Roaming About in Rome
Trip Start
Sep 15, 2006
1
25
80
Trip End
??? ??, 2007
Rome,
Italy
Monday, December 18, 2006
Cierra's parents were waiting on us in a hotel lobby though, so we needed to hurry. We were in the station, standing in line to buy train tickets when I heard a Southern accent behind me.
"Do you speak English?"
"Yeah, I can speak that one pretty well.", I replied. It turned out the guy behind us just left school in Kentucky to fly halfway around the world and propose to his girlfriend in Rome. We all bought tickets for a train that was leaving right then, so we ran to clamber aboard, and in the process, got seperated from our new friend. We didn't even know his name at that point, so in talking about him we nicknamed him "Kentucky", as in, "Look out on the platform and make sure Kentucky doesn't get off at the wrong station." It was clear that Ben (we later learned his real name) was completely exhausted, having lost a lot of sleep in the runup to his proposal. After we all got off the train together and were walking to the subway, he asked us if we'd driven to Italy. I didn't have the heart to point out that he'd just met us at the airport. Besides, his mind was on better things. Anyway, we enjoyed sharing a bit about our trip with him, and hearing about his exciting plans for the very next day.
Clouds and rain greeted us when we stepped from the subway, so we paused to put on our rain gear. We only walked a block before we found the hotel, and Cierra's mom Deann standing in front of it, waving excitedly and waiting for us to cross the street. Both Deann and Greg were overjoyed to see us after so many months of just reading about our travels in far off places. They had set aside a week to see Italy with us, and to learn to travel a little like we do at the same time. We quickly decided to put off that noble goal when we found that Deann had been working her negotiating magic while they waited for us at the hotel. They had bargained out a great price for all 4 of us to stay in one room and have a good breakfast as well! No problem.
While getting settled in the room, bad news was delivered by the parents. Greg's mom had surgery earlier in the week, and tests were coming back soon that would let them know more about her health. Deann's mom was back in the hospital again as part of a long battle with cancer, and things there weren't looking good. Sad proof for us that the world hasn't actually stopped in it's tracks while we're away, and that the people we love might need us when we're nowhere to be found.
By the time all the tears are wiped away, it's getting late, and we decide to take a walk with the remaining daylight. through the streets of Rome and winding eventually to the Pantheon. What an incredible structure, built around 2000 years ago, and up until the 20th Century, the dome was the world's largest pile of concrete. I wasn't aware that it was actually a church until we went inside, but there were religious statues in the alcoves all around the walls. We stopped on the way back at a restaurant near the University area, and ordered what we thought would be a reasonable amount of food, a sandwich and salad for each one of us. The table creaked and groaned under the weight of the smorgasborg that eventually arrived, and we were forced to admit defeat... we got takeaway boxes and toted nearly half of our feast back to the room for consumption the next day.
After a buffet breakfast fit for kings and queens, Rome's great historic sights awaited us on a walking tour. We walked around the Coliseum, but didn't go inside due to the cost. Still, the building is nothing short of amazing, especially since our guidebook says it was constructed in only 8 years. Wow. It's also in better shape than I thought, but perhaps they've rebuilt parts of it. I guess if you'd like to know for sure, you can shell out 20 Euro and take the tour yourself.
The Roman Forum was the next thing we wandered through, and then onwards past an ancient theater and other ruins. Other cities that we've been to have occasional historical buildings or ruins. It really seems that Rome is one huge historical sight. Every time you take a turn in the road, there's another huge Piazza and some awesome Roman masterpiece looms ahead. You wonder how they've managed to have a modern city squeezed in around the multitude of historical masterpieces.
We cross the river as the sun is starting to set, and look at the grand Castilla that sits high above it. It's just a short walk from here to the smallest country in the world, and we walk across our third border for this trip when we cross into Vatican City.
Everything about the Vatican just takes your breath away. That's what it's supposed to do... it's the Vatican. When it comes to Catholicism, or even Christianity, it doesn't get any bigger, prettier, or better than this. Once we got past the Swiss Guard and they hadn't pulled any of their dreaded Swiss Army Knives on us (I'd really hate to get corkscrewed to death), we were able to wander blindly into the Grotto, the final resting place for Popes. There, among the dusty tombs of Popes I'd never heard of, we found a gleaming one... the tomb of John Paul II.
Upstairs, we do a quick tour of the inside of Saint Peter's Basilica. Again, unbelievably beautiful. Cierra remarked that she was a little sad, because all the cathedrals that she'd thought were so beautiful before would now seem dingy in comparison. Every surface in the Basilica gleams, every wall has a great piece of sculpture on it. The overall effect is a bit overwhelming to me... I can only imagine what it must be like for Catholics to make the journey here and see this for the first time.
We talked to one of the Swiss Guard and found out that to see the Sistine Chapel, we'd have to come back the next day.
The older members of our group were experiencing some joint pain, so we decided to take the metro back to our hotel. On the way, Cierra said, "I'll be right back" and darted across the street.
"What's she doing now?", her parents asked me.
"I have no idea." Just then, I saw Cierra bound in front of Ben from Kentucky, traveling with a beautiful young woman that turned out to be his new fiancee, Julie. He looked extremely relieved to have recieved his "Yes!" only about an hour before, and Cierra's parents said hi to Julie's family while we talked to the happy couple. Eventually, we had to let them go and find their dinner, but we were just happy to find that Ben's mission had been a successful one, and we wish them a long and happy life together.
The next morning, we visited the Sistine Chapel, another space within the Vatican that is not to be missed. Michaelangelo painted the ceiling and some of the work on the walls, and there's so much there that it's easy to stand and gawk for a long, long time. What's not easy is to follow the rules in there, which include complete silence, right at the time when the desire to talk about the beauty you're experiencing with the others in your group is nearly irresistable. We weren't the only ones breaking the rules, however. A baby started to fuss, and it's mother, a redheaded lady with large breasts, popped one of them out and stuck the child's head to it. The guards seemed conflicted about this, approaching the lady but not doing anything about it. Perhaps they recognized the futility of putting away one naked breast when the paintings on the walls contained many more.
With our whirlwind tour of Rome completed, we rented a car and headed for the summertime beach getaway of Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast...
Comments
funny
Hunter, you are so funny!
Mom