Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Rome-The Eternal City (cont'd)


Our hotel breakfast is available until 10am and we take advantage of the slow mornings. A cab ride to the Parthenon and no crowds to slow are access. Very impressive. One of the only buildings from Ancient Rome to have survived almost completely intact. We were able to leisurely tour the area. Had time for a cool drink at an outdoor cafe and Laurie did a sketch of the building. I got a photo of several Nuns sitting on the steps of the fountain eating their brown-bag lunch.













Sitting next to us was a woman and her young daughter. The woman was correcting school papers and waiting for her husband to return. He is an avid architecture buff and stopped quickly to get his camera gear before he headed off to photo-op Rome. The woman was indeed a school teacher from Manchester, England. She knew some of the victims from the terrorist attack and her daughter was the same age as the youngest victim. We talked about the tragedy and she was struggling with how to explain it to her daughter. A sad note on a nice day! The world is very small, indeed.



We strolled back towards our hotel and had a nice lunch in a small trattoria mixed in with many of the local working folk. We did some last-minute browsing and shopping at the Square and returned to our hotel to pack for tomorrow's departure and a quick nap before dinner.



We returned to our favorite restaurant near the Square, La Quercia for our farewell dinner. The food is fabulous and reasonable. Our waiter from the first night was off and the service was good but the ambiance was not the same. Still a pleasant way to dine on our last night in Rome. We returned to Farnese Square, of course for a last pleasurable night cap and Laurie's favorite guitar player. Using the table top brown paper, she sketched him and along with a generous tip we presented him with our parting gift. Arrivederci Roma.














Yuck, a 4:00 am wake up! Hotel provided a car service to the airport as part of our stay and the driver was waiting for us when we checked out. We fly on miles and this time it was Iberia Airlines which is a partner airline with American. We generally fly Business class due to the lengthy flight time and the need when using miles to use the European hub system. We flew from Rome to Madrid (Iberia’s home) and from there non-stop to JFK. Comfortable, reclining seats, good food choices, booze and wine, movies and great service. It makes the time go by quickly.



This was our first experience with the Global Entry System. We had been vetted by Customs & Immigration some months before and the process is almost all automated and we sailed through the waiting lines of weary travelers. Didn't quite do it completely right but we eased through the process in about 15 minutes. Our son-in-law Vlad picked us up and despite rush hour traffic we arrived at our daughter Kristin's home in about an hour.



Great to see the kids and we did Chinese take-out. We have our own bedroom and bath in the house and despite having napped on the plane it was an early night. Our daughter Katie & grandson Kane stopped as well. A fun evening.



Our granddaughter, Gwendolyn turns 6 on the Tuesday after we arrived and we had a big pool party with all her friends. We spent time with family, did some shopping and relaxed after our trip and told the usual travel stories.



Monday morning found us in an Uber after tearful goodbyes. Easy ride to LGA & an uneventful Delta trip home. Our friend Al picked us up in Sarasota and our trip is over.



So, completes another Gene & Laurie adventure. Just shy of a month and thousands of miles. We visited 4 different countries and travelled through a 5th, Spain. We met countless numbers of other travelers and swapped stories and ideas. We navigated through some dicey political discussions, I know never talk religion or politics especially where there is wine being consumed by several of the participants, and we were thrilled by the sights, sounds, tastes and aromas of so many different peoples.


The most important part of the trip was that I remained healthy, walked miles and accomplished a personal goal of completing a big adventure. We are already planning our next trip or 2 and we look forward to sharing our thoughts and experiences with you.

Rome - The Eternal City


Time to move on and the taxi picked us up around 10:30am for our high speed “bullet-train” to Rome. Great ride; smooth, fast and comfortable. The skeptical New Yorker in me knew to make sure we used the official train station queue for a taxi in Rome and not the various “individuals” vying for our luggage and euros chasing us across the huge train station. A relatively short ride through the chaotic streets of Rome, yep just like in the movies: taxis, cars, scooters and bikes going in all directions at breakneck speeds.



Our hotel is a gem adjacent to the French embassy in the Farnese district of Rome. Centrally located and if we want to, within walking distance of many of the major attractions. A fairly large room, with a generous ensuite and prerequisite bidet which takes away from the size of the bath. A very comfortable bed. The drawback is the safe is key operated and is on a heavy, bulky key chain which you need to carry with you. It is not very well secured to the armoire.



We opted for a nap and the hotel recommended a truly Roman style restaurant less than 2 blocks away. Another fabulous find with outstanding food, wine and dessert. We walked around after dinner but soon realized a good night’s sleep was our best option.


It's May 29 and our first full day in Roma. We walked up to the main artery and bought tickets for the “Hop on Hop off” bus. It's warm here and it gave us the chance to see the overall layout of the old city and the various attractions. Laurie’s research had picked out the major sights we needed & wanted to see and the bus ride gave us the option to further refine her plan.

We jumped off at the main shopping district and found a small restaurant for a pizza (“when in Rome…”) and then a short walk to the Trevi Fountain. Wow, a huge crowd but they move. People look, toss their coins, take a few photos and move away. We did the same, tossed our coins, made our wish and off to the next stop: the Spanish Steps.


Originally built to allow guests and dignitaries to access the cathedral, the Spanish steps are just that, a long series of concrete steps leading up a hill. Not very impressive and not worth the climb but touted as a romantic spot to people watch in the evenings. But to claim that we climbed the Steps I went up maybe 10 or so and declared it complete on the list! The area has lots of cute shops and cafes and we strolled through some of the streets. While not oppressive, it was warm and we grabbed a cab back to the hotel for our obligatory afternoon “siesta” (duh, we were just at the Spanish Steps after all) & rested before dinner.



The hotel clerk recommended a restaurant across the bridge over the Tiber River in a small, upscale and young neighborhood. Think millennial with an ancient Roman flair! The food was good but not great and the service was acceptable. The prices are very reasonable in Rome and afterwards we strolled back through a square with musicians and folks enjoying the ambiance of a spring evening. The view from the bridge, (foot traffic only) was amazing with strategically placed lighting adding to a romantic evening stroll. Tomorrow is the Vatican and we need to be well rested for what will be a long and arduous day.








We’re up and had our breakfast and dressed. We found that Farnese Square, about 300 yards from our hotel front door is a more convenient and less expensive place for a taxi. The square also provides an excellent open-air market with stalls selling everything from leather goods and fashion accessories to fresh produce and pasta. While we could have walked to Vatican City, we knew that today would be a lot of standing, walking and waiting in crowded lines so the taxi was an indulgence we enjoyed.



We were not wrong about the crowds. We had pre-booked a tour of the museum and our scheduled time was 12:15pm. This is apparently one of the best times to get since the wait times are close to non-existent and we walked in almost on schedule. The obligatory security scanning and queuing for the guide while they distribute the head-sets chewed up more time but we were off on the tour within about 40 minutes. The Museum is immense and it is packed with people. The art work, statuary & antiquities are amazing but the guides give you very little time to actually stop and admire the works. Picture takers, selfie-sticks, huge digital cameras and truly rude people (especially the majority of Asian tourists) make for an exasperating experience but if you go in with this knowledge and keep your composure, you can enjoy the tour and its amazing sights.
























We grabbed a quick lunch at a small cafe within the museum. Overpriced and not very tasty. In all our travels, most Museum eateries are overpriced but the food is usually quite good bearing on gourmet and eclectic. This was not the case here. But we were not here for the food.



After the guided portion of the tour, you were given two options: returning to the museum rooms and leisurely walk among the sights. Trouble here is that you would be “going against traffic” and the crowds are still quite large. Option two let you head out and into the entrance queue for the Sistine Chapel. But once you pass the access point there is no going back to the Museum proper. We opted for lunch and the Chapel.


The beauty of the Sistine Chapel cannot be over emphasized. It is magnificent. But it is much smaller than I pictured and as crowded as Times Square on New Year’s Eve! There are guards everywhere. There is a loudspeaker system and one guard who is constantly admonishing folks to be quiet. Yes, it is a reverent space & everyone should be respectful but 500+ people in a 40 X 100 room is going to create noise. The guards seem overbearing. You have your small space and can look up but it is almost impossible to move around the room to view the entire ceiling and you do have to worry about pick-pockets. We take several precautions, I wear a money belt and we don't carry the same credit card or for that matter much cash but you don't want to be a victim.


There are some benches along the wall but people seem to “own” them and good luck trying to pry a bored teenager out of her /his spot. Physically, it is tough to crane your neck skyward for long periods of time. You cannot take pictures. You are warned that they have the right to confiscate your camera if they catch you in the act. I'm not sure they have ever done that and I saw folks sneaking a pic or two but why take the chance. My eyes have seen it; my mind remembers it.


So on to St. Peter’s Basilica. What a surprise, no lines and we walked right in to an immense cathedral and the centerpiece of Roman Catholicism. A truly special place. Immediately to your right is Michelangelo’s Pieta. This is the one everyone talks about and which was damaged by a deranged individual. There were 66 pieces broken off the statue and it is now protected by bullet proof Plexiglas. A shame but you can get pretty close and it will move you with its realism and true beauty. I mistakenly dropped my hat here and was fortunate to find it in the same spot several hours later. Honest folks here.











The Nave is huge and there were not many visitors. The individual side chapels and statues of the saints and Popes were breathtaking. A separate room for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was blocked off and apparently used only for holy day observance. There are some slot holes for viewing and unauthorized pictures. The gold in the room and altar could feed a 3rd world country for a decade!

While strolling the Basilica, Laurie noticed that the guards had started to close off the main altar and there were now wooden barricades blocking access to it, yet one or two people would talk to a guard and then be allowed past the barricade. There never was a shy Episcopalian bone in her body, she asked the guard and he told her that Mass was going to be celebrated at the Altar and those folks were attending. She asked if anyone could attend and he told her, “it lasts about an hour”! Now, we both know that the average Sunday Mass in any Roman Catholic Church lasts at least an hour and what a fabulous opportunity was just given to us. We were going to celebrate a Eucharist at St. Peter’s.

True to his word it was about an hour. The Mass was in Italian and Latin and many of my childhood brain cells were awakened by the recitation of the prayers. The Homily was in Italian as well and of course there was a collection. But receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in St. Peter's in Rome was something very special and memorable. Regardless of denomination, we are Christians first and St. Peter's is God's house.















True to his word it was about an hour. The Mass was in Italian and Latin and many of my childhood brain cells were awakened by the recitation of the prayers. The Homily was in Italian as well and of course there was a collection. But receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in St. Peter's in Rome was something very special and memorable. Regardless of denomination, we are Christians first and St. Peter's is God's house.

The tombs of the Popes are downstairs and it is amazing to wander through them and recall what we know about each and see how they have been placed and venerated. A local order of Nuns run several gift shops outside of the Museum and Basilica. We toured the shop and found quality merchandise at reasonable prices. While we don't buy every one of our family souvenirs, we do get some and generally there are some special folks we feel we want to gift. We also try to buy a small remembrance for our own home.

On our way out through the main entrance (after recovering my hat) we walked past the open-air staging and altar and seating for the Pope’s weekly mass and audience. An immense square with room for thousands. The enormity of the Complex takes on significance as you walk away towards the river and look back. It was even more memorable since the sun was disappearing behind the Basilica and few tourists were left in the streets since most had already gone. Our Mass was at 5pm and it was now well past 7:30 in the evening. We found a local restaurant with views of the church and enjoyed some fresh pasta Bolognese as we reminisced about our day and the once in a life time experiences.



. A taxi ride back to Farnese Square and dessert in the open-air plaza. We listened to a street musician who played an amplified guitar with a Spanish flair and I sipped my espresso while we recalled how truly blessed we are to be living La Dolce Vita!  Rome at its best.
So, a late start today after yesterday’s marathon of sensory overload. We are off to Ancient Rome and the Coliseum and Forum and other Roman buildings. Built thousands of years ago by probably the greatest engineering people (the Greeks were pretty special too) of all time. The Coliseum is truly magnificent and that it still is structurally sound after all this time makes it a marvel to behold. Not quite as crowded and we opted for a self-guided tour with head-sets. Unfortunately, the quality of the audio recordings was less than optimal but we gleaned the highlights. They've opened the center of the floor and it gives you the advantage to gaze down into the subterranean chambers where the slaves, gladiators and animals were housed. The maze of tunnels and rooms is mind boggling. The fore runner of theatre staging at its best.




















An unusual sight is a stark metal cross standing, centered to one side of the main floor. Placed there by Emperor Constantine. It's is incongruous considering the number of early Christians put to death as martyrs in the early days of Roman rule. We wandered the pathways and viewed the various exhibits in the access tunnels. Art, photos, scale models and historical artifacts made for an informative stroll. Our stomachs told us it was lunch and we found a nice al fresco dinning spot adjacent to the railroad station entrance and across the street from the Coliseum.

While the food itself was not memorable, our companions at the next table provided delightful conversation. Our unmistakable northeast accents initiated the conversation and we soon discovered that she was from Mastic, Long Island. He did not reveal his hometown. They were both “junior” flight attendants for Delta and had just arrived in Rome that morning after a long overnight flight from New York.

Neither one had been in Rome before, but both were eager to experience as many overseas flights as they could get with their limited seniority. They lamented that the more senior attendants were well seasoned travelers who worked a long flight and then hit the ground running to make the most of the layover time. They were both visibly tired.

We swapped aviation stories and especially security concerns. They were horrified to hear of our experiences using foreign flag carriers and their lack of concern for integrity of the flight deck. They revealed the emphasis put on that issue during their training and that the number one priority in the job duties was to protect the integrity of the flight deck even if it required an ultimate sacrifice of their own lives. The instructors never said that specifically but the message was loud and clear. Some fascinating conversation. She was moving off the Island to Austin, Texas to avail herself of the vibrant millennial community developing there.


We are in the heart of Ancient Rome. The ruins are all around and tours abound. But we've been on so many that we just want to walk around and absorb the atmosphere. Many of the sites require tickets or a fee to get inside but the structures are visible, or what is left of them and it is a warm afternoon to wait on lines or mingle with crowds. We opted for a leisurely stroll. Most sites have placards & maps which show what was there and its importance. We even met a couple of “ancient Roman” kitty cats that had taken up residence in a vast site of ruins.



















We worked our way back to our hotel doing a little window shopping in the various side streets & fascinating back alleys and is our custom we settled in for our afternoon nap. Restful sleep & then cocktails in the room (we bring our own) and off to Farnese Square for an “al fresco” dinner.

There are 12 different restaurants in and around the Square. Each one has a “hawker” trying to lure you into their table area. They also have huge posters with their menu selections and specials. We settled on one with an eclectic selection and a table facing the Square. Good choice! I had an excellent seafood bouillabaisse (check out the FB live video feed) and as we waited for our nightly entertainment we struck up a conversation with our table mates next to us. They too were touring Rome and were from the San Francisco area. They were traveling with their son who was sleeping off the jet-lag. As we talked about our lives, we learned that they had adopted their son from Russia and related a horror story where they were able to meet him shortly after birth but then had to leave and wait six months to see him again and bring him to the States. Excruciating tension and emotional pain.
Ironically, she was an MD whose specialty is infertility! We saw them again the next night (their son they said was not interested in eating out and was watching TV in the room). They said they would find us on FB but 3 months later, no contact.
We stayed in the Square that evening and enjoyed the music and people watching. Our favorite guitar player was entertaining the crowds & received a generous tip from us for his efforts. The hours slip by quickly and as midnight approached we reluctantly strolled slowly back to our hotel for a restful and needed sleep.