Italy Day 3 - Rome Day 2 (Fri., 9/6/13)

We started the day with the hotel's continental breakfast. Afterward, we met the tour bus and were transported to meet our day's guide, an Italian woman holding a flower-topped stick. She said we should always find our way back to the flower. It turned out this was a walking tour (more walking!). We first walked to the Opera House building where we had views of the Italian Government buildings. We saw where the Prime Minister's office was and where the Legislature convenes. Then we walked to the Fontana di Trevi where you are supposed to throw a coin in the fountain so you will be sure to return to Rome. (Remember the movie, 3 Coins in a Fountain?) Like that. We only had Euros, so first Dennis threw a coin, then I threw mine in for Betty.

After that, we walked to the Pantheon, which is a replica of the Parthenon in Greece. Then we walked through the Piazza Navone on the way to the Ponte Umberto I, a walking bridge over the Tiber River that winds through Rome. On the other side of the bridge is the  Piazza del Tribunali, the palace of justice or the Supreme Court. Turning left, we walked past the walking bridge that was in the Angels and Demons movie, sequel to the Da Vinci Code. The bridge, called Pointe Sant' Angelo, is across from the Castel Sant' Angelo, built as the tomb for Emperor Hadrian, but now used as a museum. Emperor Hadrian built Hadrian's Wall across Great Britain in 122 AD. Shows you how far was Rome's reach in those days. From there, we walked over the threshold (a line) that separates Rome from Vatican City. We walked around the right edge of St. Peter's Square and into St. Peter's Basilica. Michelangelo spent much of his long life working on the Dome, which was not yet finished at his death. We didn't see the Sistine Chapel however, which was another 15-20 minute walk. That pretty much ended the tour and the tread on my feet.

We caught a taxi back to the hotel for a much deserved rest. Did I mention it was HOT?

While I rested, Dennis walked to Termini (the train station) to find me someplace to buy shoes and do some shopping. When he got back, we went to lunch at "Wanted," a nice Italian restaurant. We were seated at an open window, which gave us a nice breeze. After lunch we walked up the hill for gelato. We walked back down and ate our gelato on the steps around a fountain where people seem to gather. Then we went back to the hotel for awhile. Later in the evening we went out again for some dessert at a nice outdoor restaurant a few blocks away. 

We walked back to our hotel for the rest of the night.

Italy-Day 2 / Rome Day 1 (Thurs., 9/5/13)

We left San Diego Tuesday morning, Sept. 3, and arrived in Rome this morning (Thurs., Sept. 5) at 7:30 a.m. The Alitalia flight from New York was a half hour early. Our travel agency (Gate 1) had a man there to meet us and drive us to the hotel. That made it very nice and easy. There was a lot of traffic on the roads, but we arrived safely at the Grand Hotel Palatino in the heart of Rome.

Our room wouldn't be ready until 2 o'clock, so we had a lot of time to kill. We checked our luggage and set off walking around the town. Although the morning was relatively cool when we arrived, it was quickly heating up. We walked to the Colosseum and around the town to various other ruins and museums. We walked for about 4 hours until I couldn't walk anymore. My feet were in severe pain, my back started to hurt and my legs were getting wobbly. Too much!!!

We stopped for some gelato once and tried to get out of the sun by taking the shadier sides of the streets. This is exactly what I was afraid of. No sleep on the plane and no taking it easy on jet lag day. I was getting very stressed and we went back to the hotel. Our room was ready, so we went up and I took a shower to get rid of all the sweat and grime of the city. Then Dennis and I both crashed, me more than him. Eventually, he went out again "researching restaurants" for tonight.

While I rested in the hotel room, Dennis went out to research a place to eat dinner that wouldn't require much walking. He did a great job, finding a nice outdoor restaurant in back of the hotel. We had two kinds of pizza-Margherita and one with only tomato sauch and spices. We found out that the Margherita pizza was named after the Queen Consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy. The tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil are supposed to represent the flag of Italy. Anyway, both pizzas were good.

After dinner we walked up the hill to a little bakery and ate some sweets. We walked a little more and then went back to the hotel for the night. Thus endith the first day in Rome.

Italy-Day 1 The New York Leg (Tues, 9/3/13)

We left San Diego Sept. 3, 2013, on a United commuter plane going to L.A. We had 37 minutes to make our connection to New York, but we made it, tripping along quickly through the long hallway from Terminal 7 to Terminal 8. Luckily, we didn't have to go through Security again because we were on the same airline.

I was impressed with the United airplane, even though we arrived at our seats only after going through the first and second class sections. First class looked really comfortable and second class looked good, too. When we arrived in the Economy section, we just sighed and accepted the inevitable.  But, after we settled in, we were happy to see we each had our own screen in the back of the seat in front of us, and movies were free. Two movies took us almost across the country. For the last hour and a half, I read my Kindle (a book called "Stumbling through Italy") and when I tired of that, I just stared at the map on the screen showing the relative position of our plane.

We arrived in New York at around 9 p.m. With the taxiing and waiting for everyone to disembark, plus the trip to the hotel, it was around 10 before we got settled in. In relative terms, though, it was only 7 in San Diego, so I managed to go to bed around the same time as normal.

This morning we got up around 8 am New York time, got dressed and went up one flight to our free continental breakfast. I was very conservative, having only coffee, Heart Smart cereal and yogurt. I am saving room for all the Italian food we will be eating soon.

When we returned to our room, I washed my hair. This is a very big ordeal. First I have to wash all that hair and put on a cream "masque" (or is it "mask"?) that has to stay on for 15-20 minutes. Then the mask gets rinsed off and a conditioner gets put on, but only for two minutes. Rinse again and then dry. Drying my hair takes forever, but if I don't do it, the waves and curl comes back. Can't have that. After drying, I have to appy a daily conditioner and then I'm done. Whew! I'm glad I did this here in New York. Now I think it'll last until I get back.

Our Alitalia flight doesn't leave until 5:25 pm but we have to check out by noon and we need to be in the lobby a half-hour befor the shuttle. This means I have to get ready to go NOW.

Pasta Sauce

I took Dennis to Uncle Johnny's very early this morning for our usual hand-off when Dennis has to go to the airport. I got back home by 6:30 a.m., so I had a lot of time to do my chores. I fed the dog and the cats, made a cup of coffee, and made pasta sauce in the slow cooker. It's cooking now.

In about a half hour I will go to Mom's to fix her breakfast.

Happy Birthday, Amanda

Amanda's birthday is tomorrow, August 9. For her gift, Angie and I took her shopping at Fashion Valley. We wanted to buy her some school clothes so she would look good at her new middle school. She has the figure of a model--tall and slim. She looks like a very cute pencil. Since her Grandma is housebound, we got her present for Amanda, too. Here's what Grandma bought her. I think she had a good time shopping and worked up an appetite for lunch!

Mayhem

Yesterday (Saturday) morning we found the coyotes had killed two of our three white Chinese geese. I told Dennis that we should not get any more Chinese geese because they do not fly. I don't know if the can't fly or just don't fly, but the result is the same. They are sitting ducks--or geese.

Mom

On Friday, Mom came home from her stay at the physical rehab facility in Encinitas. She worked very hard to get mobile enough to return to her home.

Saturday I visited her at home for breakfast and lunch, helping her with meals and other necessities. She was doing very well getting around and taking care of herself. This was her goal, to be self-sufficient once more. At her request, we had pizza for dinner.

Today (Sunday) I'm waiting for her to call me when she gets up, probably around 9 a.m.