May 6 - Third Day in Rome - Thank God Cows Don't Fly

As we work our way through the week here, we are learning, day by day, how to handle Rome. Today's lesson learned is to use taxis judiciously and lavishly in equal measure. Judiciously in that there are neighbourhoods throughout the city where there are several key sights within easy walks from one to the other and lavishly in that these Neighbourhoods are often too far from each other to walk between them. So, pick a neighbourhood, take a taxi there, walk walk walk, take a taxi to another one (or back home) and continue. This saves a lot of shoe leather and time.
Today we chose the area dominated by the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. We have always wanted to see the Pantheon simply for what it is: a Roman engineering marvel continuously in use since the day it was completed in 86 AD to today. It was a structural feat not equalled anywhere until the Renaissance. When we got there, we saw right away that it is so much more. Entering the space takes your breath away. The scale of it, the majesty, the simplicity and the subdued colours of the various plaster and marble surfaces are magical. And the Oculus at the top of the dome lights the space perfectly. We just stood there with our mouths open going OMG. A highlight for sure.
While we were having lunch in the square outside the Pantheon, a bird dive bombed Carol hitting her head with a wing as it careened trough the cafe patio on its' way God knows where. Kamikaze all the way!
After that we headed to the Piazza Navona, a ten minute walk away. It was built as a race course by a Roman emperor (Chariots a la Ben Hur) and is now home to the fountain of the four winds. Huge long oval space with lovely buildings all around. The magic here though is found in all of the tiny winding streets leading out from the piazza. Just incredibly picturesque, photo ops every few feet in all directions and great gelato. One of our great finds was the magnificent hotel Raphael whose rooftop terrace view of St. Peter's is considered to be the most beautiful in the world.
Then taxi back home. As we stepped out of the car, we ran into this fabulous Grand Dame from San Diego who had just arrived in Rome two hours before from her 14 day cruise. She was hilariously funny, recounting her 30 years of cruising and quite unsure which way was up.