Despite being one of the most randomly laid-out cities I’ve ever been in since coming to Europe, Rome was a great choice as the last trip for me to take. I had no idea though it was on the worst possible weekend in college sports to go though. The UConn Women lost to Notre Dame and the UConn Men defeated Kentucky – for the second time this season if I may add) in the Final Four. I’m not going to sit here and say I had UConn realistically picked to go this far, but what transpired this weekend (sports wise) was one, big, surprise.
Before we even got to Rome, this is the site I saw from the airplane:
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| The Alps...just not sure who's Alps they are.... |
Also, if I may editorialize here, we flew Ryanair…do yourself a massive favor and don’t fly that airline. I understand the concept of budget flying…but this went a little too far for me. Anyway though, we got into the city from the airport at about 12:45 (with the time change, GMT + 1) and had a reserved Tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel at 2:00 pm. Naturally, Rome’s public transportation was on strike last Friday, so we either had to call a cab or trot (or run) to the Vatican. The guy behind the desk at the Hostel told us it was an hour and a half walk, but with the increased foot traffic because of the strike, it’d be even longer. Well, we had about an hour (naturally of course) to get clear across the city. The Hostel desk man took out a detailed road map and plotted the fastest route to get there. This was just a great example of how awesome my hostel experience was. Just so you can take a breath; we got there on time, actually a little early because of my superb navigational skills (who needs to ask for directions? lol). We passed sooo many cool places on the way there but we couldn’t stop, so we just added them to the list of stuff we already had to do. These are some of the pictures we got in front of the Vatican, it seems the bad luck I have with British Guards extends to the Swiss Guard…ehh, I’ll get it eventually:
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| First View of the Vatican |
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| Yeah I'm in this one...but that obelisk behind me, that was in Angels and Demons!! Tom Hanks used it as a clue or something to figure out how the Pope died |
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| Patron Saints? |
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| Wall of Vatican City |
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| they spell funny... |
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| The museum opens on to this awesome square |
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| recent addition; added in the early 90's as a gift to Pope John Paul II |
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| hall of disembodied heads!!! |
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| Another courtyard |
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| The Vatican has it's own Pantheon |
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| This was essentially my reaction to this |
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| Doesn't this look 3-D?...it's painted on |
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| I thought only the French stole from Egypt.. |
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| First map...Pangaea |
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| You can see down the corridor, all of those maps; and this is just one side of the exhibition |
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| exit stairs |
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| Swiss Guard...no fluffy pants |
The Vatican was beautiful, the artwork was simply superb. If I may though, the best part of the Museum was probably the map room. It was a long hallway that held the Vatican’s collection of “world maps” dating back from the early A.D. centuries. It was amazing how accurately they plotted the coast of America in the 1400’s (with only Columbus’s journey as a reference) that I was surprised when I saw the date at the bottom. The Sistine Chapel was exactly what you would think it would be; amazing artwork and overall craftsmanship coupled with this unique sense of peacefulness. I’m not Catholic, but I felt at peace in The Chapel, that if a religion was going to try and anchor their sect of the religion in one place, the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican is a great way to do that. After the Vatican though, we were all pretty tired, so we made our way back to our Hostel:
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| HOSTEL |
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| Add caption |
I fell asleep, and for the first time in recent memory (or my life?!?!?!) I skipped dinner. I honestly didn’t wake up until 8 am the next day…close to 9 hours of sleep. This was the first Hostel I’ve stayed in where I shared the room with other people. The twins and I were in one room and Alyssa and Caitlin were in another. I shared the room with a duo of Canadians and who I still believe to be a French national. Regardless, they were all great people, and I enjoyed talking to them, exchanging stories and goals and all that good stuff. The Canadian duo is spending a week in Rome as a part of their larger traveling tour of Europe, and yes they will be back in London for the Royal Wedding the week we leave to come home. They both just finished school, and to celebrate getting accepted to Law School, planned a 2 month trip through Europe…I admire that.
The next day, well I’ll just let the pictures do the explaining for me. We went to The Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Memorial to King Vittorio Emanuelle II and the Piazza Navona. My camera battery died in the middle of the Roman Forum, so I need to retrieve the pictures the twins so graciously took for me asap:
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| Always doing construction where ever I go...I swear honestly |
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| See where it just stops? Well it does b/c the Pope took the Southern Outer Wall to help build parts of the Vatican and roads around it |
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| Temple of Venus from the Colesium |
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| These fake gladiators tried to get you to take a picture with them for money...it was funny watching people get dragged into it |
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| Forum from the Colesium |
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| Lunch |
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| Cheese sooo gooooddd |
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| Alyssa and lunch |
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| this looked (and probably still does) out of place with everything else |
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| Cesar's body was laid here after his murder |
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| site of Cesar's murder |
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| this was legit. |
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| Archway de......not sure actually |
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| taking my coat off for a better picture... |
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| ...done |
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| Forum |
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| Maybe, just maybe if I pull hard enough I can get down to the Bat Cave |
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| The pictures are sporadic because my camera battery kept dieing...this is the memorial at the monument to Vittorio Emanuello II |
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| Site of Rome from the top of The Forum |
Sunday, we went to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, The Pantheon, Giolliti (the most famous Gelato place in Rome) and The Capuchin Crypt (which I couldn’t take pictures in because the exposed bones were circa 1600):
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| Trevi Fountain |
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| Trevi fountian |
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| They tell me I made it into the fountain...I hope that coin does its job |
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| my main man Poseidon |
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| That's Alyssa below me with her arms up...I don't know those two older people.... |
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| Went to the Pantheon first, but there was mass so we decided to come back |
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| it was sooo good! |
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| Gilato place |
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| about 11:45 really meant 12:30...ehh close enough (imagine someone saying that with their hands...that was our experience) |
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| Tomb of Vittoro Emanuello II |
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| band at the Pantheon |
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| First look of the Galleria Farnese |
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| Fountian on the Piazza |
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| I want a tram service! |
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| This was the first hint the building was more than the art gallery the twins told me it was |
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| Farnese...apparently also the French Embassy...got into the Ambassador's office; guess who wasn't there working?!?! (hint: the ambassador). |
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| Monument to Vittoro Emmanuello II, doubling as a memorial to the unknown Italian war-dead |
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| Spanish Steps |
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| Vittoro Emanuello II, unifier of Italy |
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| it was the wind.... |
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| ....eh, bad hair day |
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| Spanish steps...it was sunny |
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| The crypt itself is under a functioning church, which was really nice inside |
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| getting and "ocean" spray from the fountain |
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| That's Paige (one of the twins) and I at the Capuchin Crypt |
Today was a travel day, but it was relatively stress-free. The only hiccup was the bus we needed to take from London-Stansted airport into central London. There was a car accident on the motorway that slowed the driver up which put us about a half hour behind schedule. I ignorantly thought the phrase “make up for it in the air” applied just to flying, but no it also applies to the EasyBus Company too. A trip that took about an hour took the driver around 45 minutes or so. The traffic in the city elongated the travel time to over an hour, but I would have actually been late for class had he gone as slow as the driver on Friday morning.
Anyhow, Rome was a great trip, not my favorite city though to be honest. After Paris and London, Brugge and Bayeux I can say with confidence Rome is the most haphazardly put together city – ever. I could get used to it, but I’d never want to live there or vacation there for more than the 4 days I was just there. On the contrary, I would love to travel with my family to London for a week vacation in the future (subtle hint? hehehe) but I’d never want to subject them to Rome. I looovved the history, all the sites we saw were breath-taking and I’m glad we went to that extent, but it seemed at every turn the city had a love-hate relationship with tourists; selling lost of touristy things, but being jerks (I’d love to use stronger language here) at restaurants or in queues for historic sites. They want my money, but they don’t want to extend the courtesy of explaining exactly what ruin I’m staring at. It was a little frustrating, but my experience at the Coliseum and Vatican (for example) couldn’t have been impaired regardless of what their Italian handlers said or anything like that.
Back in Storrs, I write a sports blog that dabbles in professional and UConn sports. Take a look at a really brief review of the basketball season: (http://uctv.uconn.edu/blog/sportsblog/lockerroom/2011/the-outside/). The other posts you see there under "Champions Locker Room" are longer and better, so be sure and take a look at those too.
So, as everyone is putting inspirational quotes on Facebook, I’ll leave you with one that I’ve gone back to time and time again:
"Two days later the miracle was made complete, my boys defeated Finland to win the Gold Medal, comin from behind once again. As I watched them out there celebrating on the ice, I realized that Patti had been right, it was a lot more than a hockey game, not only for those who watched it, but for those who played it. I've often been asked in the years since Lake Placid 'what was the best moment for me,' eh it was here, the site of 20 young men with such different backgrounds, standing as one. Young men willing to sacrifice so much of themselves, all for an unknown...But on one weekend, as America and the world watched, a group of remarkable young men gave the nation what it needed most, a chance - for one night - not only to dream, but a chance once again to believe."
~Coach Herb Brooks, USA Hockey
I know it’s long, but it just shows you that some things can pull people together, there is still hope for society as a whole and this one game, a sporting event has the power to make people passionate about something even if it’s only temporary.
Stay Tuned…
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