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| This is how we felt as the day started, but it got much better -- thankfully! |
It always amazes me how much we experience and absorb when we travel. Back in the peace and symmetry of our life in QB, we can drift through days and wonder what we did, often content to just “be”. But out in the world of experience and adventure, it is frequently hard to remember what we have packed into a day, or alternately what day it is because the time is so full. A wonderful and stretchy thing is time.
Today, the first thing to burn was the coffee – not great smelling when you are making espresso in one of those little steam boiler pots. The second thing to burn, leaving a very acrid odour for a while was the power converter. It had a fuse, but the fuse didn’t blow and the housing melted! Not the best start. So we go to the flea market by the Castel Sant’ Angelo where we saw some power plugs yesterday and the very nice man sells us a “transformer” that when we get home and take time to really look at is merely an adaptor! We know this stuff, how could we have let this happen? So tonight, we truly have an issue we will have to solve in the morning because we now have all our camera batteries that need charging and no converter. Fortunately it is not a problem for our trusty Apple products that speak all power languages!
So, with a nod to Irish superstition that is now three things! Phew. Done.
Before we discover our mistake we board the Hop On, Hop Off bus in the sublime happiness of ignorance and decide to disembark at the Trevi Fountain. Wow, the power of Hollywood! Almost every foot of the tiny piazza in which this very large fountain sits is filled with someone clutching a coin, preparing to throw a coin, mugging for the camera after having thrown a coin, or taking pictures. Yikes. What to do? Oh, what the heck – waiting our turn we find our coins, clutch them, toss them and mug for the photos. Hey, why not? We think we solved our power problems, all is right with the world. We watch with amusement police chase down and angrily demand “documents” from a group of foreigners who try to drink from a side jet of the fountain that to be fair, is positioned right beside actual drinking fountains. I think four different languages were bumping off each other in the air. After much hand waving, facial gestures indicating contrition and an appropriate respect for security, fountains and water-drinking in general. The matter was concluded without cuffs. Ah, the theatre of the street!
Our next stop is the Termini train station. We will be navigating this on Sunday when we leave for Venice, so checking it out is a fun excursion and well worth the time. The station is big and modern, and learning the cultural ins and outs and where the ticket machines are located will pay off when we are pressed for time and loaded down with luggage – despite good intentions we always seem to take too much!
Back on the bus in the increasingly sunny and warm weather – the guys that were selling umbrellas yesterday are selling sun hats today – we ride the Open Tour to the Capitoline Hill area. We tour another beautiful and ancient church called Santa Maria in Aracoeli, believed to be built over what had been the Temple of Zeus. One of the grave covers in the church floor clearly indicates that it is the tomb of a Crusader, and many of the Popes and some important citizens from ancient times have turned to dust in graves in the floor. Some walls are frescoed, the ceiling is completely adorned and the side chapels are unique and in most cases filled with paintings, sculpture and lavish decoration. One resembling a diorama with many levels of forest-like decoration. We are glad we climbed the 124 Aracoeli Steps that were built in 1348 and according to our guide book “to commemorate the end of the plague.” I think they just had enough well people to finally get the job done.
Right next door – they almost share a wall and do share a plaza area – the HUGE Victor Emmanuel Monument that is nicknamed “The Typewriter” (but to me looks more like a wedding cake) stands elegantly. It took from 1885 to 1911 to erect the behemoth that commemorates the formation of the Italian Republic; cementing diverse regions, philosophies and entitlements into one group that have been wrangling ever since, and at the same time permanently sending the Pope to Vatican City, ostensibly separating church and state. But, I venture every Italian has to consider their own perspective on who gets to rule which part of their lives. Anyway, getting to an Italian Republic must have been a big job because this monument, which stands within shouting distance of its ancient neighbours, The Roman Forum, The Coliseum and Circus Maximus to name a few, is bigger, taller, shinier, and probably has more lavish decoration than all of them put together, which is saying a lot. Despite the fact that it stands out from the crowd, you can’t really dislike Victor Emmanuel’s Monument because it’s really is well done, and nice in that Canadian way where they honour the unknown soldier with an eternal flame and have soldiers standing at attention. What we like is that you can get up to the top of it and see sweeping panoramas of the city. We love the long views and appreciate that it is not crowded on this sunny May day.
A surprisingly nice cafeteria with a retractable glass roof gives us a venue for the break we need to stretch our tired backs and rehydrate. I am impressed that the priced remain reasonable in a fabulous environment and that the offerings are fresh, including fruit.
Eyes full of vistas and thirst slaked, we set off to the Capitoline Museum. We learn so much about the history of the Popes who were both religious and civic leaders before Victor Emmanuel worked his diplomacy. There was a special exhibit that had a series of very old documents, one of which was the letter from the British church and influential citizens asking the Pope to give Henry VIII an annulment so he could marry Ann Bolin. Seriously, the actual letter with the Vatican stamp on it. One of the things that fascinates me is that to prove who the signatories are, there are about 75 seals affixed, hanging from the bottom of the document by cloth tabs that run through the wax of the seals that cascade, sometimes eight or 10 deep. The seals are ¼ to ½ inch thick and have a metal back and sides to hold the wax. I couldn’t take pictures of the original, but later, outside the exhibit a woman from a Vatican project had a replica of a similar use of seals and let me take a picture, so if it turns out you will see it on Facebook.
By the time we finished the sculpture galleries, jewellery gallery and special exhibit on the history of the Popes through the ages, we are bagged.
We jump back on the bus, get off at Circus Maximus for some pics. This huge area (2,037 feet in length and 387 feet wide) could accommodate roughly 150,000 spectators in its day to watch chariot racing and pursue other pastimes. Now it’s a big green space with no discernable specific use. There are three inflated domes at one end, but they look temporary and are cordoned off.
We stroll down a gentle hill to the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin to see the sculpture of a River God that is called the Mouth of Truth. This was featured in the movie Roman Holiday and a few other people are there. The sculpture is in the portico of the church, which was closed, but I shot through the bars and got almost the image I wanted.
Right across the street is the round Temple of Vesta, said to be one of the oldest in Rome, so naturally it becomes part of our circuit. Vesta was the daughter of Saturn and virgin keeper of the home and hearth. There are a couple of temples, one in the Roman forum and this one. I just checked Wiki and it says that this temple is now called The Temple of Hercules Victor or Hercules Olivarius (Hercules as protector of the olive trade). Damn, couldn’t we keep one ancient female celebratory structure? I mean, she was even a virgin, and dedicated to home and hearth – wasn’t that enough? Now, I can honestly say I have seen nothing ancient in Rome that celebrates any woman other than Mary. Just saying, it seems pretty skewed.
Oh, speaking of skewed, look closely at the photos from the Capitolini Museum and closer to the end you may see some interesting sculptures of man/beast and man/woman combos. Now those I had forgotten about until I entered the part of the museum that you can only get to after going through the underground passageway. Hmmmmm.
It has been a full day and on the long walk home we stop in Trastevere – a primarily residential area and find Il Ponentino, a ristorante/pizzeria that serves a four course dinner for 10 Euros, including wine or beer. It is seriously good food and we can’t believe the bargain. No wonder it is packed.
Home now and resolute about dealing with the battery charging issue tomorrow. It has been another great one. I hope our family and friends at home win the lottery and can come and enjoy this with us. It is a great way to fill your soul and your mind!
Have a great day everyone. Ciao!
FYI, lots of pics will be up on FB soon.
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