* Rome Airport makes getting on a plane one of the more stressful experiences of any vacation. You go through the same steps: check your bags, get your boarding pass, go through security, go to your gate. It took us about 20 minutes at Sky Harbor. It took us almost 2 hours in Rome. Fortunately, we left ourselves enough time -- and Gene's bellowing helped to get us to the airport on time as well -- to manage all the steps. You have to take ALL your electronics out of your carry on and put them all in plastic bags to go through security. And "electronics" meant plugs, cables, headphones, power strips, Gene's Magic Jack, tablets, anything with a wire. We had about 8 bags by the time we got through pulling everything. And the security table sent the various carry ons through X-ray at the rate of about 1 every 2 minutes or so, rather than the 30 seconds or less I've seen at other airports. We were about 5th in line. It took us close to 15 minutes, then of course, with all the electronics we had, we got pulled for further inspection and then it took FOREVER to put everything back into our carry ons and then we had to take a shuttle back to our departing Terminal. We arrived at the airport at 7:15 for a 10:35flight. We finally made it to the lounge to relax before the flight at 9:05. oy.
* They don't pinch anymore in Italy. Once upon a time, if you're old enough to remember, men used to pinch the bottoms of woman they passed as a way of flirting. One of our guides told me that the woman got tired of that and armed themselves with long sharp straight pins. And if a guy got too close to them on a subway or a bus or in public, they got a stick in the rear but good. And apparently, the custom died off. I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman, I guess.
* For kicks and giggles, I watched "Three Coins in the Fountain" on the plane coming home. What a laugh. A very bad 50's movie to be sure, but what made it funny was that, for instance, the heroines decide to go visit Trevi Fountain (and btw, no photos on the blog because it's dry and under repairs right now). And so, they drive down the alley, turn right and PULL UP RIGHT NEXT TO THE FOUNTAIN!! where there are only about 3 other people there. They throw a PENNY into the fountain, get back into their car and drive away. In another scene, I recognized Vatican square and it only had about 20 people milling around the square. Totally empty. All I know is if you took a right turn to pull up in front of Trevi Fountain, you'd take out about 100 tourists -- mostly Asian -- in one fell swoop. But amazingly enough, the shots of Rome neighborhoods and piazzas and squares still looked the same in 2015 as they did in cheesy 50's movies.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
It's Always Something...
THURSDAY NIGHT, MARCH 26 - FRIDAY, MARCH 27
We noticed that we seem to have a great time IN the cities we visit, but a hard time getting OUT of the cities we visit: the bus ticket Nazi in Florence, almost missing the plane back in Madrid in 2011, we've got a list. And getting out of Rome to come home was no exception.
As I write this, I'm sitting in Business Class relaxing on a plane we almost didn’t make and waiting for it to take off for Philadelphia. Let me recount our final evening in Italy. It’s a long story, but there is even a punch line, which isn’t too bad.
We noticed that we seem to have a great time IN the cities we visit, but a hard time getting OUT of the cities we visit: the bus ticket Nazi in Florence, almost missing the plane back in Madrid in 2011, we've got a list. And getting out of Rome to come home was no exception.
As I write this, I'm sitting in Business Class relaxing on a plane we almost didn’t make and waiting for it to take off for Philadelphia. Let me recount our final evening in Italy. It’s a long story, but there is even a punch line, which isn’t too bad.
Spending our last day hiking up Vesuvius and visiting the
ruins of Pompeii was wonderful and chock full of ancient history. We enjoyed a pizza with our fellow tour
attendees & Gene & I had our final gelato before getting back on the
bus to Rome. We arrived back at the
apartment at 9:30 with packing still in front of us. Gene was miserable tired, plus had an upset stomach and touches
of diarrhea.
At about 10:30 pm, the unthinkable happened and Gene spent
about 5 minutes in the bathroom hugging the toilet, giving up everything he had
eaten during the day. He said “I guess
that’s what I needed; I feel much better” and proceed to help me finish up the
packing and seemed quite well. We lost
time during this incident and didn’t get to bed until about 1am with the alarm set
for 5 am, so we could keep a desired leave-for-the-airport time of 6:00am, but
we figured we’d sleep on the plane.
At 2:30 am, the unthinkable happened. Again.
Swore he felt better, but how can we take a 10-hour flight if he’s gonna
be throwing up every 4 hours? We
debated the pros and cons of staying an additional day: there were no pros, there were only cons,
especially the part where we would be stuck in the middle of 2 separate rows, 10 rows apart for a 10-hour
flight. Gene kept swearing he felt
okay, just weak, tired and dehydrated and we decided to give it a go.
And at 6:30 am nothing happened. He appeared to be done with the unthinkable (and it became clear,
he was). But other events decided to
play havoc with us: we got on the
express, high-speed “Leonardi” train to the airport at 6:30 am and sat there
with all the other people while absolutely nothing happened. We finally all got off and all the other
Italian-speaking passengers started to make a run for it. We were hauling 2 bags each and Gene just
could not go fast. He was worn out from
the events of the past 6 hours and could barely go at all, but we figured out
there was a replacement train at a new platform and joined the crowd. We were left in their wake because the new
platform was easily a 20-minute walk from the old platform & they could go
fast and we couldn’t.
Finally, we were in sight of the doors to the train AND THEY
STARTED CLOSING!! THE TRAIN WAS GOING
TO LEAVE!! AND THE NEXT ONE WOULDN’T
COME FOR ANOTHER 20 MINUTES!!!
At that point, Gene had a bit of a meltdown and
bellowed: “HOLD THAT TRAIN!! DON’T YOU DARE LEAVE!!! WE WERE HERE 40 MINUTES AGO. I SAID HOLD THAT TRAIN!!!” And he kept bellowing as doors kept closing
down the line just feet before we reach them until finally, we were able to
catch up with the closing of the doors and make it onto the train. Gene bellowed all the way down the platform.
Perhaps they were planning on holding it anyway knowing that
the walk from the original platform to the new one was a hefty hike, perhaps he
did indeed scare them. Perhaps you
heard a rumble in your house this morning and wondered what it was. It was Gene, in his best baritone, not mumbling
one bit, clear as a bell. And we made
the train.
We got to the airport and figured out that we then had to
take a shuttle to a different Terminal to check in. On the shuttle we chatted with other folk who were obviously
American and off to different towns and who were also on the Leonardo and also
had to run for the new train. So I said
“Did you hear the crazy guy who yelled?”
And they all went “oh man, yeah.”
And I got to point at Gene with both pointer fingers and say “here he
is. Right here.” And actually Gene got an applause from the
crowd.
Not so quick with that "winding down....." stuff
THURSDAY, MARCH 26 - POMPEII !!
Back in early January, we drove to California to see the traeling Pompeii exhibit at the Science Center and knew immediately that we had to visit the real thing in Italy. So we signed up for an all-day tour and because of scheduling, spent our last day in Rome out of the city. But it was all good and worked out in our favor because had we been able to go on our chosen day -- Thursday -- we would have gone in the pouring rain we had yesterday. But instead, we had cooler dryer temperatures and partly (mostly) sunny skies.
Our first stop was Mt Vesuvius. During certain times of the year, the tour gets 2 hours at the Archaeological Mseum of Pompeii. Bt we were in the prime season , the Vesuvius National Park was oopen, the path to the summit was dry and walkable and so we were a go.
It was with a little trepidation that I started out. The bus drives you pretty close to the summit, so the actual path is not all the way from the bottom. But what's left for you to hike is steep. About a 14% incline for close to a mile with some good sized rocks on the path you have to be careful not to step on the wrong way. Not for the faint-hearted. But I have been doing the treadmill at the gym with a 20% incline and figured if I took it slow and steady and took breaks to catch my breath, I'd make it. And I did. About 1/2 way up, I slowed my pace down even more, so I could take deep breaths without having to stop and catch my breath. That worked.
Back in early January, we drove to California to see the traeling Pompeii exhibit at the Science Center and knew immediately that we had to visit the real thing in Italy. So we signed up for an all-day tour and because of scheduling, spent our last day in Rome out of the city. But it was all good and worked out in our favor because had we been able to go on our chosen day -- Thursday -- we would have gone in the pouring rain we had yesterday. But instead, we had cooler dryer temperatures and partly (mostly) sunny skies.
Our first stop was Mt Vesuvius. During certain times of the year, the tour gets 2 hours at the Archaeological Mseum of Pompeii. Bt we were in the prime season , the Vesuvius National Park was oopen, the path to the summit was dry and walkable and so we were a go.
It was with a little trepidation that I started out. The bus drives you pretty close to the summit, so the actual path is not all the way from the bottom. But what's left for you to hike is steep. About a 14% incline for close to a mile with some good sized rocks on the path you have to be careful not to step on the wrong way. Not for the faint-hearted. But I have been doing the treadmill at the gym with a 20% incline and figured if I took it slow and steady and took breaks to catch my breath, I'd make it. And I did. About 1/2 way up, I slowed my pace down even more, so I could take deep breaths without having to stop and catch my breath. That worked.
 |
| Here I am, half-way up, still smiling |
 |
| And here I am at the top, still smiling, even if it does have a grimace look to it. I could have gone up a little further and gotten closer to the steam, but I wanted to make sure I gave myself enough time to make it downhill in the time allotted. And I'm glad I did. Downhill was easier in that you didn't get out of breath, but you had to be careful not to go too fast. One misstep and you're tumbling with no good way to stop yourself.
After a fine pizza lunch, we were off for a 2-hour walking tour of Pompeii. The thing I found amazing about Pompeii was how BIG it is. It's not a collection of urns and doo-dads, capped with the powerful casts of people that were caught in the unpredicted explosion. The thing I found amazing was the huge size of the village that was unearthed. Main streets, side streets, marketplaces, store fronts, houses, mansions.
  Vesuvius is always in the background. It is 4,000 feet high, but estimates are that it was 8,000 feet high prior to the eruption on August 25, 79 AD
You really can't take it all in in 2 hours, but the message is unmistakeable: this was a very advanced civilization. And clever! This is the main street that comes into the city. The white dots are marble, which are designed to pick up the moonlight and make the street more visible to newcomers entering.
And this is exactly what you think it is, carved into one of the street stones. It points the way to the red-light district, again for newcomers to the city to find their way! Love it!
After Pompeii, we drove back to the city and our last day in Italy was over. It was quite an experience and we're happy we took the time to visit this wondrous site.
|
Winding down...
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25
So our luck ran out a little with today's steady, heavy rain. But 1 day out of 11 when we had nothing planned anyway is still good in my book. And it didn't stop us from really doing anything because all I really wanted to do was SHOP!!! I love checking out a local major department store of any city we're in and Rome was no different.
So we went to La Rinascente, one of the oldest, if not the oldest department store in Italy. I found a great blouse and dress, made in Italy, as is my rule in these outings. In fact, the two pieces are the department store's own label. I also found a pair of Italian leather gloves with silk linking, also made in Naples and finally we returned to the apartment, soaking wet (I mean it was really raining and windy!
Tonight, we took the recommendation of our host and went to a local restaurant that he and his girlfriend enjoy. What a swell experience -- to go to a place that isn't frequented by or catering to tourists.
You felt a little like you were in a cave. And you were, kinda. It was below ground level and just had that feel to it.
It was a great local place, offering really good Italian meals served up by swarthy Italian waiters - yum. And presided over by a short Mama straight out of Central Casting. She gave our pitcher of wine and our bread to the wrong table and when she realized her error -- conversing in rapid Italian with one of the swarthy waiters, she thought nothing of just walking back to the table, picking up the wine & bread and plopping it down on our table, laughing. Ya gotta love it.
Added bonus: a shared appetizer, bread, 2 entries with so much food we had to take some back to the apartment, 1/2 bottle of red wine, shared dessert - 37 euros ($40).
So our luck ran out a little with today's steady, heavy rain. But 1 day out of 11 when we had nothing planned anyway is still good in my book. And it didn't stop us from really doing anything because all I really wanted to do was SHOP!!! I love checking out a local major department store of any city we're in and Rome was no different.
So we went to La Rinascente, one of the oldest, if not the oldest department store in Italy. I found a great blouse and dress, made in Italy, as is my rule in these outings. In fact, the two pieces are the department store's own label. I also found a pair of Italian leather gloves with silk linking, also made in Naples and finally we returned to the apartment, soaking wet (I mean it was really raining and windy!
Tonight, we took the recommendation of our host and went to a local restaurant that he and his girlfriend enjoy. What a swell experience -- to go to a place that isn't frequented by or catering to tourists.
You felt a little like you were in a cave. And you were, kinda. It was below ground level and just had that feel to it.
It was a great local place, offering really good Italian meals served up by swarthy Italian waiters - yum. And presided over by a short Mama straight out of Central Casting. She gave our pitcher of wine and our bread to the wrong table and when she realized her error -- conversing in rapid Italian with one of the swarthy waiters, she thought nothing of just walking back to the table, picking up the wine & bread and plopping it down on our table, laughing. Ya gotta love it.
Added bonus: a shared appetizer, bread, 2 entries with so much food we had to take some back to the apartment, 1/2 bottle of red wine, shared dessert - 37 euros ($40).
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Russell Crowe was no where in sight.....
Time for the Coliseum. I've wanted to see the Coliseum since I was in the 9th grade. Life got in the way and then I discovered Paris, but here I finally am, ready to explore the structure that got me interested in becoming a Latin teacher (just when Latin when out of favor in the schools, unfortunately :-( )
The tour was again very organized by Viator. Smallish group (25 of us), all wearing headphones, so the noise level was under control instead of having 20 or so tour guides yelling over one another. And at 10am, the place was awash in many small tour groups dotted all over the place. But still, the Coliseum was impressive and you didn't feel crowded in or cheated out of getting a good view of everything.
Sadly, much of the Coliseum was mined for its travertine and metal to build other structures over the years. That's why there are so many potholes in the sides and why so much of it is exposed. But you still can get an idea of what it must have been like and the enormity of the place:
They estimate that the lower level, underneath the staging platform, employed about 360 people operating the trap doors and elevators that brought the animals and/or gladiators up to the stage level:
After the Coliseum, the tour took us to the remains of the Roman Forum
& a walk up the Palatine Hill, where Rome was found a couple thousand years ago. A thrill for this old Latin major.
After the tour, we went in search of a local restaurant that the tour guide said was good. Said "it's where I take my family", so we knew we were in for a typical local meal. And it was. It was crowded with businessmen, which I considered a good sign. They would know where the good places were to take clients, etc. And we had a fabulous meal there.
And then walked around some more. We always do a lot of walking in the cities we visit and in Rome, it seems like everywhere we walk, we run into neighborhoods like this:
* The subway cars are monstrously over-crowded. Seriously. You get on and you can not turn around. And people just push to make it into the car. On the upside, we have had some nice conversations that way. Gene almost got pick-pocketed as he got on the subway, but a local Rome guy stopped this young teenage girl from putting her had in his jacket pocket and she quickly ran off the subway. For the record, she would have gotten a plastic spoon from the gelato store and a crumpled up napkin. Gene has his money in a money belt under his t-shirt.
* The weather has been very cooperative. Last week, rain was predicted for Monday and Tuesday and instead, we have had only partly cloudy yesterday and today was even a little hot in the sun. 2 more days and we can officially declare ourselves charmed. But this isn't Phoenix, so we still could wind up using our umbrellas.
* This place is crawling with teenagers this week, mostly either Italian or Japanese. They are well behaved. Noisy, but well-behaved. A lot of schools have brought their students over here; must be spring break. A lot of people who write or film travel advice stuff need to come over periodically and live like regular tourists, because they'll mention that a tourist spot like the Spanish Steps is a wonderful place to visit, but they should also mention that sometimes it will look like this:
Yes, it was still fun and the view from the top (of course we walked up; would you expect less of us?) is great and that brick building in the upper left corner is a wonderful tea shop that's been in existence since 1893 and where I bought some chai tea I can't wait to try. But that is a lot of people. I'm not sure what they were all waiting for. You can't see the city lights come on at sunset, like at Sacre Coeur.
We got back to our apartment early tonight and stayed in. We are starting to wind down, as we usually do on these treks. Tomorrow is a "free" day. Not sure where we'll go. We've hit so many of the top attractions. I still want to check out a typical Rome department store, so we'll see. Probably do a lot of packing because Thursday we'll be gone to Pompeii all day.
Steps today: 14,882
Total: 144,692
The tour was again very organized by Viator. Smallish group (25 of us), all wearing headphones, so the noise level was under control instead of having 20 or so tour guides yelling over one another. And at 10am, the place was awash in many small tour groups dotted all over the place. But still, the Coliseum was impressive and you didn't feel crowded in or cheated out of getting a good view of everything.
Sadly, much of the Coliseum was mined for its travertine and metal to build other structures over the years. That's why there are so many potholes in the sides and why so much of it is exposed. But you still can get an idea of what it must have been like and the enormity of the place:
They estimate that the lower level, underneath the staging platform, employed about 360 people operating the trap doors and elevators that brought the animals and/or gladiators up to the stage level:
After the Coliseum, the tour took us to the remains of the Roman Forum
& a walk up the Palatine Hill, where Rome was found a couple thousand years ago. A thrill for this old Latin major.
After the tour, we went in search of a local restaurant that the tour guide said was good. Said "it's where I take my family", so we knew we were in for a typical local meal. And it was. It was crowded with businessmen, which I considered a good sign. They would know where the good places were to take clients, etc. And we had a fabulous meal there.
And then walked around some more. We always do a lot of walking in the cities we visit and in Rome, it seems like everywhere we walk, we run into neighborhoods like this:
I love that. Looking around and knowing you ain't in Kansas anymore. Many cobblestone streets and small alley ways and then big piazzas. We encountered this guy on our journeys today:
Which looks awfully impressive, until you see the point of the square block he's sitting on and know that there is a pole running up his arm and down his back to that square, so he's not really levitating (lordy, I hate when smartasses figure these things out and take away all the mystical stuff). But he seemed pretty sincere. And, as they say, once you can fake sincerity, you've got it made.
The streets we walked on also had several stores that catered to up-and-coming priests: loaded with vestments of varying colors -- mostly purple & white -- and chalices and urns to hold the communion wafers and even communion wafers! And communion wine!
I had no idea you could just go into a store and get this stuff. I'm not sure where I thought you got them, but still.... Fascinating stuff.
Other thoughts of Rome:
* The weather has been very cooperative. Last week, rain was predicted for Monday and Tuesday and instead, we have had only partly cloudy yesterday and today was even a little hot in the sun. 2 more days and we can officially declare ourselves charmed. But this isn't Phoenix, so we still could wind up using our umbrellas.
* This place is crawling with teenagers this week, mostly either Italian or Japanese. They are well behaved. Noisy, but well-behaved. A lot of schools have brought their students over here; must be spring break. A lot of people who write or film travel advice stuff need to come over periodically and live like regular tourists, because they'll mention that a tourist spot like the Spanish Steps is a wonderful place to visit, but they should also mention that sometimes it will look like this:
Yes, it was still fun and the view from the top (of course we walked up; would you expect less of us?) is great and that brick building in the upper left corner is a wonderful tea shop that's been in existence since 1893 and where I bought some chai tea I can't wait to try. But that is a lot of people. I'm not sure what they were all waiting for. You can't see the city lights come on at sunset, like at Sacre Coeur.
We got back to our apartment early tonight and stayed in. We are starting to wind down, as we usually do on these treks. Tomorrow is a "free" day. Not sure where we'll go. We've hit so many of the top attractions. I still want to check out a typical Rome department store, so we'll see. Probably do a lot of packing because Thursday we'll be gone to Pompeii all day.
Steps today: 14,882
Total: 144,692
C'mon-a My House
MONDAY, MARCH 23
Vatican Day. If you get to Rome and decide to go to the Vatican (and how can you not, really?) spend the extra money for a "Skip-the-Lines" tour that Viator offers. Only 12 people in our group, we met at 8am (Vatican opens at 9) and we walked passed several lines of people to enter, then into a different Security Line, then into a different entry line once we were in the building. Of course, it doesn't last forever and tour upon tour upon tour begin to co-mingle, but only having 12 people in your group helps you to not get separated from your guide. You get separated, you probably get escorted out of the building, your day ended.
The noise level stays acceptable because everyone has little headphones so the guides can talk quietly and you can hear everything. It's very well organized. It's also every bit as huge inside as it looks. Room after room and after room of art work. It's hard to take it all in unless you do some studying before you go (no, I didn't).
And you cannot -- can. not. -- take photos of the Sistine Chapel, even though you can take photos everywhere else of the magnificent art pieces. And not because TPTB are trying to preserve the ceiling. I found this on line:
"The prohibition against photography has been in place for several decades now, and while many assume that the no-photography rule is in place to prevent the flashing of cameras from affecting the art, the real reason dates back to the restoration of the chapel's art that began in 1980 and took nearly 20 years to complete...When Vatican officials decided to undertake a comprehensive restoration of Michelangelo's art in the chapel, the price tag for such an endeavor prompted them to seek outside assistance to fund the project. In the end, the highest bidder was Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan...In return for funding the renovation, Nippon TV received the exclusive rights to photography and video of the restored art...For the record, Nippon has stated that their photo ban did not apply to "ordinary tourists," but for simplicity's sake—lest some professional photog disguised himself in Bermuda shorts and socks and sandals—authorities made it an across-the-board policy.
The full article is on a web site http://mentalfloss.com/article/54641/reason-why-no-photography-allowed-sistine-chapel
Oh well. I didn't take many photos in the Vatican and I haven't been taking a lot of photos on vacation. I think you can run the risk of seeing foreign countries and experiencing new adventures filtered through a camera lens instead of letting them wash over you. But a few would have been nice. I'm now on a quest to find the definitive book on the art of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo inserted himself and few Popes in a few places and had an angel give the Pope the equivalent of "the finger" in one corner of the ceiling. Cool stuff like that is in there (we had a very great and knowledgeable guide). But here are a few of the photos I did take:
I am not sure what this represents, but it's famous in Italian lore. It is the acorn that Dante refers to in the Inferno. It's pretty darn big.
This is the "Door of Forgiveness" (yikes that title sounds like something out of a Monty Python movie). It was opened every 25 years and anyone who passed through it had all their sins forgiven. Over the years, the time in between opening it has shrunk and now Pope Francis will be opening it up some time in December, a mere 10 years after it was last opened.
The Pieta is still a gloriously beautiful work of art. Michelangelo was only 24 when he sculpted it and it is the only piece he signed, probably because he was unknown at the time. After this piece was revealed, he no longer signed any of his works. It must now be seen behind glass after a crazy guy took a hammer to it some years back, requiring restoration.
This is the crypt of Pope John XXIII. He is fully exposed behind glass. It's fascinatingly creepy, for some reason. Later on we were able to walk past the crypt of what is believed to be the remains of St. Peter. It is in a small room with a glass door, so tourists are separated by about 10 feet or so from the actual sarcophagus. No photos at all allowed there.
After the Vatican tour and a lunch -- pizza & beer at a restaurant's outside tables again -- Gene, the trip's designated map reader, decided we would take the "shorter" way back to the Metro to get to our apartment. About an hour later, and many uphill blocks, we were still walking. Part of our journey involved this nice outside staircase:
Goes back up there pretty far...... Took a telephoto shot to see how far up it goes.
At least it was downhill. We did finally get back to the apartment, ready for a nap. My Fitbit went berserk and registered.......
22,436 steps for the day (I believe a new record)
Total for the vacay to date: 129,810
Monday, March 23, 2015
Day 2 in Rome
Actually, our first full day in Rome. We did a lot of wandering, so my blog will as well. Here are miscellaneous thoughts as they occur to me on this day:
1) At the Gallerie Borghese, we decided we are just not "art" people. We are music nerds, though we did enjoy selections in the Gallerie. First off, it's a marvelous building and the walls are full of trompe l'oeil. Stacy, these are for you:
These two panels are flat against the wall. The shadows are painted on so they appear to be standing out from the wall, as though sculpted. We thought these were pretty cool. They were everywhere.
2) I used to use a perfume called simply "Borghese". It was wonderful. Then shortly after I moved to Phoenix, it got discontinued. I heard about it a little later than others, but was still able to race over to the nearest Dillards and buy about 9 bottles. Lasted me over a year, if I remember correctly. And then it was gone. Periodically, it will show up on ebay, triggering horrible bidding wars. I think a bottle can easily go for $250. Used to cost about $40.
So while I was there, I spoke to the guy at the counter in the museum shop about it and he confirmed that it's discontinued here in Italy as well, but showed me a limited edition perfume that smells pretty good an was available as a discounted item. So I got some. It's not Borghese, but it's nice to have a bottle of some kind of Borghese perfume for old time's sake.
3) The Romans love their graffiti. It seems like every empty space has something or other written or painted in it. Kind of a waste, but even more is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any concentrated effort to stop it, such as, painted it over or increasing patrols or what have you. The graffiti just seems to be there forever.
4) They are very creative about parking in a city crowded with cars. Especially those little pesky Smart Cars. I guess they think they are all that and a bag of chips because they are so "environmentally friendly" and seem to fit everywhere. They can, so they do:
I'd love to know how the driver of the Smart Car on the left will get in -- or how he got out, for that matter.
5) I forgot to mention this when I talked about our day in Venice. I have NO idea what to make of it. All I know is that I was just a little scared taking a photo of it:
"NO MAFIA! VENICE IS SACRED" ??? Really? Is that what it says? And what does it all mean?
These 4 letters are on billboards throughout the city and I also noticed them stamped on various manhole covers. They go waaaaay back to ancient times. SPQR means "Senatus Populusque Romanus": The Senate and the Roman People. I was always taught that it symbolized that the Senate and the Roman People were equal partners in running the land. Not sure anymore, but it gives this old Latin student a thrill to see it. I first saw it in a textbook in 1962 and here it is again.
7) So I'm standing near the Vatican as Gene is looking through a souvenir stand when this big, effusive, Black African woman came up to me squealing like I was her long lost friend. Gave me to air kisses on either side of my cheeks and puts small carved elephant in my hand. But then she asked for 2 euros. Okay, what the heck, here are two euros. She takes the coin and then takes the smaller coins that are in my palm. Okay, she wants a tip and usually don't spend anything smaller than 50 cent euro coin anyway. But then she starts insisting that she had asked for 5 euros. So I said "then take back the elephant." Oh my how quickly did she change her mind and walk away.
So that was my lesson in "friendly" people in Italy.
8) We don't want to miss our tour in the Vatican, so we do a trial run so we know where we need to get to by 7:45am. We find out it's an easy run, so we walk around a little and we get our first view of the Vatican:
Pretty damned impressive and that's only a small piece of it. Even with good peripheral vision, you can't take it all in. There is a very long line to get in to see something. I think it's St. Peter's Basilica, but aren't sure. It's really a looooong line.
9) Me and the cobblestone streets of Italy really aren't getting along. I've had too many slips and foot turns on uneven surfaces and catching myself. And I must admit, I even took a header onto the sidewalk one afternoon. Stepped wrong, uneven sidewalk -- pothole in the sidewalk, actually -- an just couldn't regroup and regain my upright position. By the time I got done, I was half-way off the curb, inches from hitting my head on a parked bus, sunglasses off with one lens popped out and my self-esteem in tatters. Oy. I hate when that happens. My knee is still numb where it took the brunt of the impact. But I'm walking fine an w/o pain, so go figure.
And that's it for Italy today.
Steps today: 16,245
Total for the vacation: 107,374
1) At the Gallerie Borghese, we decided we are just not "art" people. We are music nerds, though we did enjoy selections in the Gallerie. First off, it's a marvelous building and the walls are full of trompe l'oeil. Stacy, these are for you:
These two panels are flat against the wall. The shadows are painted on so they appear to be standing out from the wall, as though sculpted. We thought these were pretty cool. They were everywhere.
2) I used to use a perfume called simply "Borghese". It was wonderful. Then shortly after I moved to Phoenix, it got discontinued. I heard about it a little later than others, but was still able to race over to the nearest Dillards and buy about 9 bottles. Lasted me over a year, if I remember correctly. And then it was gone. Periodically, it will show up on ebay, triggering horrible bidding wars. I think a bottle can easily go for $250. Used to cost about $40.
So while I was there, I spoke to the guy at the counter in the museum shop about it and he confirmed that it's discontinued here in Italy as well, but showed me a limited edition perfume that smells pretty good an was available as a discounted item. So I got some. It's not Borghese, but it's nice to have a bottle of some kind of Borghese perfume for old time's sake.
3) The Romans love their graffiti. It seems like every empty space has something or other written or painted in it. Kind of a waste, but even more is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any concentrated effort to stop it, such as, painted it over or increasing patrols or what have you. The graffiti just seems to be there forever.
4) They are very creative about parking in a city crowded with cars. Especially those little pesky Smart Cars. I guess they think they are all that and a bag of chips because they are so "environmentally friendly" and seem to fit everywhere. They can, so they do:
I'd love to know how the driver of the Smart Car on the left will get in -- or how he got out, for that matter.
5) I forgot to mention this when I talked about our day in Venice. I have NO idea what to make of it. All I know is that I was just a little scared taking a photo of it:
"NO MAFIA! VENICE IS SACRED" ??? Really? Is that what it says? And what does it all mean?
These 4 letters are on billboards throughout the city and I also noticed them stamped on various manhole covers. They go waaaaay back to ancient times. SPQR means "Senatus Populusque Romanus": The Senate and the Roman People. I was always taught that it symbolized that the Senate and the Roman People were equal partners in running the land. Not sure anymore, but it gives this old Latin student a thrill to see it. I first saw it in a textbook in 1962 and here it is again.
7) So I'm standing near the Vatican as Gene is looking through a souvenir stand when this big, effusive, Black African woman came up to me squealing like I was her long lost friend. Gave me to air kisses on either side of my cheeks and puts small carved elephant in my hand. But then she asked for 2 euros. Okay, what the heck, here are two euros. She takes the coin and then takes the smaller coins that are in my palm. Okay, she wants a tip and usually don't spend anything smaller than 50 cent euro coin anyway. But then she starts insisting that she had asked for 5 euros. So I said "then take back the elephant." Oh my how quickly did she change her mind and walk away.
So that was my lesson in "friendly" people in Italy.
8) We don't want to miss our tour in the Vatican, so we do a trial run so we know where we need to get to by 7:45am. We find out it's an easy run, so we walk around a little and we get our first view of the Vatican:
Pretty damned impressive and that's only a small piece of it. Even with good peripheral vision, you can't take it all in. There is a very long line to get in to see something. I think it's St. Peter's Basilica, but aren't sure. It's really a looooong line.
9) Me and the cobblestone streets of Italy really aren't getting along. I've had too many slips and foot turns on uneven surfaces and catching myself. And I must admit, I even took a header onto the sidewalk one afternoon. Stepped wrong, uneven sidewalk -- pothole in the sidewalk, actually -- an just couldn't regroup and regain my upright position. By the time I got done, I was half-way off the curb, inches from hitting my head on a parked bus, sunglasses off with one lens popped out and my self-esteem in tatters. Oy. I hate when that happens. My knee is still numb where it took the brunt of the impact. But I'm walking fine an w/o pain, so go figure.
And that's it for Italy today.
Steps today: 16,245
Total for the vacation: 107,374
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