Buonasera!

Well I never it made it to Vatican City today.... My heart was stronger than my legs yesterday and I over did it. I woke up today and felt like I had been hit by a truck! Total jello legs :). So I decided to take it easy and make it a Museum day. I started by going to the phone store to get my sim card/data plan and wow, did I miss my googlemaps. No longer was a wandering around all day wondering what the heck street I was on, I had my little blue blinking dot to tell me! Now I can focus on staring down the scooters as they try to run me over. I'm the frog in frogger trying to get across these crazy streets! Mostly I just find a local and practically step on their heels as I follow them across. I then visited the National Museum of Rome. The first floor was marble sculptures and were very beautiful and simply amazing that someone actually carved them. The fabric creases and folds with indents are so realistic, it's amazing. The second floor was frescos, not so taken by them but still impressive to see.

I had about 2 hours before my reservation at the Gallery Borghese so along the way I stopped at the Church of Santa Maria della Immacolata Concezione. Below the church is the Cappuccin Crypt. There were no cameras allowed in but I took pics of my postcards just so you can get an idea. You walked along a narrow corridor and there were about 5 rooms you could look into that had skulls stacked and bones arranged in patterns and pictures. Along all the walls, ceilings and making up the chandeliers were bones. There were also full skeletons in friar robes. I liked it, but I like morbid things like that. As you enter there is a sign that reads in Italian, "We were what you are..you will become what we are now"

Then it was off to the Villa Borghese, which is an expansive garden/park where at the tip is the Gallery Borghese. The garden was beautiful. I stopped for lunch at a street cart and had the worst sandwich of my life. Teaches me to eat from a street cart while in Rome. The Gallery was beautiful, but overwhelming. It was an actual house of the Borghese so the walls and ceilings alone were works of art, ornately painted with cherubs, gladiators, statues, angels, scenes of Gods and Goddesses, etc. But along with that the rooms were also filled with sculptures and paintings hung on the walls. The sculptures get me more then the paintings. It's hard to imagine how someone could take a huge block of marble and transform it, in so much detail. It was 7:00 by the time I left so I had to get a coca-cola light at the bookstore then headed back to my hotel. With my new confidence of googlemaps I decided to walk back to my hotel from the new area. Along the way I was able to do some shopping and bought my first luxurious Italian sweater :)

Delicious, if touristy dinner at the restaurant next to my hotel. Now I must get some sleep (and Advil) if I am to tackle Vatican City tomorrow!!

LoveLove Coly