10:30 p.m. Yes, more than a day has passed. We didn't get up till after 8, which meant over 11 hours' sleep. Woot! The shower was great and we headed down to breakfast after checking email & getting a general idea of what to do today. Breakfast spread was plentiful and pretty tasty: cheese, meat, fruit, pastry, cereal, yogurt, juices ... yum.

So we were well-fortified as we set out twoard teh Pantheon via St. Peter's because we got a little turned around. Beast was suitably impressed by the Pantheon, as was I, again. I don't remember there being pews & an altar there last time, but it was a LONG time ago! We wandered there for a bit then went to Trevi fountain where we found hundreds of people crowding around to throw in their pennies. Us too, of course. :-) It is a very impressive fountain but we couldn't wait to get the hell out of the vicinity. We headed further east & stopped at Piazza San Marco -- at which [sic] I thought was the Spanish Steps. It's not: it's the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier & monument to Vittorio Emanuelle II. Oops. However, to backtrack a bit ... Piazza San Marco is still terrifying to cross! After the monument, we traipsed past the forum (actually fori) until we found a restaurant on Via Cavour to eat at. It was mostly outside -- we ate outside anyway -- but had indoor, good bathrooms for customers ... and GREAT food. I have [sic] tortellini, a house special; it came with cream sauce and fresh peas. Hum. Beast had a calzone. While we were there, Beast called Sparky & we [...] chatted for 10 min or so. Several school things had come up, so we dealt w/ those. He has a plugged-up nose, but otherwise seems fine. After our fairly leisurely lunch, we continued on to the Colisseum where there were far more people again. The entrance fee is waived this week -- LUCK! -- and so we just wandered on our own till my legs started sending messages & we headed back around the V. Em. monument & points west, i.e., our hotel. Then, well, just lots of walking, but lots fewer people and lots more traffic. Stopped just over the hill for wine and a break. Snax w/ drinks -- peanuts. YAY! We sat outside and watched traffic (insane) and dozens of ambulances pass by. Then after several wrong attempts we finally found our way back to the hotel & collapsed. In the midst of said collapse, Beast's phone rang w/ calls from Sparky. We figured he'd butt-dialed since it was about 12:30 @ home by then. Nope. He sent a text & we call[ed] because he had spent a couple of hours @ the dr. & ER due to shortness of breath. Looks like he's fine but on an inhaler to curb any more serious issues (we hope). So Eric's presence has proven useful for a reason we did NOT expect. And I got stupid-maudlin for a few minutes. Once we'd settled down again we headed to dinner & accidentally found the nearby tram station that we'll probably use to get to Termini & thence Florence on Saturday. Dinner was good -- pizza again, but this time in a place that reminded me of a pub. Dark-panelled and lots of English posters. Then back to the hotel in the rain where we've been sitting in the bar as I write this. Beast's been chatting w/ some other people, doing work stuff & sending our insurance info to Eric & Sparky. And he's being nosy about what I'm writing because the connection is slow. :-) Once he does that & maybe lets me check Gmail, I think we'll call it a night & go to sleep. Assuming it connects @all. More tomorrow. The current plan is to see St. Peter & then stand in line forever to get into the Vatican Museums. Ugh (line) but yay (Sistine Chapel). 'Night.