May 25
We decided to take the double decker bus tour today since we were denied that yesterday. Once again it is a really hot day. We sat on the top deck so that we could enjoy the breeze. However, each stop was rather long, and everytime we stopped we absolutely were baking.
Part way through, to get out of the sun, we went down to the lower level thinking it would be cooler there from the air conditioning and we wouldn’t continue to bake. We soon found out that there was no air conditioning downstairs and it was even hotter.
I feel like even my sweat is sweating.
When we reached the Termini Station stop, there was a 15 minute turnaround before the next bus was scheduled to leave, so Lisa quickly went over to the souvenir vendor and bought whatever hat they had to sell. She ended up with a cowboy hat that said “Ronaldinho” on it.
We now went back upstairs and rode the bus till we reached our beginning stop, near Piazza Navona. It was lunch time so we decided to go have lunch near Campo De Fiori so that we could familiarize ourselves with the area that JeanE and Kathie were going to stay when they arrived, as well as scout out their apartment location so that we knew where we were going to meet them later that evening.
We ate at this little resteraunt where the owner/waiter kept teasing Lisa because she would have one bite of each item she ordered. Our meal was finished with a pineapple cut in half-one half for each of us. It was very juicy.
We started to walk back to our place, but stopped by the internet cafe so that we could look for soccer tickets. Its a pipe dream, but one worth exploring. Not often in life will I find myself in the european city where a “super bowl” is going on between 2 of the best teams in the world, with 2 of the best players in the world. Both Barcelona and Manchester United had won their respective leagues this season, and with Messi and Ronaldo playing, it was sure to be an entertaining game.
We emailed a few different sellers and would check back later. It was a few hours now till we were to meet up with my parents. So we decided it was time to hit the Thai Massage again.
After yesterday’s massage, we had the clever idea that we could utilize the massage for a clean refreshing shower. Our shower and bathroom at our place is rather disgusting and a massage followed by a private shower seemed like the perfect recipe for comfort in this hot and mucky town. So we first went back to our apartment and grabbed a change of clothing and toiletries, and then walked back to the massage place.
They were much more crowded today, but were able to fit us in. Lisa opted for the foot massage today, and I went with the oil massage, since I knew that one automatically came with a shower. Lisa was given the sweet cotton outfit that I described yesterday, and I was given, um, this strange cotton/plastic underwear thing.
It was tiny and there was a bigger side and a smaller side. I wasn’t sure which side to put in the front. The smaller side didn’t really cover much, so I went big in the front, which left it tiny and crammed in the back. It was a nice massage, but I think if I do it again, I will go back to the traditional thai massage. The traditional felt much more beneficial to my body with muscles being stretched and kinks worked out. The oil massage felt too meager. However, the nice comfortable hot shower afterwards felt fantastic.
Our massage ran a little long, and we were 30 minutes late in meeting my parents. We had setup a meeting time at 6 at their apartment, and that if they were not there by 7 we’d meet them at Piazza Navona at 8. We were thirty minutes late now so I wondered if they would still be there waiting, or would have moved on to the backup meeting point.
We got there, and my dad was waiting, for 30 minutes, outside their place for us. Their place was really nice, especially considering that we booked this only a few days earlier.
We grabbed their bags, and took the 4 of them back to our apartment to show them, and drop off the bags. We then went into Piazza Navona and found a resteraunt there and enjoyed a nice meal and some wine together. It was a great and fun reunion.
We meandered around the square for what seemed like hours, looking at Bernini’s great fountain, and all of the artists selling their stuff and doing chariactures of people. We walked Kathie and JeanE back home, and then made our own way to bed, not without one more shower to wash all the sweat off.
We found our seats and they were awesome. We were just north of the penalty box. The stadium was much different and better than I ha expected. On TV, you see these glass walls and a lot of fencing behind the goals, but this was not bad in person. We had wondered if they had stadium food, and what it would be. Would it be hot dogs and cokes? Pizzas and pastas? It ended up being a lot of panini’s. Lisa was disappointed in the women’s bathrooms, as it was just a hole in the ground. I didn’t make it to the men’s to find out. We sat in our seats for 2 hours before the game. The stadium still had a ton of people in it, and they were all ready chanting away and lighting their flares, and loud booms of gunshot like noise filled the stadium. It was quite a spectacle. The stadium was filled with banners, and people wearing red and black. There was one section of Juve fans, behind glass walls, and when they would chant, fans would stand up swearing and cursing and flipping them off. You’ve gotta love European football.
Eventually the players came out for warm ups, for announcements, and then the game began. I was saddened that Del Piero-one of my all time favorites-was not in the starting 11. As well as that Inzaghi was for Milan – not one I like. There were a few series of tricky passes in a row, but not a lot of opportunities. I was disappointed in Kaka’s play, but Beckham was delivering some nice balls. Milan easily could have been up if Inzahgi could finish. The score was 0-0 at halftime, and then all the fans around us started lighting up their cigs.