More Churches

I always used to tell Tory that I wanted to travel in Europe and go to every Cathedral and museum there was. There are plenty of places with large churches and great museums I still want to visit.  But, I seriously underestimated the number of both of those things!  In fact, I do not think we will go into every church in Rome during the 3 weeks we are here and we are averaging 3-4 per day!!  It is unbelievable!

Today we visited one which could easily be my favorite.  Although 3 out of the four we saw today could be in my top 5.  My favorite was the one called Santa Maria degli Angeli which was built by Michaelangelo in the ruins of part of the ancient Roman Baths of Diocletian.  It was built in the high Renaissance using much of what remained of the ancient architecture.  I found it light and grand with a totally different feel than the Baroque churches we're studying.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

We did a fair amount of walking again today.  I'm feeling better and better.  There is a staircase near our neighborhood that I took on one of the first days in Rome on which I had to rest part way up.  Today we went that way again and I was able to do it all in one trip.  Here's a picture.


Noni's corollary to Newton's law: "What comes down must go up."

 So life goes on. Tomorrow is an important holiday celebrating the founding of Italy as a republic in 1861. They have been preparing staging for the big parade ever since we've arrived here.  I don't know what to expect but we will be in class during the morning festivities anyway.  Arrivederci!

Roaming Rome

Today was a good day.  It was the first day my feet haven't hurt since I got here.  I think having two days to let them recover while I was sick was a good thing.  Also, my cold is almost gone and I had plenty of energy...so that meant walking around all afternoon. 

After class we meandered around back streets and found ourselves in the Jewish part of town.  We sat on a bench and watched people go by for awhile.  Then we ambled over one of the oldest bridges onto the island in the middle of the Tiber.  It was pretty cool to watch the water flowing and just relax and take in the sights.  On our way back to our apartment we took a wrong turn that led us a very long way around. But in the end we made it back in time for an afternoon nap.

We ate supper at a sidewalk cafe and visited with a couple Americans at the next table.  They were very chatty real estate people from Florida.  They were very friendly and it was fun to hear their impression of Venice and Tuscany. A gondola ride cost 100 euro for about a 30 minute ride and the water taxi to the train station was about 75 euro.  They figured out how to take the water bus for 7 euro and saved themselves the price of a good meal!  It was hard for them to believe we were staying in Rome for 3 weeks and not going anywhere else. Their trip across the whole country was only 10 days.

Dinner was ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach in a tomato sauce.  One of the girls ordered tripe because she just had to try something new.  I tasted a little bit and I thought it had a fishy taste to it.  Not real pleasant.  She didn't mind the flavor but the texture (somewhat rubbery) was hard for her to get past.  I loved the ravioli. 

I have not had the white pizza yet...I plan to do that when we are in the neighborhood of the Trevi Fountain.  There are so many good things to eat it's really hard to try new things when you know what you already like!  There is a little pizzaria in our neighborhood that I've tried the broccoli and sausage, prosciutto and spinach and the potato pizzas.  None of those had any tomato based sauce.  The crust is thin and crispy and the toppings are not heavy but just the right combination of flavors.  I think they use mozzarella and fontana cheeses.  Every one has been delicious!

Here are some pictures from today.  Ciao!

Sick, sick, sick

I came down with a cold on Friday night.  I was so glad it happened over the weekend so I didn't feel too badly lying around the apartment.  I spent Saturday and Sunday sleeping and reading and feeling like it's not too fun being sick away from home.  I normally don't experience home-sickness.  But those times I am physically sick and away from home I do battle homesickness on top of it.  I miss my own bed and my family and all the things familiar and comforting.

This morning I was determined to make it to class, though.  I had been planning to take the bus instead of walking the 30 minutes but we were informed there was a transportation strike planned.  Even if some buses were running, I figured they would be overcrowded.  So, we left in plenty of time to walk. 

We met the instructor at Ponte Sant Angelo which is a bridge over the Tiber River with sculptures by Bernini depicting angels at the stations of the cross.  It is a beautiful and moving walk to take.  From there we walked down to St. Peter's Basilica and spent the morning learning about the important works of art and architecture there.  It is a place that words cannot prepare one for.  The immensity of it and the opulence of it are staggering. 

So, I'm glad I didn't miss it.  I barely had enough gumption to make it back to the apartment where we all took about  2hr naps.  It felt great!  Then we walked to the small grocery store in our neighborhood to get fixings for supper.  We sauted zucchini, carrots and mushrooms in olive oil seasoned with garlic, red pepper and oregano.  This we served with pasta topped with freshly grated peccorino cheese.  Delicious!

Now it is late and I must get to bed.  Here are some pictures.  I'll maybe get around to adding captions tomorrow.

  

Churches

Amazing paintings in amazing settings was the fare for today.  We visited about 4 churches and viewed paintings by Caravaggio, Domenichino and others. The ceiling frescoes were just as amazing as the Sistine Chapel and we had them all to ourselves.  I don't know how good my pictures turned out but I'll post a couple just to give you a general idea.



Adoration of the Name of Jesus by Gaulli




Allegory of the Missionary Work of the Jesuits by Pozzo



The Inspiration of St. Matthew by Caravaggio

This was the day where we took our walking tour in the morning and had our lecture in the afternoon.  I had plenty of coffee in the morning but I was still struggling to stay awake during the lecture.  Forturnately for me the lecture was shortened because of scheduling conflicts in the student center. Yay! 

As we walk through the city, trying to follow our instructor, we are just one of many tours doing the same thing.  The streets are very narrow and I've already mentioned the congestion.  As we are crossing the street and cars or delivery vans have to wait for the long string of twenty students to pass I keep seeing the same look on everyone's face.  I finally identified it as patient impatience.  It must suck to be a native Roman and have your space overrun by tourists to such a degree. On top of that to realize that it is the tourist economy that keeps everything going and you can't afford not to put up with it!

We found another marvelous gelateria on our way home. Then took a good long rest before meeting with the class for an apertif.  It was at a bar called Fluid.  The floors were 2' tiles that had colored liquid sandwiched between a clear top layer and a white base.  As you walked on it the liquid squished this way and that making unusual patterns. It reminded me a little of a lava lamp.  The drinks were very expensive but after you bought a drink you were free to partake of the ample appetizer bar as many times as you wished.  It was a fun way to try many new types of food. Unfortunately I don't know the names of most of it.  There was different seasoned rice dishes, fruit like melon and pineapple, fried things that resembles tater tots, little slices of bread with some kind of spread I couldn't identify and different pasta.  It served as a light supper for us.

Now I'm ready for my evening bath.  At home I am usually a morning shower person.  But here it just feels so refreshing to sit in a tub of warm water at the end of a long day of walking and sweating.  I feel like I am sweating constantly from the time I leave the apartment to the time I get my bath.  I can feel the rivulets trickle down my back and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Everyone is pretty much in the same predicament so we don't worry about it too much!

Minas Tirith

I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan.  My dad read the books aloud to us many times as we were growing up and I love the way Peter Jackson has rendered the stories in film (for the most part.)  Being here in Rome I get flashes of the feeling that I am in that story and somehow have made my way to Minas Tirith.

Minas Tirith was the City of the Kings of Gondor.  They had an ancient history and ancient traditions.  Although, at the time the hobbits visited it was in a state of decline and not at the height of its former greatness.  So it is here.  The grandeur of the ancient dynasties is evident in crumbling statues and monuments.  The mighty cathedrals are tall and impressive but stained with moss and a history of corruption. 

I love the continuity of history I feel here. I love breathing in the air of antiquity (although Charis tells me it's just dust.) But there is a sense of sadness as well as I contemplate the history of mankind gone awry. And the history of the Church gone awry.  My soul cries out, "Come Lord Jesus, come!"

Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

Yesterday was a big day.  We had class in the morning and then took off at a brisk trot to make it to our appointment at the Vatican.  We walked full speed for 20 minutes. I was determined to not be a straggler and kept up with the instructor the whole way.  It was a faster pace than I've managed yet but proud to have accomplished it! 

I was glad to have a guide to work out the details.  Our tickets had already been purchased.  He knew right where to go upon entering.  We just had to keep our eyes on him and keep up!  That wasn't always so easy as there were literally hordes of people.  It's also an immense place and would be very easy to get lost or turned around in.

We started by studying Raphael's paintings and tapestries.  They are AMAZING!  I have always liked looking at Raphael's work but up close and in person takes it to a whole new level.  Then we studied some ancient scuplture from antiquity that the Renaissance and Barroque masters copied. It is really ironic to me that the Vatican is home to thousands of sculptures and artifacts that used to be idols in pagan temples. The vastness of the buildings and the sumptuousness of the decoration is amazing.  But, I found it all hard to enjoy because of the huge crush of people.  On the way to the Sistine Chapel we were shoulder to shoulder through the long corridors.  Then upon entering the chapel, we were free to stay as long as we wanted, but so exhausted from the ordeal of getting there and packed in like cattle that it was rather anticlimactic.  Our instructor had warned us and told us to just pick a spot and focus on one thing for awhile and tune everything else out.  We tried but it was very hard to do.  I have to say that I'm really glad we did it but I don't think I'd go there again.

Disputa by Raphael

At the Vatican

Corridor of the maps at the Vatican, on the way to Sistine Chapel

We arrived back in our apartment around 5:30 and rested before going out for pizza and doing homework. Whew!

Today again we had lecture in the morning and then hoofed it to the Capitoline Museum.  We saw enormous sculptures of Constantine or rather dismembered pieces of them.  We also saw the bronze wolf which was said to have reared Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.  Room upon room of sculpture portraits that were important to the ancient Romans in their ancestor worship we breezed by.  We focused on a couple of barroque period paintings -- one of which was at least 30 ft. high.  I have no idea how the artist, Guercino, managed to paint it.  It was beautiful and astounding all at once. I'll post a picture but it doesn't do it justice at all.

Burial and Resurrection of St. Petronella by Guercino

Collossal Constantine

The Dying Gaul 

Corinthian column with view of the Forum from Capitoline Museum

We arrived back at our apartment with sore feet around 3:30.  On the way we refreshed ourselves with a gelato. Today's choice was melone which just might be my new favorite. :) Although I love the lemon gelato and the caffe flavor is sublime. I haven't had the dark chocolate but our roommate did and raved about it so maybe soon. Arrivederci!

I had esspresso for the first time yesterday. WOW! It is amazing! I hear that Cappuccino is very good too but I don't even know if I'll get that far.  I think I'm in love. haha.

In fact we have not had bad food since we've gotten here.  Every night we go to another little tiny restaurant with about 10 tables, max.  Every time the food comes it is amazingly flavorful.  I had a plate of grilled sausages and spinach last night.  I would not have ordered that normally but they said it was sausage and broccoli in the menu.  I was really disappointed when it arrived to see a pile of cooked greens next to my 2 little sausages.  But I have to say, it was delicious! I ate all my spinach. Not only was it good for me, I could enjoy it too!  The flavors all seem so well balanced that one can taste all the complexities of the sauces without being overwhelmed.

I have been walking an average of 5-7 hours a day since we've been here.  I consider it a miracle that I'm able to do that!  My feet get sore but my knees and hips have been doing fine.  I am really glad I have 2 pair of comfortable shoes --  my Born sandals and my Clark's mary janes.   My feet thank me for the chance to change shoes.  I usually wear one pair for the first part of the day and the other later after I soak them in cold water and massage them for awhile.

We have taken the bus a few times and the Metro which helps lessen the walking, but we don't see the city as well. And there's not the opportunity to step into a coffee shop or gelateria on a whim.  So as long as we can dog it out we'll be walking.

It has been really fun for me that the girls all accept me as one of them.  I feel like I'm just one of the group and back in college days.  But every once in a while I remember that no, I am no longer young -- usually when I'm huffing and puffing up the hill behind everyone else.

Today we went to the largest flea market in Europe at Porte Portese market.  It was a blast.  We managed to get there early enough to avoid most of the crowd and most of the heat.  Both were getting unbearable by the time we left.  We had fun looking at all the stuff and haggling with the merchants.  It was like the MN State Fair but without the food on a stick. There weren't any sno-cones either, which was a pity. I was hot and parched and would have bought one if I had seen one.

Then we walked along the Tiber River up to the basilica which has the "Boca de Veritas." It is said that if you stick your hand in its mouth and you are not a truthful person your fingers will be bitten off.  I am glad to report that I still have all my appendages!

So now it's time for siesta and putting my tired feet up to prepare for the evening outing. Ciao!