30 minutes after my test I started class with 5 other students. We meet twice a week for 2 hours. Not ONE word of anything but Italian is supposed to be spoken. At one point, our teacher Julia asked me a question with about 35 rapid fire words. Uh. Hmmm. Here's how I answered, "Ay yi yi. Mamma Mia!" Then I shrugged. Julia nodded. Shrugging and pointing are the great equalizers when your Italian is just so-so (cosi-cosi).
After class I caught up with Mr. C who was sitting at the outdoor caffe we discovered yesterday. He was enjoying espresso and writing some software program for one of his customers. BTW, this very same caffe is featured in the movie Roman Holiday. Personally, I think Roman Holiday is one of the saddest movies ever, but the scene with Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and Eddie Albert sitting outside the caffe just like John and I did is a happy one. There are pictures of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck at the entrance. Inside there are more pictures of a return visit Gregory Peck made years later. Here's an interesting thing to know...sitting outside at a table adds a few euros to your bill. John and I have made friends with the owner/operators, Romolo and his wife.
Romolo likes us so much he wants us to call him Romo.
After school and coffee we continued on our Frommer's Walking Tour #2. Mr. Frommer says this is a 3.5 hour tour, but we just wrapped up all 18 stops today. We figured we put in at least 9 hours. Maybe we're really slow.
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| JK looking dreamy before he got sick. |
When he was just 25-years-old he was madly in love with Ms. Fanny Brawne, but he was also suffering from the first symptoms of the dreaded tuberculosis which killed one brother a few years before--and would sound the death knell for his other brother a few years later. Keats moved to Rome from London, hoping the weather would help his health. Sadly, it didn't work out that way and needless to say, JK and Fanny never hooked up. He ended up dying in his little room just four months after he got there. My John says it was the four flights of stairs that killed him, but I think that's just mean.
His last request was that he be buried with an epitaph on a headstone that he wrote: Here lies One whose Name was writ in Water." He specifically said not to inscribe his name or the date he died on the headstone. Makes me cry every time I think of it.
Another highlight was walking down the Via del Corso. Anyone who's ever been to Rome knows about the streets that turn and twist, up a hill, down a couple of hills, etc. This street is a straight arrow and long. Apparently from the 1500s to at least the 1700s, Via del Corso was racing heaven. From what I read the Romans would race everything that could move--horses with riders and without, chariots, even street urchins. Today it's still a popular street for the nightly "passegiata"--that's when the beautiful people take their nightly stroll to see and be seen.
Kathryn
We are beginning to be acclimated to the time change. Lots of walking and getting familiar with our surroundings. Happy to have made friends with the coffee shop guy. I practice my Italiano with Romo and the lovely Romanian assistant, Carmellia.
Kathryn has alleviated my worry about obviously staring at the Italian women. She said to me today "The only thing better looking than Italian women is, ..... Italian men!" So right after that, we were buying soccer (futbol) tickets for this coming Sunday and a lovely ticket attendant was falling out of the top of her outfit. I just stared in comfort and didn't say a word. :)
We found ourselves in the plaza where the parliament building is. A search for a place for a bite to eat and a drink had us outside across from a building that was very impressive. As we were leaving we asked "What is this building?" The answer, "Berlusconi's office. He hasn't been seen in a month there." So essentially, we ate lunch 20 feet from the entrance to the White House. No one seemed as stressed out as our DC is. AND, I got to say "Boomba Boomba," drawing a smile from our waiter and the guard at the gate. A similar joke about our President probably wouldn't prompt the same reaction by his guards.
We spotted a barber shop just across from Mr. Berlusconi's building. A trim of the "travel beard" was in order. After being a bit concerned that she thought we wanted the entire beard gone we agreed to the trim. As you can see, I was in good hands. Kathryn, sitting watching was joined by the next customer, yet another gorgeous Italian man. Late in the day of walking we went into some lovely churches. From the outside they didn't look like so much other than ancient buildings. Inside, incredible. Quiet, peaceful, ornate and a place to sit, pray, reflect, etc. At the last church, San Marcus, an old priest using a walker shuffled across the main area to a small chapel where a small service was held. Very sweet scene. Pope John Paul II had visited the church and there was an area dedicated to his visit.
This is only Tuesday night but we have our weekend planned. Friday night to the Opera right around the corner then Sunday afternoon at the Futbol game. AS Roma is off to a good start to their season and in first place of their division of the Italian major futbol league. There was loud cheering in the streets last night when Roma beat Parma 3-1.
Ciao!
Giovanni
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