Time To Head Back To The Ship

Who would go to Rome and not buy rosaries or other religious souvenirs? Well, us, that's who. My mother who is the one I buy gifts (pasalubongs) specifically requested us not to get anything at all. She has been getting rosaries from Rome from people we know who go to visit Rome and she said she has enough. Imagine that! But we looked anyway.
We allotted time for more shopping. This time for friends and co-workers. You think friends would like a Caesar bust or a Roman soldier's headdress?
Then my friend asked what else do we want to do? My husband wanted to see the Spanish Steps. Just our luck it happens to be a little walk away, we don't even need to take a bus. The steps have been featured in travel mags as this glossy, clean, and sparkly set of steps. What I saw was a bare, naked, simple steps filled with people. It looked dirty. I think my friend sensed our disappointment. She said during the Christmas season (which was a few weeks away), they hang decorative flowering plants along the side and make the steps really pretty with lights too.
Things we checked off our list while in Rome: eating Gelato, pizza, octopus salad, spaghetti (did not remember to take pics of the last three)
and enjoyed a cup of cappuccino.

We asked to be taken back to Termini to catch our train to Civitavecchia. We arrived early - was afraid to miss the train, it's the only one that's going back today. We kept checking the screen for the schedule of our train, after the cappuccino, it was posted so we got to our feet and walked the length of the station. I said goodbye and extracted a promise from her that she will come and visit me in California next year - which is this year. I hope that happens because I can't wait to show off my neck of the woods too.