Bunch o' pics from today's walks.  Freaking screaming GLOBAL WARMING hot here - some wunderground sites reported 109 F...!  It was very hot.  We bailed at the Colosseum this AM after some poor unsuspecting Aussie approached us and asked "Would you like to buy a tour????" to which I responded.... "Yeah. 109 degrees and five zillion tourists... you have just defined a new kind of HELL."  Jeff politely grabbed my arm and headed us away from the poor young Aussie who didn't really understand what had just happened to him.

We bailed - hit the fabulously air conditioned subway (the external side of the cards is asbsolutely COVERED in graffiti).... and headed back to the blissful comfort of an air conditioned hotel.

Anyway....IT WAS REALLY REALLY HOT.

So - a couple more random observations:  Rome is great - a true cosmopolitan city where all the men are skinny (and wear the ridiculous Italian slim fit fashions - I HATE THOSE GUYS). The women are very fashionable - and everybody drives scooters.  It's like being in a swarm of dragonflies.  BZZ BZZZ BZZZZZZZZ!

The poorer neighborhoods (unlike the ones we were in yesterday) DO in fact have lots of graffiti... but very little trash or garbage, and essentially have no homeless.  Way different from SF. Though a vodka soda at the hotel costs $23!!!

Yeah.  We walked halfway across Rome to see the Trevi Fountain.  It was under renovation!  Happens to all unsuspecting tourists sometimes, right?