Beware of the tortoises.

Saturday March 12, 2011 Day 255

This morning we took the subway across the Tiber river, then made our way back on foot. On our way along one street, I am pretty sure we saw the very end of a lesbian sexual encounter between two participants standing on a sidewalk. NOT what one expects to see in the shadow of the Vatican! We stopped at the Castel Sant’Angelo after skirting the Vatican. The Castel is a huge cylindrical fortress surrounded by a moat. It was originally designed as a tomb to hold Hadrian’s ashes, but has undergone numerous reincarnations throughout the centuries, including a prison and the pope’s fortress. A covered stone walkway was built in the 14th century leading from St. Peter’s Basilica to the fortress for the pope to use in the event an escape was necessary. Entry to the castle is by a long sloping ramp which encircles the castle. We were advised that the ramp might be uncomfortable for tortoises.

We did not see any tortoises on the ramp or elsewhere in the museum



View of the castle

The pope's esacpe corridor above the city

We had a late lunch in a sandwich shop near the Spanish Steps. While we ate, we watched television reports of the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The videos are heartbreaking. Later we passed tour groups of Orientals in the street, and I wondered which might be Japanese, and how hard it was for them to be here while their country is in such awful turmoil.

Italy is too much like the U.S in that televisions are showing up more and more. Soon Italy will be unable to escape the constant bombardment of the same news, over and over, hashed and rehashed, then repeated again and again; constant mediocrity. There ARE certain things I like about France!

The amazing thing about having fallen off our low-carb diet is that I am hungrier before a meal than I ever was on the diet. I usually ate when the clock said it was time to eat, not when I got hungry. And when the clock said it was time to eat, my stomach was not growling. Now, my stomach is growling an hour or so before lunch time or dinner time! The carbs do not seem to satisfy me.

We tried to eat at an African restaurant around the corner from our hotel - when we entered, we were wafted away on the delightful smells. Alas! It is Saturday night and since we didn’t have a reservation, we were turned away.