Arrivederci, Roma. What, already?

Tonight I took the walking tour mentioned in the last post, and tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain for a special intention. One of my tour group friends slipped on the wet surface when he tossed in his coin and sat down hard on the wet edge of the fountain. Did he get sympathy? Not on your Nelly. His wife, who had been capturing the moment on film, said she just wished she had had the video setting on. An older Italian man who saw the incident laughed hysterically, and kept repeating, "You're supposed to throw in the money, not yourself!" Clearly he was very cheered by this little slip.

It is actually forbidden to touch the water, never mind throw yourself in, and our serious guide informed us that the ill-fated Anna Nicole Smith spent 3 days in jail here after flouting this law.

Pantheon

I loved the Pantheon. I love that it has been upgraded from a pantheistic church honoring the top twelve deities of the Roman heavens to a Christian church honoring the top 12 Martyrs. I love that when it rains through the open roof of this rotunda, a system devised 18 centuries ago sucks out the water from the sloping floor and a series of pipes delivers it to the Tiber where it will do no harm. I love that Trajan built it for himself to convince others that he was probably immortal, after copying the idea from a similar tribute built to Alexander the Great.

And I love that Rafael is entombed in the Pantheon, the only artist of his stature to be so honored simply because he came from the right school of painting. Sort of a trade union thing.

It is impossible to plumb the delights of Rome in one day, but I did my best.  Assisi and the crazy little saint I love so much tomorrow.

The miracle of the weeping eye: Rome

Ever since I arrived in Rome yesterday, my right eye has been gently weeping tears. Just one eye. This is not an emotional response in any form; it is probably an infection of some kind I have not experienced before. Rather than getting upset about it I have decided to treat the phenomenon with respect, as if I were one of those weeping statues in churches. It just seems appropriate.

Last night I took the optional excursion to go out to dinner at La Caravana, a romantic restaurant with a huge outdoor eating area, followed by an illuminations tour of major sites. Only a small number of people did this excursion. The dinner was fun and the food good, although very high in carbs. Bread-, rice- and potato-based dishes formed the antipasto course, with some salami and prosciutto, then pizza, then a sweet cheesecake with chocolate bits in it. The wine and Prosecco flowed freely, however, which helped everything along. The entertainment was very simpatico - see the video!

The Pietá - possibly the world's greatest piece of religious art.

Today we visited the Vatican. We were ushered through some immense corridors in the Vatican Museum, and as much as I enjoyed the tapestries and paintings, I couldn't help wishing I could break away and explore much, much more. Following this we went into the Sistine Chapel, and it was wonderful to see how the cleaning of the frescoes has really made them pop. Sadly the chapel was crowded (as was every other place we have been), but we spent quality time marveling at the art. From here we walked over to the St. Peter's Basilica and again it was a wonderful experience. Rather more ornate than I am used to, with some competing styles of art on a massive scale, but the more you learn about it the more it all makes sense. I was deeply moved to see the resting place of Pope John Paul II - the Blessed - not far from the Pietá.

After an inadequate lunch and rest stop, and self not buying any souvenirs at all, we bused over to the Collosseo - the Colosseum. Now this was spectacular, and after all the hi-jinks of the street vendors outside, the guys dressed as gladiators who try to get you to give them money for a photo with them, the horse and carriage touts, and multitudes of tour groups, the atmosphere seemed strangely calm and reflective within the walls of the ruins.






I am resting in my hotel room now from the day's heat and an immense sense of tiredness from all the walking and stair climbing. I have signed up for another walking tour tonight, to the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, but I am not at all sure I have the strength. I'll have to decide soon, though.

Tomorrow we depart for Assisi at 7:45 a.m.

On the ground in Italy

After a grueling flight from JFK, I finally arrived in Fiumicino Airport. Our flight was delayed in New York so I missed my tour shuttle to the hotel. I have decided to wait until the next shuttle, now about an hour away, to save taxi money. To fill the time, I opened my netbook and tried out the XCom Global wifi device - and hooray, it works! Unlimited wifi throughout my trip for $13 a day. Sweet.

Some thoughts on air travel.

1. People who travel first class or even business class on trans-Atlantic flights live like kings compared to those of us in steerage class. 
2. The "Main Cabin" is code for "where the suckers are."
3. American Airlines does not have clean airplanes. There was something sticky on my tray table, the arm rests still had ashtrays in them (soldered down, but how old does that make them??) and the toilet looked like something from a neglected bus station. 
4. We can put a man on the moon, but we can't serve a tasty meal on an airplane in the Main Cabin. 
5. Steerage class air passengers have about as much room as 17th Century sailors, without the mobility. The sailors could at least lie down in their hammocks. 
6. Anyone over 5' 5" and 200 pounds will not be comfortable in steerage. Period.  
7. The longer the flight, the worse the experience. 

OK, that's my little rant over and done with. My Italian adventure lies ahead and I am looking forward, not backward now. Enjoying the smells and sounds of espresso coffees at the bar while tasting San Benedetto Aqua Minerale Naturale and Fruitella soft candies. I have seen the Dolomites and the Tyrrhenean Sea from the sky. It is 90 degrees F, proper football is on the TV, and a small fire in a trash can by the airport exit aroused no excitement whatsoever.  

I have arrived.