Houston Bound

And, after a fun filled year in Dubai... we are headed back to Houston.  That was not the plan.  We expected to stay here for three years, but still I'm happy to be going back to the USA.

There are lots of things to love about Dubai.  I've met some amazing people here.  Made some great friends that'll I'll truly miss.  I've seen a lot of the local sites and enjoyed the ease of living in the "Paris of the Middle East".

I'm hoping we can make arrangements and get the move scheduled pretty quickly.  I want the stuff shipped so that container can get there in the least amount of time possible.  Once the job was offered and the decision to accept was made, I'm ready to have the deed done.

Why is it that the 'not knowing' is the stressful part of any job change?  Not knowing if the job will be there, not knowing where the work will be based, not knowing if the compensation will be equivalent. All the unknowns are what keeps you awake at night.  Once the decision is made and it's a 'done deal', then I'm all about going forward and making it happen very quickly.

We expect to be back in Houston some time next month.  It will all depend on how fast it can all be scheduled.  We'll pack up, load the container, ship it and step on a plane.  Life is going to change for sure.  We're hoping it's for the better!

--  Sandee Wagner

Desert Safari

Our desert safari started with a taxi pickup at a local hotel.  We climbed aboard our 15 passenger bus and headed out toward the border.

When we got there, and by 'there', I mean the random part of the desert that appeared to be a parking lot of sorts, the bus pulled in and we all climbed out.  We transferred into two 8 passenger 4 wheel drive vehicles for a 'dune bashing' ride out to the desert camp.

I was busy screaming and flailing, but I did managed to snap one photo out the front window.

There were at least two times where we went up on two wheels and I swear he lost control coming off of one big dune.  We were told that you could have an 'easy' ride, but we got the 'queasy' one instead.

When we got to the camp, there were five camels giving rides.  You could line up, wait your turn and then climb aboard for a fun filled 50 yard trek, a slow turn and then back to the starting point.

The kids wanted a go and so did a couple of the other grandparents.

I opted out of the camel ride.  This is truly not on my bucket list.  Plus, look at that face!  Did I really want to tax that poor guy?  He's suffered enough.

The camp itself was a fenced arena lined with outdoor rugs, low tables and sand filled 'pillows' for seating.  It was oriented around a low stage and well lit.  The sound system was excellent.  I know this because the first act was a guy playing what I can only figure was the middle eastern equivalent to bagpipes.  Yeah.  Let that one settle in.

Next came the main act.  A belly dancer who did several numbers.  She did one with a silver pleated cape that she swung around like wings.  It was done to a very Egyptian sounding music. I really think it was the theme song to the Mummy movies that came out a few years ago.

Next, she did an actual belly dance with all the hip shaking and heel dropping.  She wrapped her hips with a jingly scarf and the coins were clacking.  All the menfolk were mesmerized.

Her next dance was more interpretive.  She pulled on a blue, drapey vestment and did a lot more hand movements to a different tune.  She was quite a talented gal.

Her final number was completely different.  She pinned back her hair, changed into black jeans and a black tank top and had them turn the lights out.

She lit two pots, torches really, that were on the end of tethers about as long as her arms.  Then she began to swing them around.

Imagine all the flaming baton twirlers you've ever seen and then multiply that by a really flexible gal.  She did incredible things with those swinging torches.

The last act of the evening was a gentleman who was billed as performing an Egyptian specialty.

He was a whirler.  I won't say he was a Whirling Dervish because he obviously did this as an entertainment, not a religious act.

He started out with about four layers of weighted circle skirts.  He did a bunch of spinning with some hand held drums.  Then he began to untie the skirts and swirl them about his head.

The big finale included the bottom two skirts being outlined in tiny LED bulbs.  when the lights went out, his swirling skirts up and down danced with light.  It was kind of pretty.  One of the guys with us timed him and he spun constantly for over nine and a half minutes.  When he finally finished, a couple of guys got up on the stage and he put the skirts on them so they could try their hands at spinning.  I really think they had just drunk one too many beers.

All in all, the desert safari was a pretty fun TOURIST experience.  I don't believe there was anything inherently Emirati about the whole thing.  Even the music appeared to originate from other middle eastern countries.  But like a Colorado mining town chuckwagon dinner, it was a fun family experience.

There was a full variety of 4x4 rentals, guided tours of the desert via ATV, and arts and crafts available.  The kids all got hennae tattoos and sand paintings with their names inside.  There was even a guy walking around with a falcon on a perch you could slip onto your arm for a photo opportunity.

We enjoyed the experience and the kids got a huge kick out of it!  I'm so glad we went.

--  Sandee Wagner

Planning Your Trip to Rome

After my short foray to Rome, I feel the need to give some travel advice to others planning to make a trip there:

1.  Take good walking shoes.  Rome is a town you see on foot.  Be prepared, train.  Work up to it.

2.  Go in February or March.  This advice came from someone whose gone to Rome a lot.  The big crowds in the summer make everything a lot harder to see.  We were there the first week of March and the weather was a little dicey (cool 40's to 60's, and misty rain) but it kept the crowds down and it's easy to layer up and carry an umbrella.

3.  Lose weight before you go, you'll gain weight while you're there.  Embrace Italian food.  Don't listen to anyone who tells you, "there's a good Chinese restaurant down there..."  These people are not your friends.

4.  Plan your days.  If the weather is nice, the Romans will be out in force.  Save your busy 'museum days' for weekdays, when most folks are at work.

5.  Plan your meals.  Any place that you can walk into at the last minute is probably not great food.  Most places require reservations.  Think about where you'll be, or pop in and ask for a reservation for the next day.  A little pre-planning will net you some great meals.

6.  Never assume that folks speak English.  We took a friend who speaks fluent Italian and I think it was the smartest thing we did.  He argued, haggled and joked with everyone.  I think we got well taken care of everywhere we went.

7.  Recognize that you can't see it all.  I think it would take a month of full time tourism just to get to all the sights in Rome.  If you include the places nearby, add another week.  Sometimes you have to pick the high points and just be okay with that.

8.  Throw coins over your shoulder into the Trevi Fountain so you can be guaranteed a trip back to Rome.  It's that good.  You'll want to go back.

--  Sandee Wagner

Taste Testing Rome

Our native guide, Robert Spano, is a chef and foodie.  I can only recommend that you see Rome with a foodie.  He never steered us wrong.

He and his older brother have been having a debate for years about which coffee shop has the best coffee, and which gelatto shop has the best ice cream.  We had to jump into the Taste Test.

For gelatto, the two contenders are Giolitti's and Fassi's.  To be fair, I ordered the exact same thing at both places.  I wanted the taste test to be fair and equal.  Giolitti's is more conveniently located near the major tourist areas.  Fassi's is in an older part of town and you have to go looking for it.  Both have high quality, extremely generous portions and a clean, well lit environment.

Fassi's is twice the volume for half the price.  I guess being away from the high rent district shows in the pricing structure.  That said, I didn't pay the bills.  So Giolitti's was my pick.  Their gelatto had a smoother 'mouth feel' and stronger flavors that didn't get overridden by a second flavor in the same cone, or the generous dollop of fresh whipped cream on top.  Both the Roberts picked Fassi's for size, volume and price.  But of course, it was their Euros paying the bills!!


For coffee, the two contenders are Sant Eustachio Il Caffe and Tazza de Oro coffee shop.  Both are close to the sites and relatively easy to find.

The first thing you have to know about having coffee in Rome is that if you sit down at a table, it's all twice as expensive.  The Romans will go into a shop, order coffee and a croissant, nibble the pastry and sip the coffee and leave in five minutes.  All while standing up at a bar with folks queuing up behind them.

The Roman experience is to drink coffee on your feet while leaning against their bar, and paying half the price of the seated diners.

We decided to be fair in the taste test and only allow the actual coffee drinkers to decide.  The two Roberts were willing to take the challenge, I ordered hot tea.

We bellied up to the bar and ordered two cappuccinos, one hot tea and three croissants.  The boys savored their coffees, discussed the merits of expresso, American coffee and cappuccino.  Then we licked our lips and waited for the other entry in the taste test.

Denied.  Every time we tried to get into Tazza de Oro, they were closed.  We did hit the area early on Sunday morning, and maybe they are exceptionally religious.  I don't know.  But we never got to vote on the best cup of coffee in Rome.

I asked Spano about his straw poll and he said that Giolitti's was ahead about 60-40 with those who found Fassi's and gave both a shot.

I think Sant Eustachio was edging the winners for cup of coffee, but since it's the oldest coffee shop in Rome, it might just have the popular vote.

--  Sandee Wagner

The Pantheon

Some of the sights in Rome require their own explanation.  One of them is the Pantheon.

The Pantheon was built by Agrippa.  He was an ancient Roman architect who built a lot of the big monuments.  Or, at least, he put his name on a lot of them.  I was told that Caesar Augustus was the leader at the time, but he didn't care about having his name on things, so Agrippa got to put his name there.  I guess for some, putting a name on a building feels like making history.  For Agrippa, it worked.

The Pantheon is BIG.  You can't really get any scale in this little picture, but those columns are high and that roof is huge.

There is a domed roof inside.  When it was built, they cast blocks with recessed cutouts to lighten them so the roof could be held up by the supporting walls.

The only light in the Pantheon comes through the oculus, which is that round hole in the center of the dome.

The place was closed when we arrived.  The only pictures I could take were standing outside the entrance, where the guard held everyone behind a velvet rope.

Regardless of the fact that I stood outside looking in, it was a sight to behold.  Definitely a feat of architectural engineering.  I'm pretty sure that all domed construction was compared to this as people built other structures.

The multicolored marble, popular in the churches of the area, still clads most of the interior walls and the floor, but the outside has been stripped of all its marble cladding.

Once the Christians took over Rome, the Pantheon fell out of favor as most shrines to multiple gods must.  For over four hundred years, this was a fish market.  There were canvases attached to the front of the building and stretched out over the square to provide coverage for the stalls and vendors.

 The doors on the Pantheon are said to be original to the structure.  It's really hard to imagine them opening and closing for over a thousand years, but there you go.

I wish I had been able to frame in a head or two so you could get some idea of the scale of this place.  I keep saying, "it's just HUGE!" like that's going to get my point across.

Since we couldn't go inside, all I could do was point and shoot, so my pictures don't really provide scale.  I'm not sure I could do this edifice justice with my $65 camera anyway.

Suffice it to say, "it's just HUGE!"  The wikipedia page gives some measurements for the folks who need a mathematical construct to understand.

 Inside the doors, the dome dominates the view.  The multicolored marble floor shows geometric patterns and all the colors are represented there also.

 Outside the doors, under the portico, the column facings grace the porch walls and are topped by Corinthian capitals.

The roof rises overhead about three stories and you can see the original construction materials.

The Pantheon is a marvel of structural engineering.  It is mighty in its size and construction.

If you got to Rome, you've got to include a trip to the Pantheon.  It's well worth the trouble to get there.

--  Sandee Wagner

Rome Day Four

On our fourth day in Rome, we had the perfect recipe for going to the Vatican:  1) weekday, so the Romans were at work; 2) light overcast and rain, so the tourists were light; and 3) time to devote to it.

If you're going to see the Sistine Chapel, you're going to stand in line.  A long line.  You pay to see the Chapel, you don't pay to see St. Peter's Square or the Basilica.  We tried to time it so that we'd be at the Sistine Chapel and in line when they opened up at 9:00 am.  I think we might have missed that by a little, but not much.  The crowds are frustrating and it's not really well controlled or guided like most public places.  Compared to the crowd control at the Louvre, it was a riot.

We bought our tickets, fought our way past the crowds of tourists and tour buses full of students, and entered the residence.  There was loads to see, all the walls full of art and decorated like a palace.  Once you get inside the chapel, there is no talking (the guards shout 'silence' every three minutes) and no flash photography.  In the peak season, I'm told there is a conveyor belt that carry the tourists through so you only get a couple of minutes to take it all in.  During the month of March, there are less people.  We were able to sit down, look our fill, then move to the other side and take it all in.

The frescoes in this room were done by the dream team of artists.  What I never knew was that the chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo's work, was his first ever painting.  He was, first and foremost, a sculptor.  There was a statue that he really wanted the commission for and he was told that it would be given to the man who painted the ceiling too.  They really wanted him to paint that.  So he took the job so he could sculpt the statue.

It's really amazing to sit and see the artwork.  I was quite taken by the decoration on the walls that is covered up by the famous Raphael tapestries.  They've done a faux wall hanging that alternates color and pattern but is similar on all four walls.  It is my favorite part of the whole place.  It looks like real fabric.  There is a sheen and as you move toward it, it moves in the light.  Like real fabric folds.  Gorgeous.  I would have taken a picture, but I'm sure one of those rude guards would have tackled me.

I was told that the chapel was closed intermittently because of the restoration process that took fourteen years.  I'm glad I got to see the colors vibrantly restored.  It is a stunning work of art.  It's almost too much to take in.  If this art was created for the glory of God, then they all succeeded.  It's just that impressive.

We went from the chapel to the square.  Here's where I get to say it:  Bernini was a genius.  Really.  If you look at maps or large scale pictures of St. Peter's Square, you see the arched colonades that encircle the square.  All throughout the large area, you see these columns, four deep, holding up the roof.  But in the center of the square, there is a small disc set in the stone that you can stand on.  When you look around, the columns are so perfectly lined up, it looks like a single column holding up the roof.  Visually stunning.  Almost feels like an optical illusion.

This is me standing on the disc and shooting a panorama video around half the square, showing the columns lined up perfectly.

Then I moved to the left about 10 yards and did the same thing.  You can see what it looks like (sort of) with the multiple columns shadowed and filling the voids.

I know my crummy little videos don't do the effect justice.  I just wish I could convey how cool it is.  Plus, it was done so long ago... and it's perfect, absolutely perfecto.

We hopped aboard one of the 'jump on, jump off' tour buses.  At this point, I think you'll agree that we've walked our feet off.  We wanted to see some sights that were a little further out, so we climbed aboard and rode uptown.

We got off the Rome Open Tour at Piazza Barberini and went to Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini to see the Capuchin Crypt.  The story goes that when the monks were being forced out of their monastery, they refused to leave behind the bones of their brother monks.  One of them was in the process of being canonized, and his bones would become holy relics.  But they couldn't tell which set of bones was his, so they insisted on bringing them all.  When they got to their new home and began to create graves, they quickly ran out of room.  So, some forward thinking Capuchin monk suggested making an artistic display out of the bones.

Under and beside the church is a small hallway with separate vestibules, each of which houses a display that includes some full skeletons dressed in monk's robes, and bits and pieces of skeletons nailed up all over the walls and ceiling in shapes, displays and artistic renderings.  Imagine if you will, a cherub made up of a human skull with scapula layered into 'wings' behind the head.  It's just gruesome.  They don't allow photography, but the wikipedia page has some good photos to see just what I'm talking about.  If you are dragging a teenager through Rome, this is one stop you can't miss.

Then we went to the Italian Resistance Museum on Via Tasso.  This museum comprises a couple floors in an apartment house that was once used as a prison for captured men.  Several of the 'cells' which were converted rooms in the house, have carved inscriptions that prisoners left behind as messages.  There is a collection of ephemera which includes a lot of Nazi documentation.  The persecution of the Jews and deportation of tens of thousands of Italians is documented.  It's a low budget place.  All the signage is in Italian so take a native speaker if you plan to go.

Resistance fighters placed a IED at a corner known to be frequented by Nazi troops marching by.  They detonated the explosive and 31 Nazi soldiers were killed.  Hitler called for retaliation and demanded that 310 Italians be killed as a show of force.  The troops emptied out the prison in this house, rounded up all the known suspects but could only come up with 150 men.  When they asked if this might be enough, Hitler went nuts.  He demanded 310 men be rounded up and killed.  the Nazis started knocking on doors and dragging men out into the streets until they had 310.  They were transported up to a cave and shot.  The Ardeatine Massacre site is a national park and a cemetery to the fallen.

That evening, we went across town to the Via Rasella and the site of the resistance attack against the Nazi soldiers.  The buildings are still intact and show the bullet holes from that time.  They've never been patched or painted, but are preserved in memory of the Italian fallen.

We ate dinner that night across the street from this site.  The Hostaria Romana was a delightful restaurant.  The food and wine were superlative.  And, of course, the company was stellar.

--  Sandee Wagner

Rome Day Three

The first thing we did was head out to the Trevi Fountain.  We wanted to be there early to miss most of the crowds.  This site was popularized by the film Three Coins in the Fountain.  Legend has it that if you throw coins into the fountain (over your shoulder, back to the water) then you will be guaranteed to return to Rome.

We didn't want to screw up that karma so we tossed the coins over our shoulders for luck.

We got there early enough to see the armed guards watching as the coins from the previous day were cleaned out with a giant shopvac.  Turns out, they collect approximately 3,000 Euros a day.  This money goes to subsidize a supermarket for the needy.  When you toss coins in, you're helping the less fortunate.  It's a beautiful fountain, and a win-win for the tourists.


Since we got such an early start, we walked toward the Tiber River.

The view of Saint Peter's Basilica was tremendous.  It was a little hazy, but still a lovely view.  Rome is lovely with its twisting alleys and streets, cobbled paths and walkways, and winding roads.  We strolled through the tiny streets meandering our way down to the Coliseum.  The  Flavian Amphitheater was also called 'colosseum' because of the colossus statue of Flavius that used to stand outside it.

I could devote a whole blog to the Coliseum.  It's one of the greatest architectural wonders of the world.  I tried to imagine what it looked like all clad in shining marble before it was stripped off by the Christians to gild their churches.

In its heyday, this venue housed gladiator games and competitions.  There were beastieries below
the floor of the stadium with mechanical trap doors and gates to allow the handlers to move them from their cages into the theater.




There were several layers of seating.  The ground floor was reserved for the senators, rulers and their guests.

Lower ranking men climbed a rank of steps up to the next levels.

I'm told that merchants and freed men had the next level.  Then slaves, and on the top rank, women were allowed to watch.

It figures that I'd have to schlep up all those sets of stairs.

I don't know how anyone could fail to be impressed by the sheer size and structure of this amphitheater.



We climbed up a mess of stairs and from the top, you can see into the lower sections where the animals were housed, and the slaves pushed the wheels to raise and lower the doors.

The conjecture is that there was a wooden floor, covered with sand, that the gladiators fought on.  At some point in time, they built a half stage out of wood over part of the Coliseum and they've left that there as a partial example of what the floor might have been like.

You can only walk in, and on, some of the sections.  Restoration is ongoing, and I imagine it will always be so at the Coliseum.  Romans are devoted to preserving this symbol and part of their historical heritage.

From the Coliseum, we strolled past the Roman Forum and saw the ruins of the Gladiator School and Barracks.  From there we climbed the Palantine Hill to see the birthplace of Rome and the scenic vistas.  Throughout Rome, you see images of what it must have looked like, but on the Palantine, it's laid out for you as far as the eye can see.  The site was undergoing renovations so we couldn't get to the side with a view of the Circus Maximus, but I don't feel ripped off.  I think it would take a month to actually see all the sites in Rome.

For dinner, we ate at the Taverna dei Fori Imperiali.  It was lovely.  We shared our pastas and main courses and it doesn't matter what Spano says, I won that round.  I had raviolis in pesto sauce that were to die for, and my veal course was magical.

--  Sandee Wagner