A magnificent day

Began the day with a trip to the post office so A could ship some gifts home. Even with the language barrier, we pronounced it a significantly more civilized experience than any NYC post 0ffice either of us had ever been in. We then followed my iphone's wifi finder app to a relatively nearby cafe. After a little skype action and breakfast we headed back to the apt where I made coffee.

Off to another trip on the double decker over to the Coliseum, again we chose not to go in but to walk around the area.

Or shall I say the gayborhood as we hunted for lesbian bars for A. Basilica San Clemente and the ruins below were today's amazing highlight. The ruins were such a tactile experience. As we descended, the air changed, became damper and colder but it was far from eerie, just literally awe-inspiring. Dipping my hand into the spring water that still runs through was somehow cleansing. I was so much more interested in the remnants of the architecture than the restored frescos. We left feeling somehow lighter and very happy. Lunch at a nearby cafe yielded the sweetest, most luscious cantaloupe draped with perfectly sliced prosciutto.

We made our way towards the Trevi Fountain and stopped at "THE" gelato shoppe recommended by a foodie from home & the NY Times. San Crispino (Via della Paneteria, 42). An entirely different texture from anything else we had tried. This gelato blew away all other competitors. A had a red wine flavor & the house specialty which is creme & honey. I had chocolate meringue & banana. mmmmmmmmmmmmm...so so wonderful. Up the block we encountered a fruit stand. Everything was so vibrant and fresh looking I couldn't resist loading up with pears, plums, three varieties of citrus fruits & strawberries. Finally we arrived at the Trevi, and sat for awhile. We watched the vendors hard sell tourists one after another like machine gun fire. They offered nothing that interested us, but watched with amusement as an item initially offered for 12 euros was let go for just one.

I was wearing a pair of cut off jean shorts today. Right by the fountain (NOT at any religious monument) I was taken to task by a tiny old Italian grandmother who managed to accost & chastise me without a word of English for my shorts being too short, "Indecente!" she hissed at me. Rather than being offended, we both found it adorably endearing.

We closed out the day with dinner at Gusto restaurant, which reminded me in a variety of ways of an Italian Balthazzar. Took many serious food porn pix, octopus & potato salad, spaghetti & clams, divine house made meat & cheese plate.steak tartare,