Roman Ramblings
We are really enjoying Roma. Having 6 nights here really helps b/c we can go at a slow pace. For example, we haven’t even left the hotel yet today. See, we didn’t get back to the hotel till about 2 in the morning, so we slept in a little, had breakfast, changed rooms (we weren’t able to get a “regular” double room for the whole time, so we haaaad to stay in a “deluxe” double for the first two nights), did some laundry, then fell asleep watching CNN and sports stuff.
Yesterday, we left around noon and made our way up to the Palatine Hill/Colisseum area. Tip: Pay the €22 apiece to get the “archaelogical pass”. This gives you access to 9 different places for 7 days. You get to bypass the hideous “waiting to buy a ticket” lines, etc. Even if you’re only interested in 3 of the sites, you save €7 each. If you go to more, you save more. We took our time and did the self-guided Rick Steves tour of Palatine Hill. We were really glad we weren’t part of an organized tour b/c we were able to go at our own pace, backtrack, etc. It was great to see “the birthplace of Rome” — how often do you get to look at the remains of Iron Age homes? Had some serious brain snappage trying to imagine the palace as it was when it was whole. Even the ruins and the segments of marble floor that were in the museum were just amazing. Standing in the throne room on the spot where the emperor sat and reading the description of what the entry and throne room had been like was pretty awe-inspiring. “Wow” Moment: In the Palatine Museum, they had a portion of a column with an inscription dedicating it “To An Unknown God.” Wow. This was one of those “I feel like I just stepped into the New Testament, into what for some is a classic, oft-referenced story in the book of Acts (look it up, folks, look it up) moments.
After the hill, we grabbed a bite to eat to tide us over till dinner time, and we sat and watched the other tourists near the Colisseum. Hubby wanted to watch the pickpockets in action to get a better understanding of how to avoid them (Rick Steves makes a big deal about them in his book), but we didn’t see the slightest sign of them. By the time we tried to hit the Forum to do the self-guided tour, it was closed. Learning: Learned something thought-provoking from the book (one of the benefits of having it). The Arch of Titus was built in celebration of the devastation of Jerusalem and destruction of Solomon’s temple in 70 AD. He brought 50,000 Jewish slaves back, and those slaves were made to build the Arch and the Colisseum. Changed my perspective on the Arch and certainly made me like it less. As I turned it all over in my mind, it made me think about how for every devastating, culture-changing defeat a people suffers, there is someone celebrating a victory. Yet, without the Diaspora, both Judaism and Christianity would not have spread so far around the world. Such a crime, though. Imagine being able to go to Jerusalem and actually visit Solomon’s Temple. Wouldn’t that just blow your mind? That would have been surreal.
Walk back to the hotel, turn the AC back on (we’d turned it off in attempt to dry some laundry), hit the sala for antipasti. Back to the room, shower, relax, nap. Dragged ourselves out of bed at 9:30 and hit the streets to do the Rick Steves Night Walk Across Rome. Conclusions:
- Doing this on a Friday (yesterday was Friday, right??) was a great choice. Much more “local color” around, though at times we felt too old for the scene.
- We really liked the piazza with the Four Rivers Fountain (name escapes me at the moment). Fountain was cool (even literally - temperature noticeably cooler when you get within a couple of feet of the fountain), lots of artists and “color”. Area was even still jumping when we returned, hours later.
- We really liked the Trevi Fountain. A metric buttload (that’s a scientific term, folks) of people there, but we still liked it. Rick Steves had a funny line about Lucky Casanovas clutch dates; unlucky ones clutch beers. A zillion Indian/Pakistani guys trying to sell roses. They are SO persistent. Dutch guy next to us had a good response, Don’t you have a wife or a girlfriend? Why don’t you take your roses to her? Later, Hubby thought of another good response: Which is prettier, my wife or your rose? Then why would I want to buy a rose? Awwww….. By the end of the night, we were pretty irritated with these guys, esp. b/c they are everywhere. Everywhere.
- Pantheon was really impressive. Made us eager to go see it in the daytime.
- Spanish Steps were no big deal. We didn’t stay very long. The steps by the “commie bar” in Catania were much more interesting and fun, probably b/c a) the people there were mostly locals, and b) it was by a bar, so you could get a drink.
- Doing such a walk at night is a very good idea. Even though it was late, our clothes were sticking to us from the heat.
- There’s nothing quite like sitting down in a pizzeria and ordering a pizza at 12:15 a.m.
Tip: Get two different books and a good map. The Rick Steves book is very good, and his comments are often amusing, but his maps aren’t very good. The book Miss Claudia lent us (sorry, can’t remember who publishes it) is good, has some good explanations, great pictures, and very good maps. The map the hotel gave us is so-so. The “Street-Wise Rome” map Miss Claudia lent us is great. Many times, Hubby worked off two maps at once. Navigating around can be a bit challenging b/c the streets don’t run straight, and neither does the river, so when you think you’re heading a certain direction, you might not be. Related Tip: When you travel, make sure at least one person in your group is good with maps. If I were here on my own, I’d be spending a pile of money on taxis b/c there’s no way I’d be able to find my way around.
By the time we got back, my dogs were barkin’ (especially where my bum foot broke when I was 34 weeks pregnant with Thing Two). Rinsed ourselves off and went to bed. The rest, you know….
