Back to Rome

On the third day, we woke up around 7:30 for breakfast before our morning swim and arrived at the pool a little before nine. We did a nice workout, with a relatively short aerobic set and some sprinting, but before calling it a day we spent some time practicing starts.

Within the last year or so, FINA accepted a new kind of block for competitions:

The new blocks, made by Omega

The adjustable “footrest” (with five placement options) provides an advantage for the track start to give a swimmer more power coming off the blocks.

I had never used this new block before this meet, so practicing starts was definitely necessary. Thankfully, I didn’t over-think the change (like I normally do), and after just a few starts, I found the right position for the footrest and made the necessary adjustment without hitches. Definitely helped boost my confidence.

 ***

We went back to the hotel, and planned out the rest of the day during lunch. We decided to catch the metro into the main part of the city to visit the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon in one fell swoop. Since our hotel was quite far removed from any metro stops, we took cabs to the Piazza Euclide (which, incidentally, is where we stayed in 2007), and rode the metro to Flaminio, then transferred lines to reach Spagna.

The return to Euclide

It was incredibly hot where we got off the metro at the Spanish Steps, but as Floridians, we managed to stomach the heat and climbed to the top to capture the incredible view.

The Spanish Steps

As usual, people crowded the steps and the piazza at this intersection of old Roman architecture and modern chic shops and restaurants.

Piazza di Spagna

After taking in the view from the top of the steps, we made the descent and began the walk to stop #2 for the day.

The walk took us down an endless number of side streets filled with tourists, with people on lunch breaks and, of course, with people eating gelato.

Just as the walk was getting unbearably hot, we finally heard running water in the distance. Just hearing that bubbling sound had a cooling effect. Another few meters and we finally happened upon the glorious Fontana di Trevi.

Rumor has it: tossing a coin into the fountain over
your left shoulder will ensure your return to
the Eternal City. 

It took a while for us to make our way through the throngs of people around the fountain, but we finally reached the front and all took turns throwing in coins.

Before we moved on to stop #3, we paid a visit to the gelato shop to the left of the fountain. Seriously, the best gelato we had all week.

The gelato place

...and our delicious gelato!

Next: The Pantheon and the Piazza Navona