Letters From Our Vacation Part 2 of ?

Hey Cool Birds, this is part 2 of my wife's letter's from our vacation. for those of you that missed the last group of letters click here...

Holy S*** Wednesday (sorry Mom but it was necessary)

After such an amazing Tuesday we couldn’t get to sleep.  We talked and watched some BBC News (it’s the only thing in English on TV).  I re-packed, got clean, and dressed for the next day (you know I hate to wake up any earlier than necessary).  Rudy set the alarm for 8 am so we could make it to the hotel’s breakfast and then check out by 11:30 am.  We were changing hotels later on in the day.  We went to sleep around 3:15 am.

I was rudely awakened by the phone ringing.  It was the front desk asking if we had decided to stay.  I said no and she said that it was 11:50 am and that check out was at 11:30 am.  Rudy’s alarm did not go off.  We jumped out of bed and hurried to get ourselves together, grab all of our stuff, and run to the front desk to check out.  I didn’t even get to put make-up on until we got to the lobby.  Needless to say we missed breakfast.  This was not the way to start the day.  Luckily the hotel did not charge us extra for checking out late and they held our luggage until we returned from our day trip.

We went to Fior Fiore again for lunch.  This time we had Gnocchi.  Rudy got Tomato Gnocchi and I got Cheese Gnocchi.  They were both good in flavors although Rudy’s was better.  His Gnocchi was lighter and the flavor was brighter.  We ended up sharing. 

We left and headed off to see our next site… Vatican City.  Now let’s clear a few things up.  I’m not religious and Catholicism really isn’t my thing, however, it is a site worth seeing.  We walked there and as we approached the view became more fantastic.  It was like the scene when Dorothy and the gang entered the Emerald City.  It seemed fairytale-ish.  We bypassed the ridiculously long line of tourists dressed in matching shirts and hats by walking around to the back side of the Vatican.  We entered and had a flashback of airport security although they were less frisky.  Good thing too.  This is a place of God not strip show.  LOL!!

We bought our tickets and went at it alone.  No $60 per person tours for us!!  We were smart enough to figure it out on our own and we need to watch our pennies.  Italy is expensive!!  Turns out we’re not that smart but luckily for us we didn’t need to be.  The Vatican is just one ostentatious love letter.  Love letter to whom?  No, not God, it’s a love letter to the pope.  As overwhelmingly beautiful as some individual aspects were, it was equally (if not more so) overwhelmingly disgusting and gawdy (not Godly).  I just kept wondering why a “man of God” needs to be so showy. 

The Vatican is full of religious artifacts (as we all knew it would be), historical do-dads, works of art, oh and a little thing I like to call the genius room.  You may know it as The Sistine Chapel.  Now as much as I was rather turned off by the blatant “rub my wealth in your face” of it all of the pope’s place, I have to say that the jaw dropping amazingness of The Sistine Chapel is a sight to behold with one’s own eyes.  I have often heard of art making people have physical reactions but have never experience myself until today.  The beauty and the technique actually made me weep (not cry but weep).  I can’t really even begin to describe what I saw but I’ll give it a pathetic try.

Side note: Right before we walked it Rudy and I took a potty break.  Excuse the crudeness of this next bit but Rudy had the chance to make His bathroom time holy and He did.   LOL!!

 

Anywhoo, we walked in and amidst the crowd I found myself taken aback with the enormity of work and the extreme detail.  As an artist I can’t imagine ever even tackling a wall let alone a chapel of this size.  The lower walls were painted to look like woven curtains that shimmered with gold.  The play between light and dark with the paint actually caused them to appear to be moving.  It was crazy.  The walls and the ceiling are covered in a story that I don’t know but will soon find out (I’m actually going to have to research this in detail).  Every stroke was intentional.  The walls and the ceiling looked like people and architectural details were carved out and sculpted but they weren’t. It’s all an optical illusion.  I can’t even fathom how anyone can think the way one would need to think to produce a piece of artwork that encompasses a story, this level of technique, and this size. Michelangelo is nothing short of a genius.  I’m glad the Vatican exists just so the Chapel can (Yup, we’re that tight now that I can drop the Sistine).  After we saw that there was no need to see anything else, so we left.

We began our long walk back to our first hotel to pick up our luggage and catch a $22 crazy cab ride to our next hotel.  Italians drive CRAZY!!  We got to our new hotel which seems to be somewhat removed from the city.  We’ll have to check that out in the days to come.  We decided to eat at the hotel restaurant but had to wait 2 hours for it to open.  It wasn’t worth the wait.  They served me the wrong dish.  It was a horror film featuring spaghetti and funghi (mushroom in Italian).  It was so disgusting I didn’t eat more than a bite but I’m sure I’ll be having nightmares about it.  No need to write more about tonight’s dinner.  It was a failure.

So far we’re not crazy about this new hotel.  Let’s hope tomorrow is better.  It’s seems to be in the middle of nowhere with horrible internet service that they make you pay for.  It hasn’t been working since we bought it.  We’ve been trying since 6 pm yesterday.  Currently it’s 8:39 am.  We haven’t slept. 

We’ve been dreaming of our escape from this crappy hotel.  It looks nice but everything that glitters isn’t gold.  We’re hoping to meet someone off of Couch Surfers.  Hopefully he’ll take us around the city but who knows.  Today (Thursday) is a holiday here.  Things are looking up.  We just got internet service so we can shoot this blog out to you all.  If you don’t hear from us for a couple days it’s because we’re still stuck in hotel hell.  We’ll get in touch with you when we get to Madrid on Sat. night.  Wish us luck!!

Tired Thursday
Hello All,

We went to bed about 9 am and got up around 5 pm.  We slept all day.  We finally escaped our hotel prison tonight (Thursday).  We really hate this place.  We took a cab into the city, ate at a few places (I got more deliciousness from my Gelato Shop), and looked at a few of the festive happenings around the town.  Missing the comfort and convenience, we wandered back to our first hotel.  We asked them to call a taxi for us.  They're so lovely.  They called us a cab and invited us in so we didn't have to wait in the cold.  We miss them.  This was our least interesting day but we plan to go to bed at a decent hour tonight (it's only 12:35 am Friday) and then get up to explore the town on our last full day in Rome.

Filling Friday

Today was our last full day in Rome.  We went and saw the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit, got some delicious treats from the Gelato Shop (Coffee & Caramel Ice Cream for me and Pear and White Fig Sorbet for Rudy), walked /got lost in the streets of Rome (it was cool though, we needed to kill time), had the worse hot chocolate EVER!!, and then went back to our new favorite restaurant, AnticaPesa, where we enjoyed a marvelous meal.  Now it's time to pack.  We're off to see Madrid tomorrow night!!

Things I’ve learned or observed while being in Rome-

• Cypress Trees bring a new focal point in the sky for my eyes.  They look like beautiful broccoli jetting up from the earth, dwarfing everything else around them.

• While the Italian language is lovely, it is great to hear the familiar sounds of American English.  It almost becomes like a breath for the ears.
• Ice is wonderful.  While being here I have found out that cold drinks seem to be rare.  Even drinks that are presented to us as cold really seem to be room temperature.  Asking for ice is like asking for the moon.  “What a strange request?”, seems to be the physical response I get.
• I appreciate water.  Water out here is pretty gross to me.  The tap water is hard and the bottled water is almost thick and not refreshing at all, however, it is better than the soda which is odd tasting to say the least.  Water and soda are more expensive than beer and wine.  It’s like they’re pushing everyone to be alcoholics.
• Simplicity in cooking is under-rated.  If done correctly it can have just as big of an impact (if not more) than some fancy schmancy, complicated dish.
• While Italian food is divine, there is a lot to be said about the diversity found in the American food culture.  I’d love to mix my Italian food up from time to time with a little Mexican, Chinese, or Soul food. 
• It amazes me how businesses stay in business whilst selling the exact same thing as everyone else.  While I understand we do the same thing in the states to some extent, the way it is done here seems to be more concentrated.  Everyone on the block seems to be selling the exact same thing in the exact same way as the guy next to them and the ones around the corner. Once again, I miss variety.
• Cobblestone streets suck!!  They are cute but not practical.
• There are no “real” driving laws in this town.  Watching people drive here is like watching a sport at its nail biting conclusion.  You never know if the “mini” semi is going to fit down the alley that barely seems large enough for a motorcycle or if the motorcycle will be able to swerve in and out of the way of pedestrians and other vehicles in an “S” like formation without injuring someone or if the taxi cab white-lining through traffic will get its passengers safely to their destination.
• With the aforementioned being said, taxi cab rides are like rollercoaster rides at your favorite amusement park.  They are bumpy, twisty, and dangerous but oddly fun (most of the time).
• In tiny vehicles (which is every vehicle out here.  Even bigger cars/trucks seem smaller in comparison to cars in the US.), you can park any way you please.  We saw a row of tiny cars parked in every direction right next to each other.
• Being in a taxi cab, in any place that is foreign to you, is a gamble.  You hope that the cab driver is trustworthy.  You pray that they will not take you to a location off the beaten path and put you in a crazy situation where death or ransom becomes your only options.  You hope that they get you where you need to be in the fastest, cheapest, and safest way possible but because you are new to this place you’ll probably never know. 
• Being a visible minority in a new place where I’m not sure or comfortable with the way I am being received gives me an odd appreciation for cultural understanding as I have come to know it in the states (ie- racism).  At least I know where and if I’m “wanted” most of the time back home.  Here it is a guessing game.  The stares and comments in Italian leave me wondering.
• Smiling is severely under-rated as is genuine polite human contact.  The few times Rudy and I felt as if we were making a “connection” with someone outside of ourselves we drank it in like water and we had been wondering out in the desert.
• Watching Italians walk past amazing historical monuments without batting an eye makes me realize how we all take the wonders of our world for granted.
• There seems to be a definite “look” with regards to style that Italians have.  Belted puffy/plush jackets with boots, elaborate scarves, interesting color/texture/pattern combinations.
• Italian women are talented.  Their ability to walk all day in stilettos on cobblestone without stumbling or looking like they’re in pain is astonishing.
• Italian women seem to love Patten leather.
• Italian men seem to love the color lavender.

• Italian kids seem to have a lot of individual style and personality.

• Brown people in this town have it rough.  Indians and Senegalese men corner the market for street vending.  I know that they’re only trying to make a living but the sheer number of them makes walking down the street annoying.  If you are Brown and you’re not a street merchant you have to overcome that stigma.  You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.  It kinda sucks.
• I love yards!! Front yards and backyards seem to be missing from this landscape.
• The aforementioned being said, Rome seems very much like San Francisco.
• There don’t seem to be any bugs in Italy.  The whole time we’ve been here I’ve seen 1 gnat.  That’s it!!
• I miss smoke free air.  People smoke like chimneys out here.  I love the ban we have on smoking in California and hope it only becomes more rigorous.
• Michelangelo was a true genius!!
• Georgia O’Keeffe’s art was given way too much weight and depth.

• Again Michelangelo was a true genius.  I don’t even really like the style of art he did but his technique and vision were so phenomenal and awe-inspiring that I’ll be a fan for life.
• It’s great to have your best friend to travel with to keep things “normal” and light when they really aren’t.