Sunday, May 16, 2004 Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona

The street we are on and overlook is right by Metro stop for St. Peter and people walk up this street to go to St. Peter. At about 8:15 am I hear the sounds of a crowd and look out the window. Everyone is headed in the same direction - they are all going to Mass at St Peter! There are all kinds of people. It is a happy pilgrimage. Priests in various national garb, nuns in all colors of habits. There is a large group of Japanese school children in blue baseball caps. Many families from all over like the Indian family with the mother in sarong. They are all smiling, but walking fast so they are not late. I'm tempted to run downstairs and join this joyful pilgrimage. I had briefly considered on mass at St. Peters but Sarah complained we wouldn’t understand and Isaac is going through an "I hate anything to do with the church" phase and "besides, Mom, we’re Lutheran!" Like I forgot or something. You almost could forget and want to be Roman Catholic this close to the Vatican!

I had planned to go out and bring home some pasty but I felt like an infidel going the opposite direction of the throng! I content myself with taking a picture of the crowds all headed the same direction. I'm surprised at how much I enjoy watching this international pilgrimage. Friars in brown gowns and sandals. African nuns in bright blue habits - it reminds me of Revelation with the promise of all nations and all languages and colors gathering together to worship.

I'm anxious to get out and get moving, but it's better to let the kids sleep. Travel days are stressful. I go out and take a look around, lots of places to eat, plenty of bancomats close by and a few internet points.

Sarah got up and took a shower but there is no hot water for her. I had hot water a couple of hours earlier but it wasn’t hot for long. Sarah wants to go home. About 10:30 we are ready to roll. We walk to the Metro and take it to Spagna- The Spanish Steps.

Sure enough-there they are, swarming with people. After a photo opportunity we easily find our way from there to the Trevi Fountain, just follow the signs. I'm sure I must have seen this on a whirlwind European tour with my mom when I was 13 but I am taken aback by the size of the fountain. It's enormous. It overwhelms the square.

Even more amazing is that we find an empty spot by it so we can take the usual photos and throw in a coin. I only have two coins! The kids throw them; I hope that the one I think I threw years ago still counts for another return trip.

Near the fountain is the church of San Vincenzo and Anastasio. Supposedly there are parts of some pope hearts enshrined in the wall. We take a look inside. There will be more impressive churches to see in Rome.

Next we head for the Pantheon. This involves many stops to look at the map, consultations between Isaac and I, Sarah just follows us and comments once in awhile "I’m pretty sure we are walking around in circles" "Yea," I tell her, "but at least we are going down different streets so you can see different stuff." Finally we come out of a dark street and there it is.

Again I am just awed by the size of these things. I’ve seen pictures but nothing prepares you for encountering it face to face. We go inside where it is nice and cool. They must have had a service today because there are plastic chairs all set up.

The way you can tell that you have found a major tourist spot (besides the crowds) are all these guys selling bubble machines. More consultations, map stops and wrong turns, backtracking and we find the Piazza Navone. It's 1 pm, we haven’t had breakfast, we are tired and hungry. I fall for one of the touristy umbrella cafes surrounding the oval. I know I'm going to pay more for the location than the food, but I want to sit here anyway. Except for Isaac’s fresh Anania (pineapple) the food is mediocre. Next time we'll go off the beaten path.

After lunch we stop and visit the Palazzo Altremps museum, just north of the oval. I love classical sculptures and this branch of the National Museum of Rome houses some of the most famous ones. This time I get audio guides so we knew what we were looking at. Two of the most famous sculptures are the Gaul's Suicide and the 5th century BC relief of Aphrodite rising from the sea with her maids helping her. The audio guide tour takes about an hour.

By now we've had about enough, but how to get home? The closest metro is back to the Spanish Steps, we are too tired and not even sure we could find our way back there. I know a bus will get us there but I haven’t yet figured out the secret of getting tickets at the Tabacci shop. I figured that out later.

We walk some more, not sure where we are going and I finally decide to wait for a taxi. I don't see the meter on this taxi. What is it about being cheated by taxi drivers when I'm lost? This guy won't even take us all the way to our apt. He says it's impossible. He drops us off 4 blocks away and charges me 12 E for a 5 minute ride.