We met the group at 9:30 for our third "class day," and then walked across pretty much the entire center of the city to the Ara Pacis (Altar of peace). Allison's usual shoes were wet from the day before, so she wore other shoes that were not the best for walking and hurt her feet. We saw the Ara Pacis and the nearby Mausoleum of Augustus (the bare remains of it, at least)--we also saw a Ferrari store along the way that was advertising a Ferrari Segway in the storefront window. We also saw lots of dogs and cats, and it was sunny and warmer, so that was very nice. From there, we walked across the Tiber River to the Mausoleum of Hadrian and then had some gelatto before heading to the Pantheon, where Allison gave her presentation (we all had to give brief presentations about various monuments--Allison's was the Pantheon). Inside the Pantheon, Allison's presentation attracted a couple of tourists who must have assumed she was a tour guide or something and listened to a good part of it. Following the Pantheon, we all went to the column of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina before taking a late group lunch. We have not yet tired of Italian food! After lunch, several of us walked over to the Baths of Diocletian, which was less actual bath complex and more museum now. It actually ended up being ok that there wasn't much there, though, as we were both pretty tired and burned out from the last several days and ended up sitting around half-heartedly looking at exhibits. There was a nice courtyard there, however, which we walked around and looked at statues. Around 5:00 we headed back to the hotel for a quick re-charge rest before dinner and yet more gelatto. Good food, but we can't wait to get back to Newcastle to start eating normally again.
...side note: Pedestrian laws in Rome are like a combination of New York and Boston. Pedestrians technically have the right of way when crossing the road but in order to actually assert this right of way you have to put your life on the line by stepping out into New York-type traffic. We observed many others doing this before doing it ourselves. It was pretty scary to just step out into traffic, but the cars always stopped, albeit about 2 feet from you. A weird place."
Mausoleum of Augustus and the Ara Pacis
Hadrian's Mausoleum (above) and (below) sights from the nearby bridge including the Vatican, some type of modern ritual which consisted of clusters of locks on the bridge, and a statue
Piazza Navona
"Popesicles" (above) and Allison's Pantheon presentation (below)
Sights around Rome, then the Baths of Diocletian...
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