Roman Holiday

Bonjourno!

After a check-in adventure, things were pretty smooth leaving New York. I arrived in Rome, Italy at 8:15am local time - which, for the mathematically weak (like, me for example) is 2:15am. I was sitting at a window, on the right side of the plane and when we were landing, the sun glistenend off the sea, the umbrella pines reached up to the sky, looking like poodle tails. The homes all had beautiful red terra cotta tile roofs and the whole scene was just so Mediterranean, my heart kind of jumped and I was so happy to be back in the region.

I was sitting next to a nice woman named Shelly who is a bronze and marble sculptor. She lives in a little village north of Pisa and was in the US making arrangements for a gallery showing in October. We discussed art, philosophy, books, it was wonderful and the time passed very quickly. In the end, I only slept about 3 or 4 hours. She invited me to the gallery show and joined the Golden Birthday Bandwagon.

I went via train and bus to the Rome Zoo first. Though, that trip took about 1 hour longer than it should have because I dont speak Italian and the bus drivers kept forgetting to tell me when to get off! I met with IY, who used to be my boss in the Biblical Zoo and is now the Curator of Mammals at Rome. The zoo was not that great, though to be fair, its almost 100 years old. He was raelly helpful though in that he also gave me maps and a sense of what i should plan to do to maximize my time. I had to be back at the airport at 9:00pm.

"I" sent me through the terraza near Villa de Medici and past Villa Burgese, where there is a huge collection of Bernini statuary. The day was a litlte cool, but sunny and the walk was pleasant. The trees were beginning to bloom and it was kind of mesmerizing to hear the lilting sounds of people's conversations in Italian around me. The terraza overlooked a valley filled with a mix of old ruins and ornate architecture. I followed the path down to the Piazza de Poppolo, which has a tremendous obelisk in the center, and an eliiptical ring of shops and old buildings surrounding. the scene was at once so quaint and yet ancient, that I wandered, bemused around the Piazza, looking at all the shops and buildings. I saw frescos, statues, historical landmarks, coffee bars (Just called "Bar") and chapels (Basilicas). Using the only three words I knew, Prego (Please), Grazi (Thank you) and Arividerci or Ciao ('Bye) I made my way down a large street called Via de Coro, which had shops, marketplaces, artists, coffee bars, and a bustling crowd of shoppers and tourists. When I say tat this was a major street, What i mean is that its actually a 2 way road, though there is really only room for one car at a time. I havent decided yet if its more dangerous to be a pedestrian or a passenger in Italy. Its a toss up.

Every block there were enticing little winding streets or alleys that branched off, and following them sometimes lead to wondrous and rewarding sights. I stumbled onto the artist colony alley while looking for the Pantheon. And I managed to find my way to Triveri fountain, which is famous, by meandering around the alleyways.

At the end of via de Coro is a huge intersection where and imposing building, called the Altar of Nations stands. I dont know what its funcion is, save that it was my landmark, but I didnt go in. I went around it and headed to the Colloseum. I walked around the Arch of Constantine and Titus, though I was too late to get too close to Titus and see the famous relief sculpture of the Menorah being taken away from Jerusalem when it was conquered in 70CE. That saddened me a little.

The Colloseum is imposing and majestic, but in a cruel and brooding way. The edges of the crumbling ruin look jagged and slightly menacing.

I met some Penn State students and we walked around a little bit together. They had some tips on things to see too.

I missed seeing the Sistine Chapel. which I would really have loved. I sat at a "Bar" and drank REAL cappucino, like, ITALIAN capuccino and I have to say - it is SO GOOD. I also noticed that pizza is served in restaurants, with cloth napkins and eaten with a fork and knife. The crust is so thin - it looks like flatbreads! So much for folding a slice in half and eating it while you drive:)

I walked all over creation it seemed, and shot a roll of film. It was a very full day, and very satisfying. I was listening to my MP3 player all day and the music added to my sense of being on a tour all of my own.

When I left for the airport, it was getting dark and chillier. I felt satisfued that i had a full day and i was more than ready to collapse.

So i got on a plane to Israel, had a row to myself and slept a few hours for the flight.

When I got here, the sweet smelling, early morning, misty air greeted me like and old friend and I was touched and choked up at being back.


Missing you terribly,
Ciao