...yes, it was always going to be a madcap idea.
You see I had a brand-new passport, with no stamps. It was a fact that did not sit well with me at all. And if I wanted a stamp, I wanted a proper one from a far-away land. The blank pages became a bit of an obsession and I thought of places I could go to.
Paris? Been there. London? Been there. Delhi? Too far away for me to do in six days. Cape Town? Ditto. Athens? A possibility. Rome? Well, why not...??
I'm not sure I can adequately explain to my fellow Americans who were born and brought up here....the sheer exhilaration of knowing I can now travel to almost any country in the world - without needing a visa. Just a valid American passport. The freedom is absolutely incredible and I felt it in spades.
And so, I found myself crammed into an economy seat for a quick trip across continents. Yes, I realize that the bit about economy class sounds wondrously snobbish, but trust me, leg room - and not having an a fellow passenger end up in your lap for most of an eight-hour journey - is a wonderful thing.
Let's pause for a little factoid, shall we? I can say 'Thank You' in French, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, Russian, German, Portuguese and Japanese.
The latter came in real handy in Rome, because there were just so many tourists from Japan. And thanking them for taking my picture was a snap. Get it? Picture. Snap.
I really enjoyed Rome.
There were parts of it that reminded me so much of New Delhi. Like Delhi, Rome is a city that is inextricably linked to over 2000 years of history. A history that is spread out over the city with monuments that are a part of daily lives. Like Delhi, Rome’s apartment buildings are packed together, especially as you come in from the airport. What I found fascinating was the graffiti liberally sprayed on the ground floor of almost every single building I saw. There’s a tagger running loose, people! Nothing seemed to be spared. Buildings, trash cans, lampposts, walls of every sort.
My hotel was right in the historical middle. I use the term hotel – loosely. It was a residenzia and the entrance is not impressive. A stout wooden door with a little brass plaque. The entrance was on the second floor and again – looked like a house. It turned out to be a small set of rooms with an enormously helpful and attentive staff. For the latter reason alone, the Caesar House Residenze Romane comes hugely recommended should you ever want to go to Rome. I know I will stay there again. The beds and great breakfasts added to the experience.
CHRR is around the corner from the Colosseum and right across from the Forum. With the exception of two taxis and a bus ride, I walked simply everywhere.
Some of my trip highlights/memories in random order:
- Seeing the Colosseum at night. It’s lit beautifully.
- Standing inside the Colosseum the next morning and trying to comprehend the bloodshed this place has seen. 9600 animals killed during the opening celebrations. The tiny cells. The hydraulics that helped raise and lower parts of the stage for different sets.
- Getting lost on a bus route out to the Vatican and figuring that if anyone would know the way, it would be the nun sitting next to me. She did – and led me to the right bus, her habit billowing in the wind.
- Seeing the paintings at the Vatican – ones I have only read about before. This includes the Sistine chapel. We were asked not to take pictures, but I saw many people trying. So I did – and was promptly (the only one!) pulled up for it. :-)
- Attending evening mass at St. Peter’s. I just happened to be there at the right time. Could not understand a word of the service, so followed along by rising and sitting with everyone else. I think I did okay.
- I do wonder at the size of Bernini’s altar at St. Peter's. It’s impressive, but also felt just a bit cold to me. It seems like a lot of things inside this basilica are designed to overwhelm with grandeur. Does that make me a heretic? I’ve seen smaller, much smaller, churches which seem to draw you right in with their warmth and faith.
- Getting soaked as I came out from St. Peter’s on my first day and trying to find a taxi while realizing I only speak a few words of Italian.Eating at a location that serves pizzas made in a woodturning stove. Great pizza, but the lights went out halfway through dinner. Literally.
- Realizing my hotel room overlooked a ‘Sexy Shop’ (sic).
- Inhaling a lot of second-hand smoke in Rome. It’s like…everyone smokes.
- Standing in front of the singularly most beautiful marble statue I have ever seen: Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne at the Villa Borghese. I also liked Canova’s Pauline Bonaparte reclining on a sofa and the facial expression on Bernini’s David.
- There are several, arguably more famous, paintings at the Villa Borghese including Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love. My favorite however, was one of a young woman holding a knife and looking somewhere past her shoulder with a half smile. Deadly and mysterious. Made me wonder what her story was…
- Watching a fascinating altercation between a tour bus driver and the police over a parked car that was blocking her entry onto a narrow street off the Piazza De Popolo. It pretty much drew in the neighborhood as spectators. She got her way in the end – the little car was towed. It was like watching a novella, complete with the driver stomping her foot and screaming out in frustration.
- Enjoying the views at the Spanish steps and the Trevi fountain. The steps must look spectacular in the summer…I believe they are covered with azaleas. Trevi is breathtaking; it seems to leap right out of the building. Okay – so I did not throw money in as the traditional way of ensuring you will return, but I will return. Besides, is it two coins? Or three? If the latter, I guess inflation strikes again!
- Getting lost multiple times as I ambled through town on day 2. I must have wandered about seven miles up hill and down dale. It got fractionally better on day 3 because I knew the layout of the land by then.
- Marveling at the dome in the Pantheon. It’s perfectly spectacular and is open to the sky. My question: it’s obviously covered to keep out the weather, but what happened years ago when it rained?
- Having Asterix and the Laurel Wreath moments each time I walked by the Forum. If you’ve read the comics, you know what I mean! I also figured out what SPQR stands for.
- Eating the best risotto of my life in a little restaurant behind my hotel. It wasn’t even on their menu; my hotel called and asked if they could make it for me. I am now a devotee.
- Grinning as I saw the urban version of gas stations here in Rome. Literally, two or three little pumps with one booth for the attendant. No large fluorescent forecourts here!
- Tiptoeing around the ancient church of St. Maria De Popolo. There are graves on the floor and, like at Westminster Abbey, I didn’t want to step on anyone! Oddly enough, some of the confessional boxes are placed on ancient graves themselves. The heads of the grave markers of those buried there are somewhat ignominiously swallowed by the boxes. I suppose there’s a grace about hearing confessions for eternity. I just felt a bit sorry for those underfoot.
- Absorbing the beauty and art at all the churches I visited. Realizing that as in with stone carvings in Hindu temples in India, the Biblical stories richly painted on church walls serve much the same purpose. Telling stories of Faith to those who may not have had book learning.
- Standing at the railings around the Roman Forum and thinking about life during its heyday. Wondering how Rome itself will look in about a 1000 years and what future archaeologists will make of the city.
- Visiting the broody interior of the Mamertine prison.
- Drawing historical parallels between what was happening in Rome, Mughal India, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 1513, the year after Michelangelo finished his part of the Sistine Chapel, Henry VIII fought the battle of Spurs in France, Ponce De Leon landed in Florida and Babur set the foundations for what would become the Mughal Empire in India.
- Realizing that this is a country I definitely want to come back and explore…
I took nearly 400 pictures during my trip and am uploading a selection. My Rome album will be up next week. In the meantime, I hope you like the ones that will follow this post!
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