Hello, my wonderful family and friends! Today was my last day in Rome. I leave first thing in the morning. As I write this it's 8:30 at night. I finally got tired today, because last night I woke up several times, but I got up at 6 AM anyway. That's my first touch of jet lag. Weird, huh?
I wanted to get out early because I had lots to do. They don't serve breakfast until 7:30, so it was 8:15 before I finally got out.
First I wanted to walk over to Santa Maria Maggiore because it's a really big church and it's only a block away. That's the picture you see above. It's one of 4 churches in Rome (including St. Peter's) that are owned by the Vatican. That means it is actually part of Vatican City. So I went up to the big steps in what I thought was the front, only to find them fenced off and a homeless person still sleeping in a blanket on the bottom step. I had to walk all the way around to find the entrance on the other side. It is definitely very fancy inside, with many colors of inlaid marble. All I can say is, these churches are very expensive and beautiful in their Baroque style, but they don't carry as good a spirit as our chapels, let alone the temple.
Next stop: St. Peter in Chains Church to see Michaelangelo's sculpture of Moses. I also had difficulty finding that place. At the top of this long alley climbing a tall staircase I turned left (found out later I should have turned right, it would have been really easy) and couldn't find it, so just started following a line of people. It turned out they were students and I followed them right into some kind of scientific university! I knew the church had to be right on the other side of it, so I kept trying to get through, but no luck. Finally these 3 custodians gave me 'can't miss it' directions in Italian, and I just went the way they pointed. But that didn't work either, so I came back and they pointed upstairs this time! So I went up these stairs and followed a nice long corridor, and Voila! I came out right on the steps of the church!
That's exactly why I'm making this pre-trip, so I don't have to do this kind of malarkey with a whole string of people following me!
The church was nothing special, but I really liked the Moses. I sat on a marble step and looked at it for a long while. How can somebody start with a big block of rock, and turn it into something as amazing as that? You can even see his personality! You can tell he felt like he had to fight for everything and he was really a strong, sinewy spiritual giant, but he felt a little defensive and protective of his tablets.
I walked downhill toward the Colosseum and through this lovely green park with huge old ruins that used to be the emperor Nero's palace. People are just walking their dogs like it's normal to be surrounded by thousands of years of history. What kind of a town has a bus and Metro stop called "Colosseum?"
I've been looking all over for decent posters of Rome, and there really aren't any, but I finally found a few that will do at the newsstand at the Colosseum. Then I went hunting for a better bus route map and ended up going through the Forum for the WC. Who goes to the Roman Forum for the WC? Anyway, I wandered a few more places in there I hadn't been.
At that point I decided if I was ever going to try to get in touch with Casa Kolbe, the convent where we stayed on the 6th grade trips to Rome, I was just going to have to walk over there and bang on their door. So I did. The door was locked and no one answered. So I rang all the doorbells, one at a time. On the last one, a woman finally answered in Italian. I asked about a room, and could not understand the answer. So I waited to see if anyone was going to answer the door, but no, so I rang the bell again. This time a man came on, and I asked if he spoke English. Yes! Hallelujah! I asked if they had rooms for groups, and he siad not more. I asked how long since and he said maybe 20 years. So at least now I know that place is not a possibility!
After this I had to hike all the way back around the Circus Maximus and the Palatine Hill to the Collosseum Metro stop to head out to Ostia Antica. You have to change to the train system, and I had to wait for the train to leave, so it took about an hour to get out there. It's only about a quarter mile walk from the train station to Ostia, which is ruins of an ancient seaport city to Rome.
I so wished I had a guided tour of Ostia. After wandering all over the place, I figured out how I would give the tour to kids and tighten up the time spent.To me the coolest thing is complete ampitheater and the mosaic tile floors that still have the pictures of fish and ships and things on the sidewalks to advertise their wares.
Ostia was practially deserted, so I was surprised to find they have a cafeteria. I had a piece of vegetarian quiche to give me some much-needed energy for the train ride back to town. I was getting sleepy!
I decided to stop at the white marble Pyrimide and see it and the city gate and supposedly get up on the wall. That was a bust, you can't get up on the city walls. I had to stop at the Colosseum one more time to try to get the man to give me a receipts for the posters I bought. I did the whole transaction in Italian. I was proud of myself!!
The last place I really needed to check out for my June trip was the Cappuccine (sp?) monks' crypt. When I pinned down the location, it turned out to be at the exact spot where I stopped chasing the red bus yesterday! So at least I knew how to get there.
This crypt is really weird, with all kinds of decorations made out of human skulls and shoulder blades and vertebrae and jawbones and stuff. All the pieces come from the monks of that order, dating back to the 1500's. I think kids would love to be grossed out by it!
For the evening, I wanted to do a certain walk described in Rick Steve's book. It was the time of the evening Passagiata (everybody stroll in the middle of the streets for an evening walk) but my feet are working about like clubs now, so I kept hopping on busses big and small to see the territory. I'm finally starting to get the hang of the busses. I took one to Piazza del Poppolo, and then another to Piazza Venezia to the Wedding Cake (actual name Monument to Victor Emmanuel.)
Did I ever tell you that the Wedding Cake is a huge white marble building in the center of Rome, built to honor the first Italian King after the country was finally unified in about 1860? It also contains guards at the flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a military museum. It's so big you can see it from St. Peter's. Anyway, there's lots of bus stops on that square.
I decided supper had to be another fabulous Spinach and Ricotta pizza like last night, so I hopped another bus in that direction. I found another way into Campo Fiori (a nearby square) and got my pizza, and guess what, started chasing a little electric bus I wanted to get onto, but he didn't see me, and so I lost him. Again!
So by this time I'm getting really tired, but it's only about 6:30, and I don't want to go home yet, so I got on the right bus, but going the other direction. I rode it all the way out to Vatican City, and then just stayed on and rode it all the way back to the other end, which is near my hotel.
One thing I really like about Rome is all the curbs are made of white marble. It's dirty and gum-stained, but it's marble instead of cement!
Mom, every day I've been wearing those black shoes we bought in St. George. They are saving my feet in this impossible situation.
Heidi, I just discovered you were not on my e-mail list, so I added you. You'll now be able to get my doings on your hotmail.
This really creepy guy is on the computer next to me looking at motorcycle parts and the writing is all in Chinese!
I'm going to bed. If I can find an internet place, tomorrow night I'll be writing from Florence!
Love,
Mom
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