Final day in Rome

For our last full day in Rome, the only event we had lined up was a 1pm reservation at Galleria Borghese, so that meant we got some bonus sleep Thursday morning. That gallery is booked days in advance, and requires reservations via online or phone, but it's well worth it. Many of the better museums require reservations, for which you get a specific time that you must show up, and Galleria Borghese is different in that they give you only 2 hours to see the sculptures and paintings, but it makes the viewing experience more pleasant because it is not as crowded.

That gallery is about a 25 minute walk, so we started there early, intending to stop for espresso along the way. We first hit the closest coffee shop, had espresso and a pastry, about €4, which comes out to $5.60. Walked a few more blocks, had another espresso and pastry, and then we arrived at Borghese Gardens, which is like a big park - peaceful and serene, and it was a great escape from the noise and smell of the traffic. After our visit to the gallery, we headed back to the hotel, and had a late lunch, which is not easy, because many restaurants close at 2 or 3, and reopen at 7 for dinner. Then we lounged at the hotel for a while, decided where to have a nice dinner dinner, which we had (early by Italy standards) at 7:30. Then another stroll to a gelato shop, watched some protesters for a few minutes, then back to the hotel. I think the protesters are following the lead of the Wall Street protesters, since the ones we saw were chanting, singing, and staying overnight in tents in from of a government building.

This morning a quick breakfast, then a driver picked us up for another thrill ride through the streets of Rome, to take us to the airport, where we are now waiting for our flight to Chicago, which has been delayed. The delay probably won't be a problem because we have almost 3 hours in Chicago.

I still plan further updates to this blog after returning in Austin, because there are more stories and photos to share.

Here's the final moon photo, taken near the fountain a couple blocks from our hotel in Rome. It's now a full moon:

Location:At the Rome airport