The Pope's Night Out

"The trouble with eating Italian food is 5 or 6 days later you're hungry again."

 George Miller

      While Jim was getting a temporary passport at the U.S. Consulate office in Rome,

I strolled the Via Veneto

until I found another perfect handbag.

  After I explained to Jim why it was a necessary purchase, we took the Metro to the Vatican, where Jim got his first look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (NO PHOTOS PLEASE.) We checked out the Vatican Museum

 

and then St. Peter's Basilica.

 

  

     Jim decided to take the elevator and then climb  323 steps to the top of the dome and the cuppola.

 

  

  I decided against that (well, my feet decided against that.)  Instead I pondered the life of the Pope.  Does he ever get "Vatican fever" and feel the need to get lost in the crowd?  I mean, does he ever dress down, put on a fake mustache and go out with his friends?  Has he ever been to McDonald's in Rome?

They have a terrific tiramisu milkshake there. 

     I asked one of the museum guards (not the Swiss one's with those playing card uniforms, just a regular one) if the Pope ever came down from his apartment to look at the statues and paintings close up.  He said he didn't think so.  What about at night with a flashlight?  He thought about that a second or two then consulted another guard. They both didn't think so either.  And then we all laughed.  But it could happen.

     I don't know what the Pope does with his friends here in Rome (I do know he plays the piano - swear to God that's true) but we have fun with ours. For the two nights we spent in Rome we were to dinner both nights at Marco and Rossella's - I'm thinking of referring to them as Marcella (like Brangelina.)

  One night while she made risotto milanese with porcini mushrooms I attempted to explain how my battery operated risotto stirring machine works.  I still don't think she believes I have such a thing, but we had a good laugh over it.  And then we ate some amazing food. 

   Their son Ottavio treated us to a video of his girlfriend's new chihuahua puppy.  Don't have the video, but here are some pictures.

Little Tyson appears to have a mega personality tempered only by a growing fear of sock puppets.

     Ah - men and machines.  Here's Jim teaching Marco how to make coffee in an American coffee maker.

 

  Because of its Italian plug we're not taking it home with us, so we gave it to them.  They were a bit startled when its gurgling phase kicked in.  It sounded like home to us.

     We left them with a copy of ROME the HBO miniseries and made them promise to critique it.  Marco is a history buff and we can't wait to find out about those animal sacrifices, if those "parties" really took place and why anyone would mess up perfectly good wine by adding water to it.  We miss them already.

Next time, our house,

Susan