First Day Thoughts (Group Post)

Kevin here

Group splits to pursue individual  needs. 

Phil and Marjorie have an early morning date with the Pope. Kevin and Kate sleep until 11:00, having a long-standing aversion to aging Argentinian cross dressers. (Is it the age, the nationality, or the drag outfits? Perhaps a combination of all three. I hope Marj's post will help us answer the question.)

Brooks ventures out for an early morning neighbor stroll. Actually returns.  

Kevin, Kate and Brooks walk Trastavere, the Jewish ghetto, and  assorted ruins.  Not actually together...Kevin sees all sites 100 yards ahead of Kate and Brooks who stroll and chat and make fun of Kevin's directional handicap.  

Marj  adding my two cents - our day differed from the above. I don't have a clue about the cross dressers. Fellini reference (?)

Why would anyone have to suffer from insomnia the night after an overnight flight? Virtually no sleep and what is fair about that?

So Phil and Marj are up at 5 and off to the Vatican. Actually the Pope makes a favorable first impression, introducing himself - like we didn't know (!) - and  chatting about how much he likes and admires Elizabeth Warren. I liked him immediately (I think it was reciprocated) and was okay with the 17 million acres of gilding, it's for a good cause.

A magnificent dinner later on. Needs a post unto itself.

After dinner a stroll to the neighborhood gathering spot, the Piazza Santa Maria, where musicians play in the afternoon ( see photo from previous post showing musicians, also one from inside the church). Last night a young woman was performing with flaming baton-like torches, dancing beautifully encircled by her own whirling arms wielding fire.