Charlie's Day

Museo Borghese * Bike ride in Villa Borghese * Capuchin Crypt * Changing of the horse guard at Piazza Quirinale * Castel Sant'Angelo

21,665 steps (10 miles)

Today was dedicated to Charlie - with the exception of the Museo Borghese, everything we did and saw was right up his alley.  We rented a surrey built for 6 at the park and had a great time riding around Villa Borghese, my favorite park in Rome when I was a missionary.  We had a picnic, laid on the grass for nap, and played frisbee.  On our way out of the park we saw some military personnel getting on their horses.  They told us there was a special changing of the guard today in front of the President's Palace.  We quickly changed plans and added that to our agenda.  On our way there we stopped at the Capuchin Crypt.  A creepy display of human bones by the Capuchin Monks.  The girls got a bit weirded out - Charlie thought it was AWESOME - and I tried to remember all the bones from my college anatomy class (sorry, no pictures).

We arrived at the President's Palace for the changing of the hourse guard with just enough time to get a gelato. Thank heavens!  We enjoyed the Horse Guard parade and demonstration, but were fascinated by the little dog in a red vest that led the entire thing.  After a quick stop at home to rest and play some cards, we headed to the Castel Sant'Angelo.  Hadrian's Tomb that housed the Emporers of Rome until the late 3rd century AD, after which the Popes took it over as a fortress and hiding place for themselves and their treasure.  Charlie enjoyed using my camera again to take pictures of their weapons, armory, and parapets with slits for shooting for arrows.

As a special treat we went to a restaurant tonight for dinner - up until this point we have cooked in our apartment or grabbed simple picnic meals.  We had a fun time ordering 6 different dishes and then sharing them family style.  With the exception of the egg plant and strange mushroom, the kids ate every last bit.  It was such a pleasant evening we decided to enjoy it with a walk through downtown eating another gelato (It's OK, we walked the equivalent of 10 miles today - my legs are still sore).

My interface on my iPad is bad for blogspot and I can't seem to label my pictures or see beyond the first page when doing this blog.  Agh.  If someone has a good app for blogspot for an iPad, let me know.  Ciao.

Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant' Angelo

View from Castel Sant'Angelo

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Villa Borghese

Museo Borghese