Med Trip - June 3 & 4

It is with heavy heart that I write this as my previous post disappeared into cyberspace. The day already began on shaky ground. We got up early so we could leave at 8AM for our Colosseum tour. It was pouring outside. At 7:30 we got an email saying our tour had been cancelled for the day. Apparently there was a labour dispute and the site was closed for the day. We had read by Rick Steves that one day strikes on Fridays in Rome was not uncommon. And the Italians wonder why their economy is suffering. Our tour ended up being rescheduled for June 4, but we could not do the tour of the top and ground floor of the colosseum, so the tour company offered to extend the tour to include the forum and Palatine Hill. Our plans for the day were screwed and we ended up staying home for the morning, doing laundry. Then we went out for lunch. Jo and I had soup and french fries for a change from pasta and pizza. We do find the restaurant staff and store keepers to come across as abrupt and unfriendly. We spent the afternoon exploring the Pantheon, not far from our place, the Navona Piazza, and the campo dei fiori. The weather was back to sunny, therefore requiring some gelato to keep us going. We returned home until evening, and then returned to eat by the Piazza Navona, which was now filled with fire jugglers, a guy in cowboy gear imitating a statute between breaks for a cigarette. I had another wonderful lasagna and Jo had clam penne for a second time. Then we walked back to the Trevi Fountain for a night shot. So did one hundred other people! It was crowded. Walking home at 11PM, we passed buses filled to capacity. We are amazed at how many people are out and about late. Most restaurants have tables outside that are almost right on the road, and at 11 they were still full of people eating big pasta dinners. Outside our apartment, there were always lots of young people milling around. Yet, it felt very safe.

June 4
The day began with a brief facetime with Lauren and Randy. Very nice to see them. We easily walked to the colosseum for our tour at 9:15AM and easily found our tour guide. It was a beautiful day. We discovered that our tour was now a personal tour for just the four of us. Security checks went smoothly and quickly as we entered the colosseum. The guide was a history major in the roman empire and our tour was fantastic. After the colosseum, we went to Palatine Hill and the forum area. We took lots of pictures! We lunched across the street from the colosseum and were back home by
3:30 for quiet time, reviewing pictures, rewriting blogs and enjoying a wine.  We decided to go early for dinner, by Italian standards, in order to get in to the pizzeria around the corner, which always had a long line up.  We got in right away at 7:15.  We ordered pizza.  The line started forming soon after we arrived.  Our pizzas did not arrive until 8:50.  Appetisers did take far less time. It was good, and the price was right, but I don't think it was the best pizza in Rome as suggested to us.  Packing for tomorrow.

Sent from my iPad