Pantheon and a Long Walk Home...

After we came back from the Basilica, we hopped on the metro to go see the Pantheon. Unfortunately, the Pantheon is the one attraction thats super far away from the metro and is an important attraction to visit in Rome. At the Pantheon we were able to see the tomb of the famous Raffaello - who painted many of the portraits previously mentioned in my Vatican museums entry... When we entered we were greeted with the enormous bronze doors and lots of construction which sadly ruined many photo opportunities for us. The inside was immaculate. The Pantheon was known for being a Pagan temple during the early Roman Empire before it was transfered to a Christan church (because demons and bad energy came off of old pagan sites so they had to make all of them churches to rid evil spirits). When Rome ruled the top of the dome was left open to be closer to the Gods. What about when it rains, you ask? Apparently the "perfect" shaped dome had a curved floor that would push all rain water away from the center and into a drainage system - so interesting.

 I still can't get over the size of these buildings...thinking of someone building such large and detailed temple/church/anything of that nature just seems uneccessary and crazy! The columns outside the Pantheon are a small piece of the artwork and structure of that large building and it took four of us girls to reach all the way around just one of them!

After the Pantheon, a few of the girls split off to go explore the Piazza Navona and walk around since our time in Rome is slipping right before our eyes. Exploring the area during the day is quite different than night. During the day the piazza was filled with local artists selling and showcasing their work - actors, oil painters, sketch artists, street performers, you name it. I really enjoyed looking at all the different pieces even though I didn't buy anything. The whole place was transformed from day to night and we were certainly enjoying it... On our travels, we also stopped for a big lunch so our tummies would be nice and full for our night out on the town. I had a spinich and cheese ravioli in a pepper pesto cream sauce - YUMMMM. The restaurant was also vividly decorated with hundreds of bottles of wine; so pretty!

After the piazza we realized that we had traveled even farther from the metro and that it would be best to just walk back to St. Johns. We had such an amazing stroll up to the bridge passing by the first actual meat markets, wine shops, and other boutique grocery stores since we've come to Roma. It would have been nice to discover them BEFORE spending 9 days of having to pay out three meals each time. Other than 2 group dinners I have had to eat out 3 times a day to keep healthy - gets to be quite expensive but hey, who's counting? On the way home we also found an "American Steak House" and we started drooling over the menu... while I LOVE the food here and their pasta dishes are amazing - nothing can compare to an American surf and turf. As a matter of fact - who can I put my request in with so those arrangements can be made when I return? hehe...just kidding!