Click here for photos of Bratislava
More photos of Vienna
I took a lovely day trip to Bratislava, only an hour away by bus. The town was dead quiet when I arrived, but picked up a little more as the day wore one. It was one of those days where I walked and walked. There is a lovely old town, an area by the Danube with lots of people sunning and a gorgeous castle.
As I sit here in my apartment in Bucharest, I think about the friends that I made at that great hostel- Ruthensteiner. It has a lovely garden, a lounge, a bar and lots of friendly people from all over the world. I met a young guy from Norway who blew my socks off with his guitar playing. (The hostel also had two guitars for use by the patrons.) We jammed quite a bit. Then he tells me that he is coming to UC Berkeley to study- in a year. He will contact me then.
Also the group with whom I shared a room were wonderful. On my last night we shared pizza and drank wine and just talked. A clothes designer from Bucharest. He gave me many tips on visiting Bucharest and I will see him at his shop on Saturday. Two young women from Calgary, a gentleman from India, two Americans and one Korean girl who traveled alone but spoke very little English or German. We discussed politics, religion and world events. It was the kind of night that every traveler should have and the kind of bond that I will keep for a lifetime.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Donauinsel Music Festival Vienna
Click here for some photos from Vienna
I am staying in a great little hostel near the Westbanhof (West city train station). My ticket from Santa Lucia Station to Vienna came right here. I guess that I was lucky. After spending the day in the city, I went back to Ruthenhauer Hostel, met some of my roommates and found out about a three day free concert. Billy Idol is playing for free. I know the name Billy Idol as a performer, but I really can't think of one tune that he has done. Nevertheless we hopped on the Underground and made our way to Donauisola, a several mile long island in the middle of the Danube. I had heard that 3,000,000 people would be there, whether that was over 3 days or a one time count is difficult to tell. I don't know what 3 million people looks like, but if the size of the crowd at that time was 3,000,000 I can believe it, especially on the second night, where at time the slowly moving crowd stopped several times in a crush of people, literally body to body.
It took me about five minutes to completely lose my accompanying hostel mates- just as well- I am sure that we do not share the same musical tastes. Early on the route are the more accoustic venues and rap artists on small stages. Country music is obviously popular here by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd for a couple of hayseeds from rural Austria. I 've taken some movies of some of the acts but I first must reduce the size of the files and then see if I actually got any audio.
Many of the stages seemed like pure spectical, flashy light show with less than first class rock and roll. I am always immediately attracted to bands with horns. I went over the one stage and heard about the worst assemblage of horn players. The slide trombone could barely pop out one ugly note on his break. The trumpet play had about one decent note and the sax player was all over the place, never worried about what key he was in. I vote these guys "worst band" but I probably won't ever hear from them. But who knows?
The high point for me was a loud tight eastern European sounding group, with some klezmer and Russian songs thrown in. The trumpet player announcer assured the crowd (in some of the few English words that I heard) that all of these tunes sounded traditional but they were completely original. As the Austrian crowd was screaming, dancing and rocking with the band, I thought that there was some irony in the enthusiasm showed especially for some of the characteristically klezmer sounding tunes. I bought the CD at the end of the set and to my surprize the name of the band was "The Amsterdam Klezmer Band". On the cover of the CD was a sketchy drawing of a banjo player, an accordion and a bass player. But this was not the same band. I wonder if this was the beginnings of the band. All players were top notch- an accordion player, slide trombone, tenor sax, trumpet and bass. I highly recommend that you hear this band.
On the second night the crowd at times was overwhelmingly dense. I will mention two bands and again I am mostly at a loss for names. Perhaps someone out there with more knowledge of the contemporary music scene can tell me. The stage was enormous and the waiting crowd thick, several smokers made the wait even more unpleasant as I tried to push myself into smokeless refuge out of range. I pushed into the audience just as the previous act was finishing and then listened to a polished woman MC stir up the crowd. During ten minutes I watched Austrian ad's on giant TV screen, obviously sponsors of the event. This crowd on the whole was closer to middle age with lots of children intersperced. The band began with a crashing big sound. The singer, slick in a white suit, belted out a tune that obviously everyone in the audience knew- Gloria (or Glory Hallahluia), not the Leonard Cohen song. The music for me was a bit too smooth and techno for my taste. But the full impact of the sound was impressive- loud - with the regular tom tom beat vibrating my chest, the synthesizer sounding like a full ochestra and the singers harmonies clear and clean. - I rate these guys slick but impressive.
The other band was American. The singer spoke not one word of German to the audience, which I think is shameful. The crowd was enormous, enthusiastic and quite a bit younger than the previous group. The singer's image was projected on an enormous screen, but also I had a pretty good view of him and his group. I found them particularly underwhelming. A nerdish looking singer songwritter in black glasses (a younger version of Elvis Costello) playing guitar with a rock band back up and two pretty good female back up singers. The announcer called them something like "Wheata?" "weete?" Anyway the younger set was pleased.
Just one more thing. There were many stands selling food and drink. By far the one I thought the best in every way was group of fruit cocktails- maybe 20 to 30 different cocktails presented in very large glass pitchers. The presentation attracted attention immediately. All had some kind of fruit with a mixture of ingredients. I actually watch the woman make one of them: Lots of friut, fruit juice, syrup, sugar and vodka. I had the cherry one- delicious and also one with these red fruit that look a little like cranberries, also delicious.
I am staying in a great little hostel near the Westbanhof (West city train station). My ticket from Santa Lucia Station to Vienna came right here. I guess that I was lucky. After spending the day in the city, I went back to Ruthenhauer Hostel, met some of my roommates and found out about a three day free concert. Billy Idol is playing for free. I know the name Billy Idol as a performer, but I really can't think of one tune that he has done. Nevertheless we hopped on the Underground and made our way to Donauisola, a several mile long island in the middle of the Danube. I had heard that 3,000,000 people would be there, whether that was over 3 days or a one time count is difficult to tell. I don't know what 3 million people looks like, but if the size of the crowd at that time was 3,000,000 I can believe it, especially on the second night, where at time the slowly moving crowd stopped several times in a crush of people, literally body to body.
It took me about five minutes to completely lose my accompanying hostel mates- just as well- I am sure that we do not share the same musical tastes. Early on the route are the more accoustic venues and rap artists on small stages. Country music is obviously popular here by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd for a couple of hayseeds from rural Austria. I 've taken some movies of some of the acts but I first must reduce the size of the files and then see if I actually got any audio.
Many of the stages seemed like pure spectical, flashy light show with less than first class rock and roll. I am always immediately attracted to bands with horns. I went over the one stage and heard about the worst assemblage of horn players. The slide trombone could barely pop out one ugly note on his break. The trumpet play had about one decent note and the sax player was all over the place, never worried about what key he was in. I vote these guys "worst band" but I probably won't ever hear from them. But who knows?
The high point for me was a loud tight eastern European sounding group, with some klezmer and Russian songs thrown in. The trumpet player announcer assured the crowd (in some of the few English words that I heard) that all of these tunes sounded traditional but they were completely original. As the Austrian crowd was screaming, dancing and rocking with the band, I thought that there was some irony in the enthusiasm showed especially for some of the characteristically klezmer sounding tunes. I bought the CD at the end of the set and to my surprize the name of the band was "The Amsterdam Klezmer Band". On the cover of the CD was a sketchy drawing of a banjo player, an accordion and a bass player. But this was not the same band. I wonder if this was the beginnings of the band. All players were top notch- an accordion player, slide trombone, tenor sax, trumpet and bass. I highly recommend that you hear this band.
On the second night the crowd at times was overwhelmingly dense. I will mention two bands and again I am mostly at a loss for names. Perhaps someone out there with more knowledge of the contemporary music scene can tell me. The stage was enormous and the waiting crowd thick, several smokers made the wait even more unpleasant as I tried to push myself into smokeless refuge out of range. I pushed into the audience just as the previous act was finishing and then listened to a polished woman MC stir up the crowd. During ten minutes I watched Austrian ad's on giant TV screen, obviously sponsors of the event. This crowd on the whole was closer to middle age with lots of children intersperced. The band began with a crashing big sound. The singer, slick in a white suit, belted out a tune that obviously everyone in the audience knew- Gloria (or Glory Hallahluia), not the Leonard Cohen song. The music for me was a bit too smooth and techno for my taste. But the full impact of the sound was impressive- loud - with the regular tom tom beat vibrating my chest, the synthesizer sounding like a full ochestra and the singers harmonies clear and clean. - I rate these guys slick but impressive.
The other band was American. The singer spoke not one word of German to the audience, which I think is shameful. The crowd was enormous, enthusiastic and quite a bit younger than the previous group. The singer's image was projected on an enormous screen, but also I had a pretty good view of him and his group. I found them particularly underwhelming. A nerdish looking singer songwritter in black glasses (a younger version of Elvis Costello) playing guitar with a rock band back up and two pretty good female back up singers. The announcer called them something like "Wheata?" "weete?" Anyway the younger set was pleased.
Just one more thing. There were many stands selling food and drink. By far the one I thought the best in every way was group of fruit cocktails- maybe 20 to 30 different cocktails presented in very large glass pitchers. The presentation attracted attention immediately. All had some kind of fruit with a mixture of ingredients. I actually watch the woman make one of them: Lots of friut, fruit juice, syrup, sugar and vodka. I had the cherry one- delicious and also one with these red fruit that look a little like cranberries, also delicious.
Friday, June 25, 2010
To see my Venice photos click here.
I stayed in a hostel in Venice. Some very nice things about this hostel. One was that I could see the Grand Canal from the front window terrace. As you probably know I am usually a little older than the average age in a hostel. I was warned this time. She said something like, "You know we have to warn people over 40..." I replied that I've stayed in hostels since I was young. This hostel had a group dinner every night at 7:30 PM. The first night we had pasta carbonara and fig cake for desert. The hostel is owned by an Italian guy, a little younger than me, who hangs out with everyone. As far as I can tell, the place is run by Yael, an Israeli, who seems to enjoy the life she leads in Venice. There is a guy who just recently arrived and is working there. He is a recent college graduate from North Carolina, and has a pretty strong North Carolina accent.
The first night when I arrived with the guitar, Yael suggested I play it after dinner. It is always somewhat of a problem choosing tunes and I usally am not prepared for the young set that is in a hostel. But I know what my students like, so I tried "Hey Jude", "Like a Rolling Stone" and a couple of other. They went over very well. In fact so well, the guy from North Carolina comes over to me and says with great enthusiasm, "Man, when I'm your age, I wanna be just like you." I was a little taken aback, but flattered nevertheless.
Then came the moment for requests. As the twenty-somethings try to figure our something from era "Stairway to Heaven" perhaps. Sorry. And I tried to think of something that they would know or like. It actually fizzled on its own after about a half hour. This was perfect for me. The group goes out together in the evening and drinks- some to excess. But it is a friendly safe crowd and everyone makes sure everyone else gets back.
The place we met, I think, was the Palo, a nice little square. We met two Australian guys, about 25 to 30 years of age who work on a rich person's boat. They seem to like the work and have traveled all over the world. They get about 4 or 5 hours on shore to eat or party or do whatever they want.
Many of the young people in the hostel have been traveling for a while, but frankly they don't know much. They remind me of high school students and it obvious that some are just extending their childhood. They know nothing of the culture or the language and seem to have no desire to learn anything about it. They are generally friendly and good tempted and maybe a little "overloved". They find most of their joy in hanging out with people similar to themselves, even though they may not be from the United States. I suppose that I was much the same when I was their age. I had my eyes wide open, but really didn't know much. In fact I remember someone asking me if I was stopping in Florence. At that point I didn't know that Florence was a cultural center of the Renaissance.
Other than the evenings my days were spent alone pursuing the churches and museums that I had not seen on my last trip to Venice. I relaxed a little the last day and decided to sit down at one of the local outdoor bars and watch the World Cup with a bunch of Italians- it was an exciting game but I am sorry to say, the Slovakians looked good from the beginning- coming near a goal in the first 3 or minutes. It is a sad thing, but Italy is officially out of the World Cup Competition this year.
I stayed in a hostel in Venice. Some very nice things about this hostel. One was that I could see the Grand Canal from the front window terrace. As you probably know I am usually a little older than the average age in a hostel. I was warned this time. She said something like, "You know we have to warn people over 40..." I replied that I've stayed in hostels since I was young. This hostel had a group dinner every night at 7:30 PM. The first night we had pasta carbonara and fig cake for desert. The hostel is owned by an Italian guy, a little younger than me, who hangs out with everyone. As far as I can tell, the place is run by Yael, an Israeli, who seems to enjoy the life she leads in Venice. There is a guy who just recently arrived and is working there. He is a recent college graduate from North Carolina, and has a pretty strong North Carolina accent.
The first night when I arrived with the guitar, Yael suggested I play it after dinner. It is always somewhat of a problem choosing tunes and I usally am not prepared for the young set that is in a hostel. But I know what my students like, so I tried "Hey Jude", "Like a Rolling Stone" and a couple of other. They went over very well. In fact so well, the guy from North Carolina comes over to me and says with great enthusiasm, "Man, when I'm your age, I wanna be just like you." I was a little taken aback, but flattered nevertheless.
Then came the moment for requests. As the twenty-somethings try to figure our something from era "Stairway to Heaven" perhaps. Sorry. And I tried to think of something that they would know or like. It actually fizzled on its own after about a half hour. This was perfect for me. The group goes out together in the evening and drinks- some to excess. But it is a friendly safe crowd and everyone makes sure everyone else gets back.
The place we met, I think, was the Palo, a nice little square. We met two Australian guys, about 25 to 30 years of age who work on a rich person's boat. They seem to like the work and have traveled all over the world. They get about 4 or 5 hours on shore to eat or party or do whatever they want.
Many of the young people in the hostel have been traveling for a while, but frankly they don't know much. They remind me of high school students and it obvious that some are just extending their childhood. They know nothing of the culture or the language and seem to have no desire to learn anything about it. They are generally friendly and good tempted and maybe a little "overloved". They find most of their joy in hanging out with people similar to themselves, even though they may not be from the United States. I suppose that I was much the same when I was their age. I had my eyes wide open, but really didn't know much. In fact I remember someone asking me if I was stopping in Florence. At that point I didn't know that Florence was a cultural center of the Renaissance.
Other than the evenings my days were spent alone pursuing the churches and museums that I had not seen on my last trip to Venice. I relaxed a little the last day and decided to sit down at one of the local outdoor bars and watch the World Cup with a bunch of Italians- it was an exciting game but I am sorry to say, the Slovakians looked good from the beginning- coming near a goal in the first 3 or minutes. It is a sad thing, but Italy is officially out of the World Cup Competition this year.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Venice
For my first set of photos from Venice click here.
A link to the Churches of Venice
Certainly one of my favorite cites in the world, I decided to concentrate on seeing Tintoretto's. Tintoretto is the father of Venetian Renaissance painting. He lived here his whole life and painted an enormous number of works, most hanging in churched throughout Venice. This brought me to my pilgrimage to the Churches of Venice. Unfortunately all of the churches that I visited had a "no photographs" policy. So I searched the Internet to give some idea of his body of work. What I cannot reproduce is the scale of some of these pieces. Mary are 16 feet high, but a couple of works in the Church of Modonna dell' Orto are as high as 36 feet, towering works. Here is a very small photo of one of these paintings.
The Scuola Grande di San Rocco was a charitable institution set up in the early 1500's to help pay for care to the sick. San Rocco (or Saint Roch) is the patrol saint of contagious diseases. His life is portrayed in many of the huge paintings hung in the Scuola. In 1564 Tintoretto was commissioned to decorated the walls and the ceiling of the Scuola. Again- no photos and one of the most important rooms was closed- some "professionals" were taking photos with big flashed no less. Fortunately the doors were wide open and I could see the Crucifixion, an enormous canvas by Tintoretto. 1565
Oil on canvas, 18 feet high and 40 feet long
A link to the Churches of Venice
Certainly one of my favorite cites in the world, I decided to concentrate on seeing Tintoretto's. Tintoretto is the father of Venetian Renaissance painting. He lived here his whole life and painted an enormous number of works, most hanging in churched throughout Venice. This brought me to my pilgrimage to the Churches of Venice. Unfortunately all of the churches that I visited had a "no photographs" policy. So I searched the Internet to give some idea of his body of work. What I cannot reproduce is the scale of some of these pieces. Mary are 16 feet high, but a couple of works in the Church of Modonna dell' Orto are as high as 36 feet, towering works. Here is a very small photo of one of these paintings.
The Scuola Grande di San Rocco was a charitable institution set up in the early 1500's to help pay for care to the sick. San Rocco (or Saint Roch) is the patrol saint of contagious diseases. His life is portrayed in many of the huge paintings hung in the Scuola. In 1564 Tintoretto was commissioned to decorated the walls and the ceiling of the Scuola. Again- no photos and one of the most important rooms was closed- some "professionals" were taking photos with big flashed no less. Fortunately the doors were wide open and I could see the Crucifixion, an enormous canvas by Tintoretto. 1565
Oil on canvas, 18 feet high and 40 feet long
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Ravenna
To see all of my photos from Ravenna click here.
I was not prepared to for the age of the Churches and mosaics in Ravenna. Most of the places that I visited were built between the years 400 and 600 CE. Constantine had barely set up the Holy Roman Empire by this time.
I had booked a sweet little room in a place called Hotel Byron. My Italian is not good but I only had to lapse into English once trying to clarify how they charged for Internet service. The breakfast they served was enough to keep me going all day.
There has been a continuous gentle rain for three days and it is a good time to enjoy the indoor sites. The city charges one price for a ticket that allows entry to all the major places. The one thing that I missed was the Ravenna Museum, closed on Monday.
The Basilica of San Vitale was my first stop, enormous church, built in the mid 500's. So modern and so secure to my eyes. The mosaics were so strong and sophisticated that this artistic culture must have been a strong part of Ravenna even before the Christians. We know that the Romans and Etruscans both had wonderful traditions of mosaics, but I suspect that this area must have been the center.
The second stop was a small masoleum, created for one of the top leaders of Ravenna, in the late 400's. One sarcafocas was created for the wife of the leader but she died while away and was buried in a different place.
The museum of acheology that I visited had wonderful stone tributes from Roman times to the dead, the equivalent of our tombstones. With the bit of Latin that I remember I could pretty much decipher most of the stones. Things liked "to my most faithful husband", "to my wife who took care of the family", "to Felix Gracius, nobleman and loyal servant of the people." Most were simple and warm.
These stones were found in the 1500's when one of the churches built in the 500's was refurbished and partially rebuilt. When they took the floor stones out, they found on the other side were all of these stone monuments with the tributes on the other side. I would have photographed many of them, but photography was not permitted in the museum.
The Basilica of Saint Apollinari (the new) was my last stop and again a great treat for me. a sixth century building, very long with three tiers of mosaics. The top one, hard to see, excerpts from the life of Christ. The Second and the one closest, figures of men and women, the wall of Ravenna. Next to the Basilica was a mosaic workshop. It is studio where people take classes and work independently on mosaics. Many lovely mosaics were on the wall for sale. Most went for 100 Euro for small ones all the way to 2000 Euro for larger pieces. Most were copies of classic pieces from the city. But I saw the Mona Lisa in mosaic, the city of New York, several famous Ravenna Basilicas and other modern subjects. One woman was working on a large traditional mosaic as were there. I wanted so much to snap a few photos of the more interesting pieces, but alas, "no photos".
Exploring the city I found little places that were not in my guidebook. I found a cute litte baptistry, a little below ground, in a little nook behind some stores. It was free to visit and two women (probably volunteeers) sat there. I asked if could take photos and she said only "no flash".
And the Church of the Blessed Apostle, St John the Evangelist. There were few people inside, but Gregorian Chant played through the speakers. Along the sides of the Church were beautiful little mosaics, very old and no sign that I could find (or translate) that told me how old.
Actually as I left a busload of people began to enter the church.
I was not prepared to for the age of the Churches and mosaics in Ravenna. Most of the places that I visited were built between the years 400 and 600 CE. Constantine had barely set up the Holy Roman Empire by this time.
I had booked a sweet little room in a place called Hotel Byron. My Italian is not good but I only had to lapse into English once trying to clarify how they charged for Internet service. The breakfast they served was enough to keep me going all day.
There has been a continuous gentle rain for three days and it is a good time to enjoy the indoor sites. The city charges one price for a ticket that allows entry to all the major places. The one thing that I missed was the Ravenna Museum, closed on Monday.
The Basilica of San Vitale was my first stop, enormous church, built in the mid 500's. So modern and so secure to my eyes. The mosaics were so strong and sophisticated that this artistic culture must have been a strong part of Ravenna even before the Christians. We know that the Romans and Etruscans both had wonderful traditions of mosaics, but I suspect that this area must have been the center.
The second stop was a small masoleum, created for one of the top leaders of Ravenna, in the late 400's. One sarcafocas was created for the wife of the leader but she died while away and was buried in a different place.
The museum of acheology that I visited had wonderful stone tributes from Roman times to the dead, the equivalent of our tombstones. With the bit of Latin that I remember I could pretty much decipher most of the stones. Things liked "to my most faithful husband", "to my wife who took care of the family", "to Felix Gracius, nobleman and loyal servant of the people." Most were simple and warm.
These stones were found in the 1500's when one of the churches built in the 500's was refurbished and partially rebuilt. When they took the floor stones out, they found on the other side were all of these stone monuments with the tributes on the other side. I would have photographed many of them, but photography was not permitted in the museum.
The Basilica of Saint Apollinari (the new) was my last stop and again a great treat for me. a sixth century building, very long with three tiers of mosaics. The top one, hard to see, excerpts from the life of Christ. The Second and the one closest, figures of men and women, the wall of Ravenna. Next to the Basilica was a mosaic workshop. It is studio where people take classes and work independently on mosaics. Many lovely mosaics were on the wall for sale. Most went for 100 Euro for small ones all the way to 2000 Euro for larger pieces. Most were copies of classic pieces from the city. But I saw the Mona Lisa in mosaic, the city of New York, several famous Ravenna Basilicas and other modern subjects. One woman was working on a large traditional mosaic as were there. I wanted so much to snap a few photos of the more interesting pieces, but alas, "no photos".
Exploring the city I found little places that were not in my guidebook. I found a cute litte baptistry, a little below ground, in a little nook behind some stores. It was free to visit and two women (probably volunteeers) sat there. I asked if could take photos and she said only "no flash".
And the Church of the Blessed Apostle, St John the Evangelist. There were few people inside, but Gregorian Chant played through the speakers. Along the sides of the Church were beautiful little mosaics, very old and no sign that I could find (or translate) that told me how old.
Actually as I left a busload of people began to enter the church.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Mille Grazie to the "G" family of San Benedetto
Photos for San Benedetto, Day 3
And photos for San Benedetto, Day 4
I write this blog as a special tribute to the family who took such great care of us (Bill, Maya and myself) when we stayed in San Benedetto del Tronto. "To take care of" is not a phrase of sufficient decription that will somehow come close to showing the kindness, the warmth and generosity of this family. All that I can do in this little space is to relay a few of the touching, generous and funny moments that we had together over these four days.
At the bus station in San Benedetto Lamberto and Titziana met us. Then we received a first class tour of the city. Lomberto told us that Monika was preparing a "light lunch". Was it a "pranzetto"? Lamberto said that we would eat a full dinner in the evening. With a pesto pasta to start, we toured the culinary reaches of Italy with Monika's lunch. All was so delicious, but we were totally full by the third course. Monika, Monika- you are such an amazing chef!
That evening we went to a warm and wonderful restaurant. (I am sorry that I do not remember the name.) After pasta we sampled so many wonderful appetizers. Seafood is the specialty of San Benedetto, grown into a center of commerce and tourism. I have a plan to write about the foods that I have experienced in Italy. I will tell you the truth. Between the cooking of Monika and the antipasti of this restaurant, I have never tasted any better food in my life. I was most impressed that each little dish had its own little delicious sauce or crust. Each one calimari, tripe, shrimp, fishes had a distinctive flavor. Monika, so shy with English, but so intelligent and can give Lamberto the same as what he gives her. Monika- you, I think, are the glue that holds this family together.
For the number of kilometers of beautiful places that I have seen, I thank Lamberto- Ascoli, Artigiana, Rtr, Genga and Frasassi Grotto, Urbino, and Aquaviva and all of the lovely Marche (Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata, Pesaro and Urbino) I thank Lamberto for sharing his passion of bikes and letting us on his jewel of bike, his Harley. Lamberto, you were always so sensitive to our every need and let us share for a time the love in your family.
Riccardo- the perfect English speaker, player of the guitar, seeker of more and more information on American culture and life in general. You love the intellectual conversation and I wish that I could have given you more. Your sense of humor is so warm and wonderful. You are the one in the middle - who takes the good-natured "crap" from both your dad and Stephano. And you can give it back to them. I especially loved the warmth and affection that you have given your little brother.
Stephano- living in a paradise of loving, doting parents, friends who daily play calchio on the beach and swim. You remind me of my son Joey, when he was younger- full of life, vigor and fun. You never take a "ribbing" too serioiusly. I loved the moment where you hang upon your mother in Frasassi and she is so annoyed. But we all know how much love you have for her and it is the real reason that you hang on her, even if it is hot, even if she pretends to be annoyed.
And Titziana- lover of San Benedetto del Tronto who lives and works in Rome. You are a perfect hostess and speaks such great English to me who speaks such bad Italian. You have so much heart and show your feelings on your sleeve- as we say in English- and speak them too. we found out that you are so much a part of the sea and the place, San Benedetto. And we just wanted to spend more time with you, and I felt that you wanted the same.
Also I must add that I so much enjoyed the good natured "ribbing" that I took. Lamberto, I told you that I had DNA testing done, and that the people who I found that I was most related to was the Romanians. I have three out of five of the close genetic ties to Romanians. With this and my soon to come trip to Bucharest - you dubbed me "Lynchescu".
GRAZIE, GRAZIE, GRAZIE
And photos for San Benedetto, Day 4
I write this blog as a special tribute to the family who took such great care of us (Bill, Maya and myself) when we stayed in San Benedetto del Tronto. "To take care of" is not a phrase of sufficient decription that will somehow come close to showing the kindness, the warmth and generosity of this family. All that I can do in this little space is to relay a few of the touching, generous and funny moments that we had together over these four days.
At the bus station in San Benedetto Lamberto and Titziana met us. Then we received a first class tour of the city. Lomberto told us that Monika was preparing a "light lunch". Was it a "pranzetto"? Lamberto said that we would eat a full dinner in the evening. With a pesto pasta to start, we toured the culinary reaches of Italy with Monika's lunch. All was so delicious, but we were totally full by the third course. Monika, Monika- you are such an amazing chef!
That evening we went to a warm and wonderful restaurant. (I am sorry that I do not remember the name.) After pasta we sampled so many wonderful appetizers. Seafood is the specialty of San Benedetto, grown into a center of commerce and tourism. I have a plan to write about the foods that I have experienced in Italy. I will tell you the truth. Between the cooking of Monika and the antipasti of this restaurant, I have never tasted any better food in my life. I was most impressed that each little dish had its own little delicious sauce or crust. Each one calimari, tripe, shrimp, fishes had a distinctive flavor. Monika, so shy with English, but so intelligent and can give Lamberto the same as what he gives her. Monika- you, I think, are the glue that holds this family together.
For the number of kilometers of beautiful places that I have seen, I thank Lamberto- Ascoli, Artigiana, Rtr, Genga and Frasassi Grotto, Urbino, and Aquaviva and all of the lovely Marche (Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata, Pesaro and Urbino) I thank Lamberto for sharing his passion of bikes and letting us on his jewel of bike, his Harley. Lamberto, you were always so sensitive to our every need and let us share for a time the love in your family.
Riccardo- the perfect English speaker, player of the guitar, seeker of more and more information on American culture and life in general. You love the intellectual conversation and I wish that I could have given you more. Your sense of humor is so warm and wonderful. You are the one in the middle - who takes the good-natured "crap" from both your dad and Stephano. And you can give it back to them. I especially loved the warmth and affection that you have given your little brother.
Stephano- living in a paradise of loving, doting parents, friends who daily play calchio on the beach and swim. You remind me of my son Joey, when he was younger- full of life, vigor and fun. You never take a "ribbing" too serioiusly. I loved the moment where you hang upon your mother in Frasassi and she is so annoyed. But we all know how much love you have for her and it is the real reason that you hang on her, even if it is hot, even if she pretends to be annoyed.
And Titziana- lover of San Benedetto del Tronto who lives and works in Rome. You are a perfect hostess and speaks such great English to me who speaks such bad Italian. You have so much heart and show your feelings on your sleeve- as we say in English- and speak them too. we found out that you are so much a part of the sea and the place, San Benedetto. And we just wanted to spend more time with you, and I felt that you wanted the same.
Also I must add that I so much enjoyed the good natured "ribbing" that I took. Lamberto, I told you that I had DNA testing done, and that the people who I found that I was most related to was the Romanians. I have three out of five of the close genetic ties to Romanians. With this and my soon to come trip to Bucharest - you dubbed me "Lynchescu".
GRAZIE, GRAZIE, GRAZIE
Saturday, June 19, 2010
San Benedetto del Trento: Day 2
Frasassi, le Grotto is a series of underground caves beneath the Alpenini in central Italy. It was found by accident in 1971. The vastness of the cave system and the size and beauty of the stalagmites and stalactites are an impressive site. The way the way that "keepers" of the caves have set it up for viewing ease and safety is impressive. The caves began (?) millions of years ago with the seeping of water through the calcite rock. The tour guide said that the first room could fit the Milan Cathedral- an impressive building.
The tour continues for about a mile through the caves. I have heard that there are many more passageways that at this time are too dark or too dangerous. The one difficulty in seeing these caves was the prohibition against taking photos. Although a couple of youths broke the rule and I was tempted, I adhered to the strict rule against photography. And so I post here others photos of the Grotto dei Frasassi.
San Benedetto del Trento: Day 1
Click here soon to see my photos for the first days in and around San Benedetto.
We got up at 9 AM to catch the 10 AM bus to San Benedetto. Maya, Bill and I had sat up late the night before drinking wine and discussing politics and religion. There were no taxis at our usual spot, then we walked to another that always seemed to have many taxis and there were none there. It raised the anxiety level just a notch. One always remembers the good vacation times and how easy it is. We forget dragging the bags, missing the buses, dealing with dirty clothes and frustrated attemps to communicate. We arrived at Tibertini Bus Station just five minutes before ten. A nice woman helped us find our stall. By 10 o'clock Italian time (10:15 AM) our bus finally rolled in. I immediately fell asleep for a good hour and woke to the giant snow dotted Appenini about an hour later.
Lamberto and his cousin Titziana met us at the bus stop in S. B., gave a short tour around the town and took us to his home for a "light" lunch. Monica created an amazing array of dishes- first pesto with a lovely noodle that I not seen before. I though that this was the end of pranzo. Then came dish after dish with cheeses, meats, sauces, vegitables, salads- just a wonderful spread.
Ascoli Piceni is a midevil city with a wonderful central sqaure, a formitable Italian Gothic Church dating back to 1200, a few Romanesque Churches with distinctive towers and a Roman Bridge. Many of the facades of the houses had little sayings above the portals dating back to midevil times. Titziana ran into a friend that she had not seen since her days at the university.
Then we drove through miles and miles of Mache hillsides and farms, steep canyons, olive trees and vineyards.
I hope that I have this information correct, but for years when Lomberto was young his parents had a connection with Ripatransone- Lamberto had visited there often as a child and his parents, apparently lived there at one time. ( I am self- conscious as I write because if I do not get the fact correct, Lamberto will read it and I hope, correct me.) He took to to the smallest street in Italy. Riccardo, his son, joked about this. He said that many places claimed to be the narrowest street in Italy. You can decide from the photo.
In the middle of the downtown there was a sign in Italian, "Sculpturer in Wood". I walked over to the little shop and could hardly see anything through the window. Lamberto said, "Do you want to meet him?" I said, "sure." He rang the doorbell and from above out pokes the head of an older man. He asks the man in Italian if we can see his show. The man says, "si." and comes downstairs. His shop is a treat. Many works of wood of all kinds: couples, animals, religious works, building, street scenes all in wood. The man is gentle kind and good humored.
We got up at 9 AM to catch the 10 AM bus to San Benedetto. Maya, Bill and I had sat up late the night before drinking wine and discussing politics and religion. There were no taxis at our usual spot, then we walked to another that always seemed to have many taxis and there were none there. It raised the anxiety level just a notch. One always remembers the good vacation times and how easy it is. We forget dragging the bags, missing the buses, dealing with dirty clothes and frustrated attemps to communicate. We arrived at Tibertini Bus Station just five minutes before ten. A nice woman helped us find our stall. By 10 o'clock Italian time (10:15 AM) our bus finally rolled in. I immediately fell asleep for a good hour and woke to the giant snow dotted Appenini about an hour later.
Lamberto and his cousin Titziana met us at the bus stop in S. B., gave a short tour around the town and took us to his home for a "light" lunch. Monica created an amazing array of dishes- first pesto with a lovely noodle that I not seen before. I though that this was the end of pranzo. Then came dish after dish with cheeses, meats, sauces, vegitables, salads- just a wonderful spread.
Ascoli Piceni is a midevil city with a wonderful central sqaure, a formitable Italian Gothic Church dating back to 1200, a few Romanesque Churches with distinctive towers and a Roman Bridge. Many of the facades of the houses had little sayings above the portals dating back to midevil times. Titziana ran into a friend that she had not seen since her days at the university.
Then we drove through miles and miles of Mache hillsides and farms, steep canyons, olive trees and vineyards.
I hope that I have this information correct, but for years when Lomberto was young his parents had a connection with Ripatransone- Lamberto had visited there often as a child and his parents, apparently lived there at one time. ( I am self- conscious as I write because if I do not get the fact correct, Lamberto will read it and I hope, correct me.) He took to to the smallest street in Italy. Riccardo, his son, joked about this. He said that many places claimed to be the narrowest street in Italy. You can decide from the photo.
In the middle of the downtown there was a sign in Italian, "Sculpturer in Wood". I walked over to the little shop and could hardly see anything through the window. Lamberto said, "Do you want to meet him?" I said, "sure." He rang the doorbell and from above out pokes the head of an older man. He asks the man in Italian if we can see his show. The man says, "si." and comes downstairs. His shop is a treat. Many works of wood of all kinds: couples, animals, religious works, building, street scenes all in wood. The man is gentle kind and good humored.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Last Day in Rome
To see all my photos of day five in Rome click here.
You may have noticed that I have not written in a few days. I have been without Internet service. Our friend, Lamberto, has been kind enough to put us up in a little hotel less than a block from his house in San Benedetto. When I looked for service, I saw only one signal with a password. I found out today that this is Lamberto's signal.
Click here to connect to Rome Day 5
I woke at 930 AM. I always have plenty to do in the morning- make espresso, have a bowl of cereal and catch up on my blog. Maya and Bill got up a little later. I had in my head that I would get out a little early today by myself. I changed my mind while I was still working on my photos and realizing that they all might not be ready by noon. So shortly after noon, in the heat of the day we headed off for our last look at Rome. I decided to stay will Bill and Maya for a while since they wanted to see the Piazza *with three fountains*, then the Pantheon, then the Trevi Fountain.
Maya made a good guide to bring us first to this piazza, long with three lovely fountains. I thought that Bill and Maya would just eat their Gellatos while I did a quick tour. But it was a worthwhile site (I must look up something to put some more information here(*)
The Pantheon is really a visual wonder and archetectual high point. I believe that this is one of the places that Brunelleschi calculated the ability to cover the naked Duomo in Florence. I remember early descriptions of the Pantheon where the Roman people went to pray to their favorite god. I remember that there were many statues around the inside circle, perhaps as many as 1oo dieties maybe more. Probably as crowded as it was today with tourist it was equally crowded with worshippers. Now of course instead of gods, there are saints and images from Christianity- now the Basilica Della Santa Maria ad Martyres.
Three coins in a fountain, each one longing for happiness, one wish will be granted, one heart will wear a valentine, make it mine, make it mine, make it mine. I remember these romantic words from my days as a child and of seeing the coming attractions to this movie. The most famous scene of course was filmed at the Trevi Fountain. As you will see from the photos, the fountain is jammed with tourists. I tossed 2 coins, and I realized as with the song, it is one coin toss per person, one wish per person, seems fair.
On our way there, in fact just a block away I saw a sign for an archeological site and I was determined to visit it. I said my good byes to Maya and Bill, the tracked the site down, but closed on Tuesdays. I wanted to see two things before my stay was through. The Basilica Della Santa Maria dei Vittoria houses one of the most important baroque scultpures i the world The Extasy fo Saint Theresa. Really a stunning piece of marbel and plater. It was housed in the Santa Maria Della Vittoria.
I passed this church twice without realizing where I was, then walked another 12 miles accidentally to the outskirts of Rome. I had asked for directions three times, with never a one giving me good directions as far as I could tell. A gentleman with a machine gun in hand was guarding what looked like a large military facility. In my barely passable Italian I asked: "Dov' e el Museo Etruschaci ?" He answered me in what seemed to be perfect Italian, "Lo no sai." "Where is the Etrushcan Musem?" Reply: "I dont know." What was strange after I passed him was that he was standing in front of the British Embassy and his Italian probably wasn't that good but he no doubt spoke perfect English.
I was in a walking mood, but not so much to be wanting to get lost. I passed the large Roman wall outside the city and finally took a long overdue look at my map. I was about 2 miles north of where I should have been. I walked back, asked more directions, visited three extra churches just in case looking for the Chiesa della Santa Maria dei Vittoria. Here was Beninni's most famous statue of St Theresa. in the throws of Ecstasy. A wonderful interior with wonderful other baroque statues but I was affraid to take photo. But maybe I will leave a photo I found on the Internet. It is well worth looking at. I wanted to take photos. There was a priest who sat in the corner. He may have had nothing to do with the church, but I was discouraged from snapping photos nevertheless.
Now that I finally had my bearing I decided not to look anymore for the Etruscan museum, but being nearby the Central Station, I saw the Museum of the Ancient City of Rome. It abounded in marbel portraits of famous Romans and Roman families. The Romans were the first to actually create portraits to look exactly like specific people in the society. You are welcome to travel through the museum with me as I took many photos. An enormous coin collection beginning in pre Roman times to almost the present. Many beautiful mosaics, ossoraries and decorative paintings taken from the walls of Roman houses.
I decided to take the subway toward the river, since our our apartment sits just near the river. I left myself actually about 2 miles up river- but near the river, necessitating another good walk. I thought that I was late but Bill and Maya were not in a hurry. We decided that we would have a nice meal for the evening. Decision my committee is not always the most efficient. We discussed neighborhoods, how far the walk was, how expensive the retaurants and finally settled on one- Hosteria dei Pesce, near Campo de' Fiori. With some difficulty we found the place but alas, we did not have reservations. We ate at another place nearby- Hosteria di Galletto, delicious combinations of ante-pasti - and a Grilled Galletto for me.
You may have noticed that I have not written in a few days. I have been without Internet service. Our friend, Lamberto, has been kind enough to put us up in a little hotel less than a block from his house in San Benedetto. When I looked for service, I saw only one signal with a password. I found out today that this is Lamberto's signal.
Click here to connect to Rome Day 5
I woke at 930 AM. I always have plenty to do in the morning- make espresso, have a bowl of cereal and catch up on my blog. Maya and Bill got up a little later. I had in my head that I would get out a little early today by myself. I changed my mind while I was still working on my photos and realizing that they all might not be ready by noon. So shortly after noon, in the heat of the day we headed off for our last look at Rome. I decided to stay will Bill and Maya for a while since they wanted to see the Piazza *with three fountains*, then the Pantheon, then the Trevi Fountain.
Maya made a good guide to bring us first to this piazza, long with three lovely fountains. I thought that Bill and Maya would just eat their Gellatos while I did a quick tour. But it was a worthwhile site (I must look up something to put some more information here(*)
The Pantheon is really a visual wonder and archetectual high point. I believe that this is one of the places that Brunelleschi calculated the ability to cover the naked Duomo in Florence. I remember early descriptions of the Pantheon where the Roman people went to pray to their favorite god. I remember that there were many statues around the inside circle, perhaps as many as 1oo dieties maybe more. Probably as crowded as it was today with tourist it was equally crowded with worshippers. Now of course instead of gods, there are saints and images from Christianity- now the Basilica Della Santa Maria ad Martyres.
Three coins in a fountain, each one longing for happiness, one wish will be granted, one heart will wear a valentine, make it mine, make it mine, make it mine. I remember these romantic words from my days as a child and of seeing the coming attractions to this movie. The most famous scene of course was filmed at the Trevi Fountain. As you will see from the photos, the fountain is jammed with tourists. I tossed 2 coins, and I realized as with the song, it is one coin toss per person, one wish per person, seems fair.
On our way there, in fact just a block away I saw a sign for an archeological site and I was determined to visit it. I said my good byes to Maya and Bill, the tracked the site down, but closed on Tuesdays. I wanted to see two things before my stay was through. The Basilica Della Santa Maria dei Vittoria houses one of the most important baroque scultpures i the world The Extasy fo Saint Theresa. Really a stunning piece of marbel and plater. It was housed in the Santa Maria Della Vittoria.
I passed this church twice without realizing where I was, then walked another 12 miles accidentally to the outskirts of Rome. I had asked for directions three times, with never a one giving me good directions as far as I could tell. A gentleman with a machine gun in hand was guarding what looked like a large military facility. In my barely passable Italian I asked: "Dov' e el Museo Etruschaci ?" He answered me in what seemed to be perfect Italian, "Lo no sai." "Where is the Etrushcan Musem?" Reply: "I dont know." What was strange after I passed him was that he was standing in front of the British Embassy and his Italian probably wasn't that good but he no doubt spoke perfect English.
I was in a walking mood, but not so much to be wanting to get lost. I passed the large Roman wall outside the city and finally took a long overdue look at my map. I was about 2 miles north of where I should have been. I walked back, asked more directions, visited three extra churches just in case looking for the Chiesa della Santa Maria dei Vittoria. Here was Beninni's most famous statue of St Theresa. in the throws of Ecstasy. A wonderful interior with wonderful other baroque statues but I was affraid to take photo. But maybe I will leave a photo I found on the Internet. It is well worth looking at. I wanted to take photos. There was a priest who sat in the corner. He may have had nothing to do with the church, but I was discouraged from snapping photos nevertheless.
Now that I finally had my bearing I decided not to look anymore for the Etruscan museum, but being nearby the Central Station, I saw the Museum of the Ancient City of Rome. It abounded in marbel portraits of famous Romans and Roman families. The Romans were the first to actually create portraits to look exactly like specific people in the society. You are welcome to travel through the museum with me as I took many photos. An enormous coin collection beginning in pre Roman times to almost the present. Many beautiful mosaics, ossoraries and decorative paintings taken from the walls of Roman houses.
I decided to take the subway toward the river, since our our apartment sits just near the river. I left myself actually about 2 miles up river- but near the river, necessitating another good walk. I thought that I was late but Bill and Maya were not in a hurry. We decided that we would have a nice meal for the evening. Decision my committee is not always the most efficient. We discussed neighborhoods, how far the walk was, how expensive the retaurants and finally settled on one- Hosteria dei Pesce, near Campo de' Fiori. With some difficulty we found the place but alas, we did not have reservations. We ate at another place nearby- Hosteria di Galletto, delicious combinations of ante-pasti - and a Grilled Galletto for me.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The Amalfi Coast
Click here to check out all of my Almalfi photos for the day.
We rose at 5 AM. I was going on almost no sleep. I went to bed at about two and still laid in bed awake until 4 AM- just excited, I think. The train left Rome at 6:30 AM. A little more than an hour later we pulled into Napoli Central Station. Paolo, our driver and guide, met us there. Maya had found a company on the Internet after pricing much larger bus tours for twice as much money. This tour amounted to about 100 Euro each. Paulo, who lives in Positano, gives these tours on a regular basis and knows the area well. The scenery and size of the cliffs was stunning. I think that I was particularly shutter happy, because each view seemed to surpass the previous one.
We drove from Napoli under a cloudy sky and the shadow of Vesuvius as Paolo recited the details of that day in 79 AD in gory detail. We then drove South out on to the coast road. Positano was our first stop, famous for many reasons, but Under the Tuscan Sun location most recently. Now it seems filled with rich older American tourists instead of Germans. It resembles places like Carmel in California, spotlessly clean, well to do, up-scale shopping. So I always have mixed feeling in a town like this, playground of the super-rich as well as enormous beauty.
The high point of our tour was lunch outside of La Tagliata just south of Positano. Our meal began with L'antipasto of nine plates- most in delicious sauces: garbanzo beans, fava beans, potato salad, fresh ricotta and fresh mozzarella di buffalo, broccoli, zucchini and spinach. Il primo was a sample of four kinds of fresh pasta, cheese stuffed ravioli, fettuccine, manicotti and cannelloni- white and red wine (no limit). Dessert- tiramasou, chocolate torte, and a cream puff. To top off the meal we drank a glass of limoncello. The host said the place had become a favorite of Sarcozi of France. And the view???
to be continued
We rose at 5 AM. I was going on almost no sleep. I went to bed at about two and still laid in bed awake until 4 AM- just excited, I think. The train left Rome at 6:30 AM. A little more than an hour later we pulled into Napoli Central Station. Paolo, our driver and guide, met us there. Maya had found a company on the Internet after pricing much larger bus tours for twice as much money. This tour amounted to about 100 Euro each. Paulo, who lives in Positano, gives these tours on a regular basis and knows the area well. The scenery and size of the cliffs was stunning. I think that I was particularly shutter happy, because each view seemed to surpass the previous one.
We drove from Napoli under a cloudy sky and the shadow of Vesuvius as Paolo recited the details of that day in 79 AD in gory detail. We then drove South out on to the coast road. Positano was our first stop, famous for many reasons, but Under the Tuscan Sun location most recently. Now it seems filled with rich older American tourists instead of Germans. It resembles places like Carmel in California, spotlessly clean, well to do, up-scale shopping. So I always have mixed feeling in a town like this, playground of the super-rich as well as enormous beauty.
The high point of our tour was lunch outside of La Tagliata just south of Positano. Our meal began with L'antipasto of nine plates- most in delicious sauces: garbanzo beans, fava beans, potato salad, fresh ricotta and fresh mozzarella di buffalo, broccoli, zucchini and spinach. Il primo was a sample of four kinds of fresh pasta, cheese stuffed ravioli, fettuccine, manicotti and cannelloni- white and red wine (no limit). Dessert- tiramasou, chocolate torte, and a cream puff. To top off the meal we drank a glass of limoncello. The host said the place had become a favorite of Sarcozi of France. And the view???
to be continued
Monday, June 14, 2010
Rome: Day Three
Please check out my photos, but be forewarned there are many and not all interesting. But all photos including the ones in the blog are quite large and can be blown up to a fairly large size.
I got up early (10 AM) and went to the local SPAR Market to pick up breakfast fixing. There is an espresso maker, so I have my morning espresso now, also cereal, fruit, yogurt, bread and cheese. Bill and Maya were just getting up when I arrived back.
After breakfast we walked over the All City Bus Tour (on and off) and hopped aboard a tour bus. Our first stop was the Vatican. I was last at the Vatican in 1973. I'm not sure what year they added them, but for me the metal detectors were new. We joked about Maya's bare shoulders and she told us she would wait for us near the obelisk. Next time I saw Maya, she was inside the Basilica wearing a while shawl that someone surreptitiously sold her for five Euro.
My favorite memory of the Basilica of St Peter was the numerous sarcophagi of bishops and Popes in vestments hundreds of years old in various states of decay. Maya said that she remembered the same from twenty years ago. Today there is a more modern basilica almost devoid of rotting bodies. The basilica now has vast open areas where once were the bones of the former leaders of the church. With the Catholic background I couldn't help doing corpse comparisons. I thought that those showing the least amount of degradation were the holiest and certainly in heaven. The more rotten and deteriorated bodies showed clear signs of an unsavory life. I theorized that mostly rotted bodies went to hell, moderate deterioration went to purgatory and the beautiful bodies were certainly in heaven. My apologies to the offended.
I must say that the Basilica is a thing of beauty, but on a scale so large that it is overwhelming. The number of gorgeous statues and paintings bear testament to many popes. As we know Popes in the history of the Church have a mixed record, just like presidents here in the United States. Nevertheless the monuments to these people is a testament to the dedicated careful workmanship of many people. All the work was done to the best of their ability and shows a high degree of craftsmanship and engineering. That is worth something.
We then walked to the Spanish steps. See Google or Wikipedia for a history of this place (having to do with a gift from King ??? of Spain to the Italians in some battle). The steps lead up to wonderful little church. Maya and I still had great energy at this time of day and enjoyed the climb. The entire place is bustling.
A real highlight of the day for all of us was the visit to the Coliseum. Last time I was here, they did not charge a fee. It was open and very few improvements had been made since the third century. Today they charge about 15 Euro and the place is open in many parts with the exception of lower floor. There are many exhibits and obviously much work has been done on the place. The enormity of the structure is overwhelming and the historical research that has been done also enormous. So with the help of seeing the gladiator costumes we could actually picture the events inside.
(Please note that my photos are in exact reverse order. Why? I'm not sure.)
I got up early (10 AM) and went to the local SPAR Market to pick up breakfast fixing. There is an espresso maker, so I have my morning espresso now, also cereal, fruit, yogurt, bread and cheese. Bill and Maya were just getting up when I arrived back.
After breakfast we walked over the All City Bus Tour (on and off) and hopped aboard a tour bus. Our first stop was the Vatican. I was last at the Vatican in 1973. I'm not sure what year they added them, but for me the metal detectors were new. We joked about Maya's bare shoulders and she told us she would wait for us near the obelisk. Next time I saw Maya, she was inside the Basilica wearing a while shawl that someone surreptitiously sold her for five Euro.
My favorite memory of the Basilica of St Peter was the numerous sarcophagi of bishops and Popes in vestments hundreds of years old in various states of decay. Maya said that she remembered the same from twenty years ago. Today there is a more modern basilica almost devoid of rotting bodies. The basilica now has vast open areas where once were the bones of the former leaders of the church. With the Catholic background I couldn't help doing corpse comparisons. I thought that those showing the least amount of degradation were the holiest and certainly in heaven. The more rotten and deteriorated bodies showed clear signs of an unsavory life. I theorized that mostly rotted bodies went to hell, moderate deterioration went to purgatory and the beautiful bodies were certainly in heaven. My apologies to the offended.
I must say that the Basilica is a thing of beauty, but on a scale so large that it is overwhelming. The number of gorgeous statues and paintings bear testament to many popes. As we know Popes in the history of the Church have a mixed record, just like presidents here in the United States. Nevertheless the monuments to these people is a testament to the dedicated careful workmanship of many people. All the work was done to the best of their ability and shows a high degree of craftsmanship and engineering. That is worth something.
We then walked to the Spanish steps. See Google or Wikipedia for a history of this place (having to do with a gift from King ??? of Spain to the Italians in some battle). The steps lead up to wonderful little church. Maya and I still had great energy at this time of day and enjoyed the climb. The entire place is bustling.
A real highlight of the day for all of us was the visit to the Coliseum. Last time I was here, they did not charge a fee. It was open and very few improvements had been made since the third century. Today they charge about 15 Euro and the place is open in many parts with the exception of lower floor. There are many exhibits and obviously much work has been done on the place. The enormity of the structure is overwhelming and the historical research that has been done also enormous. So with the help of seeing the gladiator costumes we could actually picture the events inside.
(Please note that my photos are in exact reverse order. Why? I'm not sure.)
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