June 11th

So I didn't have class on Wednesday, so I decided to do some sight seeing. I hung around my apartment and did some school work until after lunch, when I went to Castle Sant Angelo. It's pretty huge, so I got an audioguide thing (4 euros!!!) to tell me some interesting facts. I like audioguides cause the English ones are usually British guys and I feel like I'm being led around by some awesome British historian. Anyway, this one was super confusing and I couldn't ever follow it the way you're supposed to because I kept getting lost and confused. The really cool part is the view from the top of the castle, where you can look out onto Rome and see it in all its glory. After that, I got some gelato (raspberry, yum) and headed down to the Piazza Navona. I found it all by myself without any use of a map! I was so impressed with myself. However, I was quickly taken off my high horse when I tried to find the entrance to Palazzo Altemps and wandered around it for quite sometime. In my defense, it was kind of hidden. Anyway, I went in the Palazzo, which is mainly a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. I didn't get an audioguide this time, another 4 euros, seriously who do they think I am, the Queen of England? Anyway, it was nice to just wander, plus almost all of the descriptions were in English too, so I knew what I was looking at usually. I saw this one bust of Hera and the description said it was a sculpture that Grand Tourists had to see and that it was of particular inspiration to Goethe! I read that! (Goethe's tour of Italy where he talked about this sculpture!) what a coincidence! Also it was kind of funny because a lot of the statues were restored in the 17th century, and the new plasterer made a lot of mistakes - putting the head of Aphrodite on the body of another goddess, etc., because they didn't know as much about the sculptures as we do now and also it said that his benefactor just wanted an Aphrodite or whatever. I know nothing about ancient art, by any means, but even I could tell sometimes when the styles didn't match up. Anyway, it all made me very excited about by Ancient Greek history class in the fall!!
So on the way back from my adventures, around 5, the road I was walking along was all blocked off and there were a ton of guards, carabinieri, and policemen all over the place. I figured I'd just keep walking until someone stopped me, which eventually happened. and then - who comes by, but the Pres. of the god's country! He just won't stop following me around! It was weird too, cause the limo had DC license plates... I guess they just bring them over. anyway, a ton of motorcycle cops sped by before Bush's limo, and then buses of journalists and the like. Quite a spectacle - and a rather huge inconvenience to the city of Rome as traffic was backed up forever! luckily I was walking!
so who's ready for some change we can believe in???