Today, we went to the Oriental Museum for the Iranian art exhibit.  There was a big crowd and they were all jammed into a small room to watch a film.  It got hot, there was standing room only and we got tired of waiting.  And we knew the whole thing would be in Italian or Farsi…so we looked at the permanent exhibits and left.

I went to the quilt shop across the street and a lady was in there with the quilt top she had finished.  I admired it and asked if there were a quilt group I could join and sew and visit.  The lady, Paola said I certainly could come and gave me directions and her email and phone number.  The group meets every Wednesday at 3:30.  So between now and Wednesday I will look up sewing and quilting terms and learn them.  I very excited to meet these ladies and sew with them…and speak Italian.

When we were on the bus today, I noticed a big round circle on the validation box.  When you get on a bus, you stick your ticket into the box and it validates the ticket with time and date.  We don’t do this because we have a monthly pass.  We do put our pass over a circle at the subway to open the stile.   But today, I said to Andy, ‘I wonder if we are supposed to put our card up to that circle here on the bus?’  We did and a green light came on. Then, not ten minutes later…the bus police got on to check our tickets!  They took our monthly bus cards and put them over the circle and handed them back.  I’m not sure anything got validated but at least we weren’t hit with a 50€ fine!  I think the green light meant our card was valid for the month.  On the first of every month we take the card and pay for another month and it goes on the card.  It’s like a plastic credit card in size.  But funny that I should notice the circle on the box for the first time and the bus police get on for the first time since we have been here.

We went to two churches today.  One was St. Paul’s within the Walls.  It is Anglican-Episcopalian.  There was a small orchestra practicing for a concert this evening.  Then we went to St. Prudenzia church.  One wall of the church looks as if it has been built into part of an ancient Roman viaduct.  There seems to be quite a bit of restoration of fading and almost gone frescoes.  It looks to be a very old church.  Across the street, we found another stumbling stone commemorating the life of another Jewish victim of the Holocaust.  We are finding that some of the stumbling stones have a marble plaque on the wall commemorating the person as well as a huge wreath on the wall.  I don’t know why some have the plaque and wreath and some don’t.  If I find  out – I’ll let you know.

Coming home, a man was standing right beside Andy, and I was standing across from her.  All of a sudden, I saw the creep’s hand inching into Andy’s purse.  I yelled for her to move her purse.  It was zipped so he got nothing, but they are good at unzipping!  He got off at the next stop and I called him a very un-lady like name!  He knew I saw him and I’m sure he thought of a name for me!  

We ate at our friend, Vince’s restaurant again tonight.  The Caesar salad with lots of anchovies.  Delicious and so fresh.  He gave us capers like I have never seen.  Instead of the tiny, salty ones in brine…these are as large as olives, green and no added salt.  

Tomorrow is the Ides of March….the day Caesar was assassinated at Torre Argentina where the cat sanctuary is.  The healthy cats who live at the sanctuary play and sun themselves among the ruins.  Even tho my kitty, Raptus has only three legs, she can go out to the ruins.  The special needs cats have to stay inside so it is safe for them.

That was our day.  Have a good evening, All.