|
| 3:30am |
Full bladder. I’m sure you understand.
|
| 6:27am |
The phone starts ringing, except it sounded more like the most annoying
alarm clock. I initially thought it was *my* alarm. After pounding
on it, and it not responding, I figured things out. Girl was still
sleeping! Rachel dragged her sorry human being into the shower. I
got myself ready while I
waited for her to get ready. (Note to
self -- replace the now-broken alarm clock.) |
| 7:01am |
Downstairs for the free buffet breakfast.
As the waiters were quite strict and forceful, I didn’t get
any pictures; apparently, photographing the continental breakfast
is a high crime here. But I did take note that there were more candies
and sweets available than there were actual breakfast items. Fake
scrambled eggs, peaches and chocolate rolls dominated the girl’s
plate. I stuck with dry toast, lots of sugary yum-yums and non-carbonated
water. (When they ask you if you want your water with or without gas,
they're asking if you want it carbonated, I found out.) |
| 7:56am |
And we’re heading to the Vatican! We met up with Carlo,
our Roman tour guide for the day. He first took us to the Vatican
Museum, where we had to go through the security checkpoint
and search.
(Sorry for the blurry pictures, but photos weren't exactly encouraged.)
|
| 8:04am |
Once through, we wandered down many
a hallway. They were lined with statues (like this
guy, these
kids, and this
guy), frescos and paintings (a poorly
lit ceiling, a partially
obstructed one, and a nicer
one), and tapestries (again,
one up close, a Jesus
one, and a different
one). This
dude freaked me out, but I still (strangely) like it for some
reason. |
| 9:45am |
We go through the Sistine Chapel. Tourists aren’t allowed
to take any photographic reproductions due to an agreement between
Rome and the Japanese. (They’re cleaning the Chapel for free
in exchange for six years of photo reproductions rights, from 1999
to 2004). |
| 9:47am |
After a brief but careful examination
of my conscience, I decided I'm so much more than a mere tourist --
I'm a duck -- thus, the no tourist photo rule doesn't apply to me.
So, I sneaked in a few pictures as you can see here,
here,
and here.
(I was also impressed at how well they turned out despite being taken
from under my left wing.) |
| 10:20am |
We now head over to St. Peter’s
Basilica, Rome’s tallest building (the law doesn’t
allow any other building to be taller). |
| 10:31am |
One of the Carabinieri,
the Italian police, is hanging out in front of the Basilica, which
isn't surprising considering Michelangelo’s famous La
Pieta is housed here. |
| 11:17am |
Though moved by the beauty of St. Peter's, our roommate, Lydia
decided to become a FrankPal. |
| 11:40am |
The group (all 44 humans, 1 duck)
was allowed to roam free for a while. The Swiss Guards are the Vatican’s
own personal troops. Dang goofy
outfits, wouldn’t you say? The police were out
and about as well. |
| 12 noon |
I bought some crucifixes here
because the Pope waves his hand over them and states an Italian blessing.
Got a sandwich called a
panini from the Italian version of a
taco shop minus the cockroaches, of course. |
| 1:05pm |
After crossing the River
Tiber, we made our way to the Colosseum. |
| 3:03pm |
On the way back to the hotel, Rachel fell in love with the Smart
car. Made by Mercedes, it’s perfect for Rome. It’s
small and gets great mileage. The girl was bound and determined to
make off with one, but it was still too big for her suitcase. Giuseppe,
the coach driver, joined the distinguished ranks of my FrankPals.
|
| 5:38pm |
Once again, I boarded the coach. Love
these cushy leather seats. They even recline! I was starving so I
dragged the girl and a few others into a ristorante pizzeria. Not
many of these little restaurants have their names on the front. I
tried some bruschetta with an artichoke paste on top. Interesting.
The girl had gnocchi (a pasta) with four different cheeses. |
| 6:30pm |
I was one lucky duck tonight. I managed to get to the Pantheon
before it locked up for the night. |
| 7:50pm |
It was pretty cold outside. My downy
feathers were near frozen but the girl insisted on getting this chocolate
gelato. It’s a really creamy ice cream and quite delicious as
a snuck a bite. Rachel committed a faux pax when she ordered the gelato,
got it in hand and then paid. You’re supposed to pay first.
(Shame on her for her ignorance of Italian protocol -- and she even
read through Lonely Planet’s Guide to Italy, available from
fine book stores anywhere, including Amazon.com,
coincidentially, who is also linked from my main
page.) |
| 10:05pm |
Time to go sleepy while Lydia showers. I’m already tired of
watching the BBC and CNN, and I don't speak Italian nearly enough
to understand the local news. |
| |
|
