Today was a full day. As you may guess from the title, we basically did the rest of Rome today. There was a lot to see! We started our day off with the continental breakfast at the hostel. They were serving Nutella filled croissants, so I dug into my bag and had one of the dairy-free muffins Francesco kept sending to my room. (Waste not, want not, right?) That heated up in the microwave alongside a cup of tea did just fine.

We tried to use our pass from yesterday (which was supposed to be good for 24 hours) to ride the metro out to the Colosseum, but the machine rejected it . I was wishing I spoke Italian so I could explain the problem to the gal at the ticket counter. Instead, we just walked. We got in line and fired up our audio guide. While it gave us the intro and information about the exterior, we got up to where we could buy our tickets. Time well spent, because we often skip the exterior part. :) We walked around the Colosseum, "tethered together by the ears" as Bryan says. It makes it very easy not to lose your "travel buddy" that way. ;)

The information was interesting, and the site itself was big and impressive. We took it all in, snapping more than twenty photos before moving on to the Roman Forum. This was another site that we navigated while listening to the audio guide. There were lots of people there who had paid guides to show them around, but whenever I overheard what they were telling the groups, it was information we were getting too. So I felt like we were getting a great deal by using the free guide. Not only that, but we loved that we could just pause it whenever we wanted to stop and talk to one another about something or take a picture . Can you imagine asking your tour guide, "Hold that thought, I'd like to walk over here and talk to my husband for a sec. Thanks!"

We had found Gatorade at a good price this morning at the grocery store (we stopped for a couple things before the Colosseum) and were really enjoying it. It tastes much better at room temperature than most other drinks. But now it was time for lunch. So we walked out of the forum, up the stairs to Capitol Hill and sat down on the steps to eat our peanut butter and jellies. We broke out the Pringles and cookies too and had a nice little picnic. When we finally stood up, however, (after enjoying the square that Michealangelo designed) we found that there must have been water in the pock marks of the steps, because our bottoms were all wet. How embarrassing. If only there were benches readily available this kind of thing wouldn't happen. Fortunately, we were both wearing our travel-friendly quick drying pants.

Then Bryan lead us past the big Italian monument (Vittorio) and we started our walking tour of the Renaissance portion of Rome . We started in Campo de' Fiori (where there was an open air market with fresh food and every type of pasta) and went to Piazza Navona where we saw the Four Rivers Fountain. We liked the fountain a lot. :) As we continued walking we heard drumming, whistling and chanting. Looking around we noticed there was a definite presence of law enforcement officials (of a few different types, judging from their uniforms) guarding the senate building. There was also someone from the news station nearby. We loitered a bit to see what was going on, and were rewarded with the view of local people marching in a protest with signs. We assume they were upset about austerity measures. Once we saw them come around the corner, we slipped off down a side street, so as not to be caught in the action. And managed to time it just right to see the changing of the ceremonial guards. Their marching and pikes stood in stark contrast to the no-nonsense heavy-duty police we'd seen out front.

Next we went to the Pantheon and listened to yet another audio guide . It was just huge and amazing inside. Once a temple to all gods, it has since been taken over by the Catholic church. I overheard someone say, "It is so tragic. It was supposed to be for all the gods." I, for one, am glad that the people of Rome no longer worship the 30,000 tiny made up gods. However, it would be interesting to see what it looked like back then. Before we left, we saw the resting place of Rafael.

Then it was time for some gelato. We got some and took a seat on the base of a huge pillar in the portico. (I'm telling you, there are no benches anywhere!) While we ate our ice cream, we watched a mother purposefully startling pigeons with her daughter's stroller (much to the little girl's delight).

We kept going on the walking tour. We saw more Egyptian obelisks and were nearing the Trevi Fountain when I decided I was still exhausted (despite the sorbetto) and that my legs were sore from the knees down. We found a McDonald's and I got in the line for the restroom while Bryan got us some chicken nuggets . The restroom I was waiting for was abruptly shut down and I was re-routed to the upstairs restroom. Still waiting when Bryan found us a seat, he convinced me to come sit down with him and enjoy a cold drink and some food. And just as well, because when we left I still would have been about fifteenth in line. *shakes head* As we were leaving, we recognized a Canadian family we had met on the cruise ship. They were eating nuggets too. Small world. ;)

Next we went to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. The steps were very crowded and there was an ambulance carting someone away with sirens blaring, so it wasn't quite the romantic picture you have in your head when you think "Spanish Steps." So we opted to come back and climb them later.

We returned to the hostel and took naps and showers. Feeling refreshed, we took off again in search of a store that sells Ecco brand shoes. Bryan's have developed holes in the soles after ten years of constant use, and we would like to replace them . We found the place we were looking for just before it closed, and the salesperson asked (in Italian) Bryan's size. He said he didn't know. "Um, number. Shoe number." He explained he understood the question, but didn't know his European size. "Ah, okay." So he took off his sandal and showed her. She laughed. Apparently, his feet are much bigger than their normal customers. Anyway, she was able to find him two pair of shoes to try, but the ones that fit were ugly. So we thanked the ladies and left.

This seems like a good time to mention the best way we have found to deal with the language barrier. Just look at the person and imagine what someone in the states would be saying at that time/in that scenario. If it fits with the body language, assume your guess is correct and proceed as if you have understood, without worrying about the words. It is amazing how far this will get you. Rather than being focused on a confusing jumble of sounds coming at you, you can proceed according to what is logical regardless of what is being said . It astounds me how rarely this leads to a misunderstanding.

After our attempt at shoe shopping, we decided to go have dinner. We went to Miscellanea, just behind the Pantheon. They served us pizza and pasta that was very good. While we ate, a street performer who was singing and playing guitar came and entertained us for quite awhile. The music was good, and we enjoyed it and clapped at the conclusion of each song. After dinner we were served what they called their "Sexy Wine." This was made with strawberry flavored grapes. It was very nice. The guitar player made his rounds asking for tips, but we didn't have the right change. We had pennies and large bills. We tried to tell him to wait a moment while we paid our bill, but he didn't understand or didn't want to wait, and took off down the road, seeming reasonably disappointed that we didn't give him anything after we appreciated his music. Finally we were able to pay our bill and get some change, but the guitar player was no one in sight.

We continued on toward the Trevi Fountain along a street with a carnival feel. Wandering vendors were playing with glow toys in the hopes that tourists would buy them. There were men selling roses. One tried to "give" me some. The tacky trinkets lit up inside the little shops along the street now gleamed like treasures. The outdoor eating areas looked welcoming despite our full bellies. Everything looked nicer at night. And then I saw him! Our guitar player was sitting near the side of the road smoking a cigarette. We walked up to him happily and gave him a couple of Euros thanking him for the song. :)

We saw the fountain at night, and then the Spanish Steps. Both were much more dramatic lit up at night. We even found a geocache on the steps. Then we walked back to the hostel and called it a night. It was a full and very good day.

I can't believe everything we were able to cram into this day. We got to see so much of Rome and so much more than my first time in the city. Those free audio tours that we had downloaded really added some good flavor to our wandering around. Rome is a crazy city. It's very busy with locals and tourists and it can be really overwhelming at times. We both wore ourselves out with all of our walking, but thankfully the weather was really pleasant, which made it a lot easier.