Eventually all roads lead to somewhere

Thursday, October 16, 2008
Rome, Italy

Not sure what Rome street this is but I am sure I walked down it many, many times.

Well today was a real mix of business and pleasure. While I am attempting to be perfectly spontaneous while on this trip that part of me that needs to plan and be prepared is still much louder. So my first stop this morning was at Station Termi, which is the main train station here in Rome. I will be heading out of the city on Saturday and as I figure that will be a busy travel day I needed to be slightly prepared. I have myself a rail pass for Italy and Greece (when ever it is I make it there) but as European train travel is new to me (as is European travel in general) I thought I would stop by and make sure I knew what was going on. I did have to wait in line for a short while to get my pass validated.....and to find out that I don’t actually need to make a reservation to ride the train. Of course that is only on certain trains and I had to go somewhere else to figure out which ones…....and then they wanted to send me back to the ticket window to find out. I have found people in Rome pretty helpful and very nice...…until I went to the train station…..and then I found them annoyed by questions. Anyway, I think I have figured out which trains I can ride without a reservation or paying any extra money so I will hop on board sometime on Saturday and hopefully not get fined.

I then headed out to find the Pantheon. It is suppose to be one of the most recognizable buildings in the city….but of course I could not find it. I had highlighted out my route to the Pantheon…of course that was from my hotel and not the train station and thought I could make the adjustments…..but could not. I just cannot figure out which direction I am walking and even when you ask I can only get so far before I am completely disorientated (I am going to be in real trouble when I get to Venice I think).

Not the Pantheon but another random dome I found while walking.

Eventually I did find it and it was worth it. The Pantheon is actually now a church (it was originally built by the pagan Octavos so not always a church). It is now the acting Basilica di Santa Maria and Martyrs. Like most it has a very nice high dome ceiling but like not many others, that dome is open to the air.

That means that it rains in the church when it rains outside. There are 22 holes on the concave floor that drain any water away.

A couple of those 22 holes.

It also happens to be the oldest Christian Basilica. It is interesting to know that due to the design of the building the walls’ thickness actually gets less the higher the building gets.

There were a few people visiting the Pantheon while I was there but still managed to get a few pictures.

The front of the Pantheon.

The Basilica is also the home to the statue the Madonna of the Stone, which may mean nothing to most people (it certainly meant nothing to me) until you find out that this statue stands above the tomb of the artist Raphael. They needed to be sure though (because gossip said he wasn’t there), so the tomb actually was dug up and the contents confirmed.

All my wrong turns and walking in circles actually worked out good because I happened to be at the Pantheon the same time as one of the tour groups, which is not at all strange except that this tour group happened to include the Tse Family from Calgary. Some of you will have no idea who I am talking about but they have long been involved in Track and Field in Calgary and happened to belong to the same club as me…CALTAF. I have not seen Kim or Tim for a few years…...so it makes sense that I would run into them in Rome. Kim has been disconnected from Facebook for a few weeks…..which would explain why I did not know they were in the area as well. They had to leave quickly as their group was leaving, which reminded me again why I am doing this trip mostly on my own. I lingered a bit longer before trying to make my way back to Via Venento and my hotel.

My route took me past the infamous Fontana di Trevi. This of course is an amazing fountain and any movie you have seen set in Rome will have at least one shot of it. The story goes if you throw a coin in the fountain over your shoulder, you will return to Rome. I did not throw a coin in. If I want to return to Rome I will.

A few shots of the Fontana di Trevi

I also took the opportunity to stop in a few random churches along the way. So amazing because from the outside they all look old and bland but when you walk inside it is completely different. Amazing too because while they all have some sort of story behind their existence, they are still just churches….not basilicas not cathedrals. So well maintained and so amazing to look at.

The ceiling of one of those random churches.

My trip back to the hotel was actually really quick. I was able to follow my highlighted route on my map without issue. Maybe I am getting the hang of this city after all.

Some random old stuff just down the street from my hotel.

Julie

And I didn't get struck by lightning

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Rome, Italy

Me in front of St. Peter's Cathedral

I managed to find my breakfast spot again (really it is not hard so that should not be a surprise). I consulted my map and planned a nice quick and direct route to the Vatican….I however crossed the road one block too soon and had a few issues working my way back….but no worries because I got there and I never actually got hit by a car or a scooter, but almost by this guy on a bike but I think he would have also been hurt so whatever.

One of the statues around the top of Piazza di San Pietro (St. Peter's Square).

I was told there would be a queue to get in but had no idea it would be over a kilometre long. I really wanted to see St. Peter’s Basilica though so I stood in line for close to an hour to get through security. It is always faster if you are with a group but I wanted to move at my own pace so decided against joining a tour of any kind.

From the "it could be worse" file. These guys have to wear this all day long. They are the Pope's guards. For some reason I don't find them that intimidating.

To say that St. Peter’s is breathtaking is an understatement. Now you know me. I am not catholic (I could be considered the anti-catholic) I am not religious (spiritual yes, but not certainly not religious) but this place is truly amazing. I actually stood for a little while at the place where the Basilica of Immaculate Conception (in DC) ends and looked around and saw just how much more there is at St. Peter’s. Just awesome....really really awesome.

Me inside St. Peter's.

The first thing I had to do though was head up to the cupola or the dome. We are talking 551 steps up. I thought the steps at St. Paul’s (in London) were bad but they were nothing compared to this. At one point I had to walk sideways because that is the way the wall was leaning. But it was worth it…the view of Rome from the top can’t be compared to anywhere else. Going down for the most part was much easier but old stone steps are not always the easiest to navigate.

A few of those stairs. They were fun. I enjoyed it....and so did my ass.

From the top of St. Peter's.

Looking down at St. Peter's Square.

I then took a trip through the Tombs of the Popes, mainly because I was there and figured I should. Really nothing too special, a bunch of people praying, some old tombs…certainly not a highlight (for me anyways). I am sure if I was catholic it would mean more but alas I am not so I did not linger for long.

I then left the Basilica and headed to the place I really wanted to be. That place is of course the Vatican Museums. They are a whole collection of museums that are all connected. I grabbed myself an audio tour as I thought that would help with the orientation of the place….it did not at first but made a lot of sense later. I am pretty use to audio tours in other cities that literally take you step by step where you should be and where to turn…not here though. It will tell you a lot about what you are looking at….but you have to find it first. There is so much stuff in this place….you could spend a day or two just here. I think I skipped entire museums (because I couldn’t find them) and the crowds really annoyed me (it has been reconfirmed that I have a general dislike for people, which is odd considering my chosen profession) but I saw everything I needed to.

One of those ceilings.

The Vatican Museums are former palaces for Popes of the past. Most rooms have some connection to one pope or another and rooms changed as the tastes of the popes changed. Some times the rooms, the walls and/or ceilings are the only things on display but each gives you a feeling of great times of the past.

The purpose and style of this room has changed several times over the years. Now it is home to a whole lot of statues.

Highlights for me included the rooms by Raphael and/or his students. Many of the rooms were commissioned for him to complete but he died before he could do it. Many were finished by his students, off sketches that he drew.

Of course the biggest highlight is the Sistine Chapel and the ceiling painted by Michelangelo. I had no idea what it would really be and look like, standing in a room looking up at what I have only known from books or movies or TV. I stood breathless for what seemed like a long time. I listened to every word the audio tour told me about that ceiling…..and heard none of it. And there is nothing more I can say.

Once I left the Vatican things got a little dicey for me. We have already discussed my complete inability to navigate and it gets even worse when the sun goes down. I spent at least 30 minutes walking in the wrong direction….. before I realized I was walking in the wrong direction. My 30 minute walk home took…..well lets just say a lot longer. Eventually I did get back and had a great dinner just down the street. I can honestly say there is nothing half a litre of wine can’t solve.

One of the random things I walked by when I was lost. I think it is a church but I am not sure.

Julie

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

December 18, 2007


I of course could not leave Washington without taking a tour of the Basilica (no I am not going to type out the whole name everytime), partially because it is featured in my book of architectual details and partially because I drove past it to and from work. It is featured in my book because of its Byzantine Revival mosaic covered dome. It is quite impressive to see, however the mosaics that I found inside were even more amazing. Every surface of the upper church (the main part of the Basilica) are covered with a different mosaic. So beautiful to see.

A couple of the many mosaics that cover not only the ceilings, but also the walls and some parts of the floors in the Basilica

This was the most recent addition to the Basilica ceiling. It is composed of around 2.4 million tiles of coloured glass. The mosaic was originally designed and put together in Italy. It was then attached to paper coated with a flour glue. The mosaic was then cut into sections and shipped to Washington in 346 boxes where each section was then placed on the dome. I cannot imagine the patience a person would have to have to put something like this together.

I found this on the crypt level of the Basilica (the lower level). It is a tribute to african-american history in the US. Farthest away it depicts slavery and the voyage slaves made from Africa, it then moves into the Civil War and the end of slavery and the struggle freed slaves faced, through the civil rights movement (the riots, the protests, the fear) and finally the present, where everyone should be standing tall and proud and equal.

Julie