What's Mr. Bean doing in a choir?!!??!?

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Geo: 41.8955, 12.4823

Bought yogurt for breakfast - so rich and creamy ... those blasted Italians and their food! I'm pretty sure I've gained weight from all the yogurt, gelato, and pasta. I'm in no particular hurry today - the only thing I have planned is the Borghese gallery, and my reservation isn't until 17:00.

Did a little browsing for clothing (I need a jacket or something warmer) and then I was off to find lunch. Went to a tavola calda (like a deli with hot food) and had pork roast with roasted potatoes. Great flavour, but the skin wasn't crisp. Also had a big chunk of bread - I overdosed on starch, yet again. Lunch was good ... but a little pricey for what I received.

Tried the gelato place that our bunkmate was raving about. Many flavours, but nothing was labeled. I settled on zabaglione, nocciolata, and straciatella. It was OK; definitely not as good as the guy had hyped it up to be.

Started walking to San Giovanni. JAC! I sat on the steps for a while - I'm feeling lazy and tired today. I kept walking and stumbled upon some kind of NBA exhibition - looks like they are preparing for some 5 on 5 tourney.

Baths of Caracalla - pretty boring. Just another bath! I only went because it was included with my archaeological pass. After, I did a little more clothing browsing and a lot of walking. Then, off to the Borghese Gallery. Situated in the beautiful Villa Borghese - it was quite a sight.

If I could do it all over again, I would probably have myself a nice little picnic outside before visiting the gallery. Great location. As I walked into the building, a rude security guard grabbed me by the arm. "Do you have a ticket?!!??". No, I don't, you dumbass! I need to get one but you have no signage indicating that I need to get it from the basement!

He was too busy chatting with his friend as I walked up to the door - I actually paused outside for several seconds before entering. He had several opportunities to tell me where to get tickets, instead of accosting me.

Anyway, I started with the painting gallery. A few nice works, but I found the ceilings equally, if not more impressive. Gods were painted on the walls as if they were holding up the ceiling - 3D realism!

Off to the sculpture gallery - "Pauline Bonaparte as Venus" was incredible. She was sitting on a cushion - and you could actually see the wrinkles, creases, and indentations sculpted into the marble. And that was just her cellulite! The cushion looked real, too!

"Apollo and Daphne" was even better. Apollo was struck by Cupid's arrow and he was chasing after Daphne. To escape this madman, her father magically transforms her into a tree - the artist captures the moment just as she is turning into a tree (I bet that Isabel wished that could have happened to her, to escape the embarrassment of me showing up in July!) Leaves were actually sculpted out of marble - amazing! Apparently, they ring like crystal when struck. I can't imagine how that can be done in marble without breaking it as it was sculpted. Apollo even has a billowing cape extending behind him ... how do you sculpt something like that? The billowing cape actually forms a tube behind him and is hollow. Seems physically impossible, to me. Almost as realistic as Tri's billowing toilet paper incident in Penticton last year!

"Rape of Porsepine" - you could see impressions in her thighs from where his fingers were clutching her. The skin on Pluto's face was also being stretched where she was pushing away on his forehead.

There's also a tranquil little sculpture garden out back. There are lots of nice picnic spots in Villa Borghese. It would be nice just to hang out in a place like this for a few hours, but I was supposed to meet the girls at a church for a free concert. If I left now, I could actually meet them at the hostel and have a little rest beforehand.

On the walk back, I saw a lady with a cell phone holder built right into her helmet! I guess it's safe in a way, but it seems quite dangerous in others. Should she really be talking on the cell phone while on a scooter?

Back at the hostel, I met my Spanish bunkmate Jose, from the Canary Islands. Cool!! I got to practice my Spanish. It was quite pathetic - I have forgotten lots and my bad accent had gotten worse because of a lack of use. Patricia and Vicky would be ashamed of me!

We all grabbed some free pizza at the hostel. Every day at 20:00 they have it. I think they buy some leftovers from a nearby bakery. Not the best stuff, but it's included. Smart business on their part - chances are you'll have a piece and then have some of their overpriced beer.

Off to the free concert. It was good and beautiful .. but a little too much of the same thing. They did a unique song near the end. The choir spread out around the church to give a surround sound effect. They also used wine glasses filled with water to generate a surprisingly loud humming noise. Some parts were spoken too ... one guy sounded like Mr. Bean. Chelsea and I almost burst out laughing.

We had some gelato after. Fior di latte (some type of cream?) and mitrillo (sp? I think it was blackberry). Very good stuff. After, we walked back to the hostel. Kristine and I walk fast so we ended up quite away ahead of Tiffani and Chelsea. This happened quite a bit - Tiffani and Chelsea later told us that every time we would bolt they would say "... and .... they're off!!!"

It's funny how you are always drawn to people who have had similar life experiences. It was a nice walk and a nice chat. Back to the bar for a quick (and expensive) beer. We sat with an obnoxious Canadian guy - he was entertaining for a short time, but then he just became ... obnoxious!!! He loved the sound of his own voice, I think. I rolled into bed close to 2:00. I'm going to regret this tomorrow, as I have to wake up early to go to Orvieto.

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Photos

a
San Giovanni church.

b
Taken in the Baths of Caracalla. Pretty boring place, actually.

c
Villa Borghese.

d
Sculpture garden behind the Villa Borghese.