Italy Day 6 - Rome

Welcome back to Rome. Are you enjoying your visit with me thus far? I hope you are getting a feeling of the wonder that is Italy.

I finally made it to the Colesium today! It was bittersweet to experience it without my brother, Mike because he so wanted the opportunity to get inside. There simply isn't enough time to see all that there is to see here. I rented an audio guide for the tour of the Colesium and it was very informative. I was surprised by the size of the arena as well as the underground rooms that have been uncovered for viewing. Both the audio guide and the written information agreed that, although Christians were against the brutal competitions held here, they were not the victims of wild animals as a general rule. I don't know if history is being rewritten to be more politically correct or if I have been misled in the past. Either way, this fabulous structure is worth visiting.

One of the main roads in Rome, Via dei Fori Imperilai, is closed to traffic on Sundays so people are free to wander up and down the road without watching for vehicles. It lent itself to a more relaxed setting than when I ventured this way yesterday. There were many street performers lining the street today and this gentleman struck me with his truly heartfelt guitar playing. He was clearly playing from the heart and I was pleased to stop and listen to his music.

This is the street as it was today without traffic.

I posted these pictures as an example of how easy it is to miss beautiful artwork as you walk past. These statues are high above regular viewing on the side of this building. This type of thing lines the streets of Rome and made me realize how possible it is to walk the same street day after day and still discover new beauty.

It is 7:15pm here and I just returned from a taxing hike up Via Capena to have dinner only to be told that they begin serving at 8pm. Oh well, I will be ready to eat after all the exercise. I'm entering my blog now to use up the time before I can begin again on my trek for food.

Today was a blustery day here in Italy. It drizzled a little during my time in Rome, but not enough to keep people inside. On my drive home, the wind was blowing the autumn leaves across the road in front of me and I found the sight energizing. I love winter time because the days are unique. Each day brings a new climate --- sometimes cold, driving rain, sometimes a chilling wind, other times a sunny brisk day. Living in Florida makes me long for days that are not the same as the one before.

Dinner - I had to come back and share dinner with you. I went to a closer restaurant than I had walked to earlier, though, of course, it was uphill, also. L'Anatra Grassa (The Fat Duck) is a lovely restaurant about a 5 minute walk from my apartment. I wish I had taken my camera to show you, not only the beautiful, arched ceiling in this little place, but also the presentation of the food. Goodness! They sure know that one eats with one's eyes as well as the palate.

I allowed the server to help me choose my selections. For an appetizer, I chose scallops with truffle. This was served in a large shell resting on a curved glass rectangular plate. I've never had truffles before, but if this is any indication, I will definitely have it again. Following this, I had lobster and pasta - a half lobster in the shell served with thick spaghetti tossed in a very light creamy tomato sauce. The lobster was sweet and tender. I finished with creme brulee. This was a thin layer of creamy custard which allowed for more crispy, toasted sugary topping. I had to gently tap the top to break through in order to eat it. It was amazing! Yum! The dessert cup was sitting on a larger glass plate which had been ever so lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar and decorated with a thin squiggly line of chocolate sauce.

I was grateful that the walk home was downhill! I'm wondering, does food taste better here because it IS better, or because on vacation we just enjoy things more? Perhaps a combination of the two? Whatever the reason, I'm certainly enjoying it.

Italy Day 2

Day 2 in Italy. Still can't get the pictures where I want them, but we'll deal with it. This is Piazza Navona. Beautiful plaza where there are no cars!! So peaceful.

This is the outside of the Pantheon. Took tons of pictures inside and it simply isn't possible to get the feeling of how amazing the marble and the statues and paintings are. And it's a functioning church. Cool, huh?

The restaurant my brother Mike and I ate at in the Piazza Navona. (Mike's sitting at the center table with a cap on.) We returned here in the evening after visiting the Pantheon. During dinner, I suddenly realized, we're sitting in an outdoor restaurant, eating dinner together in Rome, Italy. Who'd'a thunk?

The Coliseum at night. Beautiful. We haven't toured it yet, but we plan to maybe Saturday.

Okay, so here's the day in a nutshell. My brother Mike's been in Rome since Sunday. Today was our day to meet up. I began my drive into Rome and got stuck in a horrendous traffic jam. 40 minutes going 0-10 kph AND you have to visualize Italian driving --- 3 lanes mean 5 cars fit side by side and motorcycles go between cars - both beside cars and in front of cars. If they can almost fit, they're there. So, after 40 minutes I turned around and returned to Capena. About an hour later I started off again figuring the traffic would be fixed. No problems getting into Rome, but it's unbelievably crowded and frustrating to drive in the city. I was stuck at a light with cars forcing their way in and became frustrated. I looked to my left and saw a lovely elderly lady probably in her 80's looking cool and collected in her little Smart car. I lifted my chin and thought, "If she can do it, so can I." I motored on and found a place to park. Literally cheered when I saw a little blue sign with a big P on it and an arrow. (Signs are few and far between in Italy.) I parked and suddenly realized I had no idea where I was. Started thinking...... "If I get on a bus, how will I ever get back here?" I sat down and cried for a minute, called Mike and told him Rome won, I couldn't do it. I was frustrated again. He said he'd call me back, checked the bus schedule, found a way to the Olympic Stadium (I walked around until I realized I was near there) and told me he'd come rescue me!!! Yea!!! I changed my attitude and enjoyed browsing around while waiting for him to find me. My hero!! We had originally planned to meet at around 9am and finally hooked up around 2pm.

The rest of the day was a blast! Mike walks fast and doesn't let any thing slow him down -- including my stopping to take pictures. He showed me some beautiful places. Words truly can't describe the churches and other areas. So much to see.... it's sort of like visual overload. Too much to take in. Mike had researched lots of things and was my guide through Rome. He knew the "back stories" of many places we saw. Too much to share, too many photos to post here.

So............... we found the car, had a blissfully uneventful drive back here to Capena, he's staying with me and we're off to find Cortona tomorrow.

All in all, a wonderful day, in spite of a rough beginning. Perserverance and a little attitude change work wonders. AND Mike got tickets to the ballet for us for Saturday night. Sounds fun, right?