Beau guaranteed that we would have a great time with Connor and Griff, and he was right. We've only been home a week and a half and already I miss it.
It's been a long time since a trip went so smoothly: the only hiccups were the apartment switch in Venice and Griff referring to me as a "tourist" but both ended up being just fine. No lost luggage, no insane drives seeking a hotel, great weather, not too short or worse- too long.
I hope the only regret C & G have is not purchasing gondolier outfits - black pants, horizontally striped shirts and beribboned straw hat - to wear on their first day back to school. Or anytime, really. I did my best to encourage them, but no luck.
lemon on steak
yeah yeah yeah
sketchy
blurting out any random non-english word does not make you multi-lingual
We really enjoyed spending this time with Connor and Griff and getting to know
them. It was great watching them becoming a travelers, not tourists - people who can move in the
world with confidence and respect and curiosity. Mission accomplished.
안전한
여행. (That means "Safe Travels" in Korean)
Click here to go to our Photo Album
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Arrivederci, Italia
Tuesday
Our last day! As we had a full schedule, we were up and out by 10:30 or so - Connor fixed pancakes and Ben went out for pastries at a bakery he stumbled upon during his morning walk. (During which he got turned around and ended up following some gondoliers on their way to work - once he got to the canal he took the vaporetto back.) The pain au chocolate were not Paris-level, but they were good, and brought back nice memories of our trip last May with Kelsey and Carly.
Our first destination was the island of Murano, famous for the glass we have seen and admired all over Italy. We took the vaporetto and after a somewhat rough ride on the big water we arrived at the stop where the Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum) is located. With help from some locals, we found it and went in. The first gallery was filled with small bottles, tubes and shards, most of them from the first century. While attractively displayed in artistically arranged hanging cubes, once you've seen one bottle you've pretty much seen them all. Connor and Ben feigned sophistication and interest by s-l-o-w-l-y looking at each cube while Griff and I rolled our eyes and hoped for something better in the next room.
Well, that hope was unfounded, and we whipped through a display intended to show the progression from cloudy to clear glass. Yawn. Then there were some examples of hideous centerpieces, one so big that if Griff ever does live in a Doge-size palace it might work. Finally, we got to a gallery that had some cool stuff, but really not anything more spectacular than what we'd seen in the shops. We watched part of a glassmaking video - and I will say that the monitor had a spectacular glass frame - then left to go to the glass-making factory.
It was closed. We decided to shop until the vaporetto came, and this decision turned a completely lame expedition into a huge success, as Griff found the perfect souvenir, one he had been looking for from day one. Sometimes it is the small things...
We hopped back on the vaporetto, or "evaporator" as some of us called it, and headed back toward San Marco. By the time we got there it was about 2:00, so we decided to do Harry's Bar for lunch. What an experience! Opened in 1931, and frequented by Ernest Hemingway so often that he had his own table during the winter of 1949 -50. Here he wrote much of "Over the River and Into the Trees" - and Harry's Bar is mentioned many times in the novel.
As soon as we opened the door, we were greeted by a white-jacketed waiter, who inquired if we were there to have drinks or lunch. We told him lunch, and we were escorted to the last empty table - the place is very small, only about 15 tables or so. It feels like you are on a boat, but not just any boat - a yacht. It was easy to see why Hemingway was so comfortable there, given his fondness for his own boat, The Pilar. It's all white tablecloths, golden wood and glowing lights inside, but the atmosphere is relaxed, not stuffy. And the service is impeccable!
Everyone ordered a Bellini - the iconic cocktail invented here. WOW. I've had a Bellini before, but nothing like this. White peach puree, prosecco...perfection. Even Ben, who never likes drinks like this, enjoyed his. While we perused the menu, our waiter brought us each a roll that was flaky outside, tender inside. It didn't need anything but none of us could resist the tiny cubes of butter in a glass dish on our table. Then a basket of regular bread and house-made grissini appeared. I am almost embarrassed to say that it had to be replenished pretty darn quickly - I'm just going to say we were starving and stick to that.
We ordered: Connor had the hamburger, which was huge, perfectly cooked and came with a homemade bun cooked right onto the top - and the cheese was not just a slab o' american, but a cheddary sauce that complemented the beef perfectly. Sided by hot crisp fries, Connor did not miss pizza Margherita at all. Ben had a specialty of the house: chicken curry. It was seasoned aggressively but not overly, and the morsels of chicken almost melted in your mouth. Griff had a ribeye saute, again perfectly cooked, which was a relief after his experience with the overly rare meat the day before. A plate of grilled vegetables - peppers, zucchini, cauliflower - came with and he shared those with me. I had the risotto with shrimp and cardoons (cardoons are in the artichoke family) and it was redolent with flavors of the sea and garden. Creamy but not rich, it was a large portion and I ended up sharing with Griff, who apparently did not hear me order - he "hates" seafood - and never would have taken a bite had he known what it was. So much for false assumptions - he thoroughly enjoyed it, and cleaned his plate.
We had the white house wine, which is selected by Mr. Cipriani every year - he chose well for 2012. Griff had a screwdriver, which was about as far from the American drink of OJ and vodka as milk is to beer. It is made with blood orange juice to start, and I couldn't identify the other ingredients but it was tasty and refreshing.
As Kelsey says, it is best to have the "full experience" so we ordered dessert. Gelato with a chocolate sauce and sugary sprinkles, chocolate cake with a mascarpone sauce and apple pie - and Griff enjoyed his screwdriver so much he had one for dessert. It was a meal where food, service, atmosphere and history all coalesced into an unforgettable experience. Thanks, Rick and Jenny for treating us.
Back out in the real world, we crossed the Piazza to visit St. Mark's Basilica, stopping briefly to see if Griff could get some pigeons to sit on him. (I have no explanation for this, and am glad that the pigeons did not cooperate.) We went into the Basilica, a fancy Byzantine structure with three domes, many columns and impressive mosaics on the front, which was built to house the remains of St Mark the Evangelist - the gospel guy. The remains were stolen by some merchants in Alexandria in the early 800's, and St Mark replaced St Theodore as the patron saint of Venice.
The interior is dark, with ornate carvings and fancy floors and ceilings. We toured the main part, then back to the vaporetto stop for our final ride.
No dinner tonight, we are all too full from lunch. Just packing, and C & G want to check out some bars by the canal. We have a long, long day tomorrow and need to leave our apartment for the bus to the airport a little after 7:00. A short flight from Venice to Frankfurt, then a long haul to Newark, then another short hop to Cleveland, then a four-hour drive to Cincinnati for C & G. This trip has been the perfect length: it went fast, but we are all just about ready to be home.
I'll do one more blog shortly after we get home, and put together a photo album. It's been a great trip!
Our last day! As we had a full schedule, we were up and out by 10:30 or so - Connor fixed pancakes and Ben went out for pastries at a bakery he stumbled upon during his morning walk. (During which he got turned around and ended up following some gondoliers on their way to work - once he got to the canal he took the vaporetto back.) The pain au chocolate were not Paris-level, but they were good, and brought back nice memories of our trip last May with Kelsey and Carly.
Our first destination was the island of Murano, famous for the glass we have seen and admired all over Italy. We took the vaporetto and after a somewhat rough ride on the big water we arrived at the stop where the Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum) is located. With help from some locals, we found it and went in. The first gallery was filled with small bottles, tubes and shards, most of them from the first century. While attractively displayed in artistically arranged hanging cubes, once you've seen one bottle you've pretty much seen them all. Connor and Ben feigned sophistication and interest by s-l-o-w-l-y looking at each cube while Griff and I rolled our eyes and hoped for something better in the next room.
Well, that hope was unfounded, and we whipped through a display intended to show the progression from cloudy to clear glass. Yawn. Then there were some examples of hideous centerpieces, one so big that if Griff ever does live in a Doge-size palace it might work. Finally, we got to a gallery that had some cool stuff, but really not anything more spectacular than what we'd seen in the shops. We watched part of a glassmaking video - and I will say that the monitor had a spectacular glass frame - then left to go to the glass-making factory.
It was closed. We decided to shop until the vaporetto came, and this decision turned a completely lame expedition into a huge success, as Griff found the perfect souvenir, one he had been looking for from day one. Sometimes it is the small things...
We hopped back on the vaporetto, or "evaporator" as some of us called it, and headed back toward San Marco. By the time we got there it was about 2:00, so we decided to do Harry's Bar for lunch. What an experience! Opened in 1931, and frequented by Ernest Hemingway so often that he had his own table during the winter of 1949 -50. Here he wrote much of "Over the River and Into the Trees" - and Harry's Bar is mentioned many times in the novel.
As soon as we opened the door, we were greeted by a white-jacketed waiter, who inquired if we were there to have drinks or lunch. We told him lunch, and we were escorted to the last empty table - the place is very small, only about 15 tables or so. It feels like you are on a boat, but not just any boat - a yacht. It was easy to see why Hemingway was so comfortable there, given his fondness for his own boat, The Pilar. It's all white tablecloths, golden wood and glowing lights inside, but the atmosphere is relaxed, not stuffy. And the service is impeccable!
Everyone ordered a Bellini - the iconic cocktail invented here. WOW. I've had a Bellini before, but nothing like this. White peach puree, prosecco...perfection. Even Ben, who never likes drinks like this, enjoyed his. While we perused the menu, our waiter brought us each a roll that was flaky outside, tender inside. It didn't need anything but none of us could resist the tiny cubes of butter in a glass dish on our table. Then a basket of regular bread and house-made grissini appeared. I am almost embarrassed to say that it had to be replenished pretty darn quickly - I'm just going to say we were starving and stick to that.
We ordered: Connor had the hamburger, which was huge, perfectly cooked and came with a homemade bun cooked right onto the top - and the cheese was not just a slab o' american, but a cheddary sauce that complemented the beef perfectly. Sided by hot crisp fries, Connor did not miss pizza Margherita at all. Ben had a specialty of the house: chicken curry. It was seasoned aggressively but not overly, and the morsels of chicken almost melted in your mouth. Griff had a ribeye saute, again perfectly cooked, which was a relief after his experience with the overly rare meat the day before. A plate of grilled vegetables - peppers, zucchini, cauliflower - came with and he shared those with me. I had the risotto with shrimp and cardoons (cardoons are in the artichoke family) and it was redolent with flavors of the sea and garden. Creamy but not rich, it was a large portion and I ended up sharing with Griff, who apparently did not hear me order - he "hates" seafood - and never would have taken a bite had he known what it was. So much for false assumptions - he thoroughly enjoyed it, and cleaned his plate.
We had the white house wine, which is selected by Mr. Cipriani every year - he chose well for 2012. Griff had a screwdriver, which was about as far from the American drink of OJ and vodka as milk is to beer. It is made with blood orange juice to start, and I couldn't identify the other ingredients but it was tasty and refreshing.
As Kelsey says, it is best to have the "full experience" so we ordered dessert. Gelato with a chocolate sauce and sugary sprinkles, chocolate cake with a mascarpone sauce and apple pie - and Griff enjoyed his screwdriver so much he had one for dessert. It was a meal where food, service, atmosphere and history all coalesced into an unforgettable experience. Thanks, Rick and Jenny for treating us.
Back out in the real world, we crossed the Piazza to visit St. Mark's Basilica, stopping briefly to see if Griff could get some pigeons to sit on him. (I have no explanation for this, and am glad that the pigeons did not cooperate.) We went into the Basilica, a fancy Byzantine structure with three domes, many columns and impressive mosaics on the front, which was built to house the remains of St Mark the Evangelist - the gospel guy. The remains were stolen by some merchants in Alexandria in the early 800's, and St Mark replaced St Theodore as the patron saint of Venice.
The interior is dark, with ornate carvings and fancy floors and ceilings. We toured the main part, then back to the vaporetto stop for our final ride.
No dinner tonight, we are all too full from lunch. Just packing, and C & G want to check out some bars by the canal. We have a long, long day tomorrow and need to leave our apartment for the bus to the airport a little after 7:00. A short flight from Venice to Frankfurt, then a long haul to Newark, then another short hop to Cleveland, then a four-hour drive to Cincinnati for C & G. This trip has been the perfect length: it went fast, but we are all just about ready to be home.
I'll do one more blog shortly after we get home, and put together a photo album. It's been a great trip!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Gone to the Doges
Monday Night
Around 2:00 I heard the the front door slam, and the clatter of footsteps on the stairs - the guys were home! To reach the sacca they had to go to the very north part of the city, and they were able to find it without too much difficulty. Jane was not there, but they waited and she showed up, 10 or 15 minutes late, "because of the wind." She had the Zoolander Is That You God number so she should have called but the story has a happy ending - everyone had a great time and got a good workout.
As the guys stood on the dock Jane got in the boat and started by talking about her boat, and the unique way rowing is done in Venice: facing forward, standing. Connor was nearest, so she told him to hop in, and he got tips on balancing (one foot forward) and how to hold the oar (like the bar on the weight when you are bench pressing). Then Griff got his hands-on basics, then it was Ben's turn, even though he was supposed to be a passenger, not a player. Everyone aboard and briefed, moorings were loosed and they set out with Jane in the stern (steering) and Griff on the bow (providing the power). After practicing some maneuvers in smaller canals the wind died down enough to head to the Grand Canal. Connor got in on the action - they swapped several times during the two hours they were out - Connor thinks he's a natural at this. They crossed the traffic lanes, and were out in the big water, with the boys completely handling the boat, which was good because Jane and Ben were busy having a conversation. The wind came up a little, and C & G started to drift, but not before they had transitioned to the next level, which was balancing on the top of the boat while manning the stern. Jane took over and got them back on track, then Ben took a short turn before they got back into the marina. From what they reported at this point they all engaged in what I would characterize as "girl talk" - Jane, who was originally from Australia, had been married for 22 years to a Venetian piano player/cook, divorced, then she was either looking for or had been married to someone who could dance, and now she realized she just wanted someone who could build and fix things. They got some tips on faking accents, and she also advised C & G to be nice, but not too nice or they would get "walked on" by the ladies. Wish I had been able to go along!
Once they were done with regaling me with their tales of the sea, we set out again. Lunch was at a canal side trattoria. I stayed light with a vegetable soup, Connor and Ben had scrumptious spaghetti Bolognese and Griff went with a steak which he had to send back because it was so rare it wasn't even warm in the center, despite ordering it medium well. It came back more done but still short of even medium - Italians like their beef still mooing.
We got 48 hour vaporetto passes, and picked up bus tickets to the airport while we were at it. Then, our first vaporetto ride: in the outside bow seats, down the Grand Canal to San Marco Piazza. It is like moving back in time, as you chug past palaces that still retain vestiges of their past glory. It again was overcast, but the sun broke out several times, bringing an otherworldly light into play. We passed the Rialto Bridge, its classic elegance marred by graffitti. Finally, we rounded a bend and caught our first glimpse of the San Marco Campanile, the tall bell tower of San Marco.
Our vaporetto stop was right at the Doge's Palace, so we got tickets and headed in. This was the seat of the government of Venice for centuries. As well as being the home of the Doge (the elected ruler of Venice) it was the venue for its courts, its administration and bureaucracy and jail. This system lasted for almost 1000 years, from around 700 till almost 1800.
From the huge courtyard, you head toward the Doge's private apartments by ascending the Golden Staircase, so named for all the gold on the ceiling. Ornate antechamber after antechamber, we gawked at ceilings that (almost) rivaled the Sistine Chapel, and listened to Griff spin a fantasy of someday living in digs like this. We noticed many incarnations of the Winged Lion, symbol of St Mark, and Neptune and Mars. Most impressive was The Great Council Hall, which to this day is one of the largest rooms in all of Europe. Up to 2000 nobles would gather there and report transgressions - these were the equivalent of the kid who volunteers to write the names of talkers on the chalkboard while the teacher leaves the room. Portraits of the first 76 Doges line the room, all visible except the one of the Doge who tried to stage a coup and have himself declared prince. His portrait is covered.
Continuing through the palace we came to the jail area, which as you might imagine is not nearly so luxurious - althougth the cells were large we didn't imagine them as singles. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs, where the condemned got their last glimpse of Venice as they walked across. Finally, we exited and headed out to the Piazza, which is the only Piazza in Venice. The other, lesser squares are called Campo. Just looking around you are struck by all the ornate Byzantine architecture, but it is easy to be distracted by the crowds, the vendors and the high-end shops. Griff was chilled, so he bought a sweatshirt, then we wandered around, window shopping. C & G had a gelato, and then we found Harry's Bar, where we are headed tomorrow. The boys are treating, so perhaps Claudia and Kim might warn Rick and Jenny what to expect when they get the credit card bill....
We hopped on the vaporetto, and headed to our apartment. We hung out and reviewed our day, then headed to dinner. Ben, Connor and I ordered normal food - pasta, pizza - but Griff really went out on a limb and ordered something called Pizza Hamby Chips. Not only was this the oddest thing seen on this trip, it may be up there in the most bizarre ever: A pizza crust, topped with mozzarella, decorated with a hamburger patty in the center, strewn with french fries then drizzled with ketchup. He said it was fantastic; none of us sampled.
Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day!
Around 2:00 I heard the the front door slam, and the clatter of footsteps on the stairs - the guys were home! To reach the sacca they had to go to the very north part of the city, and they were able to find it without too much difficulty. Jane was not there, but they waited and she showed up, 10 or 15 minutes late, "because of the wind." She had the Zoolander Is That You God number so she should have called but the story has a happy ending - everyone had a great time and got a good workout.
As the guys stood on the dock Jane got in the boat and started by talking about her boat, and the unique way rowing is done in Venice: facing forward, standing. Connor was nearest, so she told him to hop in, and he got tips on balancing (one foot forward) and how to hold the oar (like the bar on the weight when you are bench pressing). Then Griff got his hands-on basics, then it was Ben's turn, even though he was supposed to be a passenger, not a player. Everyone aboard and briefed, moorings were loosed and they set out with Jane in the stern (steering) and Griff on the bow (providing the power). After practicing some maneuvers in smaller canals the wind died down enough to head to the Grand Canal. Connor got in on the action - they swapped several times during the two hours they were out - Connor thinks he's a natural at this. They crossed the traffic lanes, and were out in the big water, with the boys completely handling the boat, which was good because Jane and Ben were busy having a conversation. The wind came up a little, and C & G started to drift, but not before they had transitioned to the next level, which was balancing on the top of the boat while manning the stern. Jane took over and got them back on track, then Ben took a short turn before they got back into the marina. From what they reported at this point they all engaged in what I would characterize as "girl talk" - Jane, who was originally from Australia, had been married for 22 years to a Venetian piano player/cook, divorced, then she was either looking for or had been married to someone who could dance, and now she realized she just wanted someone who could build and fix things. They got some tips on faking accents, and she also advised C & G to be nice, but not too nice or they would get "walked on" by the ladies. Wish I had been able to go along!
Once they were done with regaling me with their tales of the sea, we set out again. Lunch was at a canal side trattoria. I stayed light with a vegetable soup, Connor and Ben had scrumptious spaghetti Bolognese and Griff went with a steak which he had to send back because it was so rare it wasn't even warm in the center, despite ordering it medium well. It came back more done but still short of even medium - Italians like their beef still mooing.
We got 48 hour vaporetto passes, and picked up bus tickets to the airport while we were at it. Then, our first vaporetto ride: in the outside bow seats, down the Grand Canal to San Marco Piazza. It is like moving back in time, as you chug past palaces that still retain vestiges of their past glory. It again was overcast, but the sun broke out several times, bringing an otherworldly light into play. We passed the Rialto Bridge, its classic elegance marred by graffitti. Finally, we rounded a bend and caught our first glimpse of the San Marco Campanile, the tall bell tower of San Marco.
Our vaporetto stop was right at the Doge's Palace, so we got tickets and headed in. This was the seat of the government of Venice for centuries. As well as being the home of the Doge (the elected ruler of Venice) it was the venue for its courts, its administration and bureaucracy and jail. This system lasted for almost 1000 years, from around 700 till almost 1800.
From the huge courtyard, you head toward the Doge's private apartments by ascending the Golden Staircase, so named for all the gold on the ceiling. Ornate antechamber after antechamber, we gawked at ceilings that (almost) rivaled the Sistine Chapel, and listened to Griff spin a fantasy of someday living in digs like this. We noticed many incarnations of the Winged Lion, symbol of St Mark, and Neptune and Mars. Most impressive was The Great Council Hall, which to this day is one of the largest rooms in all of Europe. Up to 2000 nobles would gather there and report transgressions - these were the equivalent of the kid who volunteers to write the names of talkers on the chalkboard while the teacher leaves the room. Portraits of the first 76 Doges line the room, all visible except the one of the Doge who tried to stage a coup and have himself declared prince. His portrait is covered.
Continuing through the palace we came to the jail area, which as you might imagine is not nearly so luxurious - althougth the cells were large we didn't imagine them as singles. We crossed the Bridge of Sighs, where the condemned got their last glimpse of Venice as they walked across. Finally, we exited and headed out to the Piazza, which is the only Piazza in Venice. The other, lesser squares are called Campo. Just looking around you are struck by all the ornate Byzantine architecture, but it is easy to be distracted by the crowds, the vendors and the high-end shops. Griff was chilled, so he bought a sweatshirt, then we wandered around, window shopping. C & G had a gelato, and then we found Harry's Bar, where we are headed tomorrow. The boys are treating, so perhaps Claudia and Kim might warn Rick and Jenny what to expect when they get the credit card bill....
We hopped on the vaporetto, and headed to our apartment. We hung out and reviewed our day, then headed to dinner. Ben, Connor and I ordered normal food - pasta, pizza - but Griff really went out on a limb and ordered something called Pizza Hamby Chips. Not only was this the oddest thing seen on this trip, it may be up there in the most bizarre ever: A pizza crust, topped with mozzarella, decorated with a hamburger patty in the center, strewn with french fries then drizzled with ketchup. He said it was fantastic; none of us sampled.
Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day!
A-Mazed
Monday, Early Afternoon
Yesterday it was time to say arrivaderci to Rome. Sadly, (and for some of us, painfully) we gathered up our belongings and left the apartment, headed for the Spanish Steps to catch a taxi to Termini, the main train station in Rome. We had to check out of our apartment at 10, and our train to Venice did not leave until 11:45 so we had plenty of time to kill.
Some of chose to visit McDonald's, and one of us chose to potentially save thousands of lives. That would be me. Here's the story: We found an area with some seats at the east end of the terminal, two of which were empty. Connor and I sat, and Ben and Griff hovered around. Finally, the innocuous -looking Asian family (mom, dad, kid) sitting next to us left, and Ben and Griff plopped down. A few minutes later, I noticed that there were two suitcases with us that weren't ours - not cool. When it became apparent that the family was not coming back - I doubt the bags were theirs - I looked at the bags and noticed that one had Bangladesh written on the side, and both had tags from Qatar. Not that I would have been any less concerned if they were American Airlines tags on bags labeled Oklahoma City.... Anyway, while Ben got Conner and Griff involved in listening for ticking sounds, I sought out a policeman. The first one I found waved me off - he was talking on his cell phone.
Short digression: The Italian police give new meaning to the phrase "fashion police." Italy has the highest number of police per capita in the European Union, with 80-some different divisions. And they are sharply dressed! In fact, Armani designed the uniforms for the Polizia di Stato, or State police.
Finally, I just said we were moving to the west end - and as soon as we started to move two unoccupied police strolled by. I got their attention, and using pigeon Italian and pantomime I explained the situation. When they realized what I was saying they got a little worked up, and thanked me. As I was walking back to my people, Griff saw them remove the bags and take them to their office. Can you imagine if this had been in the US? The whole place would have been evacuated, SWAT and bomb squads called....Anyway, I am sure the headlines in Il Messaggero today are full of questions about the American woman who saved the day, but I am going to remain anonymous. Unless a parade is involved.
Our train ride was pleasant, almost four hours. We were lucky to have facing seats with a table between us, better to rest weary heads. The scenery was not nearly as beautiful as it was on the trip from Madrid to Algeciris, so nappers didn't miss much.
Early Sunday morning I'd received an email from Mirka, our Venice contact, telling me that our apartment was having electrical problems and the only option she had for us was a place in the San Croce neighborhood, which is still in the historical heart of the city, but barely. Certainly it it no San Marco, where I wanted us to stay. But, with not real options we just had to hope for the best.
We left the train station, crossed the bridge (where I did NOT tear flesh from Ben's hand in what will be referred to as "the suitcase incident"), walked a short distance and met Mirka. She could not have been more apologetic as she led us a short distance, through tiny alleys, to our place. It's charming - three bedrooms, one bath, and a decent sized kitchen/dining area/living room.
We studied our map and tried to get a handle on our location - Ben decided to do some recon while we settled in. A short while later he returned - he'd managed to find a small grocery store, where he purchased some essentials. However, he had his usual difficulties with the cashier. We have to figure out what negative vibe he sends out - once again, the cashier rang up his purchases but did not move them to the bagging area - in other words, she picked them up from the belt, scanned them and then put them right back in their original position. Nobody else has this problem; we think it is funny but the Ben is not all that amused.
Time for dinner - Ben, Griff and I headed out in search of the "restaurant area" Mirka had described, which was in the opposite direction Ben had gone. Breadcrumbs, or a big piece of chalk to mark our route would have been helpful - narrow alleys, bridges over canals, zig this way, zag that - it's a maze. We came to the area we thought she had described and found a lone Indian restaurant, which did not appeal. The fun began when we tried to retrace our steps - did we cross the bridge? or no? - but we did find a trattoria.
Ben had lasagne, I had bufala mozz pizza, and Griff had a spicy salami, aka pepperoni, pizza. It was no Pizza Ciro, but close. We ordered a pizza Margherita to go for Connor so he could continue his research. Heading back, we again became confused, especially when we passed a laundromat with bright orange appliances (probably making Euros hand over fist) that we were sure we would have noticed. I do not like to be lost, so Venice was not making a good impression on me at this point! Finally, Ben spotted a familiar landmark, and boom! we were right at our door.
This morning I woke up feeling punk (through NO fault of my own, I want to make that clear) and realized I was not going to be able to go to the rowing lessons scheduled for 11:00 am. No worries though, I was confident that the guys would be able to navigate themselves to the Sacca di Misericorda and meet up with Jane, the champion rower who offers private gondolier lessons on her boat. Now I'm feeling much better, waiting for them to return so we can continue our exploration of this crazy place.
Yesterday it was time to say arrivaderci to Rome. Sadly, (and for some of us, painfully) we gathered up our belongings and left the apartment, headed for the Spanish Steps to catch a taxi to Termini, the main train station in Rome. We had to check out of our apartment at 10, and our train to Venice did not leave until 11:45 so we had plenty of time to kill.
Some of chose to visit McDonald's, and one of us chose to potentially save thousands of lives. That would be me. Here's the story: We found an area with some seats at the east end of the terminal, two of which were empty. Connor and I sat, and Ben and Griff hovered around. Finally, the innocuous -looking Asian family (mom, dad, kid) sitting next to us left, and Ben and Griff plopped down. A few minutes later, I noticed that there were two suitcases with us that weren't ours - not cool. When it became apparent that the family was not coming back - I doubt the bags were theirs - I looked at the bags and noticed that one had Bangladesh written on the side, and both had tags from Qatar. Not that I would have been any less concerned if they were American Airlines tags on bags labeled Oklahoma City.... Anyway, while Ben got Conner and Griff involved in listening for ticking sounds, I sought out a policeman. The first one I found waved me off - he was talking on his cell phone.
Short digression: The Italian police give new meaning to the phrase "fashion police." Italy has the highest number of police per capita in the European Union, with 80-some different divisions. And they are sharply dressed! In fact, Armani designed the uniforms for the Polizia di Stato, or State police.
Finally, I just said we were moving to the west end - and as soon as we started to move two unoccupied police strolled by. I got their attention, and using pigeon Italian and pantomime I explained the situation. When they realized what I was saying they got a little worked up, and thanked me. As I was walking back to my people, Griff saw them remove the bags and take them to their office. Can you imagine if this had been in the US? The whole place would have been evacuated, SWAT and bomb squads called....Anyway, I am sure the headlines in Il Messaggero today are full of questions about the American woman who saved the day, but I am going to remain anonymous. Unless a parade is involved.
Our train ride was pleasant, almost four hours. We were lucky to have facing seats with a table between us, better to rest weary heads. The scenery was not nearly as beautiful as it was on the trip from Madrid to Algeciris, so nappers didn't miss much.
Early Sunday morning I'd received an email from Mirka, our Venice contact, telling me that our apartment was having electrical problems and the only option she had for us was a place in the San Croce neighborhood, which is still in the historical heart of the city, but barely. Certainly it it no San Marco, where I wanted us to stay. But, with not real options we just had to hope for the best.
We left the train station, crossed the bridge (where I did NOT tear flesh from Ben's hand in what will be referred to as "the suitcase incident"), walked a short distance and met Mirka. She could not have been more apologetic as she led us a short distance, through tiny alleys, to our place. It's charming - three bedrooms, one bath, and a decent sized kitchen/dining area/living room.
We studied our map and tried to get a handle on our location - Ben decided to do some recon while we settled in. A short while later he returned - he'd managed to find a small grocery store, where he purchased some essentials. However, he had his usual difficulties with the cashier. We have to figure out what negative vibe he sends out - once again, the cashier rang up his purchases but did not move them to the bagging area - in other words, she picked them up from the belt, scanned them and then put them right back in their original position. Nobody else has this problem; we think it is funny but the Ben is not all that amused.
Time for dinner - Ben, Griff and I headed out in search of the "restaurant area" Mirka had described, which was in the opposite direction Ben had gone. Breadcrumbs, or a big piece of chalk to mark our route would have been helpful - narrow alleys, bridges over canals, zig this way, zag that - it's a maze. We came to the area we thought she had described and found a lone Indian restaurant, which did not appeal. The fun began when we tried to retrace our steps - did we cross the bridge? or no? - but we did find a trattoria.
Ben had lasagne, I had bufala mozz pizza, and Griff had a spicy salami, aka pepperoni, pizza. It was no Pizza Ciro, but close. We ordered a pizza Margherita to go for Connor so he could continue his research. Heading back, we again became confused, especially when we passed a laundromat with bright orange appliances (probably making Euros hand over fist) that we were sure we would have noticed. I do not like to be lost, so Venice was not making a good impression on me at this point! Finally, Ben spotted a familiar landmark, and boom! we were right at our door.
This morning I woke up feeling punk (through NO fault of my own, I want to make that clear) and realized I was not going to be able to go to the rowing lessons scheduled for 11:00 am. No worries though, I was confident that the guys would be able to navigate themselves to the Sacca di Misericorda and meet up with Jane, the champion rower who offers private gondolier lessons on her boat. Now I'm feeling much better, waiting for them to return so we can continue our exploration of this crazy place.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Poosh de Button....*
We are blasting out of Rome in style! After some serious napping, Connor and Griff set out to conquer Via de Corso, the premier shopping street in Rome. Ben and I headed back up to the area around Trevi Fountain.
Ben and I found this little gourmet shop where they plied us with shots: grappa, limoncello, pistachio liqueur, orange liqueur, wine....Ben was ready to find a barstool and park himself there for the evening. We escaped after spending about 85 Euro..this is what happens when you look at me crooked for spending 5 euro on a small cone of chestnuts from a street vendor. Ran into Griff, who was successfully outfitting himself a la Italia, and he informed us Connor had headed to the apartment. During the course of our brief conversation Griff remembered he had the keys! OOPS. Hate when that happens. Connor sat across the street for about 45 minutes waiting for someone to come home. At least it was another nice day, and he had hope that someone would eventually show up, unlike a previous evening when C & G thought they might have to sleep in the hall outside the apartment since I had mistakenly locked the door from the inside. Good times.
Anyway, after a short fashion show where C & G showed they can totally rock the Italian style, we decided not to disappoint our fans and go, for our last time, to Pizza Ciro. As we approached, we noted a line out the door. But- no worries for the favored Americans. (Us.) As soon as we were spotted we were motioned in and seated at a table right in the front room. Our server, by now familiar with our preferences, brought Cokes, water, beers, and vino. We told him we wanted rice balls and potato balls - our two favorite appetizers- but he wouldn't hear of it. No, no, no! We must have the Neopolitan platter! So we did, and he was right. Pizza Margherita for Connor of course, and Griff had one too. I had papardelle with porcini, and Ben had what the waiter thought he should have - turned out to be a seafood linguine. Delicious. Griff pulled out his credit card, and we left in a flourish of ciao, arrivederci and perhaps an adios amigos.
Back at the apartment - Ben is speaking to the people of Rome from our window, Griff is explaining how he just cannot operate plastic ice cube trays (another one bites the dust) and Connor is telling a hilarious story, the gist of which will remain in Rome.
Tomorrow: Venice. We get off the train, get tickets for the Vaporetto (water bus) and take the #2 to Rialto. Then, according to the email from our contact: "I will have sign with your name. As a sign of recognition in any case I will have with me a shopper Betty Boop red! See you Sunday, Mirka" Wish us luck with this rendezvous. (I'm sure it will be fine.)
I'm having trouble typing because I'm laughing so hard...and C & G are about to leave for the party at Elia's. They are taking a taxi to his place - they have the Zoolander Is That You God phone and I expect they will be late. They've packed, which is more than I can say for the progress toward departure the Ben and I have made.
I am not sure about internet access in Venice, but if there are no new posts rest assured that I will still create daily blogs, and publish them as soon as we are online.
Rome has been a blast! C & G are awesome to travel with, and we are all excited for the next part of our adventure.
*Title of this blog is an inside joke.
Ben and I found this little gourmet shop where they plied us with shots: grappa, limoncello, pistachio liqueur, orange liqueur, wine....Ben was ready to find a barstool and park himself there for the evening. We escaped after spending about 85 Euro..this is what happens when you look at me crooked for spending 5 euro on a small cone of chestnuts from a street vendor. Ran into Griff, who was successfully outfitting himself a la Italia, and he informed us Connor had headed to the apartment. During the course of our brief conversation Griff remembered he had the keys! OOPS. Hate when that happens. Connor sat across the street for about 45 minutes waiting for someone to come home. At least it was another nice day, and he had hope that someone would eventually show up, unlike a previous evening when C & G thought they might have to sleep in the hall outside the apartment since I had mistakenly locked the door from the inside. Good times.
Anyway, after a short fashion show where C & G showed they can totally rock the Italian style, we decided not to disappoint our fans and go, for our last time, to Pizza Ciro. As we approached, we noted a line out the door. But- no worries for the favored Americans. (Us.) As soon as we were spotted we were motioned in and seated at a table right in the front room. Our server, by now familiar with our preferences, brought Cokes, water, beers, and vino. We told him we wanted rice balls and potato balls - our two favorite appetizers- but he wouldn't hear of it. No, no, no! We must have the Neopolitan platter! So we did, and he was right. Pizza Margherita for Connor of course, and Griff had one too. I had papardelle with porcini, and Ben had what the waiter thought he should have - turned out to be a seafood linguine. Delicious. Griff pulled out his credit card, and we left in a flourish of ciao, arrivederci and perhaps an adios amigos.
Back at the apartment - Ben is speaking to the people of Rome from our window, Griff is explaining how he just cannot operate plastic ice cube trays (another one bites the dust) and Connor is telling a hilarious story, the gist of which will remain in Rome.
Tomorrow: Venice. We get off the train, get tickets for the Vaporetto (water bus) and take the #2 to Rialto. Then, according to the email from our contact: "I will have sign with your name. As a sign of recognition in any case I will have with me a shopper Betty Boop red! See you Sunday, Mirka" Wish us luck with this rendezvous. (I'm sure it will be fine.)
I'm having trouble typing because I'm laughing so hard...and C & G are about to leave for the party at Elia's. They are taking a taxi to his place - they have the Zoolander Is That You God phone and I expect they will be late. They've packed, which is more than I can say for the progress toward departure the Ben and I have made.
I am not sure about internet access in Venice, but if there are no new posts rest assured that I will still create daily blogs, and publish them as soon as we are online.
Rome has been a blast! C & G are awesome to travel with, and we are all excited for the next part of our adventure.
*Title of this blog is an inside joke.
Down Under
We've just returned from the Scavi tour. We got to the Vatican early, because if you are late, they don't wait. We found the correct Swiss guards, went through an actual security check, waited for our group to be called, registered and met our guide, Marie, who is a very smart person from Alaska.
There were 15 in our group, the maximum size, 13 of us from the US and two Brits. Marie began by giving us some history, then we entered. We were surprised to learn that we were not actually underground - we were under St. Peter's. It sure felt underground, though. Very narrow passages, stone and brick walls lined with mausoleums. It is kept very dim to preserve the artifacts, and it is extremely humid - to the point you can get dripped on. A giant drip hit Griff and splashed off onto Connor, to give you an idea.
Most of the crypts are Pagan, with a smattering of Christians, who can be identified by markings and by mixing Pagan/Christian symbols. Jesus as Apollo, for example. The colors are preserved remarkably well. The largest mausoleum held 120 people, and had a patio built on the upper level so the families could picnic. The floor in the scavi is original - the dirt has packed into sedimentary rock.
We wound our way through, and finally came to the part where St Peter is buried. His head is on one side of a wall and the rest of him on the other - to make up for this indignity he has a section where there is a trophy of Gaiia and columns - hard to describe - there were graphics on the wall that Marie used to keep us oriented as to where we were. It was very confusing even with them, but she did a decent job of keeping us focused.
Finally, we went into a crypt where part of the wall was excavated and you could see into the marble-lined area, and you could see St Peter's actual bones. None of us expected that; we thought we would just see the crypt. You could not see a lot of the bones, just a few. And Dad, you are correct, part of the identification was that there were no feet bones, as he was crucified upside down and they cut him down at the ankles. We also saw the actual spot where the crucifixtion took place.
Then we had silence, where you could pray or meditate. It was very holy.
We exited into the Grotto of the Basilica, where many of the Popes are buried. The crypts here are quite elaborate; many of them have life size marble sculptures of the occupants on top. We did not see John Paul.
Caught a taxi back to the Spanish Steps, where we saw our first pedestrian/taxi accident. Can't believe it doesn't happen more often, as crazy as the traffic is. Now we are back at the apartment, having a little rest. It's our last day, and the afternoon is free. Maybe shopping, maybe Borghese Gardens...I know there is a going away party planned for C & G at some point...
There were 15 in our group, the maximum size, 13 of us from the US and two Brits. Marie began by giving us some history, then we entered. We were surprised to learn that we were not actually underground - we were under St. Peter's. It sure felt underground, though. Very narrow passages, stone and brick walls lined with mausoleums. It is kept very dim to preserve the artifacts, and it is extremely humid - to the point you can get dripped on. A giant drip hit Griff and splashed off onto Connor, to give you an idea.
Most of the crypts are Pagan, with a smattering of Christians, who can be identified by markings and by mixing Pagan/Christian symbols. Jesus as Apollo, for example. The colors are preserved remarkably well. The largest mausoleum held 120 people, and had a patio built on the upper level so the families could picnic. The floor in the scavi is original - the dirt has packed into sedimentary rock.
We wound our way through, and finally came to the part where St Peter is buried. His head is on one side of a wall and the rest of him on the other - to make up for this indignity he has a section where there is a trophy of Gaiia and columns - hard to describe - there were graphics on the wall that Marie used to keep us oriented as to where we were. It was very confusing even with them, but she did a decent job of keeping us focused.
Finally, we went into a crypt where part of the wall was excavated and you could see into the marble-lined area, and you could see St Peter's actual bones. None of us expected that; we thought we would just see the crypt. You could not see a lot of the bones, just a few. And Dad, you are correct, part of the identification was that there were no feet bones, as he was crucified upside down and they cut him down at the ankles. We also saw the actual spot where the crucifixtion took place.
Then we had silence, where you could pray or meditate. It was very holy.
We exited into the Grotto of the Basilica, where many of the Popes are buried. The crypts here are quite elaborate; many of them have life size marble sculptures of the occupants on top. We did not see John Paul.
Caught a taxi back to the Spanish Steps, where we saw our first pedestrian/taxi accident. Can't believe it doesn't happen more often, as crazy as the traffic is. Now we are back at the apartment, having a little rest. It's our last day, and the afternoon is free. Maybe shopping, maybe Borghese Gardens...I know there is a going away party planned for C & G at some point...
Friday, March 9, 2012
Modern Problems and Ancient History
So, how many of you have been wakened in the morning by the sounds of a full-out demonstration complete with police in riot gear coming from underneath your window? Well, we have. Just after 11:00. Yes, we slept in. Being a traveler is tiring. A tourist, probably not so much.
Our building is catty-corner from the Ministry of Transportation, and apparently there is conflict over the building of a high speed train somewhere, which would put truck drivers out out of business plus there are labor issues with the workers who would be (or are, we are not clear) building this. Lots of speeches, rally cries, and a few altercations. We, of course, were hanging out our windows taking it all in. At one point everyone started running around our corner, hands up and that was a little sketchy. Right under Ben and Griff's window they had a guy on the ground - Griff was making a video but due to operator error it did not come out. I guess his acclaimed artistic skills only extend to still photography.
Our street was blocked off so I don't think we could have left during the height of the festivities, so Connor cooked a delicious breakfast of french toast and speck. Breakfast discussion: It took almost SIX hours to do a load of laundry, and by load I am talking about two pairs of pants, some socks and underwear and a shirt. Has to be less than 2 kilos. How do these people keep their clothes clean? There is clearly an opportunity here - or in any city in Europe - a LAUNDROMAT! Jake could manage it; he has experience watching people's laundry. There are Euros to be made, I'm sure.
Once we were done eating the police line had been moved, so we could exit our apartment and go right. The Colosseum is left, but Connor's great sense of direction navigated us up to Via de Corso with nary a wrong turn. As a precaution we took our passports, just in case things escalated, making re-entry impossible.
It was a beautiful day, blue skies and pleasant temps, and we strolled at a leisurely pace. Arriving at the Colosseum is kind of jarring: You pass the relatively modern Victor Emmanuel monument, than BAM! There it is.
My plan was to do the audio tour, but we were approached by a guy asking if we'd like a private tour - after doing some cost v benefit analysis we hired him. The deal was a) we would not have to wait in line because he had tickets; b) he would give us a private tour of the Colosseum; c) at the conclusion he would walk us over to the Forum and Palantine Hill where our tickets would be valid and we could join a group tour if we chose.
After giving us some background on the site - construction was begun by Flavius, on the former grounds of that crazy-ass emperor Nero. This was in the year 72 AD, after Nero burned everything to the ground, while he may or may not have fiddled with his lyre. It was named the Colosseum because a colossal statue (150 ft) of Nero stood next to it: colossal statue....colosseum.
We entered, and immediately you notice the temperature drops. The walls are so thick it causes a natural air conditioning. We climbed up some crazy steep steps put in by one of the Popes, to the level where middle class people would have seats. As an aside, all the doors have numbers, and on your ticket it said which door to go in - just like our stadiums today. Tickets were free back in the day though, the emperor paid for everything including the entertainment, food and wine.
Events were held sometimes twice a week, sometimes a few times a month, depending on the emperor, but the program was always the same. First, hunting. They would put trees out and then release wild animals into the arena floor and then it was kill or be killed. Next: Executions. Criminals, kings of taken-over lands, enemies of the empire. Beheaded, stabbed, or crucified. Finally: Gladiator v Gladiator, fight to the death. The Gladiators only fought each other, never animals. That is only in films.
Because of recent floods the hypogeum was closed when I last checked, but we got to one point where we could see the whole thing anyway, and Brent (our guide) said even if you get down there you are only allowed to be in one small part so no loss.
We went down to the level where the Senators and Emperor watched, and heard some more history, then exited and walked along the Appian Way (the first highway, 350 miles, where returning Roman Soldiers marched back into Rome) to Palantine Hill. Alas, we had missed the last admission, so could not go inside, probably due to the fact that some of us are talkative and ask lots of questions and make tours last longer than usual. No names, please. Well, this worked out fantastic for us, because Brent felt bad and so took us all along the perimeter and across the street to the Forum and all the way up the road to the Victor Emmanuel monument. You don't really need to be inside the gates of Palantine Hill to see stuff, so we got more than we paid for. I think he liked C & G, he was a 20-something guy from Maryland who had been traveling and ran out of money in Rome 4 1/2 years ago and has been here ever since.
So, cultural landmarks checked off for the day, we split up to do some shopping. Ben and I got back to the apartment first, all the demonstrators were cleared out. Griff showed up a little while ago with a couple a bags - he definitely succumbed to some "LOL OMG" stuff and has gone to the supermarket. He and Connor got separated early in the shopping expedition - good, because I wanted them to be out on their own at least once.
Connor's back, he also had success with shopping and having a small snack at Burger King. We'll hang out here for awhile then head to dinner....drum roll please....at Pizza Ciro. Why mess with success?
Our building is catty-corner from the Ministry of Transportation, and apparently there is conflict over the building of a high speed train somewhere, which would put truck drivers out out of business plus there are labor issues with the workers who would be (or are, we are not clear) building this. Lots of speeches, rally cries, and a few altercations. We, of course, were hanging out our windows taking it all in. At one point everyone started running around our corner, hands up and that was a little sketchy. Right under Ben and Griff's window they had a guy on the ground - Griff was making a video but due to operator error it did not come out. I guess his acclaimed artistic skills only extend to still photography.
Our street was blocked off so I don't think we could have left during the height of the festivities, so Connor cooked a delicious breakfast of french toast and speck. Breakfast discussion: It took almost SIX hours to do a load of laundry, and by load I am talking about two pairs of pants, some socks and underwear and a shirt. Has to be less than 2 kilos. How do these people keep their clothes clean? There is clearly an opportunity here - or in any city in Europe - a LAUNDROMAT! Jake could manage it; he has experience watching people's laundry. There are Euros to be made, I'm sure.
Once we were done eating the police line had been moved, so we could exit our apartment and go right. The Colosseum is left, but Connor's great sense of direction navigated us up to Via de Corso with nary a wrong turn. As a precaution we took our passports, just in case things escalated, making re-entry impossible.
It was a beautiful day, blue skies and pleasant temps, and we strolled at a leisurely pace. Arriving at the Colosseum is kind of jarring: You pass the relatively modern Victor Emmanuel monument, than BAM! There it is.
My plan was to do the audio tour, but we were approached by a guy asking if we'd like a private tour - after doing some cost v benefit analysis we hired him. The deal was a) we would not have to wait in line because he had tickets; b) he would give us a private tour of the Colosseum; c) at the conclusion he would walk us over to the Forum and Palantine Hill where our tickets would be valid and we could join a group tour if we chose.
After giving us some background on the site - construction was begun by Flavius, on the former grounds of that crazy-ass emperor Nero. This was in the year 72 AD, after Nero burned everything to the ground, while he may or may not have fiddled with his lyre. It was named the Colosseum because a colossal statue (150 ft) of Nero stood next to it: colossal statue....colosseum.
We entered, and immediately you notice the temperature drops. The walls are so thick it causes a natural air conditioning. We climbed up some crazy steep steps put in by one of the Popes, to the level where middle class people would have seats. As an aside, all the doors have numbers, and on your ticket it said which door to go in - just like our stadiums today. Tickets were free back in the day though, the emperor paid for everything including the entertainment, food and wine.
Events were held sometimes twice a week, sometimes a few times a month, depending on the emperor, but the program was always the same. First, hunting. They would put trees out and then release wild animals into the arena floor and then it was kill or be killed. Next: Executions. Criminals, kings of taken-over lands, enemies of the empire. Beheaded, stabbed, or crucified. Finally: Gladiator v Gladiator, fight to the death. The Gladiators only fought each other, never animals. That is only in films.
Because of recent floods the hypogeum was closed when I last checked, but we got to one point where we could see the whole thing anyway, and Brent (our guide) said even if you get down there you are only allowed to be in one small part so no loss.
We went down to the level where the Senators and Emperor watched, and heard some more history, then exited and walked along the Appian Way (the first highway, 350 miles, where returning Roman Soldiers marched back into Rome) to Palantine Hill. Alas, we had missed the last admission, so could not go inside, probably due to the fact that some of us are talkative and ask lots of questions and make tours last longer than usual. No names, please. Well, this worked out fantastic for us, because Brent felt bad and so took us all along the perimeter and across the street to the Forum and all the way up the road to the Victor Emmanuel monument. You don't really need to be inside the gates of Palantine Hill to see stuff, so we got more than we paid for. I think he liked C & G, he was a 20-something guy from Maryland who had been traveling and ran out of money in Rome 4 1/2 years ago and has been here ever since.
So, cultural landmarks checked off for the day, we split up to do some shopping. Ben and I got back to the apartment first, all the demonstrators were cleared out. Griff showed up a little while ago with a couple a bags - he definitely succumbed to some "LOL OMG" stuff and has gone to the supermarket. He and Connor got separated early in the shopping expedition - good, because I wanted them to be out on their own at least once.
Connor's back, he also had success with shopping and having a small snack at Burger King. We'll hang out here for awhile then head to dinner....drum roll please....at Pizza Ciro. Why mess with success?
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Time Travelers
Morning came early today, especially for those of us who'd been out partying like Italians the night before. But we we out on the curb a few minutes before 7:00, and our car arrived on the dot. Introductions were made: Mauritzio, our driver, and Gianni, a guide-in-training who was a bonus for us.
We headed towards Pompeii, via a not-particularly-scenic route, so naps were encouraged. Once we arrived at Pompeii we were greeted by Gaetano Manfredi, our guide for Pompeii. In all the tours I've ever taken I have never been more impressed than I was with Gaetano. He is so passionate, so enthusiastic, so knowledgable - his excitement is contagious.
Right inside the entrance, we got the overview: in 79 AD, the 700 year-old thriving city of Pompeii was buried first under a layer ash, then sealed with lava when the nearby Mt Vesuvius cataclysmically erupted. There it remained: citizens, structures, pets -everything, frozen in time - until it was accidentally discovered in 1749.
I won't go into a turn-by-turn description, but some of the most interesting were the Basilica, which was the courthouse, a home of a wealthy person, the temples, the baths, the restaurants and of course the brothels. Gaetano really made it come alive for us; it was easy to picture a colorful, bustling city. He pointed out how our modern society has drawn on many of the components of early Roman life, which was quite good. Every person in Pompeii, rich or poor, homeowner or condo-dweller, had running water and toilets. Think about the fact that 35% of the world's population today do not enjoy those amentites.... There were no slums- rich lived next to poor. There was no racism, the classes were slaves and owners. However, slaves could become free, and often owners bequeathed their property to their slaves, making them "liberte." Women and men were free to mingle and attend the same events, unlike in many parts of the world today. Everyone got to vote, and elections were once a year so politicians were highly motivated to work for the common good. The way things worked was that your private business was your business - anyone, included slaves, was free to worship (or not) as they chose, homosexuality did not make one a pariah, etc, etc, etc. Tolerance was the order of the day.
At one point Griff said that if classes were as interesting as this he would love school. You know how sometimes you space out when you are listening to someone for a couple of hours? That did not happen in Pompeii - we were hanging on every word.
One sad thing is that the ruins are deteriorating rapidly, due to environmental issues as well as tourism. Archaeology is evolving and better methods of preservation and study are being developed all the time. The body cast are well known - wherever there was organic material in the ash a cavity developed, and early scientists pumped plaster into those cavities, then excavated them. This method destroyed the bones, there are now better ways to do this. It was moving, seeing the expressions of the people that died there, often in agony as they suffocated. You could see so many details, including their teeth and what they were wearing. The good news is that about 30% of the city is still buried, and it will stay there for future generations to work with.
This was an experience we will all be thinking about for a long time.
Gaetano then turned us back over to Mauritzio and Gianni for our trip to Positano. We set off, and ended up in a coversation with Gianni about the Mafia - very interesting. As we neared the coast we saw the Bay of Naples, soon followed by our first glimpse of the Mediterranean (Sea of Salerno) and the city of Sorrento. Even though it was a cloudy, overcast day the light and colors were breathtaking. We drove steep, winding roads that were right on the very edge of the cliffs, stopping on occasion to get out of the car and admire. Heading higher, we entered the town of Positano, The Pearl of the Mediterranean. There are lemon trees everywhere! And the lemons are enormous, about the size of grapefruits. Positano is known for limoncello, a lemon flavored liqueur that we all enjoyed sampling.
The town is built right into the side of the cliff; the buildings seem as if they could just fall off at any time. All the colors are orange, and yellow and faded red and the light makes them shimmer. The roads are old stone, narrow and twisty. We parked, and proceeded to walk down a steep pedestrian-only road, down to the sea.
There we had a delicious lunch (preceeded by some of the local limoncello) - Ben and I had risotta, Connor continues his research into Pizza Margharita, and Griff had Veal Milanese, or as the menu called it: Veal Schnitzel. After lunch we walked on the beach, then meandered back up to the top of the town, stopping in shops and poking around. Connor wants to move there. So, if Beau moves to Gibralter and Connor settles on the Amalfi Coast we will have some good family vacation destinations!
We met back up with Mauritzio and Gianno and headed back to Rome. All of us dozed a bit on the way home, but we are all in for the night. Not even going to visit Pizza Cero - Ben and Griff went to the supermarket for a baguette, we have cheese and salumi and are just going to have snacks and adult beverages here.
It has been a long, perfect day. Tomorrow, assuming there is not a national strike, we will visit the Coloseum, Forum and maybe Victor Emmanuel monument.
We headed towards Pompeii, via a not-particularly-scenic route, so naps were encouraged. Once we arrived at Pompeii we were greeted by Gaetano Manfredi, our guide for Pompeii. In all the tours I've ever taken I have never been more impressed than I was with Gaetano. He is so passionate, so enthusiastic, so knowledgable - his excitement is contagious.
Right inside the entrance, we got the overview: in 79 AD, the 700 year-old thriving city of Pompeii was buried first under a layer ash, then sealed with lava when the nearby Mt Vesuvius cataclysmically erupted. There it remained: citizens, structures, pets -everything, frozen in time - until it was accidentally discovered in 1749.
I won't go into a turn-by-turn description, but some of the most interesting were the Basilica, which was the courthouse, a home of a wealthy person, the temples, the baths, the restaurants and of course the brothels. Gaetano really made it come alive for us; it was easy to picture a colorful, bustling city. He pointed out how our modern society has drawn on many of the components of early Roman life, which was quite good. Every person in Pompeii, rich or poor, homeowner or condo-dweller, had running water and toilets. Think about the fact that 35% of the world's population today do not enjoy those amentites.... There were no slums- rich lived next to poor. There was no racism, the classes were slaves and owners. However, slaves could become free, and often owners bequeathed their property to their slaves, making them "liberte." Women and men were free to mingle and attend the same events, unlike in many parts of the world today. Everyone got to vote, and elections were once a year so politicians were highly motivated to work for the common good. The way things worked was that your private business was your business - anyone, included slaves, was free to worship (or not) as they chose, homosexuality did not make one a pariah, etc, etc, etc. Tolerance was the order of the day.
At one point Griff said that if classes were as interesting as this he would love school. You know how sometimes you space out when you are listening to someone for a couple of hours? That did not happen in Pompeii - we were hanging on every word.
One sad thing is that the ruins are deteriorating rapidly, due to environmental issues as well as tourism. Archaeology is evolving and better methods of preservation and study are being developed all the time. The body cast are well known - wherever there was organic material in the ash a cavity developed, and early scientists pumped plaster into those cavities, then excavated them. This method destroyed the bones, there are now better ways to do this. It was moving, seeing the expressions of the people that died there, often in agony as they suffocated. You could see so many details, including their teeth and what they were wearing. The good news is that about 30% of the city is still buried, and it will stay there for future generations to work with.
This was an experience we will all be thinking about for a long time.
Gaetano then turned us back over to Mauritzio and Gianni for our trip to Positano. We set off, and ended up in a coversation with Gianni about the Mafia - very interesting. As we neared the coast we saw the Bay of Naples, soon followed by our first glimpse of the Mediterranean (Sea of Salerno) and the city of Sorrento. Even though it was a cloudy, overcast day the light and colors were breathtaking. We drove steep, winding roads that were right on the very edge of the cliffs, stopping on occasion to get out of the car and admire. Heading higher, we entered the town of Positano, The Pearl of the Mediterranean. There are lemon trees everywhere! And the lemons are enormous, about the size of grapefruits. Positano is known for limoncello, a lemon flavored liqueur that we all enjoyed sampling.
The town is built right into the side of the cliff; the buildings seem as if they could just fall off at any time. All the colors are orange, and yellow and faded red and the light makes them shimmer. The roads are old stone, narrow and twisty. We parked, and proceeded to walk down a steep pedestrian-only road, down to the sea.
There we had a delicious lunch (preceeded by some of the local limoncello) - Ben and I had risotta, Connor continues his research into Pizza Margharita, and Griff had Veal Milanese, or as the menu called it: Veal Schnitzel. After lunch we walked on the beach, then meandered back up to the top of the town, stopping in shops and poking around. Connor wants to move there. So, if Beau moves to Gibralter and Connor settles on the Amalfi Coast we will have some good family vacation destinations!
We met back up with Mauritzio and Gianno and headed back to Rome. All of us dozed a bit on the way home, but we are all in for the night. Not even going to visit Pizza Cero - Ben and Griff went to the supermarket for a baguette, we have cheese and salumi and are just going to have snacks and adult beverages here.
It has been a long, perfect day. Tomorrow, assuming there is not a national strike, we will visit the Coloseum, Forum and maybe Victor Emmanuel monument.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Holy Moly!
This morning we were all about schedule. Up early, showers, pancakes and out the door a little past 8:30 - only a few minutes past our target time. Good practice for tomorrow, when we have no wiggle room at all.
We headed to Piazza Silvestro and grabbed a cab to St. Peter's Square, the gateway to Vatican City. Paid, hopped out and headed for the border, where security was lax at best. I think they glanced at G's passport and barely acknowleged the rest of us. Our instructions were to go to the Brass Door at the right side of the Bernini columns, knock three times, twirl around twice...ok, I'm making the knocking and twirling up. We found the entrance, a fully decked out in his fancy pants outfit Swiss guard looked at our papers and directed me in and told the guys to wait. It was so serious! I had to show my documents, passport and answer questions about who was with me. Then they got this envelope out of a box and gave it to me.
I exited, found the guys ogling around and we entered the area where chairs were set up for the papal audience. We got seats in about row 20, which was about 100m from the Pope Throne and Stage. Settling in, we took in the sights and sounds. It's like being in Oz! There is so much to look at. We had binocs so that helped. The fact that weather-wise it was an absolutely perfect day added to the experience. We had a long wait but getting good seats was worth the early arrival as there were literally thousands of people behind us. Griff had a little snooze while we were waiting and nobody had to pray that the Pope would make them feel better, despite a beer pong loss by C & G at the party the night before. There was a large group of schoolboys from a Catholic school in Paris in front of us, and they had a number of songs and chants. At one point Ben asked me why they were saying "Who love a Pop Tart" which is kind of what "Viva il Papa" sounded like.
FINALLY, the Pope Mobile came into view. People unneccesarily stood on chairs - can't they realize if nobody jumps up everyone can see? Anyway, he looped around in the crowd a few times and got within 20 meters of our seats, then headed up to his throne, which was on the front steps of St Peter's Basilica.
So, the program began. After a lengthy homily, in Italian with no translation, what I can only describe as "shout-outs" began. A cardinal or priest would get up and address the Pope in his native language, then recognize all the groups in the audience from his country or region. Each group would cheer, and sometimes sing a song. Then the Pope would read something in that language to them. This went on and on and on and on. Finally, the English speakers were recognized. There were quite a few groups from Ohio. The Pope's message to us was that we should incorporate more silence into our lives.
Finally, everyone stood and sang or hummed along (we were provided with words) and the Pope blessed us, our families, and any and all religious articles we had brought along. The whole experience was not what we expected - we'd heard that it was "moving" and it really wasn't. It was interesting. It was cool to see the Pope. It was boring. It was long. It was something we were glad we did but would probably recommend that people go to the Sunday blessing instead.
Anyway, we decided we needed to find the Vatican Museums, where we needed to report by 2:10 for our tour. After a few missteps - what would be so difficult about some signage - we found our way. Funny thing happened on the way: we were outside the Vatican Wall and there were loads of street vendors selling knock offs. Apparently they were tipped off to a police raid. These people had their merchandise packed and they were hustling away, but we found them all hiding around the corner, some of them still doing business on the fly.
We ate lunch (mediocre, Ben highly critical of the calzone) then went to the the Museum. Now this is the place that stated very directly: If you buy a ticket online and request the student rate you must provide documentation of eligibility or you will forfeit your student ticket completely and have to purchase an adult ticket. So, we were fully prepared with a letter from the Roger Bacon principal and C & G's student ID's. They didn't even look at it!
Going with a tour was the smart thing to do. The galleries are so vast it would be overwhelming to try to tour yourself. We were a group of 25, and we had headphones tuned to a private channel where our guide spoke. We were amazed over and over again. One of the coolest things was a tapestry where Jesus' eyes seem to follow you as you walk by - this was by Raphael. And the ceilings! There were parts that you would swear were carved, but it was all flat paint.
We ended at the Sistine Chapel, and it is stunning. Unbelieveable. Amazing. You can't take pictures, but it doesn't matter because there is no way you could capture it. These are pictures we will keep in our heads forever.
Once the tour was over, we had the option of taking a shortcut into St Peter's, which we did. We noticed an option to go up to the cupola, which we thought sounded interesting so we bought tickets to the elevator. Good choice! We were able to walk around the inside perimeter, and then C & G went all the way to the top, up crooked steps and narrow corridors. We went down, and exited right into St Peter's. We had a look around, and listened to part of a service that was being conducted. It was so cool to be down there in the transcept and look up to the dome and see where Ben and I had been, and even more cool to see where C & G climbed to.
By the way, Connor is wondering if anyone knows how many days in purgatory you get for seriously cutting in front of a Cardinal. He's not wondering for any particular reason, just curious.
Just got back from dinner, again Pizza Ciro. We are known, and welcomed - the owner/manager comes to our table and takes care of us. We got shot glasses of gelato again tonight, and had another great meal. Who knew steak tasted fabulous with lemon squeezed over it?
Probably going to be an early night for all of us. Pompeii, Amalfi coast and Positano tomorrow.
We headed to Piazza Silvestro and grabbed a cab to St. Peter's Square, the gateway to Vatican City. Paid, hopped out and headed for the border, where security was lax at best. I think they glanced at G's passport and barely acknowleged the rest of us. Our instructions were to go to the Brass Door at the right side of the Bernini columns, knock three times, twirl around twice...ok, I'm making the knocking and twirling up. We found the entrance, a fully decked out in his fancy pants outfit Swiss guard looked at our papers and directed me in and told the guys to wait. It was so serious! I had to show my documents, passport and answer questions about who was with me. Then they got this envelope out of a box and gave it to me.
I exited, found the guys ogling around and we entered the area where chairs were set up for the papal audience. We got seats in about row 20, which was about 100m from the Pope Throne and Stage. Settling in, we took in the sights and sounds. It's like being in Oz! There is so much to look at. We had binocs so that helped. The fact that weather-wise it was an absolutely perfect day added to the experience. We had a long wait but getting good seats was worth the early arrival as there were literally thousands of people behind us. Griff had a little snooze while we were waiting and nobody had to pray that the Pope would make them feel better, despite a beer pong loss by C & G at the party the night before. There was a large group of schoolboys from a Catholic school in Paris in front of us, and they had a number of songs and chants. At one point Ben asked me why they were saying "Who love a Pop Tart" which is kind of what "Viva il Papa" sounded like.
FINALLY, the Pope Mobile came into view. People unneccesarily stood on chairs - can't they realize if nobody jumps up everyone can see? Anyway, he looped around in the crowd a few times and got within 20 meters of our seats, then headed up to his throne, which was on the front steps of St Peter's Basilica.
So, the program began. After a lengthy homily, in Italian with no translation, what I can only describe as "shout-outs" began. A cardinal or priest would get up and address the Pope in his native language, then recognize all the groups in the audience from his country or region. Each group would cheer, and sometimes sing a song. Then the Pope would read something in that language to them. This went on and on and on and on. Finally, the English speakers were recognized. There were quite a few groups from Ohio. The Pope's message to us was that we should incorporate more silence into our lives.
Finally, everyone stood and sang or hummed along (we were provided with words) and the Pope blessed us, our families, and any and all religious articles we had brought along. The whole experience was not what we expected - we'd heard that it was "moving" and it really wasn't. It was interesting. It was cool to see the Pope. It was boring. It was long. It was something we were glad we did but would probably recommend that people go to the Sunday blessing instead.
Anyway, we decided we needed to find the Vatican Museums, where we needed to report by 2:10 for our tour. After a few missteps - what would be so difficult about some signage - we found our way. Funny thing happened on the way: we were outside the Vatican Wall and there were loads of street vendors selling knock offs. Apparently they were tipped off to a police raid. These people had their merchandise packed and they were hustling away, but we found them all hiding around the corner, some of them still doing business on the fly.
We ate lunch (mediocre, Ben highly critical of the calzone) then went to the the Museum. Now this is the place that stated very directly: If you buy a ticket online and request the student rate you must provide documentation of eligibility or you will forfeit your student ticket completely and have to purchase an adult ticket. So, we were fully prepared with a letter from the Roger Bacon principal and C & G's student ID's. They didn't even look at it!
Going with a tour was the smart thing to do. The galleries are so vast it would be overwhelming to try to tour yourself. We were a group of 25, and we had headphones tuned to a private channel where our guide spoke. We were amazed over and over again. One of the coolest things was a tapestry where Jesus' eyes seem to follow you as you walk by - this was by Raphael. And the ceilings! There were parts that you would swear were carved, but it was all flat paint.
We ended at the Sistine Chapel, and it is stunning. Unbelieveable. Amazing. You can't take pictures, but it doesn't matter because there is no way you could capture it. These are pictures we will keep in our heads forever.
Once the tour was over, we had the option of taking a shortcut into St Peter's, which we did. We noticed an option to go up to the cupola, which we thought sounded interesting so we bought tickets to the elevator. Good choice! We were able to walk around the inside perimeter, and then C & G went all the way to the top, up crooked steps and narrow corridors. We went down, and exited right into St Peter's. We had a look around, and listened to part of a service that was being conducted. It was so cool to be down there in the transcept and look up to the dome and see where Ben and I had been, and even more cool to see where C & G climbed to.
By the way, Connor is wondering if anyone knows how many days in purgatory you get for seriously cutting in front of a Cardinal. He's not wondering for any particular reason, just curious.
Just got back from dinner, again Pizza Ciro. We are known, and welcomed - the owner/manager comes to our table and takes care of us. We got shot glasses of gelato again tonight, and had another great meal. Who knew steak tasted fabulous with lemon squeezed over it?
Probably going to be an early night for all of us. Pompeii, Amalfi coast and Positano tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Ancient, like BC ancient!
Ok, so it was the Pantheon. But, I need to back up to continue the narrative...
C & G did hook up with their friend Elia last night. Luckily, prior to our trip I invested in a global phone - we call it the Zoolander "is that you, God?" - I decided that it would be a good thing to have, and it was cheap. Since our house phone can't make calls to anything but landlines it has already come in handy. After multiple back and forth calls, a meeting place was established and off they went.
First stop was an American bar, then they moved on to a local place... getting from one to the next took them past a couple Rome landmarks, including Embassy Row and some monuments. They rolled in around 1, 1:30 - trying to be quiet. But the key to this place is very loud! LOL
This morning it was raining, or at least that's our story and we are sticking to it, because we did not get out of the apartment until 3:00 this afternoon. By the time we woke up (1:30), showered, cooked and ate a breakfast of eggs, speck, and toast slathered with the butteriest butter....well, time flies. We changed plans numerous times, then settled on hitting the Pantheon.
The route there was interesting - took us down the Via Corsi, which is the premier shopping street in Rome. Quick stop at a ruin dedicated to Hadrian. Then we cut through a pedestrian-only street, where we were distracted by a crowd shouting and waving signs that said: "Salviamo I nostri maro" which loosely translates to "Save our Fascists." Never one to shy from a demonstration, we hung around for a while until it began to rain and then we proceeded to the Pantheon.
Because we are all a bit sketchy on Roman history we elected to get the audio guide headphones, and that was a good choice. Just walking in you are amazed - the occulus, the altar, the floor, the sanctuaries - but gaining a true understanding of this incredible structure would be impossible without more than the limited signage. Raphael, the artist, is buried here and has the most impressive tomb. Just knowing you are in a building that was originally built in 26 BC is hard to get your head around, even though most of the current structure is from the early 100's. One of the most interesting things we learned was that people used to think the building was so holy that rain didn't come in the occulus - what actually happened was that it was lit by thousands of candles, and they created a heat level that evaporated the rain before it hit the floor. There was also a rumor that when the Christians took over ( it was originally a pagan site) seven demons flew out, and one of them had horns that knocked out the hole that is now the occulus. This isn't true either but it should be because that is one cool story.
Exiting into a drizzle, we meandered through a pedestrian street and stopped and shopped. I'm just going to say that some interesting purchases were contemplated. Headed toward the apartment, Connor peeled off and went home and Griff, Ben and I stopped at the supermarket for supplies.
Once home, Griff tried his hand at creating a signature cocktail, and it was pretty good. I guess Beau has already been informed that I rated it higher than the Pink Madrid, but this will be news to Colin. Griff was not willing to officially designate, so as Ben pointed out the Pink Madrid may move to third before we are done. Of course, in Madrid we did not have Blood Orange soda.
I will now interrupt this narrative with a potato chip report: Bad news, no ham-flavored ones. Good news, whatever they put in the Mediterranean-flavored ones is excellent! And, we found some plain chips that are awesome. They are much more potato-y tasting than USA chips. But ham-flavored ones are the pinnacle. Kristin may be going to Spain on that basis alone.
Along with our chips, we had some Italian cheese we have never heard of, and some crackers, that near as we can translate, are a rice/wheat combo.
Next: Dinner at Pizza Ciro again. Love that place! The guy that waited on us last night is a manager, and he remembered us, and came by. Ben had a seafood soup - it had a whole fish head in it - I had a linguini with seafood, Connor had lasagne, and Griff had pizza with bufalo mozzarella. Connor thought his was a little cheesy, but the rest of us had no criticism of ours. I tasted some of the bufalo mozz from Griff and it was awesome. Neither of the boys wanted to sample either mine or Ben's. Connor picked the app tonight and we could have made a meal out of it: crostini with proscuitto and tomato and cheese.
Since then we've hung out at the apartment and swapped stories and laughed and gotten to know each other and planned for the rest of the trip, until about a half an hour ago when Elia swang by to pick up C & G - he's having a small party for them.
We are all looking forward to the Vatican tomorrow - no sleeping in as we need to be out the door no later than 8:25!
I will try to post pictures tomorrow, the internet is sketchy and the process is complicated by the fact that I have to use the apartment netbook. But Ben feels we need to prove we are actually here, not holed up in Cleveland making day trips to little Italy.
C & G did hook up with their friend Elia last night. Luckily, prior to our trip I invested in a global phone - we call it the Zoolander "is that you, God?" - I decided that it would be a good thing to have, and it was cheap. Since our house phone can't make calls to anything but landlines it has already come in handy. After multiple back and forth calls, a meeting place was established and off they went.
First stop was an American bar, then they moved on to a local place... getting from one to the next took them past a couple Rome landmarks, including Embassy Row and some monuments. They rolled in around 1, 1:30 - trying to be quiet. But the key to this place is very loud! LOL
This morning it was raining, or at least that's our story and we are sticking to it, because we did not get out of the apartment until 3:00 this afternoon. By the time we woke up (1:30), showered, cooked and ate a breakfast of eggs, speck, and toast slathered with the butteriest butter....well, time flies. We changed plans numerous times, then settled on hitting the Pantheon.
The route there was interesting - took us down the Via Corsi, which is the premier shopping street in Rome. Quick stop at a ruin dedicated to Hadrian. Then we cut through a pedestrian-only street, where we were distracted by a crowd shouting and waving signs that said: "Salviamo I nostri maro" which loosely translates to "Save our Fascists." Never one to shy from a demonstration, we hung around for a while until it began to rain and then we proceeded to the Pantheon.
Because we are all a bit sketchy on Roman history we elected to get the audio guide headphones, and that was a good choice. Just walking in you are amazed - the occulus, the altar, the floor, the sanctuaries - but gaining a true understanding of this incredible structure would be impossible without more than the limited signage. Raphael, the artist, is buried here and has the most impressive tomb. Just knowing you are in a building that was originally built in 26 BC is hard to get your head around, even though most of the current structure is from the early 100's. One of the most interesting things we learned was that people used to think the building was so holy that rain didn't come in the occulus - what actually happened was that it was lit by thousands of candles, and they created a heat level that evaporated the rain before it hit the floor. There was also a rumor that when the Christians took over ( it was originally a pagan site) seven demons flew out, and one of them had horns that knocked out the hole that is now the occulus. This isn't true either but it should be because that is one cool story.
Exiting into a drizzle, we meandered through a pedestrian street and stopped and shopped. I'm just going to say that some interesting purchases were contemplated. Headed toward the apartment, Connor peeled off and went home and Griff, Ben and I stopped at the supermarket for supplies.
Once home, Griff tried his hand at creating a signature cocktail, and it was pretty good. I guess Beau has already been informed that I rated it higher than the Pink Madrid, but this will be news to Colin. Griff was not willing to officially designate, so as Ben pointed out the Pink Madrid may move to third before we are done. Of course, in Madrid we did not have Blood Orange soda.
I will now interrupt this narrative with a potato chip report: Bad news, no ham-flavored ones. Good news, whatever they put in the Mediterranean-flavored ones is excellent! And, we found some plain chips that are awesome. They are much more potato-y tasting than USA chips. But ham-flavored ones are the pinnacle. Kristin may be going to Spain on that basis alone.
Along with our chips, we had some Italian cheese we have never heard of, and some crackers, that near as we can translate, are a rice/wheat combo.
Next: Dinner at Pizza Ciro again. Love that place! The guy that waited on us last night is a manager, and he remembered us, and came by. Ben had a seafood soup - it had a whole fish head in it - I had a linguini with seafood, Connor had lasagne, and Griff had pizza with bufalo mozzarella. Connor thought his was a little cheesy, but the rest of us had no criticism of ours. I tasted some of the bufalo mozz from Griff and it was awesome. Neither of the boys wanted to sample either mine or Ben's. Connor picked the app tonight and we could have made a meal out of it: crostini with proscuitto and tomato and cheese.
Since then we've hung out at the apartment and swapped stories and laughed and gotten to know each other and planned for the rest of the trip, until about a half an hour ago when Elia swang by to pick up C & G - he's having a small party for them.
We are all looking forward to the Vatican tomorrow - no sleeping in as we need to be out the door no later than 8:25!
I will try to post pictures tomorrow, the internet is sketchy and the process is complicated by the fact that I have to use the apartment netbook. But Ben feels we need to prove we are actually here, not holed up in Cleveland making day trips to little Italy.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Ciao! from Rome!
Well, despite a snowstorm and a night with friends in Columbus, Connor and Griff arrived at our house at least an hour before the target time of 11:00 am. They viewed the "orientation video" and we filled them in on some details about the trip. Connor had been studying the map, and located our street. We all had a big laugh when I asked him if he could see where the subway was located and he informed me that food places weren't on the map.
The taxi arrived on time, and we headed to the airport. At check in, Connor's reservation didn't come up, but as he was wishing us bon voyage it suddenly appeared. Everyone's passport was in order so we got our boarding passes, went through security without incident and headed to gate D7 - even though we needed to be at C22. There is a reason I should wear glasses! But with plenty of time there was no panic.
We boarded, then the announcement that we would be waiting for some connecting passengers was made. We sat, and sat - for at least 1/2 hour. We were seated separately, and some of us - no names please - started to worry about making the connection. Connor and I were not the least bit concerned, as we knew there was a good hour and a half in Washington.
The flight from Washington to Rome was long - 8 1/2 hours. We were in Economy Plus, but it was still a long night with only a little sleep. We landed, sailed through passport control and customs, collected our baggage and exited to find our driver standing right there. A quick stop at the ATM, and we were on our way.
Our driver spoke only a little English, but he did point out some sights on the 45 minute ride, notably Circus Maxximus - WOW- and a pyramid that was 2020 years old. Traffic was nuts! Glad we are not driving. We got dropped off on the corner near our apartment and the apartment manager met us.
The apartment is really nice. Very modern inside, all wood floors, cool lighting and hip furniture. The kitchen is miniscule! No real room to store much so that will mean daily shopping. The bedrooms are big and have built in dressers and closets.
We unpacked and stowed our stuff, then headed out to find the supermarket. According to our directions it was an easy 3-minute walk, with basically only one turn. Could we find it? NO. We did find the post office, though, so if we want to mail anything we are set. And Griff spotted the perfect souvenir for Jenny - be very afraid, lol. We circled back around, asked at least 3 people who kept telling us it was just ahead - and FINALLY we located it. We had actually walked right by it on our first loop. And it is a bizzaro store. There are no aisles. All the departments are in little rooms- for example there is a fish room, a produce room, a cheese room, an adult beverage room is downstairs...crazy. Anyway, we got what we needed (lots from the previously mentioned adult beverage room, and stuff for breakfast and snacks).
And then we crashed. We slept for about 3 hours then got ready to head out again. We want to be over jet lag by tomorrow and that's what ya gotta do.
So, heading out again we decided to go to the Trevi Fountain. What a difference a little sleep makes! We could acually figure out where we were and how to get where we wanted to go. With nary a misstep we made it to this landmark. It is much bigger and whiter that I expected! Lots of people. Connor and Griff threw coins in -facing backward and over their shoulder - to ensure a return to Rome. We hung aroung a bit, then headed toward the Spanish Steps. A small false start, which Connor caught, and we were on our way. We looked at the Bernini sculpture of the boat, and then climbed to the top. We've taken lots of pictures, but it is just not possible to capture the light, and how it glows and makes the buildings almost look like they are a watercolor painting. Beautiful. And we were at the Spanish Steps at the perfect time, sunset.
We started toward another piazza, but turned around because I realized the church would be closed and we would be heading back that way tomorrow. Griff found an outfit in a shop window that he thought he could rock, but as it was around 3500 Euro he didn't even try it on. Our neighborhood is so cool - lots of cafes, shops, bars. And there is a gelato place two doors down. Griff is going online to do some flavor translation research. It looks so good!
Finally, we went to Pizza Ciro for dinner. It was way too early for the Italians, who dine very late, but we were hungry and this needs to be an early night so we can get on Italy time. We started with tall glasses of cold draft beer while we perused the menu. I had mentioned that Carly and Kelsey had tried snails in Paris - just throwing it down there. And while nobody went too far, we did have some interesting stuff, including rice balls, a meat and cheese stuffed fried olive, a potato croquette that was outstanding and fried mozzarella that was not so much bad as it was bland. But the pizza was the star! Oh my. We will be back. We wanted to make a nice impression on our waiter, and since he shook Ben's hand and high-fived a "ciao" with C & G I hope he remembers us. He also brought us each a shot glass of lemon gelato at the end of the meal - yum.
We are back at the apartment, chilling. C & G have made contact with their friend who lives here but not sure if they are going out or not. The weather was fine today, but the forecast still looks a little sketchy for tomorrow so we'll play it by ear. Pantheon? Maybe. Stay tuned.
The taxi arrived on time, and we headed to the airport. At check in, Connor's reservation didn't come up, but as he was wishing us bon voyage it suddenly appeared. Everyone's passport was in order so we got our boarding passes, went through security without incident and headed to gate D7 - even though we needed to be at C22. There is a reason I should wear glasses! But with plenty of time there was no panic.
We boarded, then the announcement that we would be waiting for some connecting passengers was made. We sat, and sat - for at least 1/2 hour. We were seated separately, and some of us - no names please - started to worry about making the connection. Connor and I were not the least bit concerned, as we knew there was a good hour and a half in Washington.
The flight from Washington to Rome was long - 8 1/2 hours. We were in Economy Plus, but it was still a long night with only a little sleep. We landed, sailed through passport control and customs, collected our baggage and exited to find our driver standing right there. A quick stop at the ATM, and we were on our way.
Our driver spoke only a little English, but he did point out some sights on the 45 minute ride, notably Circus Maxximus - WOW- and a pyramid that was 2020 years old. Traffic was nuts! Glad we are not driving. We got dropped off on the corner near our apartment and the apartment manager met us.
The apartment is really nice. Very modern inside, all wood floors, cool lighting and hip furniture. The kitchen is miniscule! No real room to store much so that will mean daily shopping. The bedrooms are big and have built in dressers and closets.
We unpacked and stowed our stuff, then headed out to find the supermarket. According to our directions it was an easy 3-minute walk, with basically only one turn. Could we find it? NO. We did find the post office, though, so if we want to mail anything we are set. And Griff spotted the perfect souvenir for Jenny - be very afraid, lol. We circled back around, asked at least 3 people who kept telling us it was just ahead - and FINALLY we located it. We had actually walked right by it on our first loop. And it is a bizzaro store. There are no aisles. All the departments are in little rooms- for example there is a fish room, a produce room, a cheese room, an adult beverage room is downstairs...crazy. Anyway, we got what we needed (lots from the previously mentioned adult beverage room, and stuff for breakfast and snacks).
And then we crashed. We slept for about 3 hours then got ready to head out again. We want to be over jet lag by tomorrow and that's what ya gotta do.
So, heading out again we decided to go to the Trevi Fountain. What a difference a little sleep makes! We could acually figure out where we were and how to get where we wanted to go. With nary a misstep we made it to this landmark. It is much bigger and whiter that I expected! Lots of people. Connor and Griff threw coins in -facing backward and over their shoulder - to ensure a return to Rome. We hung aroung a bit, then headed toward the Spanish Steps. A small false start, which Connor caught, and we were on our way. We looked at the Bernini sculpture of the boat, and then climbed to the top. We've taken lots of pictures, but it is just not possible to capture the light, and how it glows and makes the buildings almost look like they are a watercolor painting. Beautiful. And we were at the Spanish Steps at the perfect time, sunset.
We started toward another piazza, but turned around because I realized the church would be closed and we would be heading back that way tomorrow. Griff found an outfit in a shop window that he thought he could rock, but as it was around 3500 Euro he didn't even try it on. Our neighborhood is so cool - lots of cafes, shops, bars. And there is a gelato place two doors down. Griff is going online to do some flavor translation research. It looks so good!
Finally, we went to Pizza Ciro for dinner. It was way too early for the Italians, who dine very late, but we were hungry and this needs to be an early night so we can get on Italy time. We started with tall glasses of cold draft beer while we perused the menu. I had mentioned that Carly and Kelsey had tried snails in Paris - just throwing it down there. And while nobody went too far, we did have some interesting stuff, including rice balls, a meat and cheese stuffed fried olive, a potato croquette that was outstanding and fried mozzarella that was not so much bad as it was bland. But the pizza was the star! Oh my. We will be back. We wanted to make a nice impression on our waiter, and since he shook Ben's hand and high-fived a "ciao" with C & G I hope he remembers us. He also brought us each a shot glass of lemon gelato at the end of the meal - yum.
We are back at the apartment, chilling. C & G have made contact with their friend who lives here but not sure if they are going out or not. The weather was fine today, but the forecast still looks a little sketchy for tomorrow so we'll play it by ear. Pantheon? Maybe. Stay tuned.
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