Rome ' Day 3 ' In search of an internet cafe
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2006
1
4
46
Trip End
Nov 16, 2006
Rome, Italy
Thursday, October 5, 2006
We finally found a good internet café. The first one we found they wanted all of our documents and our first born in order to give us an account. It was crazy - as we were explaining that we just wanted to check our e-mail - a nice girl from Romania came and explained to us the procedure and told us we could use her account - and told the crazy guy behind the counter that we were using her account and that he didn't need to get all of our information. One good thing about carrying a Costa Rican drivers license is that I can give that - and the people are so excited that we are from Costa Rica that they usually don't ask too many other questions. This is some sort of terrorist watch program and that is why they want to know so much...
Columns at Night
. Oh well - we just briefly checked our account to see if there were any emergencies and then decided to go back towards Piazza del Popolo where we had seen one the night before. After getting all of those things taken care of we headed out on more important business. As we were getting off the tram at our stop - I noticed a guy coming up to me and talking - of course who would I know - and Jim was trailing behind me - so I started walking away from him - and then he said something - and I looked and it was the bus boy from the restaurant near our flat. He is a real nice guy - from Sri Lanka - has a family back in Sri Lanka and wants to work here another 4 years before going back. Now we know someone in Rome!Jason - Ben Harper is here in concert October 14th - should we look into going? I will have to listen to him on our i-Pod a little more. He is with The Innocent Criminals.
We took a cute little electric train that is capable of going down the old narrow streets of Rome, by the Colosseum and the Roman Forum to our destination of Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano and the famous Basilica. Jim LOVES going into churches - actually it was our first of the day - so he couldn't complain too much and he admitted that he was happy we went in. This Basilica has been built many times over - is older than St
Electric Bus Route
. Peter's and was the original residence of the Pope's for 1,000 years - prior to Avignon and then the Vatican. It was beautiful inside with many different side chapels and there were confessionals throughout one corridor and they all listed the different languages that were offered within each particular one.We took the tram back to the Spanish Steps and found the Alviero Martini shop I was looking for....(Kelly Rae - we need to talk about this - there are so many different designs - the shop is large like the original one in Milan on Via Montenapoleone!) Even Jim was excited to see this shop - but we were on a mission by this time for a little Wine and Antipasti - so we drooled a little in the window and said we would be back.
We decided that we wanted to hit Piazza Navona. Unfortunately the Bernini Fountain, Fontana dei Fiumi, is being renovated - we have been lucky to see it in the past and have a great painting of it in Costa Rica - but we were a little disappointed to see the scaffolding. Actually - almost all of the Egyptian Obelisks are hiding behind scaffolding now - as well as the Trinita dei Monti - atop of the Spanish Steps. (Oh yes, Angels & Demons fans....Fontana dei Fiumi is where the last Cardinal was killed - in the fountain) If I tell Jim that a church or fountain was featured in Angels & Demons - he is thrilled to enter/see it
Pantheon At Night 01
. I'm running out of locations and have more churches, paintings and fountains on my list....We had a nice bottle of wine and Antipasti in Piazza Navona - (Is there a pattern here?)
We watched the people - which is always entertaining and then decided that we would skip dinner and have our first Gelato - Giolitti in the Pantheon area is one of the best and oldest - and I thought I could remember how to find it - so we set off to find that - and knowing that we still had at least a two mile walk back to Piazza del Popolo - we figured we could handle it. We found it without a problem - by now it is near 10 p.m. so there wasn't the usual mob of people and we were able to manage buying it without much of a problem. First you buy a ticket that says the size of the cone/cup that you want - then you take your ticket to the huge counter with the many different types of Gelato. There are usually so many people - and you can't see the different flavors - let alone try to identify them - and there is no line - you just push to the front and then make your decision quickly. Jim's is always easy - CHOCOLATE - I usually go for Chocolate and Banana - but I will be more likely to change. Well - we got it and it was good - enough said.
We got back to our tram after the two mile walk and all I will say is...make sure the #2 tram is the real #2 tram and not the one that will go out of service for the night before you get home with it.....Our taxi driver for the remaining trip was very nice though!!!
We will probably make our postings every day or two - I know some people are loving all of the information and wish there was more - for those that don't - skim over it if you must. Ciao!
Comments
Roman Holiday - Not the Movie but Real Life!
Your pictures are beautiful and your narrative is very interesting. Have learned much, I think writing a travel guide is in your future, al la Rick Steves (think that is his name). Nice that you are having good weather. Better yet, nice that you are having a good time. Still better, the food and wine sound devine!! Look forward to More, More, More.
Sandy