Suck on this, Augustus

Sunday, June 28 - Rome

Remember Augustus's mausoleum from the last post? Good-sized tomb, sure, but a hundred years later Hadrian said "Piffle!" and built a mausoleum that was so big it went on to be used as a fortress (5th-6th centuries) and a castle (14th-19th centuries). Moreover, he built it on the opposite bank of the Tiber, within sight of Augustus's little rockpile, just because he could. Today, it's called the Castel Sant'Angelo — that winged fellow on top is the Archangel Michael, who (they say) appeared atop the fortress in 590 and sheathed his sword to signal the end of the plague.

Like every other ancient structure in Rome, Castel Sant'Angelo is home to a museum now. Unfortunately, photography was forbidden inside the museum proper, so I can't show you the flintlocks and military uniforms and opulent libraries; you're stuck with the fortress itself. Which is still pretty cool, though we spent a good third of our visit circling around and around it, following the complicated multi-layer overlay map in an ultimately fruitless effort to reach the upper levels. (They were closed for restoration.)

( Cut for angels, not demons! )

See more here.

Pity me!

Bit sick. Weary, sniffly, 100.2°, mild aches, itchy eyeballs, no real nausea. Hungry. Preliminary self-diagnosis suggests cold, not flu:

COLD

• Symptoms develop slowly: √
• Fever up to 102 degrees: √
• Runny or stuffy nose: √
• Sore throat: ✕
• Cough: √
• Sneezing: √
• Fatigue: √
• Muscle aches: √
• Headache: √
• Watery eyes: √

FLU

• Symptoms usually appear suddenly: ✕
• Fever over 102 degrees: ✕
• Stuffy nose: ✕
• Nausea: ✕
• Chills and sweats: √ to chills, ✕ to sweats
• Fatigue: √
• Muscle aches, especially in your back, arms and legs: √ (but limbs are OK)
• Cough: √
• Headache: √
• Loss of appetite: ✕

My initial diagnosis of Epstein-Barr seems not to have panned out.

(From familydoctor.org.)