Places We'll See

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Yeah, the boys of summer are old men now, but every once in a while, the sun shines bright on us.
10/24/2024

Yeah, the boys of summer are old men now, but every once in a while, the sun shines bright on us.

10/18/2016

Okay, the pictures are driving me crazy. That and lack of any technical skills. This slideshow, if it works, goes with the day three narrative. #%@*%!@!!

Day three began with a trip to the Fontana di Trevi of “Three Coins in the Fountain” fame. Current legend says you shoul...
10/17/2016

Day three began with a trip to the Fontana di Trevi of “Three Coins in the Fountain” fame. Current legend says you should toss two coins into the fountain, the first to insure safe travels and the second to deliver you safely back to the fountain. Surprisingly enough the coins are used to maintain the fountain and support local charities. We proved the legend true by returning during one of our evening walks.

Next came the Spanish Steps. I expected some story about Roman adventures in Spain, but found out it had to do with the Spanish Embassy being located there. It is also the location of numerous high-end shopping establishments. Saint Mary is there too and the Pope visits her every year.

Chariot racing was a major attraction and the square we visited next started out as a racing venue and evolved into a popular tourist plaza “Piazza Navona.” Built in the first century AD as a race stadium it was converted to a square and became the papal residence. It is now a lively place to visit lined with restaurants and plenty of shops.

For centuries the Romans had been persecuting Christians/Catholics at least until the third century AD. In 324 AD Constantine defeated Licinius and became sole ruler of the Roman Empire. His victory made the empire safe for Christianity and ended the time-honored tradition of feeding Christians to the lions and such. Slowly but surely the Catholics took over centuries old empire structures, rehabilitated them, and turned them into churches. The Pope also became a political and religious leader.

A couple blocks away is the Pantheon. Originally built as a temple to Pagan Gods and what a surprise, it is now a Catholic church. Right across the street is a great coffee shop to re-energize weary travelers. Revitalized we headed for the Vatican. Sorry, no pictures allowed in the Sistine Chapel. There are lots of museums, sculptures, paintings, and other works of art to look at outside the Chapel, which also serves as the papal residence. We visited St. Peter Square and St. Peter Basilica, the largest of the four papal basilicas. There is even a roped off gold inlaid ruler of sorts showing where other basilicas and other large churches would fit in. Only the pope can say mass at the ornate alter in the Peter Basilica. Although the official papal residence is in the Sistine Chapel building, the current pope lives in the small apartment where the guards protect the entrance.

Made a pit stop for a quick lunch of pizza, sold by the pound not the piece, and then we went to Peter’s backup guy St Paul Basilica. Smaller than Peter’s but still impressive. Here is a quiz for all you good Catholics: the four major Basilicas have a Jubilee Door or Holy Door, do you know what they are for and why this year is special?

At this point the meter ran out on Alexandro and we were left to wander somewhat less aimlessly through the streets of Rome before heading for Ostia on the Mediterranean Coast.

Day four began with Italian movie stars strutting their stuff in front of our hotel, but it was the sculptures that took...
10/17/2016

Day four began with Italian movie stars strutting their stuff in front of our hotel, but it was the sculptures that took notice when Jan flashed her Duck gear in the Piazza Navona. We even saw one of them texting her picture. Motor Scooters are everywhere and you need to look out for them when crossing the street, even worse than bike riders in PDX. We found some remains of the aqueducts and last but not least Mussolini’s addition to the Roman building culture.

Next stop the Mediterranean

Hey! Where are the pictures? Opps.
10/14/2016

Hey! Where are the pictures? Opps.

10/13/2016

Full of pasta and wine we headed for the Roman Forum. This was the center of Roman government as well as being the cultural center dating back to BC. You can tell Alexandro was doing his job pointing out the various structures within the Forum.

A short walk up a backstreet hill took us to the Piazza del Campidoglio. Designed by Michelangelo in the mid 1500’s the square and the sculptures are beautiful. Even the stairs leading up to it were built so horses could easily make the climb. That is Marcus Aurelius sitting astride his horse commanding the square. At the base and slightly around the corner is a typical Roman middle-class condo building.

With lunch, vino, and lots of walking taking its toll we headed back to the hotel to re-coop before Jan and I headed out on our own for the evening. We had soaked up a lot of history and culture, so a short nap was in order before venturing out into the cool night air.

Day 2 continued with a visit to the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli. When Pope Julius II commissioned/demanded that Mi...
10/06/2016

Day 2 continued with a visit to the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli. When Pope Julius II commissioned/demanded that Michelangelo Buonarroti paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Renowned as a great sculpture, he had to learn the art of painting and did it on his back. He was not a happy camper, so when Pope Julius II commissioned him to sculpt Moses for his tomb. Michelangelo sculpted Moses looking away from the pope, sort of an artistic way of flipping off Julius II.

The sculpture with all the arrows is St. Augustine getting shot up by the Romans, but he didn’t die. Unfortunately the Romans caught up with him later and made certain work of it. Hey, back then the Romans were still persecuting Christians.

The feet are castings from where Jesus stood when he met up with Peter who was heading to Rome. The true casting is at the Church of Domine Quo Vadis (Church of St Mary in Palmis) along the Appian Way where Jan is standing with Alexandro. Appian Way is the Roman road from Rome to Naples. At about the three mile mark stands the Tomb of Caecilia Metella who was the daughter of a Roman Consul during the first century BC.

Went into the Catacombes, but they said no pictures…trust me it was pretty cool. Next stop was the Circus Maximus. For you Ben Hur fans this is where the chariot race would have taken place. As many as 300,000 people could attend an event/chariot race and over looking it is the Palatino, the original Roman Palace. After a full morning of sightseeing we stopped for a lunch of traditional antipasto, amatriciana, cacio e pepe, and a little vino. Was going to take a picture but we ate it instead.

Okay, after wandering aimlessly on Day One I/we got some professional help for Day Two. Full disclosure, my daughter-in-...
09/16/2016

Okay, after wandering aimlessly on Day One I/we got some professional help for Day Two. Full disclosure, my daughter-in-law recommended a Rome guide. Being the great procrastinator I waited until the last minute to contact them. Contacted marcorometours.com, made arrangements, they took our money, and we headed for Italy. Tuesday morning at 8am Alexandro showed up at our hotel prepared to introduce this ugly American and his wife to Roman history, culture, and tradition. If I had half the passion Alexandro has I would be inspirational.

We headed out to the Colosseum. While Alexandro headed off to get us tickets, Jan and I queued up to get in. The line started moving so fast we had to excuse ourselves and move to the back. We were some of the first people in. The construction techniques are unbelievable, three different materials used, the engineering planning, and all of it done so thousands of people could come watch people kill animals and people, party on. I will have to admit that anything I build will maybe last five years (my kids will dispute the estimated constructional longevity of my work), but these people built things to last. Regardless of the purpose of use, the construction and design of the Colosseum is incredible.

Three rings of walls supported the structure. As you can see much of it is still standing. Look at the white seats, those are for the big wigs (politicians) while the women had to sit at the very top. Notice the flat platform level that is the main floor level. Now consider where the performance level (stage level) is in relation to the white seats where the big wigs sat. If any of the wild animals (tigers, lions, etc.) got out of the arena, whom would they eat first? In this election year how cool would that be?

All of the stuff at center stage is below stage level. This is like the dressing room area. Gladiators, wild animals, and crazy Christians magically appeared on stage using lifts and ramps, one picture shows a reconstructed pulley elevator and ramp. One picture shows ruins on a grassy knoll with arches underneath. On top is the temple of Venus and Roman. Underneath is where they kept the animals, equipment, and stuff needed to put on shows.

Place held about 80k people. Evidently Roman gladiators were almost as important as Alabama football. Now who really understands pagan worship? Roll tide. So wrong, drink, party, and Go Ducks!

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P. O. Box 18070
Portland, OR
97218

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