Ancient Rome Sure Was Hot

The Colosseum

On Thursday, July 18th we ventured back in time to Ancient Rome. When Don was here in 1975, he didn't get to see the Colosseum. So, that's where we headed first. Even from the outside it is an awesome structure. While it does look large from pictures, in person, it's hard to describe it size. While not as tall as Kyle Field, it sure seemed that tall and wide, especially on the inside! Thank goodness we had pre-purchased our tickets. The lines were already so long. We were able to walk pretty much right in.
We were first blown away by the architecture of the structure. Of course there are arches everywhere. You would expect that from a Roman structure, but did you know that those arches use no mortar to hold them together? We also learned that under each of those arches you see from the outside on the upper floors were adorned with a marble statues of a famous Roman. Also noteworthy is that the whole structure was "veneered" in marble which was later removed and recycled to build later parts of Rome, especially the city's churches. Another interesting fact is that this was the first covered stadium. Slaves used to spread canvas across iron and wooden beams into the center. Only the very middle remained uncovered. We walked everywhere we could and many times just stood and feasted on the grandness of it all. An additional factoid is that historians now believe that Christians were never killed in this structure. In fact, the Catholic Church is what saved and preserved the Colosseum.
As we continued to walk about, we began to "cook." It was cooler in the shade, but it was still hot. After taking hundreds of pictures which Don hopes come out OK, we moved on beyond the Arch of Constantine and into the Roman Forum - after a Coke and a snack.

The Forum

The Forum was neat and educational, but mostly it was just stinking hot!!! We just cooked in the sun of late morning as we fought the other tourists. History abounds in the forum. The highlights include facts like people still put flowers on Caesars' grave; the Vestal Virgins lived a charmed life as long as they remained virgins; and the first basilicas were "courthouses" rather than Churches. When we left the Forum, we were hotter than we are after an Aggie football game on an August afternoon! It felt like 100 although it was only in the mid 90s. We drank plenty of water as we walked toward the Pantheon. Thank goodness Don thought of folding/backpacking silicon glasses so we could take advantage of the cool, tasty water at the public drinking fountains.  No need to buy bottled water in Rome. 

The Pantheon

We also learned that the closer you get to tourist areas the more expensive the food gets. Strolling along we were flanked on both sides of the sidewalk by religious stores. Once at the Pantheon we were surrounded by hundreds of tourists. Inside it was almost shoulder to shoulder as moved around trying to see the beauty of what had been a pagan temple. Today it is a Catholic church with its own parish and even has Mass in English on Sunday. Leaving the Pantheon behind we visited two additional beautiful churches. Words cannot describe the beauty of these churches and yet we knew we hadn't even seen St. Peter's Basilica yet. We just hope that it didn't become a "ho-hum" church when we finally got there.

Our first adventure

After a shower and a nap, off we go. In search of lunch, caffe, churches, and gelato. We found all of them. The food was delicioso. The churches are beyond description. 

For lunch we stopped at what we quickly learned was one of hundreds, thousands maybe, of sidewalk cafes in Rome. Most blocks have one. Actually, most blocks have several. The lady that helped us was delightful. We ordered paninis.
Mary needed caffeine so even though the afternoon was getting warm, it was time for caffe. Our waitress seemed especially happy when I turned down caffe Americano without hesitation. When in Rome.... Only espresso would do. Less volume of a hot liquid that way!  Don ordered a Coke. They're served cool but not icy cold. Generally without ice. Yet the Cokes are yummy since they are made with real sugar, not corn syrup. 

Time for our first church and no sense in fooling around. We headed to St. John Lateran. It is the official cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. One of the most impressive features is actually on the outside. The roofline is rimmed with statues that are 17 or 19 feet tall - of Jesus, His apostles, and other saints. Fifteen statues in all. We'll provide more details in another post. Suffice it to say we were awestruck.

On our way to the next basilica, we stopped for gelato. There are just about as many gelaterios as there are cafes. Especially if you count the cafes that sell gelato! Once again, our first experience was terrific. The lady at the store was really, really helpful and friendly. And the gelato was heavenly. This gelaterio makes their own on the premises. After trying some others, we are anxious to return to the first. So far, we've tried Pesca (peach), Menta (mint with bits of fudge that are drizzled on top, hardened, and end up bits of chocolate stirred into the green gelato), Frutti de Bosco (wild berries), Caramel (caramel - ok, some things are easy), wild cherry and chocolate chip. Yes, it's true. One of the major budget items is for gelato.

Refreshed, we headed to Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major, also known as St. Mary in the Snow). I'm quickly running out of superlatives to use. The art, the beauty of the space, the vaulted ceilings. Breathtaking. The ceilings are all covered in gold - gold brought back from America by Christopher Columbus, a gift from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. We will post details of this church later also. 

We visited another church specifically to view a famed sculpture by Bernini. It's of St. Theresa in ecstasy, taken from her description of an angel pulling an arrow of love from her heart. She is literally enraptured  by the pain of the arrow and the intensity of her love for God. Exquisite. 

We were disappointed to find Santa Susanna closed for renovations. It is the English-speaking parish in Rome. We had planned to attend their 6 PM daily Mass.

By now we've done a lot of walking to finish up a day of flying. Time for supper. After we picked out another cafe, we asked how large the pizzas were. We were told they were for one person. We ordered one each. We shouldn't have. They were 14 inches! And delicioso!

Another shower to end the day  and more sleep. 

Over the pond

Flying first class is definitely more comfortable than not. We each had what we affectionately called our pod.  Each pod had its own charging stand with a small shelf and cup holder. A mini TV screen with headphones were waiting for us. We each had a pillow and blanket, wrapped in plastic bags. The seats would lay down completely flat, all electronically controlled from the panel in the console. Don't forget the toiletries bag with an eye mask and ear plugs. 
Before we could even take all that in, we had already placed a drink order. Then we were given instructions to make some selections from a menu they provided because someone else was coming to take our order. 
Dinner was served on a linen placemat with real dishes. All very proper. Dessert was ice cream with a choice of toppings. 
Eventually, the lights were dimmed. We were supposed to be ready to sleep. Morning in Rome was about five hours away but the sun was still clinging to a red glow in the west.
Don quickly settled in and was fast asleep. Mary isn't used to all this and it took her a bit longer to get comfy.

Morning

The sun has almost come around to meet us from the other side. From some scattered islands, you can see the glow of artificial lights dotting the water. The color looks different from what we see in the U.S. It's a warm orangey kind of color. Soon the orange fades in the growing sunlight which is now highlighting the sharp faces of mountains. We seem to be somewhere over France. 
Well, it's time to be fed once more. Again, linen and glasses and silverware. It all seems a little silly at some level.

Landing

As we descend, we see a unique kind of tree. They are tall and straight. Then the trunk forks way high and the branches spread wide to form a thick canopy. The buildings are terra cotta, rose, and mustard colored and roofed with tiles. In many ways, the general look and feel of everything reminds us of Hawaii. 
Our flight attendant was wonderful, friendly and smiling. She took great care of us. But we are ready to get off the plane. 

Catching up on our story

No, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Or been left for dead somewhere. We just haven't been able to keep the blog going very easily. 
As we indicated in our last post, the technology part of the blog is proving more cumbersome than we hoped. In general, we only have internet at the apartment. We can compose text without the web but formatting and previewing needs a connection. Photos seem to lock everything up.
We have a few things drafted, almost ready to post. The problem is haven't spent much time at the apartment. By the time we return, we're ready for another shower and some sleep. Hence, we are behind on updates. 
Today we are forcing ourselves to take a very sensible siesta before we treat ourselves to our anniversary dinner - like real grown-ups, not sweaty tourists.  So we'll try to get our drafts out now. 

We've landed

Wednesday, July 178:18

We are in a van and headed to our apartment. The temp is low 70s. Our flight attendant was raving about fresh vegetables with no chemicals. So far, in our few minutes outside of the building we've been inundated with cigarette smoke. 

The highways around the airport are lined with colorful oleanders, covered with pink, red, and white blooms. The rest is pretty industrial looking.

Minutes later

We've come to a bit of agricultural land. A huge field of giant golden sunflowers were all obediently facing the morning sun as if waiting for their instructions for the day. 

We seem to be reaching the outskirts of town. 

9:00

We are still making our way to our apartment but we have reached the ancient wall around the city.  We catch a glimpse of the Colloseum. We aren't far from our apartment. 

Troubles in paradise

Well, troubles in cyber paradise anyway.
The last post was so slow in coming because the technology hasn't worked out quite as we hoped. One of the biggest challenges has been handling photos. Photos was supposed to be the best part of this blog. arg.
Who knows what we'll be able to do? For now,
Ciao!

Flight

July 16, 6:3? AM

Passport?  Check. Tour vouchers?  Check.  Everything else?  Check.

Got away close to plan.  We're on our way. 

8:30 AM

Car is parked in covered parking. Again, right on time. Even after a pit stop and grabbing a coffee on the way. Drive on I45 around 8 AM was remarkably smooth. 

10:33 AM

We've boarded the plane. Ever grateful for Don's frequent flyer miles. Had a respectably nice wait in the United lounge. Plenty of room in our seats. Already gave our drink order. Time to just sit back and relax.

3:24 PM Eastern time

We landed in Newark almost 30 minutes early. Caught a glimpse of the NY skyline and the Statue of Liberty. That was a first for Mary.

We'll be glad to be on the next plane and finally headed to Italy.