Sunday in Rome, 10/21

It certainly gets dark early here!  We live on the west edge of the time zone, and I don't know where this one runs.  It is nearly dark by 7 p.m. and completely by 7:30.  I don't know when it gets light because my eyes are closed.

The breakfasts here at the Palladium Palace are generous and good: cheese, 2 or 3 cold meats, 2 hot meats, boiled and scrambled eggs, cereal, at least 6 breads, coffee, tea, milk, cappucino, fruits, yogurt.  We don't need but one other meal each day. 

This morning we went back to Santa Maria Maggiore for a picture of Bernini's stone.  There is supposed to be a spiral staircase, but we haven't seen it.  Part of the building is being repaired.  The mass was taking place in the main part of the church; the organ and choir were glorious.  The organist kept playing after the service, a real treat for everyone there.  In one of the chapels a baptism was taking place.  The poor baby was really upset.

 

We took the metro out to San Paolo Basilica.  The mass was just finishing there.  That church has a mosaiic portrait of every pope around the walls.  There is only room for 7 more; what will they do?  Benedict's is already in place.  The church is huge!  They were using only a small part of it.  In addition to the portraits and an excellent organ, there were several statues, mostly of Paul, a door from Constantinople, gardens, beautiful artwork, and an Easter candle stand about 12 feet high.  I don't know how they would get the candle up there.

 

 

 

It was nearly 4 when we got back, so we found a restaurant for dinner.  I had risotto with asparagus and a pork chop.  Garrett had egg plant and a salad.  Then we fell for the dessert menu and had tiramisu and chocolate mousse with cappucino.  We stopped at a bookstore in the train station shopping area, but found no magazines or anything Garrett wanted to read.

 

Earlene, you can't imagaine how many Smart cars we have see here, and the funny thing is that they are often parked perpendicular to the curb and the rest of the parked cars.  They don't stick out any further.