Domenica

What a weekend! This morning I was woken up by our loud Filipino neighbors at 7 AM. I told Eleonara about it, and she said it was a regular Sunday thing. Oh boy, not good. I wanted to go see the Pope this morning, since he usually makes an appearance Sundays at noon, but he is in Genoa today (I think). I guess I will have to wait until next week.

On Friday night I went to MiccaClub where Eleonara works. Simona bailed, so I kind of shuffled around to get there myself. I was alone but I managed to meet a wonderful cohort of people. We will be hanging out next weekend together. They live in Montagna Rotunda, one guy kept calling "Round Mountain," which is about 20 km outside of Rome. Alesio is a lawyer specializing in injuries involving vehicular accidents. Yes, I should watch out for those cars. Only two people, Alesio and Alesia, spoke English, but they were all very friendly. We did the twist and boogied the night away to the 70s music.

On Saturday we went shopping. We walked to one of the historic districts, with the Trajan Column, and the Spanish Steps, and the Borgia Gardens, and the Victor Emmanuel II Monument in Piazza Venezia. Right now boots are really big in Italy, and she wanted to get some summer boots. I didn't bring any bc they were too heavy :( I ate a pizze with POTATOES and ham on it and no tomato sauce (called pizze bianca). It was delicious. I definitely want some more.

So it seems like the buses and trams in Rome are on the honor system. Eleonara has a monthly pass, which she lets me use. When we ride together, she says to bolt if we see someone in a navy uniform boarding. We went to the tanning salon today after shopping. It's a little different in that there is only one level of ray intensity and you have to stand up (or sit in a chair for just your face), so you can't wear the little goggles. Instead you have to wear the WinkEase stickers, which leave a bigger ring around the eyes. It was an interesting experience but I'm not going back there again.

That night we went with Valentina and her boyfriend Andrea to walk around the Pantheon area. We went to this gelateria that is supposed "the best in Rome." It has a huge variety of flavors. I got the red guava, kiwi, and pomegranate flavors. Also available was chili pepper chocolate mousse. We walked to Piazza Navona, which is a huge oval shape. A small flat around this Piazza would cost about 3 million euros. The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of Four Rivers) by Bernini in the middle was in Angels and Demons as an "altar of science." Andrea said that in ancient Roman times there were games here in the "circus," and it was filled with water to stage naval battles --thus the name "navona" or large boat. Wikipedia says otherwise, but I'm going to believe Andrea. We also walked by some temple ruins that house fat stray cats. There are supposedly old women who come to feed the cats on a regular basis. Beside the temple were some ruins where the ancient Senate building was, according to the sign--and where Julius Caesar was murdered. Also nearby were Pompey's latrines.

When we got home my feet were pretty beat. I'm glad the Pope is out of town today.