Waiting for the Bus
Waiting for the 571 bus in front of the tabocco shop. It should take us to the Coleseum, the Roman (is there any other type?) Forum, St. John Lateran (the Cathedral of Rome), and maybe the Spanish Steps.
Yesterday (Sunday) at noon we happened to see the Pope at the Sunday noon blessing at St. Peter's square (it was full...maybe 100,000 people).
We then walked (since there were 100,000 people looking for a bus at that point) to the following:
- A square with a fountain which John thought used to be the Circus Maximus, but wasn't - called the Piazza Navona
- A fountain (the largest in Rome), called the Trevi
- The Pantheon
We jumped off the bus at St. Peters at 4:30p, and tried to go to mass. Asking four different official-looking people where it was, they all told me "the main alter of the Cathedral at 5pm." There was no mass there (it was vespers - still awesome, but of course incomparable to mass). With the world HQ of the Roman Catholic Church closing at 6pm, I gave up on mass for the day and we headed for the Pizzeria.
Since Italians eat about 10pm, main courses couldn't be ordered until 7pm, which made for quite a leasurely dinner.
Home by 9p, I fell into bed, tired from all the walking.
Italian words I have learned:
- Basta! = Enough!
- Gracie = Thanks
- Dolche = Dessert
- Gelato = Ice Cream
- Toilette = Toilet
Smart Car = Brand name of the smallest real car you've ever seen. [edit 4/07: I saw one of these on the back of a semi rolling down 465 here in Indy...it's just a matter of time before they are all the rage!]
There are tons of Germans in the city. Maybe 'cause this is the first german pope in 500 years and they're proud and they want to lord it over the Italians.
I don't think our bus is going to come. Bus #98 has been by at least 10 times while we've been waiting.
No comments:
Post a Comment