full! Her second birthday dinner was once again fabulous. Thanks to Melissa, who is quite skilled at making friends, our whole group was able to dine at a lovely place where we were treated like royalty, served much free wine and free dessert for the birthday girl. Italians seem to be quite generous once you are in their ...

... the 1500s. It was believed that the ball on top of the obelisk contained the ashes of Julius Caesar (the ball is now elsewhere in a Rome museum). There are also two beautiful fountains located in the square, also designed and built by Bernini. When we arrived that morning, there were masses of people congregated in the square. We had to wait in line to go through security and I yelled at a foreign lady who was trying to cut in front of ...

... when we are stationary, but the battery only lasts a couple of days and in this heat the fridge draws too much power. I have sometimes been doing the 'Pod' whilst Des has been driving, as we have an inverter, but when I need to navigate I get behind with the 'Pod'. I am often too tired after cooking and cleaning up when we find a camping spot. We caught the bus and Metro (underground) to Rome to check out the ...

... will allow me into 10 sites (including the Coliseum) in the next 7 days. So I went into the Palatino and spent over 3 hours going through the ruins and taking pictures of the city. The Palatino is a bit above the city, so you get a pretty good view. I decided I ...

... s excited to see the cars. We move on through 15th - 19th century art and then onto the upper floor where we move through some Egyptian and Assyrian art. Rob makes everything we see interesting, so we aren't too overwhelmed by the enormity of all the priceless pieces of art. He guides us to the Raphael Rooms, which are four rooms of frescoes that took Raphael 16 years to complete (although he died before ...

... the inner harbour as we past, but unfortunately the vaporeto service that used to pass through it, is no longer scheduled. We returned home for Dinner, and then walked to the Zaterre vaporetto stop at around sunset (9.30 pm). We planned on taking the vaporetto around Venice, up to the Railway Station, and then another vaporeto down the Grand Canal. Best laid plans. We caught the wrong one, my mistake, and ended up doing the run along Guidecca and then across to St Marks. O.K. So ...