1) At the Gallerie Borghese, we decided we are just not "art" people. We are music nerds, though we did enjoy selections in the Gallerie. First off, it's a marvelous building and the walls are full of trompe l'oeil. Stacy, these are for you:
These two panels are flat against the wall. The shadows are painted on so they appear to be standing out from the wall, as though sculpted. We thought these were pretty cool. They were everywhere.
2) I used to use a perfume called simply "Borghese". It was wonderful. Then shortly after I moved to Phoenix, it got discontinued. I heard about it a little later than others, but was still able to race over to the nearest Dillards and buy about 9 bottles. Lasted me over a year, if I remember correctly. And then it was gone. Periodically, it will show up on ebay, triggering horrible bidding wars. I think a bottle can easily go for $250. Used to cost about $40.
So while I was there, I spoke to the guy at the counter in the museum shop about it and he confirmed that it's discontinued here in Italy as well, but showed me a limited edition perfume that smells pretty good an was available as a discounted item. So I got some. It's not Borghese, but it's nice to have a bottle of some kind of Borghese perfume for old time's sake.
3) The Romans love their graffiti. It seems like every empty space has something or other written or painted in it. Kind of a waste, but even more is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any concentrated effort to stop it, such as, painted it over or increasing patrols or what have you. The graffiti just seems to be there forever.
4) They are very creative about parking in a city crowded with cars. Especially those little pesky Smart Cars. I guess they think they are all that and a bag of chips because they are so "environmentally friendly" and seem to fit everywhere. They can, so they do:
I'd love to know how the driver of the Smart Car on the left will get in -- or how he got out, for that matter.
5) I forgot to mention this when I talked about our day in Venice. I have NO idea what to make of it. All I know is that I was just a little scared taking a photo of it:
"NO MAFIA! VENICE IS SACRED" ??? Really? Is that what it says? And what does it all mean?
These 4 letters are on billboards throughout the city and I also noticed them stamped on various manhole covers. They go waaaaay back to ancient times. SPQR means "Senatus Populusque Romanus": The Senate and the Roman People. I was always taught that it symbolized that the Senate and the Roman People were equal partners in running the land. Not sure anymore, but it gives this old Latin student a thrill to see it. I first saw it in a textbook in 1962 and here it is again.
7) So I'm standing near the Vatican as Gene is looking through a souvenir stand when this big, effusive, Black African woman came up to me squealing like I was her long lost friend. Gave me to air kisses on either side of my cheeks and puts small carved elephant in my hand. But then she asked for 2 euros. Okay, what the heck, here are two euros. She takes the coin and then takes the smaller coins that are in my palm. Okay, she wants a tip and usually don't spend anything smaller than 50 cent euro coin anyway. But then she starts insisting that she had asked for 5 euros. So I said "then take back the elephant." Oh my how quickly did she change her mind and walk away.
So that was my lesson in "friendly" people in Italy.
8) We don't want to miss our tour in the Vatican, so we do a trial run so we know where we need to get to by 7:45am. We find out it's an easy run, so we walk around a little and we get our first view of the Vatican:
Pretty damned impressive and that's only a small piece of it. Even with good peripheral vision, you can't take it all in. There is a very long line to get in to see something. I think it's St. Peter's Basilica, but aren't sure. It's really a looooong line.
9) Me and the cobblestone streets of Italy really aren't getting along. I've had too many slips and foot turns on uneven surfaces and catching myself. And I must admit, I even took a header onto the sidewalk one afternoon. Stepped wrong, uneven sidewalk -- pothole in the sidewalk, actually -- an just couldn't regroup and regain my upright position. By the time I got done, I was half-way off the curb, inches from hitting my head on a parked bus, sunglasses off with one lens popped out and my self-esteem in tatters. Oy. I hate when that happens. My knee is still numb where it took the brunt of the impact. But I'm walking fine an w/o pain, so go figure.
And that's it for Italy today.
Steps today: 16,245
Total for the vacation: 107,374
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