Illegitimate Sun

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

ROME starts here!

Let’s input some details:

Wednesday, April 16
I’m flying out of Chicago on on KLM / Northwest Air to Amsterdam. Depending on the airline name, that’s flight number KLM 612 / NW 8612.

Thursday, April 17
After hopping on a short connecting flight, I arrive in Rome. I’ll be staying at Hotel Romae in the Termini section of town.

Tuesday, April 22
I’ll be leaving Rome in the evening and have an all night layover in Amsterdam.

Wednesday, April 23
Flying back across the pond on KLM again. It’s flight number KLM 611. I’ll arrive in Chicago; grab the car from Sally’s place and trek back to St. Louie.

Anyone needing to reach me, use the Illegitimatesun.com email. I can check it from abroad.

The book I’m taking to read – The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

Ciao