Saturday 12th September - St Pauls Basilica It was already hot and as it was after 11.00am we decide to stop for a coffee so off on a side street was a place in the shade to sit but once seated we decided to have a beer instead. Two small beers cost €17. Right up there with the jacket. We wandered off further down Condotti and made a turn to head for St Peter Square. We got to the River Tiber and peered over the wall and what a scummy river. The weeds w...

Saturday 12th September Barcaccia Fountain Situated at the bottom of the Spanish Steps is the boat shaped Barcaccia Fountain in the Piazza di Spagna. Lots of people were filling drinking bottles although I wonder how clean the water actually is. Lots of people lining up to take photos of their friends filling the bottles and we did the same. Afterwards we climbed the150 steps to the top opposite the church which was going through renovations with scaffold...

Saturday 12th September We walked to Termini Station and had coffee and croissant for late breakfastand then went into the station building to find the Metro. We certainly came out the tradesmens entrance when we arrived because there is a whole underground shopping city underneath the big new main Station building. Had we come out at the main entrance when we first arrived we would not have found our apartment so easily. We caught the metro to Spagna St...

Friday 11th September - Heading home Upon leaving the piazza where the Pantheon is there were a couple of claps of thunder. Within minutes there were a few big spots of rain so we headed for the Metro. We didn't get far and the rain was a bit heavier and then a bit heavier still. No umbrella, no raincoats as it was a blue sky day of about 25 deg when we left earlier that day. We stopped and bought a blue and a pink poncho for €3 each. Within minutes there ...

Friday 11th September - Pantheon We headed down some pedestrian only areas and came around the corner to see the exterior of the Pantheon. We saw a programme on this building not long before leaving NZ. The Pantheon has been the model of perfection for 18 centuries. It is known for its perfect symmetry. The diameter of the dome is equal to the buildings height. It is the most preserved building in the whole of Ancient Rome and is the enduring symbol of ar...