Happy St. Stephen's Day

December 26 is St. Stephen's Day.  Apparently Romans and tourists celebrate by going to various sites, eating gelato, having a glass of wine or two, and doing a little shopping where shopping can be done.

Yesterday, Christmas Day, was a quiet day for me.  I had walked miles each day for three days.  I have to assume (hope) it was miles given how tired I was.  Did I bring stuff I didn't need?  Yep.  Something I could have used like a pedometer?  Nope.  Oh well. 

Anyway, Christmas Day was quiet.  I took my time getting up, had a nice breakfast, went for a short walk, and came back to my room to read and nap.  While I was out, I got the shot to the left of the street signs and the icon on the outside corner of the building.  I've seen a lot of those around, but I love the street signs.  Keep in mind there are no posted speed limits, so drivers seem to understand that to mean "drive as fast as you can."  So drivers hurtle through the streets and have to choose that quickly not to go straight and to make a one-way right turn at the sign.  And yes, there is a street there.

It was raining hard all day, so it seemed like a good day to rest.  Worked out well for me and my body.  I went out for a bit at dinner and found a nice little pizzeria on a side street--I was surprised how many place were open on Christmas Day as the hotel staff had made it sound as though no place would be open.  But there are a lot of tourists in Rome just now, so if I owned a restaurant or a shop, I'd've thought about being open both yesterday and today (a lot of stuff closed today, but a considerable number of shops and eating establishments open).  And then I returned to my room to read some more and watch a couple of movies I'd forgotten I'd rented through iTunes.

It was hard to get up this morning, though, because I stayed up too late.  But I got my breakfast and figured out my plan for the day.  I stood outside of my hotel for a minute, watching the street vendors and the Roman solider out in front of the Pantheon, when a group of cyclists came through.  I'd seen men running through the streets earlier and I'd seen men runners before, but rarely women running.  Given how my legs feel, I believe that Roman women stay in shape by walking regularly through the uneven, cobbled, hilly streets of Rome.

I wanted to go to the Chiesa del Gesu to get pictures, but, duh!, it's Sunday and so there were masses scheduled until noon.  Off I went thinking I was going toward the Colosseum as I'd planned to take the metro to go to St. Paul Outside of the Walls.  But then I realized I made a left when I should have made a right, or the other way around (this left-right thing is getting old) and realized I was actually close to St. Peter's and so I crossed the bridge and went to Castel Sant'Angelo, or the Mausoleum of Hadrian, instead.  It was a good day to get lost.  While the Castel Sant'Angelo is pretty cool itself, what's really special is the terrace.  Go aehad ad climb up those steep stairs.  And you won't have to look up; just look out and take in Rome.

After I left the Castel Sant'Angelo, I moseyed north-ish along the banks of the Tiber River.  I crossed the Ponte Umberto and wandered further north, finding Via de Corso and cotinued to the Piazza del Popolo (left).  This is a huge Piazza that was quite crowded.  Not as many street vendors and only a couple of street musicians.  A different kind of energy at this Piazza that may have something to do with the neighborhood.  It's not that far from Borghese Garden and a fairly short stroll to Via di Babuino and the upscale shopping.  I wandered down to the Spanish Steps because I had a plan for my next stop, but then I saw Babington's Tea Shop with its window full of cupcakes.  I had to stop.

I was met by a nice young woman whose English was accent-free and later discovered she was born in Florida!  Her parents divorced when she was 8; her mother is Italian.  Babingtons is quite small and quite popular.  She found me a table though most were reserved for lunch.  And then she brought the menu.  How to choose?

If you are in a hurry, do not stop at Babington's.  Service proceeds at its own pace, which is not uncommon in Italy, but seemed exceptionally slow at Babington's.  This proved to be a nearly 2-hour lunch.  And if you are on a tight budget, do not stop here.  It is not cheap.  It was to me, however, worth the time and the money.

My next stop was going to be Palazzo Barberini.  I found the Fontana del Tritone backed by the Hotel Bernini, which meant I was fairly close to my destination except it was dark and I meandered a little too much and missed the street, though I may have walked right by it.  And then I stumbled up on the Moses Fountain.  That meant I could get my bearings, so I walked past the expensive hotels and spied an old church off the Piazza della Repubblica.  I knew I'd be returning, so I walked down Via Nazionale and found my way back to my hotel.

I stopped at a cafe for a glass of wine and some people watching before going out to grab a couple of slices of pizza before retiring to the hotel salon to catch up on some writing.  It was another good day in Rome.