Basta!

Thursday Total: 6.2k
Week Total: 23.1k
Month Total: k
Year Total: 1238.4k

Time: 38.04min
Av pace: 6.09min/km
Av Temp: sunny, hot
Rel. Humidity Av: humid
Where: along the banks of the Tiber with Strewth and Mr B

It was good to have company running this morning though it did feel a little surreal running in Rome with Strewth and Mr B!

Then while Strewth and Mr B were doing the hop on-hop off bus tour, Mr CJ and I walked to Campo de'Fiori to have a look at the produce markets before heading to Piazza Sant'Eustachio - destination Caffe Sant'Eustachio. This place is apparently famed throughout Rome for its coffee, so we needed to check it out! They make a creamy coffee by beating the first drops of espresso and several tsp of sugar into a frothy paste, then add the rest of the coffee on top. We had due gran cappuccini to have outside which set us back 4,20euro each but hey it was worth it. Plus the waiters had attitude and it was great entertainment to watch them.

We did the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps after lunch and a gelato which helped work off some of the calories. I have never walked so much, so far or so fast since being here! Loved the shops in the area (Hermes, Cartier, Prada, Gucci etc) but I decided against flashing the credit card - after all how many designer things does a girl need - actually to be honest I don't have any designer gear!.

Dinner was at Da Enzo, a great little trattoria not far from us where the locals like to eat and where you have to make a reservation or you won't get a table. I had polpette alla limone (meatballs with lemon) and verdure miste (mixed vegetables which were to die for) followed by tiramisu.

Friday Total: 8k
Week Total: 31.1k
Month Total: k
Year Total: 1246.4k

Time: 54.15min
Av pace: 6.47min/km
Av Temp: sunny, warm
Rel. Humidity Av: humid
Where: along the 'wrong' side of the Tiber with Strewth and Mr B

We discovered the unsavoury and unsafe side of the Tiber River this morning, and Mr B got bitten by a dog owned by a homeless guy. It was off to the hospital closest to us, on Isola Tiberina (an island on the Tiber River) where Mr B was directed to the casualty area. Well actually we went to the wrong area though we didn't know it at the time until he went back later for his antibiotic shot and a course of tablets plus a tetanus ampoule and syringe.

Strewth and I went shopping in the afternoon, first stop was a shoe shop in Via Florida where I had bought leather sandals a couple of days before. Strewth was hoping to buy a pair of shoes but I had no intentions of buying anymore shoes. But then I saw them! A pair of brown leather wedges - so cute, so Italian! Then it was off to Via del Corso, Rome's busiest shopping street (funny how we can find the important streets in Rome!) where we tried very hard to buy clothes, particularly t-shirts or singlet tops. But it seems the harder you try, the less likely you are to find anything. In one shop I seemd to do everything wrong - first I wanted to try on a t-shirtty top to see if it fitted but you are not allowed to try tops on ie you guess your size and hope for the best. Then I was looking at tops on shelves - wrong again - I was directed to the table where they were all laid out. After managing to buy a top without making any more faux pas I was feeling shopped out (yes, it does happen) I left Strewth and Mr B and headed back to my apartment.

For dinner we went to a very popular pizzeria called Ai Marmi (Casa Mortaro) - another place frequented by the locals. Its really really busy and is referred to as the mortuary by locals because of the marble-topped tables inside (we sat at one of these tables). The only sign outside is Pizzeria. Service is minimal but brisk and our waiter was a little middle aged guy who would look quite at home in a cassock! Mind you, I think we were trying his patience! The pizzas were delicious - thin, crispy crust with great toppings.

Saturday Total: 9.5k
Week Total: 40.6k
Month Total: k
Year Total: 1254.9k

Time: 52.17min
Av pace: 5.29min/km
Av Temp: overcast but there was a cool breeze every now and then
Rel. Humidity Av: humid
Where: Circus Maximus with Strewth

Strewth and I went for a run along Circus Maximus leaving the birthday boy (Mr B) at home. So far there is no frothing at the mouth or any other strange symtoms that we can see (post-dog bite)! Traffic-wise it was fairly quiet so the number of close shaves with scooters today was minimal. No intervals today, it was just a gentle run around the gravel tracks and then a walk back over the bridge to home.

Today we also did the Vatican - there was the inevitable queueing but not for long and then we managed to catch a free tour of the Basilica with an American guide. My favourite was Piéta - the sculpture by Michelangelo. Next was the Sistine Chapel which wasn't free but well worth what we paid. However to get from the Basilica to the Chapel before the doors closed meant race walking, literally. People who know me and know at what pace I generally walk would be amazed at my newly acquired skill of walking rapido! The Sistine Chapel - Awe-inspiring, breath-taking, amazing (I need a thesaurus!) - it was all of this and more. Finally we walked through the Vatican Grottoes which are below the church and contain the tombs of numerous popes including that of John Paul 11.

By this stage I was tired, hungry (last meal was at 9.30am and it was after 3pm) and my bladder was about to burst (public toilets in Rome are as rare as hens teeth). We had a very ordinary panini before heading back to Trastevere and Piazza Santa Maria where we had a delicious spremuta di arance (freshly squeezed orange juice served in tall slim glasses) at Caffe delle Arance. It was nice just to sit back and watch the people passing through the Piazza.

Tonight we have dinner at a restaurant below Strewth and Mr B's apartment where we will eat lots, drink lots and be merry. Its a birthday bash for the birthday boy. Tomorrow we leave Rome for the Amalfi Coast. There may be a few sore heads as we head south for the coast. It will also be Mr CJ's first experience of driving in Italy. Be afraid, be very afraid!