20 November 2015 - Isola Tiberina and a twilight walk

Tim and I trotted off to our closest Carrefour supermarket to buy some things we cannot get at our local little supermarket.  Whilst we have never had good service there, today's experience was enough to make me boycott the store for the rest of our time in Rome.

It is a biggish supermarket and only ever has two squishy tills open. First, we waited in a queue and were then told (after 5 minutes of waiting) that it was closing and redirected to another till where the cashier took another 5 minutes to arrive.  Then the man in front of us only had a 50 Euro note and for some reason we find the Italians are reluctant to give change.  He finally sorted out the money with the man and it was our turn.  The bill came to 69 Euros and I only had 64 Euros with me.  I tried to explain in Italian that I would return an item and handed over the chunk of grand parmigiana, so I would have enough to pay the bill.  Talk about subjected to public humiliation, I was made to stand at the top of the till and wait whilst he processed another 5 people's trolleys.  He made such a fuss.  I was so embarrassed. If the same happens at home, the cashier just revises the bill and that's that.  If I had seen such a carry on at home with a person who clearly was a foreigner and struggling to communicate, I would offer to pay the 5 Euros (Dollars) and help them out.  I really was so upset.

It was Tim's turn to do a test under exam conditions again for school so I stayed home to supervise as per protocol.  Annika returned with some delicious bakery items which helped my fragile emotional state.

River views

Castel Sant'angelo

Luke running on the Tiber trail.

And who should we meet running back along the track...Tim!!

After yesterday's marathon excursion, this afternoon's ramblings took us along the Tiber path (always a bit smelly and definitely not to be walked on after dark) to Isola Tiberina, the island in the middle of the Tiber.  The sun was setting and before we knew it we were under the twilight birds again, by the thousands, and hearing the splats of poo on the path as we walked.  At this stage we put our jackets on our heads to protect us.  We did see someone with an umbrella for protection!  I got one splat on my trousers but somehow, we stayed otherwise bird poop free!

Luke by the river, with the ancient bridge behind him built in 62 BC.

Junior gull seeking refuge by the river.

Isola Tiberina

Not all the buildings stand the test of time!

 We walked back through the cute cobbled streets of the Trastevere with its little night markets, cafes and churches.  We wandered into Santa Maria della Scala, a lovely church but it was so dark as the sun had set that it was hard to see much.  There was previously a Carravaggio painting here but because he had used a prostitute as the model for the virgin, it was frowned upon and replaced!  The church itself had been used as a hospital for Garibaldi's soldiers injured in the Trastevere.

The altar in Santa Maria della Scala

Chiesa Santa Maria della Scala

Trastevere street scene

Soon we recognised where we were and then saw the dome of St Peter's and made our way home.  Dinner was late as I'd bought some discounted meat rolls, one stuffed with artichokes and the other with tomato-ish fillings, and I need to roast them along with potatoes, zucchinis, capsicums and carrots.  Accompanied by Luke's favourite space age broccoli, it was a scrumptious dinner (if I say so myself!) and worth the wait!