Retracing my steps from yesteday

Well, by now I'm getting the bus system down. My first stop was at the Vodafone store where I picked up the piece of the adaptor that I had left behind. I thook a bus over to Termini, the main train station in Rome, to get a map of the bus routes. I felt like I should "see" something=go into something that makes Rome so special. We had passed many of these sights on the way to Termini, and we will actually take two half day tours in Rome next week.I had passed this most spectacular monument on the way, so I got off the bus to see what it was. Lifted right from the internet, "One of the imposing landmarks in Rome is the Monument to Victor Emanuel, II, built between 1885 and 1911 and dedicated to the memory of King Victor Emanuel, II of Savoia who achieved the unification of Italy in 1870 with Rome as its capital. Visitors climbing a broad flight of steps soon notice an imposing statue flanked by a two-man honor guard and highlighted by an eternal flame, kindled in memory of the Unknown Italian Soldier of World War I." There is also a museum there,but everything (except the sign to the restrooms) were in Italian, so I was out of luck.
Unfortunately this picture doesn't give any idea of how spectacular the monument really is.
I returned home and decided to take a walk in one of the nearby parks. This neighborhood reminds me of Brookline with far less shops. It is just so interesting to see the varied architecture everywhere-this little park included.
On my way home I continued to wander through the neighborhood; most of the shops are closed for the August holiday,including the great pizza shop. However, I stopped for a gelato (I have checked the calorie count!),and the only empty chair outside was at a table with two women-one in her late 80's perhaps, and the other,not her daughter as I first guessed, but her caretaker, in her late 40's. I asked if I could use the chair,and they motioned for me to sit with them. Well, a young man, Ben, sitting at a table nearby came up to me and asked where I was from. When I told him, I noted his Hardrock Cafe shirt was from Boston; he is going to be a senior at Kingston,RI, High in the fall.He has studied Italian for three years,so his Italian is excellent. The older woman even said so! She actually had spoken at Cambridge and Oxford years ago, but we couldn't get any details. She did speak some English with us.Ben has been here for three weeks working at a B&B with three more weeks before he goes home. He warned me that I should always carry my passpor, but he doubted I'd have any trouble. It turns out that several nights ago, he had been out very late and picked up by the police. With no identification on him, they hauled him off to the police station.Needless to say,he was BEYOND SCARED! Once he gave one of them 100 euros, they let him go! He asked me if there was anything I wanted to know how to say in Italian. "Where will you be when I do need your help?" I asked. I do have his phone number if the need arises!