Illegitimate Sun

Sunday, I slept late. After a late night with two other Americans and three Sikh girls from London, I had planned to get up early and race to St. Peters to stake out ground for mass. Instead, I slept until 9:50 for the 10:30 ceremony. Amazingly, I was able to shower, dress, and race across town in time to see the beginning.

The weather was ominous; short bursts of rain fell from the sky and heavy drops stung when they impacted with you. Still, the piazza was full with an estimated 50,000 people in attendance. Big screens showed close-ups of the ceremony as prayers began. At one point there was a commotion near me and I saw a priest given communion wafers to the crowd. I knew better than to take communion, but I wanted a picture of this. I forced my close to the railing for a shot, only to have a Swiss Guard pull the railing aside and allow me and thirty other people to file up a fenced walkway to almost the front of the square. I had left the cheap seats behind and was up with the paying customers now.

From this vantage, I watched the Pope’s Urbi et Orbi . As I understood it, he focused on the need for peace in the world and covered a surprisingly large number of conflicts from around the world.

Lastly, the Pope entered a small, open car and was driven around the square in these fenced in walkways. As he was just beginning his tour, the Pope’s car stopped right in front of where I had ended up. He looks over at me, smiles, and gives a wave before telling his driver to move on. The crowd then swelled in behind me. Shouts of ‘Pape, pape’ filled the square and the mass was over.

Thousands of people were filing out of St. Peters. I needed to plan an escape route that would take me to my next goal – the Pantheon. Examining my map, I noticed that a woman who had stood next to me at the front of the piazza was staring at me. I smiled and asked if she knew the way to the Pantheon. She surprised me by speaking excellent English. Her name was Marguret and she had heard me talking to some other Americans during the mass; she was hoping to practice her English with one of us. There are times that I am a lucky man.

Marguret was from Poland, but works in the tourist industry in Venice. She was in town for Easter and staying with some friends.

Instead of giving me directions, she took me on a personal tour of the city. Past the Vatican Corridor and Castel Sant’ Angelo we walked, crossing the Tiber and walking into Piazza Navona. There we saw the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, a fountain designed by Bernini before cutting across to Piazza della Rotonda – the site of the Pantheon.

The Pantheon is an amazing temple. It’s early pagan symbolism was obvious from the start – especially the hole in the center of the roof. The large open arean was filled with various beams of light drifting down from above. Raphaels tomb was on my left and tourist surrounded me.

After guiding me to the Pantheon, I told Marguret that I owed her a cup of coffee. We walked around to a little bar behind the Pantheon and had what we both agreed was the best cappucino ever. Instead of being merely foamy coffee, it held hints of chocolate and cinnamon within the foam. Throw in some biscotti and you had a snack that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Marguret and I spent the rest of the afternoon walking and talking. She showed me Trevi and the Spanish Steps; I took her to High Tea in Babingtons – a tea restaurant in Piazza di Spagna. She loves tea, has friends in England, and was impressed with my knowing of a tea house. (Thank you, guide book!)

We parted ways in the Piazza del Popolo. I have an open invite to come to Venice and visit.

Feeling pretty socialized out, I returned to the hostel, washed up and had a great meal in the restaurant across the street. Bruschetta, a pasta course, and finally a Sicillian fish dish; it was a perfect meal. Following a small cup of espresso, I returned to the hostel and crashed.

The day after that – Joshua gets attacked by legonnaires in honor of Rome’s birthday and Bernini sculptures abound.

Saturday started with a full agenda. I grabbed a trecce latte (which is braided bread with sesame seeds) and headed to the Colosseum. There was a huge line and it took me over 50 minutes to get in. It was worth the wait. Though clearly a shadow of its former self, the Colosseum still resonates with the screams of winners, victims, and audiences. Beyond that, the Colosseum was stripped of its many wonders to build items like St. Peter’s.

Next was a quick stroll through the Roman Forum. I found the Temple of Vestile Virgins to be especially misnamed. There were no virgins that I could see and the temple gives the word ‘desecrated’ a good vibe.

Looking over the Forum is Piazza del Campidoglio – designed by Michelangelo (like most of Rome). It is an open, warm plaza, flanked on three sides by ancient offices that have been converted into museums. In the Palazzo dei Conservatori, I saw such great works as St. John the Baptist by Caravaggio, the bust of Medusa by Bernini, Endymoin by Mola, & the Etruscan bronze of the female wolf that saved Remus & Romulus. All of this was spaced throughout rooms decorated in frescoes done in the late Middle Ages.

Across the piazza was the Palazzo Nuovo – an amazing collection of Roman statues and busts. It was bewildering, mostly because most of them were not labelled. I did recognize the Potrait of a Flavian Lady and the Dying Galatian, and Homer’s bust from the Hall of Philosophers.

The Tomb for Victor Emmanuel II sits at the base of the Capitol hill and towers above it. It is a gargantuan marble edifice that rises above the landscape and offers amazing views of the surrounding city.

One word, PHENOMENAL!

After meeting Courtney and Karen on the Metro to the Vatican and saw St.Peters and the Vatican museum. The Basilica at St. Peter’s posseses a quiet dignity that is surprising considering the sheer size of the church. The Swiss Guard were out in force and I even saw a little of mass at the end of the day. The Vatican Museum was overwhelming. I toured for 5 hours and still did’t see everything. Each piece was amazing. I was particulary impressed by the Raphael Rooms, but nothing compares to the Sistene Chapel. I spent an hour and 1/2 just gazing at the amazing murals that line the walls and the ceiling. It may be the single greatest collection of art in the world.

Afterwards, I was needing a bite to eat. I stopped at a cafe outside the Vatican and had spaghetti alla carbonara. It’s spaghetti, eggs, bacon, and cheese. I like them all separately; it turns out that I also like them together.

Following that, I ran into Justine, who had just finished studing at the Globe in London and loved BACON. After wandering the Vatican and seeing mass (quite the spectacle), we stopped for a late dinner. I had fresh mozarella nuggets made from buffalo milk; she had the eggplant parmagiana. We then split two bottles of wine on the Spanish Steps. It was 7 hours of great conversation in a magical city. I’m clearly having a blast.

Ciao

Joshua
2:00 AM Italy

I have arrived! Forgive the errors in this missive. My keyboard is full of faded out keys. Those that are visible are international characters that don’t correspond to what comes up on the screen. Eh.

Scenes from the flight over:

Watching the full moon rise over the wing, illuminating the Atlantic churning below.

Glancing down to see the Alps in Austria. Fresh powder covered the higher peaks and beckoned at me. ‘Joshua, you’ve yet to ski the Alps.’

Rome itself:

The building’s here all give the impression of being run down and half-constructed at the same time. I think that it’s the open arches and outdoor staircases that add to this impression. The buildings stagger into each other and lean over the street in a druken fashion that explains the ‘straight line’ the road takes. Every other structure is a ruin that shows the age of this city.

Around me, dusky hued people rush by speaking a language I can’t understand. Leather coats and cell phones are the fashion accessories of choice. I brought neither. Instead, I’m bringing faux-yuppie Midwest fashion to southern Europe. My t-shirt and cacky shorts make me stand out as a tourist even more than my lack of a tan. It will make me easy to pick out from group pictures.

After checking into the hostel, I grabbed a quick shower and met my roomies. Gretchen, Sara, Tiffany, & Kate are American girls studying in Amsterdam. They’ve come down to Rome for Easter. Together, we set out to see some of the nearby sites.

Friends, if you ever travel in Italy, be sure to bring 4 coeds. Traffic would stop, vendors suddenly offered deep discounts whenever the five of us passed by. Gawking is a an acceptable hobby in Italy.

Starting in the late afternoon, we saw the Trevi Fountain. It is an amazing monolith of marble, skill, and water. The type of display that you build for no particular reason and that’s why millions fall in love with it.

After that was the Spanish Steps. Thousands of people congregated there, surrounding the Bernini fountain and draping themselves i n the sun up and down the steps. We joined in and relaxed as Western Rome lay before us.

After that, a long walk lead us to a recommended pizzeria and dinner. Turns out that I did use too many anchovies on my homemade pizza a while back.

Today’s objectives. Hit the Vatican today to see it before the crowds on Easter Sunday. Visit the Collesseum for the Pope’s procession this evening. Find a good cup of cappucino.

9:15 AM Rome Time

Ciao