My Name is Maximus Decimus Meridius – Part III

On Day 3, M & I headed back over to the Vatican to try to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica. On the way over we stopped by a couple of street vendors that were selling clothes. I bargained a little but decided to wait and buy the two dresses & belt on the way back. When we got to the Vatican, this is what we saw…

Ay-yay-yay

Yeah, the line was a wee bit long. We didn’t really feel like standing in the 2-3hr line—especially since I had already been, so we decided to head out and we went to a street market in the southeast corner of the city. I got to flex my bargaining skills there a little bit more and ended up with a new pair of sunglasses and a “turquoise” ring.

All for less than $40...not too bad

Paul was able to get off work a little early, so we headed back to the hotel to meet him. We walked around the corner to a produce market where we got some delicious strawberries. Then we headed towards the park that we just North of us, stopping to get prosciutto and cheese paninis on the way. We had our picnic and relaxed in the park for a while which was really nice.




Next we walked to the other end of the park which is where “our lookout” point is. It definitely wasn’t the same as being there at sunset, but it was still a gorgeous view.

View of St. Peter's Basilica

Top: M & Josclyn, Bottom: you know who we are

From here we headed down the steps back to Piazza del Popollo and stopped in the church beside the square.

Just out for a walk

Then we headed back to the hotel to get changed and meet up with a few of the translators from the Rome office to go out for drinks. We had a great time with the two girls that we met up with. After drinks we headed across the river for dinner per the girls’ recommendation.

Aren't those flowers gorgeous?  I would love to have an apartment that looks out on this plaza and see those flowers every day!

Flags & laundry

Sunset over St. Peter's Basilica

Sunset looking Southwest from the river

Once we got to the area, there were lots of restaurants to choose from. We wandered a little bit until we arbitrarily chose one—I think the bizarre sign lured us in.

"We are against war and tourist menus"

We had a lovely dinner of baked pasta, bread, and red wine. We finished off the night with a gelato and then headed back to get some sleep.