Of Meals and Music

This evening we met with our Tour Group for the Globus Tour. Our first event was a four course Italian meal at a local restaurant, complete with wine and some musicians. The meal was great but way too much food, by the time we got to our main course I was so full I couldn't finish half of it (even though it was delicious). So far we have had nothing but good food over here, even last night after the opera Beth and I had some toasted sandwiches at the hotel restaurant, and they sure hit the spot. We've had some lovely wines as well, but that shouldn't be too surprising given the country we're in.

At the meal there was an accordion player (Dad you would have loved that) who played all kinds of music including Lara's Theme (Mom you would have loved that). Along with him was a soprano who sang on half the songs. During our Tour Group introductions I mentioned that Beth and I were beginning a 6 week vacation in Europe to celebrate our 25th anniversary - that generated a round of applause from the group, and then a chant of "kiss, kiss, kiss" went up, so slightly embarrassed we obliged them. Later during the supper the musicians came over to play and sing Schubert's Ave Maria for us and the restaurant staff brought us a special dessert for us with a candle in it. Then I had to stick a rose between my teeth and kiss Beth while the waiter took our picture (you embarassed yet kids?)... that was a memorable meal for many reasons.

Besides the opera the other music we have heard so far has been from various street musicians heard while wandering Rome and Milan. Today we heard a jazz sax player and a classical duet consisting of violin and accordion - both acts on the streets of Milan, both really good at what they did. The sound of the lone saxophone echoing through the steets around the Duomo was almost surreal, especially because it took some time locating the source of this music. I look forward to hearing much more good and interesting music as we make our way through Europe.

Tomorrow is an early start so we can get in to see some of the sites of the Vatican. Our hotel is literally right down the street from Saint Peter's Basilica, only a few blocks away. The tour guide seems quite knowledgeable, and already simply from driving over to the restaurant and back I have learned many new things about Rome. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Go Up to the Heavens, Not Down into the Dirt!

The title to this blog posting is the message I think I’m getting, for every time I plan to go to something underground, forces beyond my control conspire to keep that from happening. First it was the Italian Bike Race that kept us from visiting the Catacombs in Rome, then today when I had planned to visit the excavations under the Duomo we found out that was impossible as they were closed for repairs. Ironically that was the only thing I really wanted to do in Milan (other than attend the opera of course), this was because the archaeological excavations under the Duomo include an ancient baptistery (an octagonal pool used for baptism) where Saint Augustine was baptised by Bishop Ambrose (who was responsible for Augustine’s conversion) way back in the 4th century. However we stood above the place where this took place, so that will have to suffice.

It might sound like I was terribly disappointed with our visit to Milan, but that would be incorrect, because instead of going down to the baptistery we went up to the roof. For 5 Euros each Beth and I were allowed to climb the stairs up to the roof of this amazing cathedral. Up on top of the cathedral we got a bird’s eye view of Milan, and got to see the intricate spires up close. I shot a whole roll of film on that roof top - so many cool things to see. The weather was absolutely perfect for such a roof top excursion, sunny with hardly a breeze.

After being outside in the bright sun, and seeing the white marble construction, going inside the cathedral was a study in contrasts. Inside was quite dark and almost gloomy. At the entrance to the Duomo was a soldier and some other type of official, both of whom warned us that there was to be no picture taking inside (we were also told we couldn’t use the tripod on the roof top - I’m beginning to wonder why I brought that thing). Just like at the opera, even though it was cleary stated that there was to be no picture taking in the theatre, people seemed to simply ignore that prohibition. I didn’t bother to try taking pictures in the Duomo even if others were doing that, simply because it was so dark and terrible for picture taking with my setup.

Probably the best part of viewing the inside was simply seeing the size of the place (I read that it can hold 40,000 people comfortably - that’s 10,000 more people than at a packed Rider game!). Apparently it is the third largest cathedral in Europe. The stained glass windows were beautiful as well, but we didn’t spend too much time looking around inside, instead we headed off for La Scala to visit the La Scala store (which we weren’t able to do last night). We walked through a large mall with a glass ceiling (where some of the designer shops were - I bought a Italian tie!) and there was the opera house on the other side.

I had hoped that they had a more recent recording of the opera we heard, which I found I appreciated more than I had anticipated - live opera is so much better than recorded in my estimation. (I found myself being emotionally moved by the end of the performance, much to my surprise). The shopkeeper told me that there are only two recordings of Assassinio Nella Cattedrale, both from the 50’s (when the opera was written), and Beth already has one of those - no modern recordings, so Beth bought a fridge magnet instead.

A quick trip back to the hotel, a quick clean up (including using the ultra cool shower one more time) and we walked to the train station (only 4 blocks away). We’ve used the wheels on our luggage quite a bit, but so far haven’t braved using the backpack straps. Using the automated ticket dispensers we printed out the tickets I purchased on the internet weeks ago - the whole system worked pretty slick once I figured out how to use it. I know I got a good deal on ticket prices when I showed the tickets to a station attendant (trying to figure out what platform our train left from) and he asked me where I got the tickets from, pointing out to another attendant the price, and when I said “The internet” he exclaimed “Oh, the internet, mmm” nodding with approval.

So now we are en route to Rome again where we will meet up with our Globus tour. I suspect that we will not have as much time to write for our blog while on the tour, but we’ll see. I’m looking forward to not worrying about language issues any more, letting the tour guide deal with all that stuff for us. One more thing before I end this post, remember how I said I’ve never seen so many clergy in my life, well, sitting across from us right now on the train is an Italian priest, who was reading some kind of lectionary or service book earlier (with a plastic glove on his one hand for some reason)… maybe he’s preparing for a sermon, something I don’t need to worry about for another 6 weeks!

Milan Part 1

I was looking forward to the train ride to Milan and seeing the Italian countryside. However I ended up sleeping most of the way. I think the jet lag had finally caught up to me, I seem to have developed a bit of a cold also so yesterday I pretty much just went from the train station to our hotel and napped.

Fortunately I was recovered enough to go to La Scala last evening. Even though the opera wasn’t a familiar one it turned out to be really enjoyable. It helped that Dennis had read through the play so could fill in the gaps - it was also great that La Scala has installed little reader displays at each seat so you could get the libretto in either English or Italian. I don’t have any personal experience with opera houses so don’t have much to compare it to but even if I did I believe La Scala would come out way ahead. The opulence of all the boxes going up the periphery of the space, one on top of the other. I think I cheaped out a little bit too much, should maybe have tried for better seats but what we had were still okay.

The thing about that building is that I think you would have great sound no matter where you were sitting and that’s pretty much what this opera was about. It wasn’t a really visual one, fairly minimal sets (although there was one pretty cool effect when he was preaching his Christmas sermon) and we could see Thomas Becket being murdered which was pretty much the climax. I did manage to take a few pictures, in spite of the ushers. No picture taking is allowed so I held off for quite a while but at the intermission I just couldn’t resist so I broke the rules and took a few. I was going to take one of the entire cast at the end but I got a finger wagging from an usher so put my camera away - judging by the overall behaviour within the theatre, the ushers must spend most of their time chastising picture takers.

Now we’re on the train again, heading back to Rome so I’m going to see some of the country side I missed yesterday (it’s Dennis’ turn to sleep apparently).

Roman Holiday

We had an amazing day in Rome on Sunday - did lots of walking (20,800 steps ladies!). It was so different from anything I’ve ever experienced, the narrow, cobblestone streets, ancient architecture juxtaposed with haute couture shops. Speaking of shops, the thing I found very interesting is that all the window displays included the prices - so you might be looking at a pair of fabulous shoes and notice the price of 150 euros, then you could make the decision of whether or not to go in. Even the designer shops had a discreet little placard in the corner, listing prices. I figured it must be some kind of a bylaw or something.

As Dennis mentioned we did make it to the Pantheon. I think that must be an architectural marvel - how did they make the necessary calculations to fit the rounded roof together, and with the hole in the center I wondered how it all stayed together. Obviously it does and has for hundreds of years, this is just more evidence that I’m no math whiz. I also loved the gelato shop just outside the Pantheon with the statue of Betty Boop in the doorway - Betty’s Gelato.

The other church we visited was also amazing (you quickly run out of adjectives to describe things). We hadn’t intended to visit San Giovanni di Laterno but it was quite an experience also. There were statues of all the disciples surrounding the massive worship space and many little side chapels. People say you get tired of all the churches, we’ll see.

A Pentecost Postscript

As we walked about Rome we heard many different languages, not just Italian. It is obvious that Rome is a big tourist centre, and that lots of people from around the world make a pilgrimage to this place. We saw many people in religious attire, priests and nuns of all ages and races. So as we wandered about we heard and saw a living example of the diversity of people in the world. It seemed somehow appropriate on Pentecost Sunday, the day when the disciples were given the ability to speak to many people from around the known world in their own languages. There have been many occasions in the last 24 hours that I wished I had the gift to speak in other tongues, it would have come in handy while trying to explain to the taxi driver where we wanted to go, or to clarify with the gal serving us gelato what exactly we wanted. I have never been great with languages, and on a trip like this I am reminded how fortunate are those people who are able to speak more than one language.

Given that it was Pentecost I thought I would have experienced more of a spiritual sensation being in Rome, but other than the falling rose petal in the Pantheon, I didn’t really have a sense that it was a special day for the Christian faith at all. In fact it seemed like the bike race was a much bigger concern than anything else, with people lining the streets to cheer on the racers, and helicopters flying overhead filming the racers on their route.

Even when visiting the Basilica of Saint John I felt mostly amazed at the architecture, and had little sense of religious awe. In some ways it was almost embarrassing to be in such an opulent sanctuary - it seemed so contrary to what Jesus was about in his ministry. Here was a cathedral built because of a marriage between political power (Constantine) and a religion with new found wealth and influence… and often that marriage has strayed from its original roots. So while impressive, I wouldn’t say visiting such places has moved me in any spiritual way, at least not yet.

Today, while Beth was having an afternoon nap, I wandered around Milan a bit… looking for a Coke or some kind of cold drink truth be told. A block from our hotel is a nice brick cathedral so I took a peek inside. There was a sense of peace in that place, people were praying and no tourists were milling about (except for me), that was the first sense of worship I’ve encountered yet.

The First Train Ride

There is no doubt that this is second class, the train carriage we are in is filled with Italian families and couples dressed in ordinary clothes, and acting in ordinary ways - such as one brother bugging his other brother and the father running interference - sibling issues are universal. As we were pulling out of the station many folks were chatting away on their cells phones and life was rolling along as usual. I think the lady (60ish in age) beside me has answered 10 calls on her cell phone, and we haven’t even left the city limits yet. But I’m ahead of myself - let me back up a bit.

Early this morning the rain began, and the sky looked like it wasn’t going away any time soon. Beth and I decided that we wouldn’t try walking to the train station. So while we were checking out of the hotel the very nice staff at the De La Ville Roma asked if we needed a cab - and so they called one for us, and a few minutes later the taxi arrived. We loaded in, drove through the wet cobblestone streets of Rome, with the driver swearing the whole way.

Once we got to Termini Station (Rome's primary train station) it was a bit overwhelming - what were supposed to do now, where were we supposed to go? Just inside the terminal I spotted the automatic ticket dispensers, and we simply followed instructions and printed our tickets. So far so good. It didn’t help ease our concerns when the ticket dispenser had a warning about pickpockets that displayed before the tickets printed out!

Next we followed the people with suitcases which led us into the area where the trains arrived. It took a little looking but finally we found information about which platform our train would board at. We weren’t the only ones a little lost, a couple of young women asked us if this was the train to Florence, having not got much help from the official information person. After waiting a few more minutes our train pulled in, and people rushed down the platform to board as soon as possible. We followed suit. Once inside we figured out where our seats were and sat down facing each other. We each had window seats and have been able to look at the scenery as we zoom along.

Zoom would be the correct word too, this is a high speed train, though I’m not sure exactly how fast it is travelling. It is fast enough that whenever we enter a tunnel (which seems to be quite often) we can feel the pressure change in our ears. The ride is pretty smooth though and the crowd seems to be settling in for the ride… even the cell phones have quieted down, at least for now.

Outside it is still raining, but that simply gives the hills a misty romantic feel. There are lots of quaint looking villages, vineyards and farms that we have been passing by, but also some areas of industry that aren’t so quaint.

My sense of direction is all out of whack (as well as my internal time clock). I could swear we were going south, but I will trust that this is indeed the train to Milan (which is north of Rome), and in a few hours we will be in the city of fashion and opera.

The Race Wrecks Our Plans

Next on our list of things to do was to go to the Catacombs of San Callisto. We asked the concierge about the best way to get there, and he explains that it won’t be very possible because of the bike race (part of the race route went right by the front door of the hotel). He told us that maybe if we went out of the race area we could maybe get a taxi. He showed us where to go and we headed off. It took a little walking, and asking around, but eventually we found a taxi stand where there were some taxis. The first guy we asked thought I was asking him to take us to the hotel (I showed him the name of the catacombs on a piece of note paper from the hotel). The second guy we asked spoke a little bit of English and said he could try but it would be difficult because of the race. So we climbed in the cab and off we went. It seemed like every corner he wanted to turn at was blocked off and he was growing frustrated. Eventually he told us he could not do it, unless he went all the way around Vatican City which he did not want to do (I don’t know if this was because he way trying to save us money, or because he wasn’t likely to get a fare back, and he would be out some possible revenue). Whatever the reason he explained he would take us to an alternative we would like which was only 5 minutes away. Not knowing what else to do we agreed. He dropped us off in front of a very large church, pointed out where we could catch a bus or taxi back, collected his 10 Euros and headed off.

Beth and I headed up to the church, not knowing what exactly we were seeing, but it was big and beautiful, and free, so we went in. It turns out this church is the San Giovanni Lateran (Saint John Basilica) which according to the guidebook was the first building of public worship in Rome. In the portico was a large statue that I thought at first was of Julius Caesar, but when we got up to it we discovered it was actually a statue of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome. It was Constantine who issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, allowing Christianity to become an officially accepted religion of the Roman Empire after centuries of persecution. It was none other than Constantine who commissioned this cathedral.

The next thing we noticed were the huge metal doors, at least 30 feet tall. We didn’t use these doors to enter the church, but rather some normal sized doors to the side. Once inside it was the ceiling and the disciples that grabbed my attention. The ceiling was covered with gold symbols and designs. All around the nave were large statues of the 12 disciples which were created in the early 1700’s by French artist Pierre Legros. Up near the altar was a tomb set in the floor, and amazingly this is claimed to be the tomb of Saint Peter - the same Peter who walked and talked with Jesus.

So Beth and I wandered around this sacred site, looking at all kinds of artwork and features of the building. There was a tile floor at one point that functioned like an optical illusion. There were little worship services going on in little side chapels, and there were people testing a sound system and setting up for what seemed to be a large service (perhaps something to do with Pentecost).

When we left the Basilica of Saint John we decided that we could walk back. It turned out to be a manageable walk giving us a good taste of Roman streets. Actually the good taste was the gelato we stopped to get at one point. Another thing that I found interesting is how many people in religious garb were walking around, at one point we came across a flock of young priests in black cassocks, looking like something out of a movie as they walked along the street.
After a short breather in our hotel room, which found us each nodding off, we decided to head out for supper. We started at the Spanish Steps which were right by our hotel, then we wandered down a street with all the fashionable shops (names like Versace and Jimmy Choo). Eventually we found a restaurant that seemed promising, a place called Caffè Leonardo. There we had a pizza topped with spinach, artichoke, mushrooms and mozzarella. Then back up the steps, another gelato cone (I can’t get enough of that stuff) and back to our room to sleep. A full, tiring and pleasing first day - even if we didn’t get to the Catacombs.

Our First Foray - Pentecost at the Pantheon

I am writing this Monday morning. After a long flight and walking all over Rome yesterday we were so exhausted that I couldn’t keep from nodding off as I sat at the computer last night (this was about 8 PM Rome time). So we crawled into bed very early… and I found myself awake very early this morning (5 AM Rome time - wow is my internal clock whacked out!) Beth is still sleeping, but try as I might, I couldn’t fall back asleep. So instead I’m writing this blog entry listening to the birds of the early morning singing outside our hotel window (and Beth snoring quietly beside me).

After settling in briefly at the hotel, we got directions to the Pantheon and headed off. The weather is nice, not too hot, but pretty humid - last week it was apparently 35 degrees, that would have been too much, the current 23 degrees seems just right. The first thing I notice is that the streets are not marked very well, and head off in every direction (nothing like the grid systems of roads we are used to back home). Every block or two I examine the map closely and try to determine if we‘re heading in the right direction. After 15 blocks of this wandering and wondering if we’re heading in the right direction I spot it, the domed roof of the Pantheon!

The first thing I am amazed at is its size, it is larger than I expected. There are crowds of people moving in and out of the building, we look for an admission price but there didn’t seem to be one, so we just walked in. If you have been following this blog for a while you will have read about the reason I wanted to see the Pantheon this specific day - on Pentecost, at the end of Mass, rose petals are dropped through the roof opening onto the congregation below (the Pantheon has been used as a Christian church since the 6th century). By the time we got there Mass had been over for a couple of hours, but as we were looking up at the amazing domed roof both Beth and I saw a single rose petal float down from above. It was almost like one waited for our arrival!

On the ground were many rose petals, evidence of the earlier event, and I gathered one up to take home as an unusual souvenir. It is amazing to think that something like this structure was built with no modern machinery or engineering capabilities - we were standing inside a huge domed building that has existed for almost nineteen hundred years. We took some time to look around at the art and architecture, took a bunch of pictures and then made our way back to the hotel, preparing for our next foray into Rome.

Our First Roman Experience

As we walked out of the baggage area (with all our luggage thankfully) we were greeted by tour guides and taxi drivers offering rides. We had read that tourists should be cautious about riding in unofficial taxis, which can be a recipe for being ripped off - so I wasn’t going to just except the first ride that came along. However, before I knew it, this guy started talking to me and asked where we were going and the next thing I knew he was booking us on a shuttle service. He needed to find a few more people to fill the shuttle then we could leave. I noticed that he had a ID badge on, and was working with a Shuttle Service kiosk in the terminal so I figured he should be legit, though when I told him I thought the rate from the airport to the city center was supposed to be 40 Euros, he said no, taxis would charge up to 75 Euros (which didn‘t jive with what I had read).

A couple of British women were added to our group - and that was it apparently, a foursome (which didn’t seem like much of a group). Then before I could question things further we were being led to our shuttle. I was expecting a large white mini-bus, or something like that, thus I was surprised when our luggage was being loaded into a Mercedes luxury car! One of the British woman, who seemed like an experienced traveller, started talking to the driver in Italian, and tried to get a lower price, but 50 Euros for each pair remained the deal. I felt a little more comfortable knowing we had a Italian speaking tourist on our side!

So Beth and the two London woman squished into the back seat, because of my larger size I got to sit in the front. And we were off like a shot. I had always heard about Roman drivers, now we were experiencing it - driving like we were in race (speeds were often around 130 kms per hour), darting in and out of traffic, and yet the driver seemed totally relaxed and in control - to tell you the truth I never really felt in danger during this wild ride in from the airport.
Our driver explained to us that today was the day of a big bicycle race in Rome - the Italian National Championship or something like that. This race was throughout old Rome and many roads were blocked off, making it difficult to get anywhere in the old city. I wondered if this was a bit of a story to take us on a wild goose chase, but I quickly found out he was telling the truth as we saw barricades and police at many intersections. Driving in old Rome with this guy felt like being in a car chase scene in a movie. One specific moment I remember we found ourselves heading down a railway track (with guard rails on either side) which provoked one of the London woman to inquire about this with the driver, to which he replied by shrugging and saying “There are no police watching.” We did seem to get to our destination quickly however, and the driver got us fairly close to the hotel (which required him to argue with some police officers at a couple of intersections). The luggage was unloaded, the London woman went one way to their hotel, and Beth and I walked the other way about a half a block to ours.

We arrived at the De La Ville Roma, checked in, were ushered up to our room (using the tiniest elevator I’ve ever seen!) It is a lovely room, very nicely decorated though a little small - though we should get used to that, I suspect rooms over here are generally smaller than what we are used to in Canada. We set our luggage down, took a deep breath and said “We made it, we’re here, this is real, and this is our home for the next day.”

Over Europe

I am writing this post on the plane. I just finished watching a movie called Ip Man, a Chinese film which is described as a semi-biography about a man who was a master of a certain form of martial arts called Wing Chun. Part of the film was set during the Japanese invasion of China during World War II. Interesting to see this bit of history from the Chinese perspective. I assume being in Europe may also give us a different sense of perspective (on history and culture).

Each seat has its own screen, and passengers can choose from many options: Movies, TV shows, News, and Music. While I was watching the martial arts film Beth was watching a music special called Celtic Women - lots of singing and fiddle playing she told me. Beth also found a cool feature on these displays that shows a map of our route and current location. As I write this we are over France heading toward Italy. We are about an hour from landing, but simply being over Europe, being able to look down at the French coastline, is making this trip feel more real with every passing moment.