Inferno

Ask me how hot it has been in Rome. 

Don't ask. 

So naturally we opted to spend high noon in the nearly shadeless Roman Forum. 

Surrender Dorothy. 

We had a lovely Greco-Roman tour guide who spoke just a tad too softly to make out all she said through her accent and the heatstroke. 

The tour included the colosseum, where the shade of the arches offered a more pleasant atmosphere to hear her tales of hippopotamus vs lion battles to the death. Also gladiators and whatnot. You've seen the movies. It was incredibly cool. But hot. 

Blog spot is being a total pain again, so just the bare minimum:

Museo Borghese. Fantastic Bernini. 

I like the guy looking at me so I let him stay. 

This is the piece de resistance. I was going to say the "money shot," but that's unnecessarily crude. 

"No no, nothing fancy. We'll take a Standard room."

Extremely photogenic cappuccino in the Borghese gardens. 

Concluded delicious dinner with this uncannily potent tablespoon of espresso. 

I was awake until 2:45 a.m. 

Oh--did I mention who else was on our tour?

Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

The title refers to areas of the body that may or may not require covering during a tour of the Vatican. Hint: one of the required areas was on blatant display by many visitors we saw today despite WRITTEN WARNINGS. Pagans. 

They were probably being granted a papal dispensation, though, because it was so hot. Mother of God, it was hot. (That isn't blasphemous because I was at the Vatican today so I'm allowed.)  

This blogging app is being damnably uncooperative (again, not blasphemous), so I am aborting (now I'm pushing my luck) the rest of my planned text and just gonna try to post more pics. 

"Retirees in Hats"

Now you're talking. 

Perfetto!