Our mission for the last day in Rome was to revisit our favourite spots, pack up as much as possible and dispose of our Brother printer which we bought in Germany.
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| Printer for sale...although now it has a good home! |
The language barrier was the biggest
stumbling block to selling our printer and although everyone we asked
was helpful, they seemed to think we wanted to buy a printer or buy some
toner. Not necessarily with any malicious intent, we were sent on a
merry old wild goose chase with the odd glimmer of hope thrown in but to
no avail. Tim gallantly carried the bulky machine from shop to shop
and eventually back home. We did have a spot of luck as we passed a
street market selling scarves and shirts and Annika and I scored quite
well at bargain prices but we still had the printer to dispose of! At
this stage we decided that some morning bakery treats were in order on
our last day here and the boys got king doughnuts each.
Plan
B was to give the printer to Rome Baptist Church which meant lugging it
there and avoiding two huge deposits of dog poo we had noticed
yesterday which had been stepped in by some poor soul (sole!). In the
end, we did take the printer to RBC where it was received gratefully and
indeed was just what was needed by their newest staff member! We were
so glad to have been able to bless the folk there and really should have
gone straight there without the agony of the morning!
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| On pack up day, when Lego hasn't been played with for a week or so, the creations start! The Lego, too, is now packed! |
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| Pillar near Cavour Bridge: "Gentle hands", indicate the height reached by the floods of the Tiber, dated and with name of the reigning pope. Wow! we'd heard about the floods!! |
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| Looking good against the blue sky! |
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| The church facade is the frigidarium of the Baths of Diocletian and certainly looked ancient although the interior was commenced in 16th Century. |
From
Piazza di San Lorenzo, we walked to Termini via Piazze Barberini and
Republicca to see what remains of the Servian Wall. This wall is up to 6
centuries older than the Aurelian Wall and was built out of tufa under
the Roman king Servius Tullius. There aren't many examples remaining of
this wall and we couldn't actually touch it but we saw it
none-the-less. It was on our list of things to see! At this point Tim
was "blessed" by a passing pigeon, well aimed at his hand and we had
sufficient tissues and hand sanitiser with us to clean him up well. I
was glad it wasn't on his clothes as if I do any more washing on our
last day, it wouldn't be dry in time!
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| Yes! the Servian Wall! |
Next on the list was the Arch of Titus
which was just inside the Roman Forum but can be seen from the outside.
We walked down via Cavour, Luke skipping along with Tim happily and us
recalling all the now familiar landmarks. After being here for a month,
we feel like residents "living" here as opposed to visitors. Karl
particularly wanted to see "The Spoils of Jerusalem" on the arch
depicting spoils taken from the temple in Jerusalem but unfortunately
this particular relief was on the south column which was the one we
couldn't see! We certainly didn't waste our time as it was another
sensational clear autumn day and walking around Rome is really
wonderful.
There
are but two things which spoil the experience of walking through Rome:
dog poo and smokers - DISGUSTING! The traffic is mad and the parking
mind-blowing but that's all part of the amusement, but dog poo and
cigarettes - no thanks!
Past
the Altare della Patria where we no longer hesitate to step out into
traffic to cross the road. Those who hesitate, wait! You have to march
forward with purpose and the vehicles will stop for you!
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| Luke and cat! |
Luke
and I called into the Cat Sanctuary to say "Ciao" to the cats there.
Lots of the cats were perusing the ruins for a spot in the sun but there
were plenty who welcomed a pat. According to Simonetta, our host,
there used to be cats everywhere in Rome not so long ago. Obviously
there has been a campaign to clean up the streets of cats (but not dog
poo). In Turkey they are everywhere and seem to be community cats which
everybody cares for. Stray dogs are a different matter - they are not
stray in Rome, it is just that the owners don't clean up after their
"poo"-ches.
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| The Nativity Scene in St Peter's Square - not yet lit up, so sneaky preview! |
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| Bathed by light in St Peter's Square. |
We trotted home via Piazza Navona. Being Monday, the artists weren't there and it all seemed quiet and the cold afternoon shadows had already cooled the square. Back home for the grand pack up. It is sort of cathartic to be able to throw things away and completely empty the pantry and fridge each time we move.
After our dinner of "remains" we walked to the Vatican in hope of seeing Christmas lights. Sadly, it seems that they are not turned on until 8 December! We could see a life size Nativity scene being erected which would be amazing to see but we won't be here. I believe Christmas trees and decorations are already happening in Australia but as we have heard, Christmas here is much more about actually celebrating the real meaning of Christmas rather than celebrating commercialism.
Simonetta, our host, called in to say: "Arrivederci". This has been a great accommodation and in a quiet part of town. Airbnb, has done it again!
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