Saturday!

Saturday was our last full day in Rome.



The Husband took the rental car back to Avis, where he debated and debated with the Avis people regarding the extent of our "no deductible" coverage and finally agreed to a 25 Euro "administrative fee" regarding the scratch and dent to the Wagon. Once that was done he joined us back at the Villa for breakfast. Breakfast at the Villa included a whole Viennese table filled with all sorts of pastry and cakes (including two kinds of chocolate cakes and sundry other items covered in confectioner's sugar). There was also pudding, yogurt, various cereals, rolls and chartucerie, coffees, teas and a whole bunch of juices.

Afterwards we headed over towards the Capitoline Museum. Making our first stop at Trajan's Forum (where, in the gift shop, we picked up "My First Latin Words Sticker Book" for Miss B.! Sure it will be a few years before she uses it but how often do you find Latin word sticker books??)
Then we climbed the hill and went into the Capitoline Museum where we got to see a lot of neat statuary, including this giant foot...







The Capitoline also had a lovely terrace which we spent some time on and we also had a snack at the cafe (which, was not very easy to find... we had to ask about four different security guards how to get to the damn elevator to get to it!)





After the museum we walked down back into the Forum and checked out the Senate House.

















After that we headed over to the Piazza Navona (on the way to which, we stopped in at Cinque Luna a great pastry shop and got some cannoli and other goodies).














In the Piazza Navona we stopped at Al Sogno and Berte (both toy stores) to pick up some new goodies for Miss B. to have on the plane ride home. Then we headed to the Pantheon, which, while it was supposed to be open was mysteriously closed. Instead, we got quite a show by watching all the tourists huddled around the door trying to peer into the key hole.

Never to be deterred, we decided to stop for a while and sit at the Aureli Cafe and have Gelato and French Fries!!! (Cooked in olive oil, no less)



















After our snack we continued our walk down to the Campo de Fiori (stopping at a local Despar grocery store along the way to pick up snacks for the plane ride... since, even though we had tickets in first class the folks at Continental wouldn't give Miss B. any food since she was a "lap child"...) Once near the Campo de Fiori we walked through some side streets including the Via dei Chiavari. I had wanted to go to Ibiz because I had read about it in a few of the travel guides, but thought it was closed on Saturdays. We saw the street it was on and the Husband insisted that, since it was Italy, "supposed to be closed" (or "supposed to be open" for that matter) meant little and we should go by and see if it was open... Much to my happy surprise Ibiz was very much open! The whole shop smelled like fine leather and they had a small, but lovely selection of hand made handbags, belts and other small accessories. I picked out a beautiful purple bag for me and a red one for the Mom. We got a little leather flower pin for Miss B. and the shop owner couldn't have been nicer. He threw in a lovely canvas tote bag with natural leather handles and a leather key chain for the Husband. I've been using my new purse since I've been home and its just great!! I highly recommend paying a visit to Ibiz if you're in Rome!

After our shopping spree we kept walking and decided to go to the Trastevere for dinner. The Husband picked out a place with "traditional" Neapolitan cooking. It was one of those places where the owner comes over and talks to you and regardless of what you actually want to order they tell you that they have something you'd like better. Unfortunately, in this place it meant that what they're telling you they'll give you is what they had on hand. You want lasagna? No, really, you want spaghetti with eggplant! You want to sit outside? No, you want to sit inside!
I was facing the inside of the restaurant and I could just see the "chef" going back and forth to the bathroom all night. I don't even want to know why that was happening. Then they had us try "fresh made" mozzarella... which the Husband just kept saying tasted like parmalat. All I know is that it was warm and tasted about as "fresh" as the stuff that Hot Truck Bob used to use when making a PMP! (Ugh!) Then, just as we were finishing up our main course the table adjacent to us suddenly filled up with 10 smoking Spaniards. The Husband noted to me that the man sitting behind me was a dead ringer for Cortez in a windbreaker. This of course led me to remind the Husband that no one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition. The Husband's assessment throughout dinner was that if nothing else, it was good "blog fodder". I'd have to agree.

When that excitement was over we started walking back again visiting the fountains in the Piazza Navona. Finally, we caught a cab back to the Villa and before going to bed we managed to put on at least one channel on the SkyTV... it just happened to be MTV. During "Yo! MTV Raps" Miss B. rocked out to a selection from the Black Eyed Peas while we packed for the flight home.

Here's Trajan's column. Can I just say, there were more frickin' columns and obelisks in Rome than I've ever seen anywhere. It was truly a case of the Obelisk Factory Outlet. (Or perhaps, some body's brother-in-law was in the column business...)


This woman was drawing up by the Forum...
In the Capitoline


Book Stall near the Campo dei Fiori