These were written in random order (Perugia Assisi Rome
Roooooooommmmaaaa
Mom and I have very different styles of navigation. I know that she is paranoid about people watching and following us and whatever but she still fairly calmly looks around, trying to figure out where we are. My attempts at figuring out where I am are totally different. I try to look like I know exactly where I’m going and walk quickly in one direction, checking street signs or whatever. While this seems to usually end up getting me lost, as long as I avoid back-tracking, it’s fairly affective in the long run and makes me feel more comfortable. However, with me walking briskly, dragging mom by the hand as she twirls her head around like a bobble head, trying to see where we are, I’m sure we looked totally vulnerable, and I was totally freaked out and crabby and mean. Of course, nothing happened and we arrived safely at our hostel, but my first thirty minutes or so were kind of a nightmare.
But, from there it just got better and better. We went out and had beer and our first Italian pizzas (which were amazing). We then got a good night’s sleep, and woke up early to go figure out another metro and to sight-see. Our first stop was the Coliseum. We rode the metro for two stops, got off, went up an escalator, took a couple steps toward the opening to outside and saw the massive stadium before us, in the middle of everything, just there. It was crazy, it was totally breathtaking. It literally stopped me in my tracks =). We went in and it only got more incredible. Walking around the outside of it, it is obvious how all of the other stadiums that I have been in have been built in its image, which makes total sense since the design is amazingly efficient. When we got up to the top and stood in the little outlet overlooking everything, it began to rain. The rain picked up and, next thing you know, it was totally pouring down. Everyone was scurrying around, trying to find placed to hide from the rain. My little walking-tour speaker thing was telling me about how overhangs were built to protect the people from sun and rain, but I thing these must have fallen apart or something because they were nowhere to be found. Eventually the rain died down, and we were able to continue our exploration. The whole thing was incredible.
After this, we ate at a little restaurant right by the coliseum. We had pesto pasta and a vegetarian pizza which was even better than that of the night before and, of course, wine. After this, we walked/metro’d back to the hostel, changed out of our soaked clothes, and look a little nap before going to the Vatican.
St. Peter’s square was not at all like I imagined it. First of all, I thought it would be a square, and its not. The pillars, and buildings that create the oval-shaped piazza are decorated with statues and carved with beautiful artwork. To me, the basically was almost secondary to the plaza itself, which was beautiful, and encompassing of all within it in a way that almost made me feel as if I was inside a church or museum even though I was outside in the rain. The “square” was all set up for the Christmas mass (it was Christmas eve). There were white screens everywhere for the mass to later be projected upon for the public to see. There was a beautiful nativity scene set up and, shortly after we arrived, one of the cardinals came out and into it, where he said some stuff and did some stuff that I didn’t understand. We talked to some guards dressed in dress-like outfits, which were pretty cool. We bought gifts, and then trudged our way back to the metro and returned to the hostel.
We, for some reason, went to sleep at like 8 or 9 every night in Rome
... tbc...
The guards in dresses are the Swiss Guard, I think. I don't know their history, but they "guard" the Vatican. I think there are others, not in dresses, with sub-machine guns instead of pikes.
ReplyDeleteYour descriptions are evocative, Tierney. Thanks for sharing the wonder of this adventure, and of your relationships with the people and place.