Rome Day Two

We woke early and got started on our first full day in Rome.  We had coffee at the Sant Eustachio il Cafe, which Spano thinks is Rome's best coffee.  I'm a tea drinker, so I didn't get a vote.  We heard the legend of Sant Eustachio who, as an early Christian, refused to make a sacrifice to a pagan god and was martyred for his faith.  The church has a stag's head with a cross coming out of it.

We also went by the church at Santa Maria sopra Minerva where a very famous statue of the early Christ by Michelangelo is on display.  I'm especially entertained by the added 'clothing' that was welded on later when sensibilities against nudity reared their ugly heads.  DH was especially impressed by how healthy Christ looks in this statue.  We see a lot of crucified saviors carved in marble, and he's not at his best in those works of art.  In this iteration of Christ the Redeemer, he looks strong and fit.  The name of the church literally means 'Saint Mary over Minerva', which signifies the fact that the church was "built on the foundations of a temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis, but erroneously ascribed to the Greco-Roman goddess Minerva."  This began a realization that lots of Christian churches were built on the foundations of pagan shrines.  And lots of glamorous buildings used to be cardinal's homes.

Just a block or so from this church, we saw the remains of a Roman bath that had been built into the block of homes surrounding it.  If you look closely, you can see the barrel shape of the curved brick wall.  It wraps back behind these two houses.  Amazing.  Part of the building is over two thousand years old!

We marveled at the old bath, then continued on down to the Tiber River.  There is an island in the middle of the river called Tiber Island.  Legend has it that the island formed over the body of a tyrant who was thrown in the river by an angry mob.

For years, only outcasts and plague ridden sick people were associated with the island.  Then during an outbreak, a Sybil predicted that Rome could not be safe from illness until a temple was built to Aesculapius, the god of healing.  The folks who were charged with siting the edifice loaded a statue and a snake into a boat and sailed down the river.  Apparently, that's what you took when you were looking for real estate to build a temple on.  The snake crawled up around the mast and when they sailed past the island, it jumped in the river and swam to the island.  The modern medical symbol of a caduceus is based on this legend.

Tiber Island is shaped like a boat and has a 'mast' built in the center to keep that visual.  It is much beloved by Romans and is kind of a park now.  Attaching it to the city is the only remaining Roman bridge still in use.  Too bad my photo shows the 'other' bridge, not the antique one.  It's on the right.

We saw the Theatre of Marcellus which could originally hold 11,000 Romans.  It's an amazing feat of engineering.  From there we went down to a modest looking church called San Nicola in Carcere for a peek at their catacombs.  It's an archeological dig in progress.  The church is said to be built on the prison where St. Nicholas was held prisoner.  I'm not sure how true it is, but it was neat to see the Roman ruins beneath the church and see the actual columns built into the stonework of the outside.

Next we went to see the Temple of Hercules Victor.  It is undergoing renovations, like much of Rome, and we could only look at the outsides.  There was also a Temple of Portunus.  The two together are stand on the Forum Boarium, which was the most important port in Rome, and a commercial center in its heyday.

We then went to Sant Ignazio.  This is a big, BIG church.  Couldn't fit it all into one photo.  What is most impressive about this church is the painted dome inside.  I can't begin to tell you how glorious this ceiling is.  The colors are vibrant and it has shiny gold leaf and tremendous amounts of carved plaster detailing.  To see it in person was a gift.  I was reminded that the people of Rome treat this like a neighborhood church and attend every Sunday mass.  I think my neck would be strained from constantly looking up.  You'd think by this time in my meanderings around Rome, I would have become inured to the fine quality of the church architecture and art.  But I was still goggle eyed with each sight of beauty.

 When Robert Spano was a child, he ran through the streets of Rome and played.  Whenever he asked his grandma who built something, she always answered, "Hadrian".  As an adult, he realized that she was just putting him off, but when he was eight, he believed her.  As we approached the Piazza de Pietra and saw the outside of the Temple of Hadrian, I asked him if Hadrian actually built it.  No.  He didn't.  Apparently, just the wall.  The Temple of Hadrian has one wall fully standing that is incorporated into the Italian Stock Exchange.  It's pretty impressive.

It took me three shots to get the whole facade of this building in my camera's lens.  It's a big place.  You can see the modern windows onto the piazza.  The front of the stock exchange building is around the other side.

From there we went to a small, early Christian church called San Giorgio al Velabro which is unique because it wasn't messed with at all.  When the Christians were building churches, they went to the old pagan shrines and took the marble cladding off the walls and used it to floor their churches.  Then in the Baroque period, they hired artists and sculptors to decorate the churches into their current state of over the top-ness.  This little church was not 'baroqued'.  It's quite austere and plain.  Still had a marble floor stolen from a pagan shrine, but there you go.

Built right into the side of this church was the Arcus Argentariorum.  Literally, the arch of the money changers.

After all the wildly ornate churches, it was kind of restful and peaceful to see this little stone church in its marvelous simplicity.  We were able to walk into and take pictures of most churches in Rome.  Never had to pay an entry fee.  We dropped coins into their offertory boxes and avoided them when masses were being said.  Most had explanatory plaques mounted and were well taken cared for.

From there, we went to the Arch of Janus and to the Cloaca Maxima.  What is interesting to me is that all these old structures are just built into the newer habitations and buildings.

See that little dog behind the gate?  His 'yard' is the Cloaca Maxima.  He's standing in a two thousand year old sewer pipe.  Pretty amazing place, Rome.

Oh yeah, two thousand years ago the Romans built a building to house their Water Department.  Guess what's in that building today, two thousand years later?  That's right, the Water Department.

We walked by Santa Maria in Cosmedin, but it was Sunday morning and mass was going on, so we only saw it from the outside.  Besides by that time, 'you've seen one church...'  From there we went to the Bocca della Verita.  This was made famous by the movie Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.  It was also popularized by other films in Japan.  People (and by people, I mean people besides me and the Roberts) stood in line to have their chance to stick their hand in the mouth of this big disk.  I looked in, saw it and left.

Then we went to what the Romans laughingly call 'the typewriter'.  It sounds way cooler in Italian.  The Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emmanuel II, also called the Altare della Patria (altar of the motherland) is a giant centerpiece of Roman history.  Several stunning sculptures crown it's columns and they opened up an elevator to the roof so you have panoramic views of the city.  Here, the Italians have their tomb of the unknown soldier honoring their World War I dead.

Also, each sculpture and artwork atop the building has its own story.

It's said that whenever a battle victor returned to Rome, he was honored by being carried in a chariot drawn by four horses through the triumphal arches.  Winged Victoria is displayed atop this building on both sides.

She is in a chariot drawn by four horses.  This quadriga was considered the chariot of the gods.  I hope that song is stuck in your brain now.  It was ringing in my ears whenever I looked at these statues.  This monument was started in 1911 and completed in 1935.

Just recently, they completed an elevator to the top that allows tourists a panoramic view of Rome.  It is not to be missed.

They pack you into the tiny elevator and take you up top.  From there, you are looking out past the ornate fretwork that lines the top of the building.  I wish it had been clearer the day we made the climb to the top.  It was a little overcast, but still a worthwhile hike.

You can see Rome laid out around you, and some of the ruins are best seen from above.

We climbed down and continued on to the Palazzo Venezia, which was a former papal residence.  Then off to the Piazza del Campidoglio to see the statue of Marcus Aurelius.  The whole piazza and surrounding buildings were designed by Michaelangelo and retain all their beauty and symmetry.

We saw Trajan's Column and if we'd only had a set of field glasses, we could have seen both the victories over the Dacians from start to finish.  The bas relief on the column is a long ribbon that shows the whole history.  The frieze wraps around the column and is also reproduced in a museum where you can see plaster casts of the whole depiction without binoculars.  We darted into a church on that square.  Is it bad that I don't even remember the name of the church?  'You've seen one church...'

That evening we spent an hour and a half listening to an organ concert at Sant Antonio dei Portoghesi.  This church, which we lovingly call "just a little neighborhood church", has one of the most famous pipe organs worldwide.  Musicians come from all over to play on this church's organ. We listened to a Russian named Daniel Zaretsky play some amazing music.  I don't think I'll ever be a fan of organ music, or of sitting on wooden church pews for long.  After the concert, I took this picture of the pipes.  Just a little neighborhood church.  Nothing special.

We ate dinner at Pizzeria da Baffetto.  We shared three pizzas and enjoyed the closeness of the family style restaurant.  Word of warning, don't go here alone.  They don't like to take up tables with singletons.  If you're alone, befriend someone in line and eat with them.

On the way back to the flat, we stopped at one of the seven famous 'talking statues' of Pasquino the tailor.  The story is that when Romans were angry about an issue and wanted to speak out anonymously, they attached their arguments to this statue, who spoke for them.  Legend has it that the original tailor, Pasquino, had the shop next to the Hellenistic statue and he counted the Pope as one of his customers.  Anything said there, made it to the pope's ears.  It's a fun tradition that still goes on today.

You can see a board where the rants are posted now.  I don't know when they quit sticking them to the statue, but eventually even the Romans quit defacing the statuary.

Rumor has it that several of the statues 'argued' over the same topic and the Romans were entertained with the witty postings one statue 'said' to another.

--  Sandee Wagner

Rome Day One

Our Roman Holiday started with us leaving Dubai at 9:10 am.  It was a six and a half hour flight, but since we were 'gaining time', we landed at 12:35.  We were met at the airport by Robert Spano and professional driver Sergio Provenzano.  Sergio loaded us into his van and transported us all to our rented apartment downtown.

We got there at about 2:00 to find that Robert had prepared an Italian feast for us.  We dined on homemade spaghetti carbonara, fresh prosciutto and several cheeses.  We downed a glass of wine and began our tour.

We stayed on the Via Della Stelleta in a second floor, walk-up three bedroom, two bath apartment.  By Rome standards, it was HUGE.  There was a small grocery, bakery, wine store and cheese shop on the block.  Along with close proximity to restaurants, shopping and all the sites, I have to say, the apartment was a perfect resting place between our sightseeing.

We took a stroll down Via Ripetta to see the Ara Pacis, Caesar Augustus' Altar of Peace.  On the way we stopped in at two different churches and the Tomb of Augustus in the Piazza Augusto Imperatore.  On the way, we stopped to view some of Benito Mussolini's tacky architecture.  Compared to Rome's other impressive edifices, these are just gruesome.

The overarching theme is happy workers, working hard.  All the bas reliefs show crops being sown, animals being tended, mothers teaching children and men at work.  It is so completely alien to the surrounding architecture.  Makes me glad that Fascism was defeated.

We took a walk through the crowds along the Via Del Corso to the Piazza Del Popolo to see the church that was constructed over Nero's tomb.  In Santa Maria Del Popolo, we saw paintings by Caravaggio (the crucifixion of Peter and the conversion of St Paul) alongside several other period frescoes.

We climbed the stairs from the piazza up to the Gianicolo Hill for a scenic overview of Rome.

There's a palazzo up there that was once owned by the Medici family that is now a very swanky restaurant.  The grounds of the estate are now a public park that is just beautiful.

Also up on this hill are several universities, academies and/or consulates.  In fact, the Spanish building there was one of the reasons that the Spanish Steps were created.  Reputed to be the widest staircase in Europe, these steps link the Piazza de Spagna at the base with the church of the Santissima Trinita dei Monti at the top.

At the base of these steps is a fountain called the Barcaccia Fountain.  It's a fountain that looks like a ship.  Legend has it that when the River Tiber flooded once (and it flooded a LOT) a ship was left foundered right there.  So, the Romans being a funny lot decided to build yet another fountain, this time of a wrecked ship.

The Spanish steps featured in some popular films, so as a result, the area is rife with tourists who are dropped off by the busload.  On an interesting side note, Rome is full of piazzas with fountains and very few of them have any benches or seating.  So folks just sit on the steps of whatever building is around.  Or in this case, on the Spanish Steps themselves.  It was all I could do to keep from using their heads as handrails as I walked down the steps.

From there we walked down the Via Condotti, which Spano assured me was Rome's "street for high maintenance women".  A shopping district.  We strode down the Via Della Croce to the Gambero Cafe where we had a glass of wine and watched the strollers pass us by.

From there we went down the block to the Otello alla Concordia where we celebrated our first night in Rome, and ostensibly the reason for our trip, our thirty third wedding anniversary.

We decided to each order a pasta and a main dish and to share all the food.  We had Pasta Cacio & Pepe, Carbonara Amatriciana, Fried Brains with Zucchini, Veal Saltimbocca and Chicken Milanese.  It was a lovely meal.  I tried everything but the brains.  I ate the fried zucchini.

After that wonderful dinner, we took a leisurely stroll back down the cobbled streets to the Via Della Stelleta and our apartment home for the week.  On the way back, we stopped in Piazza Navona which is built atop Domitian's Stadium to admire the fountain by night.  By the time we got to Tre Scalini's, we managed to consume a wonderful Tartuffo, which is like a frozen chocolate bomb.  Delicioso!!

--  Sandee Wagner

New Toy!

Each Friday, we start our weekend with some exercise.  Today, we went to the beach so DH could paddle in his Fenn Swordfish.  I generally sit on the beach, soak up some sun, enjoy the waves crashing and listen to an audio book while he paddles.  Today was no different.

DH has been diligent about paddling.  He used the club loaner boat for the first six months, then we bought him the new boat for Christmas.  When DH went into the club to rinse off his Swordfish and put it in the racks, he saw a notice for a used boat for sale.  It was the entry level trainer, a couple years old, and very inexpensive.

We chatted about it, called the seller and made the deal.  There are a couple of nicks and dings that need to be filled and sanded, but it's seaworthy.  Best of all, we can now go paddling together!

Here's my sweet ride.  I can't wait to try it out.  I'm sure it will be a tough learning curve.  It took DH weeks to get where he could paddle a while before tipping over.  I've heard that women have 'lower centers of gravity' but I'm sure I'll be getting wet.  Regardless, the price was right and now we can share this great exercise.

The surf ski will be racked in the same club space as DH's Swordfish.  It's a little lower in the grid, but still requires a ladder to get up and down.  I'm not sure I'll be able to rack it on my own.  It takes upper body strength AND balance.  When I took this picture, my back was against the wall  of the enclosure.  You have to back the boat down without whacking your neighboring boats or the wall.  All while standing on a ladder. Luckily DH has had some experience since his in on the top row.

When we go out paddling for the first time, I'll take some pictures and post them.  For now, we are off to Rome for a five day vacation.

--  Sandee Wagner

Global Village

Dubai is a fascinating mix of western and middle eastern culture.  Lots of things impress me about this city.  The UAE is doing all sorts of infrastructure building so that their economy is not strictly based on oil.  One of the many things they have built is Global Village.

Global Village is a cross between a county fair, amusement park and shopping center.  What they've done is established zones for vendors from specific countries to come in and sell their handicrafts and wares.  You can enter the Africa pavilion and see hand carvings from Kenya, leather goods and baskets from the Congo.  The Indian pavilion has saris, sugar cane drink stands, and brass fitted hand carved chests.

There are more than 39 countries represented in this seasonal venue.  I can't imagine what it would be like with more places to shop.

I'm pretty sure we didn't make it to one quarter of the country pavilions, but did we see some stuff.  Like any fair promotions, there is quality hand goods and just plain junk.  But it was fun to see it all the same.

I was quite taken by the lights and lamps available in the Turkish section.

They are acrylic globes that are mosaiced with glass tiles and beads.  The tops and bottoms are solid brass and the resulting fixture is pretty, stout and individual.  Like many things, they are available in all sizes, colors and shapes.

If I only had a home to hang one in!!  I would totally buy a giant chandelier.

Our friends bought a giant globe fixture to take home to the states.  It's going to look amazing in their two story entryway.

We wandered through some of the shops and stalls, all of which are open only for the season (November 1st through March 3rd) then headed to the food court.  There are as many food stalls as there are countries exhibiting their wares.  Of course, being the world traveler I am, I ate at Pizza Hut!

Then we went to the midway.  The two kids had been so patient with the grown ups shopping, they deserved a few rides.  I liked the double-decker Merry Go Round!

There were lots of rides for big kids and an equivalent number for the little tykes.  It's wonderful to see so many families out enjoying a place like this.

We dropped all kinds of tokens, ate cotton candy and popcorn.  Fairs over the world are the same in some ways, different in others.  There was not an Indian Taco, Scotch Egg or Belgium Waffle stand.  No funnel cakes or turkey legs.

There were all kinds of Arabic sweets, Egyptian breads that they tossed like pizza dough, and nuts I've never even heard of.  We ate our way through the park.  In that way, it was just like a county fair at home.

Best of all, since this is their final weekend open, lots of the vendors were offering deep discounts.  We had fun at Global Village.  We will definitely be going back next year.

--  Sandee Wagner

Madinat Souk With The Folks

One of our next outings with the folks was to take them to the Souk at the Madinat Jumeirah.

This place has several things going for it, from an 'entertain the visitors' point of view.  First, it is a new, easy to navigate around shopping area.  Second, it's built to look like a historic marketplace.  Third, it has a canal, giving it waterfront appeal, and finally, a great view of the Burj Al Arab.

I'm quite taken with the modern architecture that tries to preserve the historic feel of the area.  Those towers with logs exposed are wind towers used to ventilate homes pre-air conditioning.

I'm not sure how it worked, but the Al Bastakiya quarter in Dubai is filled with historic buildings sporting these wind towers.

The souk itself is a rambling haven for shoppers and strollers.  It is a more planned out version of the San Antonio Riverwalk.  There are restaurants, shops and kiosks selling all kinds of handcrafts from around the world.  Hardcore shoppers love some of the upscale shops, we just go for the restaurants and the water views.

We walked around a little and then settled into a table at The Meat Co.

One of the benefits to the area is that since it is 'associated' to a major hotel, the restaurants can serve liquor.  So, a nice cold beer sounded really good!

We had a lovely meal, some yummy 'beetroot and chocolate bread' and possibly the best hamburgers that DH and I have had in all of Dubai.

It's a little pricey, but as you can see, you're paying a bit for the lovely views and waterfront seating.

At night, this area is lit up and the restaurants crowded with folks.  We found the luncheon service to be excellent and less filled with people.

We considered this lunch to be a huge win, because I managed to pay for it.  Dad has threatened to send me a check to cover the price of the meal, but that's just cheating.  I got the bill, got it paid, so I win that round.

-- Sandee Wagner

Folks Visit

My parents emailed to tell me that Emirates Airline was adding a non stop flight from Dallas to Dubai in February.  They planned to book tickets and visit for a week.

I awaited the dates and was thrilled when I learned they'd be here from February 11th through 18th.

Then I began to fret... what to do, what to do??  What sights would they want to see?  They've been through Dubai on their world travels.  Also, they are not youngsters any more--there's only so much they can do physically.  So, Dune Bashing was out.  I researched the local history and decided on an easy drive by tour.

The Big Bus Tour.

This company has tours of several major cities: London, Philadelphia, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and many more.  But we were interested in Dubai.

There are two routes, the red line and the blue line.  The red line goes through the old town and historic sights.  The blue line runs down the beach and features the Burj Al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah.

What this day tour has going for it is the 'hop on, hop off sightseeing' offered by the scheduled stops.  A bus comes by every 20 minutes at each stop.  You can get off, look around for as long as you like, then get back on and go to the next stop.  The lower deck is air conditioned, the upper deck, open air.  There is a recorded track that is triggered by the sights and informs about each thing you pass.  There are earphones provided and jacks in the back of each bus seat.

We climbed aboard at the Mall of the Emirates, which is a stop on the blue line.  We rode a couple stops, jumped off at the Wafi Mall and boarded the red line.

We listened to the recorded information, then stepped off the bus at the Dubai Museum.

The Museum is in the oldest building in Dubai, a historic fort.  What is most interesting about this facility is that in order to keep the original building intact, they excavated below it to create the space for the museum exhibit.  So you walk through a small fort, then down a spiral ramp to more exhibits.

In the dark lower floor, they've recreated an ancient market place with life sized characters posed performing historically accurate activities. There's a potter, a spice merchant, a weaver.  You can look into a school room, a private home and a traditional prayer room.  Each one of the displays has a description of the period activity and dress.  It's pretty compelling.
 

I asked Mom & Dad to pose in front of the archaeologist's dig.  They had a full tent set up with all the tools and gear.  I thought taking a photo of the geologist in front of the dig exhibit had a nice irony.

Unfortunately, the lower part of the museum is very, VERY dark.  Lighting is the biggest issue and main complaint I had.  I took a few pictures, but the tiny flash was not up to the all consuming darkness that was the lower floors of this fun museum.

We enjoyed the displays anyway, but we spent a lot of time holding onto each other's elbows, standing still and waiting for our eyes to adjust to the gloom.  Parts of the walk-through had actual sand floors, so it made it a little tense because the footing was unstable.

We really liked the small gallery.  We got back on the bus and rode the rest of the red line, then got off at Burjaman to rejoin the blue line.  We ate lunch at Hatam Restaurant.  A shared meal of kebabs, hummus and flat bread.  Yummy!

The blue line took us past the Burj Al Arab and out to the tip of the Palm to the Atlantis Resort Hotel.

During the ride out the trunk of the Palm to the Crescent Road, the recorded soundtrack told how many pounds of sand were heaped up to create the Palm.  The description of the building of the area was fascinating.  I had no idea what an engineering marvel the dredging and construction were!

Once we completed the circuit out to the tip of the Palm and back, the Big Bus took us back to the Mall of the Emirates, where we were parked for our return home.

The tour bus was a great way to see the sights when you want to take things at your own pace, but like the route driven by the bus.  By riding both the red and blue lines, we had a few overlaps and heard the same soundtrack for the sights, but that was little enough bother for a day of seeing the city of Dubai.

--  Sandee Wagner

Vacation in the Frozen Tundra

I've been offline for a couple of weeks.  A couple days after Christmas, I stepped on a plane and flew to Minnesota.  That's right.  I went to Minneapolis.  In December.  Crazy, but there you go.

I didn't just go because I wanted to experience negative eight degree wind chills.  I went because my son and his wife bought a new house and needed a little help with the move.  They were completely packed up.  That's not what needed helping.  Where they needed another set of hands was managing my lovely grands.  A three year old boy, two year old girl and 9 month old baby boy.  On moving day, kids that young can make anything challenging.

So, I showed up a couple days in advance, trying to avoid jetlag.  The first morning I was conscious, there were movers and the kids went off to close on the house.  They took the baby so I kept the older two kids and kept an eagle eye on the guys loading the trucks.

Because the day needed more excitement, both boys started throwing up and my lovely granddaughter got diarrhea.  Ahh, perfection.  Nothing makes a stressful day more stressful than sick kids.  Luckily it was some kind of stomach flu that was there and gone within 48 hrs.  It appeared more stressful on the parents and Grandee than the kids.

Their new house is large, new and very conveniently located.  It's just west of town and it looks out over farmland.

This is the view from the back deck.  The sun rises there and you can watch it from the kitchen/family room.  Bucolic.

The only times I've been to Minnesota to visit, it has been really cold.  Fall and Winter timeframes.  I have decided that my next visit will be in the Spring or Summer.  I want to see the lovely cool weather that everyone brags about.  And, I definitely don't want to experience any more 'single digit' weather.

Hopefully, having Grandee there made the move a little less hectic.  I'd like to think I made things easier, but you never know what kind of houseguest you are, right?  I think the only real way to judge is whether or not they ever ask me again.  But I won't hold my breath.

--Sandee Wagner