I walked in to Piazza Navona this morning, had a stroll around, then needed to go to the toilet so stopped at a cafe that I didn't know at the time but was two shops from Fuori Mercato, so after my coffee on I went to fuori mercato where a woman was preparing cups of fruit salad, she had gloves on which was great to see, and a fag hanging out of her gob with ash going everywhere - needless to say I didn't get a cup of fruit salad from her!
Then I walked on until I came to the Pantheon when I realised that I had only seen the front and inside of the building so I walked around the back and like so many other places, there are parts of the building just laying around, no-one cares, no graffitti, no theft, no carefully placing the pieces anywhere like at the forum or colosseo, all just laying around. I did notice that in different parts yesterday too. Most of the ruins of the forum are well and truly guarded, but then I came to the corner of the main strada near the river and there were pieces of marble and columns just laying everywhere.
After the Pantheon I found a tourist information kiosk so went in and asked about tours to Napoli. Nope, they can only tell me about the city of Rome because that is where their kiosk is. I need to go to Termini (which is where I was heading anyway) so I asked him to point in which direction I needed to walk.
Oh My God. Then I had an argument with him because he said it was too far to walk. I have walked it soooooooooo many times. I told him that no it wasn't and asked again which direction. Then he gets out a map of the metro and starts telling me to get this bus then that bus then this bus ...
In the end I walked out of the kiosk, straight to the bus stop out the front, caught the number 52 bus that was going to ... guess where ... Termini. Mamma Mia
Went to the tourist information desk. They don't know anything about tours but gave me the name of two companies that do tours to Napoli so I was going to come back to my room and start the whole researching on the net, til the lightglobe went off and I rang them. Both tour companies only do a combined Naples and Pompeii tour one cost 140 euro, the other 170 euro but they pick you up and drop you off at your hotel, and because there is no way I want to go back to Pompeii I didn't bother booking, so I won't go to Napoli.
I then hung around Termini watching the gypsies and pick pockets at work for a while, they watched people with more than one case, and one woman in particular had a case and a bag, (like me) but the idiot was struggling and making a bit of a scene about it. The pickpockets were on to her in a flash - lucky for her the cops happened to walk past at the same time so the pick pockets made a quick left turn.
Then caught the bus back to Vatican where I sat at a table and ate a salad for lunch, while eating I realised where I was sitting - if you tried to get me to eat my lunch at a table in the middle of the road with cars going past in Geelong I'd tell you that you were mad! Here everyone does it without batting an eye!
I have just come back from dinner - again my table was in the middle of the road. I had ravioli then coffee with tirimasu which was yum. The waiter was a pain in the arse the whole time until I sat down. Then I was practically ignored (happens a lot when you eat solo). When I asked for il conto, he gave it to me, listed everything that was on the bill, then said 'it does not have service' in other words, he was looking for a tip. I just said, no, va bene. Gave him the amount that was on the bill, said grazie and left. I could feel his eyes burning holes in my back as I walked off!
I am going to go up to Travestere tomorrow, I say up, it's along the river, where I had lunch with that woman talking to me yesterday. I am 'friends' with a guy and his dog on facebook so am going to meet them for half an hour at 5, then I will walk back along the river and come back to my room. Before I meet with them I am going to go for a walk around the Jewish quarter which is near Campo di fiori where Iwas today and which is just across the river from where I am meeting them. I have been to the supermarket and got all sorts of goodies for him!
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