day 10- spanish steps, trevi fountain, piazza navona

we slept in today. not really sure of what to do, we got up late and got dressed. we had planned on staying the day in bed because facing the rain yet again was just too depressing. i noticed the sun through the shades and realized that if we were ever to fall in love with rome, today was the day.
we headed towards the metro- backpack holding the map, guidebook, and umbrella(just in case). we decided to see the spanish steps,

where's chris?

there he is!!!

trevi fountain,


and the pantheon.


only with at&t could we listen to the podcast AND snap this pic:)

all these spots were rife with tourists and guys from india trying to sell novelties. between each of these spots we'd duck into shops and buy this or that souvenir for the kids. we passed by the italian parliament and a building where the prime minister was reportedly meeting with his cabinet. a throng of people were standing about the doorway and some pretty tough polizia boys were hanging about in swat unis. i had to ask one of the crowd what was going on- why all the press and swat boys? he told me about the prime minister. we noticed dark clouds so we headed towards the metro.

a video telling about the pedestrian and motorist blend going on in the streets of rome.
we passed through the piazza populo. it was full of tourists, musicians, groups, strollers, lovers, entertainers, you name it. before he reached the metro our backpack was full of treats. we decided a siesta was needed so that we could hit the piazza navona at night- it stays open REALLY late.
after getting off the metro chris headed to mcdonald's and got a value meal or something. i couldn't bring myself to eat any of that(haven't eaten it in 9 years!) so before laying down at the hotel i got a plate of antipasti at the hotel's osteria. i needed something small because i was about to fall over!
after my antipasti and sharing a bottle of acua naturale we headed upstairs. the nap hit the spot- chris just watched hollywood movies dubbed into italian the whole time. we got up and got dressed to go out to a nice dinner. the shuttle dropped us off closer to the center of downtown this time. we walked towards the piazza navona once we got our bearings. we passed the HUGE palace that was victor emmanuel's house- i think- whatever it was it was big. the piazza navona was large- with shops and risorantes lining the edges. we found a tratoria where a man stood out front and encouraged us to come and sit- everything is fresh, not frozen, and the champagne is free! so we were lured in. since it was friday i decided maybe a nice fish dish. well, every seafood item on the menu had an asterisk by it and that meant "previously frozen". so i decided on ravioli ricotta e spinaci and eggplant parmesan. it was ok. chris' lasagna al forno tasted like chec boyardee. the bottle of merlot we split was decent. i kept thinking we should have gone to arturo's! this- the last night in italy and we are eating chef boyardee! after strolling the piazza and looking at neptune's fountain we headed back towards s pietro's. we were planning on picking up on the metro a little east of st. peter's but hte metro closed at 9. we walked back to s. pietro's and picked up a cab. a mercedes. the car situation is odd in italy. cops drive alfa romeos, mercedes, bmws, and the like. cab drivers drive the same. everyone else drives tiny cars- smart cars are everywhere as well as scooters. scooters don't have to obey traffic laws or at least don't have to stop at red lights.
chris wondered if i was going to be able to sleep after that giant nap.
absolutely.