MAJESTIC ITALY Text Version

 

Majestic Italy

 

A Trip Report by David Bowers

 

 

Day 1 - Monday, November 12

 

At long last, the day had arrived to begin our journey to Italy.  With most things already packed, we awoke, made final preparations, loaded up the car, and headed to breakfast.  We went to Daybreak for breakfast, ensuring that we started the trip with a nice meal.  Then after making some last minute purchases, we headed to the airport.  We opted to listen to a CD on the way to the airport.  This is important because it also meant that we were not listening to the radio, and thus did not hear about the plane crash in New York City.

 

Shortly after 11:00 we pulled into a remote parking facility, where a parking valet shuttled us to the Delta terminal.  We slowly made our way to the international terminal, checked in for our flight to Venice, Italy (via New York's JFK airport) and made our way to a bench.  It was about this time that we met up with some more of the tour members.  Sitting in the terminal building, we were filled in on the news.  Mysterious plane crash, New York, airport closed.  We sat in the terminal waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, when several members of the media descended on us for interviews.  This served as confirmation for the rumors that had been buzzing around.

 

Shortly after 13:00, our travel agent arrived, took attendance, reassured us that our trip was still on, and sent us to our gate.  Due to the new airport regulations, the travel agent could only stay with us as far as the security checkpoint.  The lines at the security checkpoint were no longer than they are usually, what differed is that the lines were moving a lot slower than usual.  Travel credentials and ID’s were checked and the screeners paused the belt to get a better look at each bag.  The National Guard was supervising the security checkpoint.  Having successfully cleared security we caught the subway train to the concourse.

 

Since it was only about 14:00 and our flight wasn't scheduled to take off until 16:00, we decided on a light lunch.  It was at this time that I noticed the concession prices at the airport have appeared to have been lowered.  I don't know if the reduced traffic in the concourse prompted it, but the perceived value of food to cost is pretty good.   After our light lunch we headed to the gate to hang out until our flight.  A lot of first introductions were made and things were going well.  With just a slight delay, Delta began boarding procedures; first the Business Class, then Skymiles Medallion, then wait a minute.  Passengers are seen getting off the plane, and an announcement that this flight was being delayed indefinitely.  About ten minutes later, our group leader was paged to the podium, and he came back and told us that the flight had been cancelled.  Then some Delta representatives collected our tickets for the CVG->JFK and the JFK->VCE legs of the trip and escorted us to a private lounge. A lounge that was stocked with complimentary snacks, juices, soft drinks, coffee, phones, etc.  The lounge also had a television, which gave us our first real glimpse of what happened at JFK this morning.  A few moments later the Delta representative told us that they had been able to arrange for us to fly to Venice, though a bit later than planned.  They announced that we would be flying out of Cincinnati at 20:00 headed to London's Gatwick airport, and then we would be placed on a British Airways flight from London to Venice, Italy. The only downside would be that we would arrive in Venice at 17:00 as opposed to 11:00 on Tuesday.  It was a forgone conclusion that Tuesday's touring itinerary would have to be scrapped.  A quick glance revealed that we would therefore have to forgo to excursion to Padua (Padova).  We lounged awhile, and then our new boarding passes came.

 

It's Teambuilding Game Time! - Rather than write new tickets for every single passenger, Delta resorted to Flight Interruption Manifest (FIM), special tickets that admitted four designated passengers onto the flight.  They also passed out individual Boarding Passes for our first leg (Cincinnati to London).  As you probably guessed the teambuilding game was that people had to stay in their groups of four.  Slightly later we were shown back to the gate area for our flight to London.  This time boarding procedures commences as usual except that I became the lucky winner of: A Random Security Search. These searches entail the going through all of your carry on baggage by hand, as well as inspecting your person with a hand held metal detection wand.  While I can certainly appreciate why they are doing this, I still have to wonder that if I made it through the main security checkpoint, what are they expecting to find here?  I almost think it’s like a show, to show the other passengers that something is being done,

 

Having done my part to demonstrate good air safety I was permitted to board the plane and locate my seat.  And we sat, and sat, and sat. Then an announcement was made about a faulty backup fuel pump, however we were told that it wasn't mission critical and so after some paperwork was completed and waiting in the queue for the runway we were off on our way to London.

 

The flight to London was relatively uneventful; I was too keyed up (and a bit nervous after the day's proceedings) to get any sleep.  The movie was "Legally Blonde", dinner was a steak issued without a steak knife.  To better appreciate this, go to your local steak house and try to cut your steak using a plastic knife.  I resorted to using the two slices of bread they gave me to make a sort of steak sandwich.  Real chewy and hard to eat, but it worked. Note to airlines: Since you can't issue steak knives, perhaps you should consider taking steaks off your menus???????  After dinner it was time to settle into countless hours of boredom. By the time we got near London, I don't know if it was airsickness, dehydration, lack of sleep, nervousness, claustrophobia or a combination but I was not a happy camper.  So much so that I only ate the breakfast bar out of the breakfast we were served aloft.  One final comedic moment in this most unusual flight was that right before landing, Delta shows a brief film about the airport you are arriving at, to give you sort of an orientation, sometimes travel highlights of the destination city are mentioned.  As we begin to arrive in London, the movie started "We will be landing in Cincinnati in a few minutes" A round of laughter, then the London video is shown.  Finally, thankfully, we touched down in London.  I'd seen it in movies, but had never done it till now.  They rolled a huge staircase up to the side of the plane, and we exited the plane to the tarmac, where shuttle busses were waiting to take us to the terminal.  (8 hours in a Boeing 767)

 

Day 2 - Tuesday November 13, 2001

 

As we entered the terminal, we learned that since we were connecting to another international flight, that we would not have to go through passport control or customs.  So technically speaking I never actually entered England.  However, I'm saying I was close enough.  Here our groups of four regrouped to get our FIM's exchanged for boarding passes for our British Airways flight.  This process went a lot smoother than I expected and I must give kudos to both Delta and British Airways for the smooth transition that occurred at the check in desk in London.  We then had to go through a security checkpoint, where I noticed their x-ray machines have large cool color monitors where you can watch your own bag going through along with the screener.   From there a short escalator ride brought us up to the waiting lounge,

 

England airports operate slightly different than those in the States; here your gate number is not assigned (or at least not announced) until 30 minutes before your flight. This tactic holds all passengers in the central waiting lounge until their time, and away from the boarding doors.  What we were to learn is that the waiting lounge doubles as a huge duty-free mall.  Since we had a five-hour layover, we decided to cruise the mall, which included a Harrod's department store. Other noteworthy stops were an Internet Point where I was able to send some emails to friends, family, and co-workers, as well as read some news on CNN, as well as what looked like a video arcade but I noted contained a significant number of gambling devices.  I admit I dropped a couple pounds into these machines to no avail.  

 

I then sat back in a chair with a Lilt (a product of Coca-Cola Co. that tastes sort of like Citra), and soon joined a lot of my tour mates as we commandeered a section of the waiting lounge and stretched out on the benches and took naps in shifts.  One last stop to buy a London postcard of the airport (my time in London) and a postcard of the London Eye (I am a ride enthusiast after all).  An interesting oddity is that the stores in this mall honor US currency.  The only catch is that you get your change back in Sterling.  Supposedly the registers do the conversion for you, and that the registers are allegedly set to the same rate as the Change office.

 

After a nice nap and rest, and feeling rejuvenated it was time for our flight to Venice.  The monitor revealed we would use gate 45, a look at the airport map revealed gate 45 to be close.  It did not reveal that it would be two flights of escalators down.  Gate 45 is a bus station of sorts.  After you get downstairs it splits into several lettered gates. A message board at the base of the escalators revealed that we should go to doorway F. Here another oddity, you can't enter the waiting area by the gate until you have checked in.  One final time to get our group of four together to enter the waiting area.  Here we sat down to wait some more but as an astute observer noticed, "Hey, we get different color chairs".  After waiting some more, the shuttle bus arrived to take us out to our plane.  A much smaller plane, well in reference to the 767.  In actuality this would be a Boeing 737.  And another oddity.  Both the front and back door of the plane were open, and as we approached the plane on the bus, we were instructed that if you are in rows 1-12 to use the front door, rows 13-24, use the back door.  It may be the first time I have walked under the wing of a plane, other than at a museum.  Okay the seats may be leather instead of cloth, but with all the doors open it was frigid in there.  And the seats offered even less elbowroom than the 767.  Honestly when they served lunch (I opted for the lighter pasta dish) you had to synchronize eat. But hey I got to read a different in-flight magazine. And I noticed the European travelers actually pull the safety card out of the seat pocket and follow along with the safety presentation the way you are supposed to do.  The man seated next to me noted that usually this flight is near empty.  Well I guess when you add 49 people to a 120-seat plane at the last minute.  After the marathon flight to London the two-hour flight to Venice seemed short.  What was dismaying is that it was only 16:45 and already sunset in Venice.  We saw sunrise out a plane window and sunset out a plane window.  After calculating it all up including layover in London it took 15 hours to get from Cincinnati to Venice.  If we start the clock at the time Delta requested us to appear in Cincinnati for our original flight, it took 23 hours to get to Venice. Which means I was to hit 31 straight hours without any real sleep.

 

Having landed in Italy, we were allowed to exit out the back door of the aircraft, again to a waiting bus. After the bus filled, we were shuttled to the International arrivals area.  Barely inside the doors of the terminal, the line was split into citizens of the European Union countries and those of us outsiders.  The first stop was Passport Control, no questions were asked, just a stamp applied to our passports, then baggage claim.  With the flight change and all we were really worried as we stepped up to the baggage carousel. In our group all but three bags arrived.  I am happy to report that all of our bags arrived. (Mom and I)  We then turned the corner to head to customs, followed the arrows for "Nothing To Declare" and were quite surprised to find ourselves heading outside the terminal building.  Piece of cake.  Our tour bus awaited across the street.  We checked our bigger bags to the bottom of the bus and climbed aboard for the ride to our hotel.  On our way out of the airport I noted the name was "Marco Polo Airport".   We also met our tour Director, Teresa, and our driver, Ernesto. The bus itself was much smaller than busses we had used on previous trips, but at least we all fit.  On the way out it was formally announced that we would have to skip Padua, and we got introduced to our tour manager and driver, got some introductory information on currency, tour schedules, procedures, an overview of Italy.  The whole orientation was timed well and we reached the hotel soon after. 

 

We then checked into our hotel, the Hotel Sirio.  The Hotel Sirio is a charming hotel that looks like it hasn't seen much renovation since the 1970's.  Yes, big flowered print wallpaper all over the rooms, the beige tile bathroom, and the wooden furniture.  The lack of air conditioning.  But it did afford us some time to rest up for dinner at 19:30.  We were assigned room 207, and upon seeing the long queue for elevators that can maybe hold three people each, and thinking that 207 would be just one floor up we started walking.  Surprise!  When we hit the first landing and found out that it was the first floor. We went down to dinner around 19:00 and met up with those who had flown in previously or had flown to JFK from other airports and reported to us that our original flight to Venice went off with only 33 people on it. 

 

Dinner tonight was in the hotel restaurant.  Italian dining is not as it is portrayed here in America.  For our first meal, we were first served Cheese Lasagna and bread (this would be a beef-free tour in consideration of those worried about Foot and Mouth).  The Lasagna had a most delightful and unusual cheese.  As the lasagna plates were being cleared, it came as a surprise that it was only an appetizer.  Next up came a plate with Roasted chicken, baked potato wedges (real good), and tossed salad.  Lastly, a crumb cake was served for desert.   Wow, a huge meal even by my standards.   Another oddity was that bottled water was available both with and without carbonation.  (Frizante or Naturale)

 

After dinner it was pretty much mutual that we would all get some well deserved sleep.  Besides, breakfast isn’t till 8:00 and the tour resumes at 9:00 Wednesday.  Back in our room, some time was taken for a well-deserved hot shower.  Mind you to be careful not to trip over the bidet on the way to the toilet.  After feeling much better I decided to watch a little TV.  Italian TV remotes will drive you up the wall.  While you can adjust numerous things about the picture from the remote control, there are no simple Channel Up/Down buttons. You must enter the channel number you wish to view directly.  But it’s not that simple.  For channels 1-9 you just press the channel number. For 10-19, you first press 10, then the last digit.  For 20-29 you first press 20 then the last digit.  The TV seems to have a hard limit at 29 stations. And not all those were in use, and several channels had the same logo.  As expected most channels were in Italian, but we could figure out what type of show it was and watched a few briefly.  Very briefly this first night as I couldn't hold my eyes open for longer than two minutes once I was in bed.  I did locate one English language station on the television, CNN.

 

Enough about TV, its time for a good old sleep, I’ll catch you in the morning, and I'll try to forget this room is 80 degrees with no A/C.  (Now, I just had to bring that thermometer, didn't I)?

 

Day 3 - Wednesday, November 14, 2001

 

We had intended to get up at six, but wound up waking up to the wake up call at 6:30, due to incorrectly setting our brand new travel alarm. Time to start getting dressed and everything.  Later we escaped to the cool of the lobby.  But first these interesting doorknobs, you don't turn the knob, instead there is a pushbutton on top that you push down on.  We soon made our way to the hallway, and then to the elevators.  Elevators work differently in Italy. There isn't near as much automation.  Only one group can use the elevator at any one time.  On each floor there is a single call button, and an indicator showing if the car is in-use.  If you are lucky there may also be either a direction indicator or floor indicator.  You can't call the elevator until the "In Use" or "Occupato" light goes out. When you do call it the car comes straight to your floor.  You get inside and then can only make one floor selection.  If you press more than one floor button the car will move to the last button pressed.  The floor selected will not light up; instead the lit button indicates which floor you are on.  A little confusing at first, but you'll get the hang of it.   Soon we are down enjoying the cool of the lobby. 

 

A bit later we are invited into the restaurant for a buffet breakfast. Breakfast here is not quite what you may be used to.  Your options are cold cereal and milk, fresh fruit, bread and rolls (not sweet), and a deli tray with ham, salami, and Swiss cheese.  Water, coffee, and juice are also available.  I can verify that Italian coffee is a lot stronger than American coffee, and that breakfast was satisfying.  I especially like the chocolate spread they had grouped along with the jellies.  We had some time to grab cameras and things from the room before getting on the bus.

 

Our hotel was not actually in Venice, but a suburb called Mestre. Mestre was born out of practicality.  Most citizens of Mestre consider themselves Venetians.  The reason for moving to the mainland city arose out of a lower cost of living, and avoiding the seasonal flooding problems inherent in an island city such as Venice. Our bus tour took us first to the boat dock. As I said Venice is an island city, and as such a ride by waterbus is needed.  While at the boat dock, some time was afforded for visiting the Change office, Toilettes, and a few vendors who had setup in an open-air market type arrangement.

 

As we had already taken care of currency exchange back in the states, and for those of you who preach not to exchange money before leaving, we only lost about $25 on the exchange by changing early, which we considered to be well worth not standing in the long exchange line here.   We instead decided to hit the restroom.  As you will find out in Europe people don't find nice ephusieums and simply call a restroom a Toilet. So we go to the toilet, enter the building and find our access back to the toilets blocked by a turnstile.  In order to pass through the turnstile, you have to buy a Toilet Ticket from a vending machine along the wall.  Tickets cost 1,000 Lire ($0.50).  You then inserted the ticket into the turnstile and were admitted. Men and Women alike to the same restroom. The boat dock restroom did have a divider down the center of the room, though some did not.  Men on one side of the divider. The public toilet was extremely clean and well kept up. After doing business we passed through the exit turnstile into a snack bar.  We then started looking through the vendor's booths as we had time to kill. We saw some neat looking stuff but decided to buy stuff towards the end of the day.  What we did notice though was that the cold wind was cutting right through us even with coats on.  We spotted a few tour members with Venice jackets on over their coats.  Last stall on the left. Thank You. All I will say is that one clothing vendor did a very brisk business in the brisk air.  55,000 Lire each later we had another layer of jacket ($27.50) and we feel much better now. We then regrouped with our guide to be led to our private boat.  We noted the boat dock was wet and some water was spurting up between the planks.  High Tide. Gotcha.  Our boat was a bit of a walk down the dock, past the public transit dock, and a good way into the charter boat section.  The first athletic exercise of the day was boarding the boat up a gangplank that must have been at a 60-degree angle.  Luckily we all made it and were soon seated at tables looking out windows. 

 

As we were taking our boat ride to Venice we learned that the tide had completely covered the boat dock on the island so we would go to Venice "the long way".  This allowed us to see more of Venice from our boat as we circled the city of islands. Also along our boat ride we were given the chance to sign up for the optional gondola ride.  The gondola ride is an integral attraction of Venice that was not included in the base price of the tour.  A small discount was arranged for our group, which took the cost of a gondola ride down from 60,000 lire ($30) to 50,000 lire ($25).  Mom and I as well as about 80% of our group opted to purchase the gondola tickets.  Our circle tour of Venice by boat continued and eventually we made our way around to the boat dock.  As we approached the boat dock we were informed that we may want to roll up our pants legs.  The dock was still under water.  We docked, made our way down the steep decline and started to walk across the wet dock.  Wet dock meaning about 4-5 inches of water.  Some took their shoes and socks off, and reported back that the water was very cold. Upon reaching the street of the city, we spotted a thin stretch of dry land to perch ourselves on.  At this point a local vendor started offering plastic boots for sale  (16,000 Lire or $8).  It was time for the gamble, do you buy the boots then have to lug them around all day if it dries up, or do you not buy the boots and suffer the consequences.  Though a good number of our group purchased the boots, we opted to go without and suffer the consequences.  He had to wade through but only about 2 or 3 more deep pockets of water, and then we would be high and dry the rest of the day.  Not even squishy shoes!   We made our way from the boat dock by the Hotel Gabriel to the Piazza de San Marco.  About halfway there the streets became completely flooded, but we were saved by Venetian ingenuity.  In Venice they have constructed a set of temporary boardwalks on scaffolding that they set up when the town gets flooded. They are about 1.75 people wide, and have no railings.  Upon these boards people carefully edge their way around town to their destination. 

 

Carefully we made our way to San Marco Square and stood on the shopping promenade across from San Marcos Church.  The entire square resembled a giant swimming pool.  Here our guide informed us of how extremely lucky we are to see Venice flooded.  According to our guide Venice is only flooded 3 times a year.  As Venice is in a lagoon of the Adriatic Sea, it is dependant on the lunar tides.  Today's strong lunar tide, combined with brisk winds caused the entire town to flood.  Supposedly, a most rare sight.  We also saw from the outside the Doge's Palace, which is now a museum, but used to be the seat of the government, San Marco Cathedral, and the bell tower.  For those familiar with EPCOT, the Doges Palace is the building the Italian restaurant is patterned after, and so is the bell tower.  The two really do stand next to each other in real Italy. However just like EPCOT's bell tower, the bell tower in Venice is also a reproduction as the original tower was destroyed in the early 1900's and rebuilt. We then made our way inside San Marco which took some time as to get to the proper boardwalk we had to go all the way back to the Doges Palace along the Grand Canal.  Really these walkways need some one-way signs.  We resorted to sidestepping to slowly make our way round to the side door of San Marcos. Upon entering the church I note the vestibule to be flooded as well.  We were told that Venice is building a series of mechanical floodgates to prevent occurrences such as today; unfortunately this project is just beginning to be built. We make our way into the church proper which is high and dry.  The Greek cross shape is called to our attention, as all of the branches of the cross are of the same length, as opposed to most churches where you have the one longer branch of the cross.  Also brought to our attention are the golden mosaics of the church as well as other church art.  Our stop here is a brief one, and we make our way past the sacristy and out the back door of the church.  We then walk down some streets that are all dry. Our next stop is the Moreno Glass Factory.  Venetian glass is quite popular, and we are scheduled to see a demonstration.  We are quickly rushed through the shop and up the stairs to go to the demonstration room.  Here we get to awe as the glassblower starts with a hunk of molten glass out of the oven (1800degreed F) and proceeds to make a vase out of it right before our eyes, skillfully using tools to make the handles and all.  A very good demonstration, then the vase was put into a cooling oven to slowly bring the vase down to room temperature, otherwise it would shatter.  The cooling oven starts at 1,000degrees F) and is then shut off so it very slowly cools down to room temperature in a 24 hour cycle. We are then led up to the third floor for a demonstration and exhibition of their work.  It was explained that red is the most expensive color because it contains pure gold, and then we were shown some sculpture work that is not blown, it is carved, some table service items (that would spend most of their life in a china closet) and how to tell if a piece is genuine. (Hint: if it is stamped with the company logo, it is a forgery, as they don’t stamp their logo) Then some rather startling demonstrations were given including dropping a glass from a few inches above the table, banging it on a hard surface and other tricks.  We are convinced that the demonstrator knows just where to strike the piece.  Whether their work is that durable, or the exhibitor is a good illusionist it's still a good show.  Then came time to mention prices.  At $50 for one glass, (or $350 for the set of 6 glasses and pitcher), we knew this stuff was out of our spending bracket.  Mind you it was extremely beautiful.   We were then told to follow the Exit signs.  With some clever gates, strategic signage, etc. it was designed so that to exit the factory tour you had to pass through every single room of their Factory Outlet Store.  Some free time was given to take a rest, shop their store, and use the toilet before going to lunch.

 

Lunch was at the Las Angeles (The Angels) Ristorante.  We were shown upstairs to a private room.  Lunch was to start with a Mostacolli pasta, followed by a plate with a pork chop, baked potato wedges, and spinach.  I had a Coca Cola Light (Diet Coke) with my meal and was just mentioning how I was looking forward to having some Gelati, when desert was announced.   Dessert would be gelati, a dip of strawberry and a dip of rich chocolate.  As I would learn Gelati is merely Italian for ice cream and not some fancy concoction that PKI came up with.  But it’s not quite the same as ice cream; it’s a different texture to it.

 

After lunch we had some free time, but decided that it wasn't enough to do anything before our time appointed group gondola ride.  We decided to walk along the shopping promenade of San Marcos Plaza and we shocked to find the entire plaza DRY.  Not just no water, but DRY bricks.  If not for the temporary scaffold walkways, which now looked absurd, you would not have known it was flooded this morning. While waiting for our guide we discovered that the Italian police don't carry pistols, instead they prefer to carry rifles.   Must be a European thing, as both London's Gatwick and Venice's Marco Polo Airport were guarded by guards wielding machine guns, walking around finger-on-trigger.  Anyway, after being in awe over the now dry piazza, it was soon time to be led to the gondola dock.  We were informed that our guide wouldn't be making the trip but she pointed out key landmarks to find our way back. 

 

The gondola ride, as much as anything else, is one of the icons of Venice.  Whenever you speak of Venice, someone always mentions the gondolas, and therefore not to ride them would be not to truly see Venice.  As I mentioned earlier, our tour group was afforded an opportunity to ride at a reduced rate.  Mom and I were in the second boat to be loaded, loading not being so easy as there are no solid handholds except the operators.  Each gondola seats 6 people, two facing forward, two facing the sides in fold-down chairs, and one person facing the rear.  The gondolier stands on the very back of the gondola.  In one of our gondolas we arranged for two musicians, an accordionist and a vocalist to join us.  Skillful navigation allowed the gondola with the musicians to stay in the middle of the pack. A word about gondolas, they most closely resemble canoes, as they are narrow and long.  Gondolas as a rule are painted black with a real shiny finish, with brass trim and either red or blue seat cushions.  According to our local guide they are sometimes referred to as floating coffins or death ships.  These nicknames stemming from both their appearance and their ultra quiet operation, as they float gently in a misty fog evening. The gondoliers themselves wear either white or black outfits; a few were seen to be wearing outfits that Americans would more closely associate with jail uniforms. As the dock had only two or three slips, and our group needed seven gondolas, the first three boats were loaded, left the dock, then were held still a few meters down the Grand Canal to let the others catch up.  We then proceeded from the gondola dock nearest San Marcos Square along the grand canal to the site of the famous Venice opera house, which was destroyed by fire a few years ago and is currently being rebuilt.  All the way accompanied by lively and sometimes romantic music.  A lot of photos were taken and the group was in high spirits.  We then started touring the minor canals and waterways, and this is where the ride really gets interesting.

 

You see there are no cars or motor vehicles in Venice, instead the entire chain of islands contains an elaborate set of waterways, both natural and manmade that allow for the residents and supplies to reach their destination by water.  These tiny waterways even have traffic lights, traffic signs like you would expect in a normal town.  Clearly in Venice the waterways are the street system.  This was truly pointed out when we found ourselves in a gondola traffic jam.  Along the waterways the gondolas navigate waterways that are maybe three gondolas wide at the most, and pass under several footbridges.  These footbridges, although they appear quite low, are quite safe as long as you remain seated keeping your arms and legs completely in the gondola.  It was noted that the standing gondolier sometimes had to duck and assume otherwise awkward positions to pass under some bridges.  It was also noted that several buildings had back doors and private docks along the waterway.  A curiosity appeared in the form that a gondolier only uses one oar or gondola pole or whatever they call it.  And they only row on one side of the gondola, yet are able to fully steer.  Though sometimes a well-placed foot by the gondolier along the sides of the waterway was employed.  As I was sitting up in the very front of the boat facing rearward, I noted a sort of coat of arms on the front of the bow, proclaiming that our gondola was the Francesco, at the very rear of the boat is a fin like tail that I have only seen used on gondolas.  Very unique.   Our gondola ride lasted about 45 minutes, and then it was time to take turns at the boat slips to get out.  Getting out was quite a challenge, and after we unloaded we took delight in watching the others.  After everyone had safely unloaded we made our way to a souvenir cart to purchase some goodies, like a book about Venice (hint to travelers: when buying books and videos in other countries be sure to get the English version and for a video the NTSC version. (Of course if you are not from the USA and you landed on this document, adjust the language and video version as fits your situation) a tote bag, and a postcard.  The group I left back at work had requested a postcard, so I figured the sooner I sent it, the better chance it would have of reaching my office before I did.  Next stop was the Venice post office.  They don't have stamp vending machines, and they only had one window open.   Hey wait! I could be describing any local post office!  The slow moving line finally made its way to the front, where I learned the postage would be 1,500 lire ($0.75).  I was more surprised when they handed me no less than 5 stamps to affix to the card. Rather than try to keep track of the stamps and the postcard separate, I affixed the stamps while at the post office then put the card in my bag to fill out back at the hotel.

 

A brief stop to use the facilities, yes lire was involved, as pay toilets are still standard operation over in Italy. We then headed towards San Marco Church.  You see not only was this a sightseeing tour, this tour was also, (maybe even primarily) a tour for our church choir (That's the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, KY for those who are interested).  In fact this would make the sixth trip the choir has made outside the USA. The choir was scheduled to sing at the 18:45 mass at San Marcos in Venice.  The air outside is still quite cold but the breeze seems to have subsided.  While waiting for the church to open, I stopped in a coffee bar.  The Snack Bar Americano.  This particular snack bar features American food like hot dogs.  I walked over to the coffee bar and ordered a Hot Chocolate (or Chocolat).  To my surprise I was served in a real china coffee cup.  This particular hot chocolate is the richest I have ever had.  Imagine a hot chocolate made with Hershey's Special Dark. A nice warm filler, until it was time to be admitted for church.  

 

Mass this evening would be said in a small side chapel, with hardly any lights on.  This was a minor disappointment as I had planned on taking the time to look more closely at the mosaics all around the church.  From what I hear the lack of sufficient lighting created some unique challenges for the choir as well.  Mass was noteworthy in that it was said with the priest facing away from the people.  Something I had personally never seen.  The choir did a good job, and dealt with the unusual circumstances like pros.  About halfway through the service somebody finally decided to turn on the lights.  Choral performance #1 over, there was a brief stop outside for a group photo in Venice before making our way back to the boat dock to catch our waterbus back to the mainland. 

 

The walk back to the dock was interesting, as we passed several vendors who were noticeably not there during the day selling all manner of roses and electronic toys and purses and stuff that you wonder about its quality and origin.  Luckily the pathway back to the boat dock  was now dry.  The walk back also seemed to take a lot longer, as each bridge took its toll on us with the stairs both up to and down from the bridge.  There was one unhappy event when one of the “Cheerleaders” fell on the steps and broke both of her upper arms.  Luckily she was able to continue on the tour until the end after a trip to the hospital.  Eventually we made our way back to the boat dock to discover no boat.  It seems that the boat we went to Venice on was having some difficulties, however they were sending another boat for us.  The replacement boat was smaller, yet we all fit on board in a cozy manner.  At least the second boat had a much more gradual gangplank to load and unload.   We took a more direct path back to the mainland dock, and made our way back to the bus.  It was noted that the entire marketplace on the mainland dock was closed for the evening.  Our bus took us back to the hotel.

 

Dinner was not included today.  Our tour called for the breakfast plus one meal per day to be included.  Today the tour furnished lunch so diner was our responsibility.  After dropping souvenirs into our hotel rooms, a large number of us met in the lobby to plan dinner.  The McDonalds next door to our hotel was briefly considered and rejected.  We decided not to venture out and instead chose the hotel restaurant.  Tonight we ate light, or we ate more to the American method of Italian dining.  That is to say we merely ordered a pasta dish and bread.  I did the spaghetti Napoli that is Spaghetti with tomato sauce, basil, oregano, garlic, and cheese. A very good dinner followed by a very good night's sleep.  Catch you in the morning!

 

Day 4 - Thursday, November 15, 2001

 

This was to be a day on the road, with a couple of important stops along the way.  This required an early morning start to pack up and leave our bags for the hotel staff, while we went down to breakfast.  Quite tasty.  Back up to my room where I wrote the postcard and dropped it into the mail chute in the hotel lobby. Then onto the bus for a lengthy drive to Ravenna. Most chose to get some extra sleep on the bus ride.  There was a lengthy viaduct we passed in a large body of water, and the chance to see even our driver get confused in the roundabout.  A couple hours later we were at the Ravenna train station picking up our local guide (Luciana).  We would start with a driving tour of Ravenna, which would include such sites as Dante's (Divine Comedy) tomb. On the way to Ravenna we got some political commentary.  Something about how the rich areas of Ravenna feel that they are paying too much of the taxes.  In other words, politics are the same all over. Our local guide while quite knowledgeable also had a rather abrasive personality. Our first stop would be the National Museum, which is housed in an old monastery.  A much-needed break was given after the long bus ride, and we looked at some of the artwork and artifacts on the entrance level of the museum.  I also spotted a common site I would see at other historical sites. A coin operated television monitor provided for those without the luxury of a guided tour.  Back to our guided tour. It was pointed out that the museum we were standing in is housed in a building of the 16^th century, and that after we go down a flight of stairs the church we would tour is from the 6^th century.

 

The Basilica of St. Vitale is an octagonal shaped church.  It was pointed out that this was the church of the government, not the main church of the people.  As such, local custom would have dictated women to remain on the second floor gallery level.  We hear that the church was used both for political as well as religious meetings. We are then shown the mosaics in the apse of the church in great detail.  These have an emerald green background.  We also hear that unlike the mosaics of Venice, which are mostly flat, Ravenna mosaics have a rough textured surface.  After a lengthy description of the mosaics we exit the church and go to the Mausoleum of  Galla Placidia, another 6^th century work.  Once inside the mausoleum the doors were closed so that we could appreciate the light provided by windows made of alabaster, not glass. Inside the background color was a royal blue, and mosaics lined all four the ceiling and walls of the cross-shaped building. After seeing the mausoleum we exited the museum by a side gate and made our way to a local Mosaic artisan's shop for a demonstration on the manufacture of mosaics.  As a tie to our previous days touring, mosaics are made out of tiny pieces of glass, and in this case Moreno glass is used.  The same type of glass that was used in the glassblowers shop from yesterday's tour.  After the mosaic demonstration, some time was given for gift shop purchases before getting back on the bus for our next destination. We would travel by bus approximately five miles to St. Apollinaire in Classe.  This was the church of the people.  Attention was paid to the round bell tower in the rear of the church before entering.  Everything that St. Vitale was, this church wasn't.  St. Apollinaire featured large bright windows and several openings, while St. Vitale had minimal windows and limited access.  We learned that the difference is that of Roman vs. Gothic architecture and theology.  The roman belief was "Church as Fortress of God" So there was little outside light admitted, while the Gothic style saw light as God entering the building, so this church features large windows, and several doorways.  As was eluded to in St. Vitale by having to go down the stairs from the 16^th century to the 6^th century building, the historic buildings are in fact sinking.  And over time newer buildings have been placed on top of the old.  In a corner of St. Apollinarie church, you could see a small segment of the original flooring, and you could see that it was easily 3 feet below the current floor.  Our guide explained that when it was time to raise the floor, in order to keep the columns and capitals intact, a portion of the wall above the column work would be removed in order to preserve the column work.  We also received the detailed explanation of the mosaic work in this church and learned how all the mosaic work was really a visual aid for the congregation.  A final point of interest was in the various crypts located along the long walls.  It was noted that in most Roman churches only three sides of the crypt are decorated as it is placed against a wall anyway. Here, an unusual thing all four sides of the crypts are decorated.  The decorations having been chosen by the deceased shortly before death. Call it the pre-planning of years past.   Lining the tops of the walls are the portraits of the bishops of Ravenna, and special note must be paid to one, whose name I forgot, but a sculpture of a papal crown has been added to the top of it to indicate that he made it to the rank of Pope.  Other portraits had a dove above them.  This was to signify bishops who were selected by an ancient custom of placing all bishop candidates in the church and releasing a dove.  The priest who the dove rested on became bishop. 

 

Thus ended our formal touring in Ravenna.  Before getting back on the bus some free time was offered.  As dinner was to be the day's included meal, a suggestion was made that the restaurant located next door to the church was quite reasonable.  The vast majority of the group decided on the local restaurant.  Once inside the restaurant you could either order what you wanted, or go for the Tourist Menu or (Menu Touristico). Of those who decided on lunch, most of us decided on the Menu Touristico for 20,000 lire ($10.00).  A tourist menu is a complete meal prearranged to offer the tourist the chance at an authentic meal without having to figure out the menu themselves.  Today they were serving "Light Lunch". At least they call it light lunch; back here it would be a full dinner.  The meal consisted of a salad and a pasta dish, similar but not exactly tortellini stuffed with cheese and spinach.  Even I the staunch anti-vegetable person managed to enjoy my pasta.  Noteworthy also, is that the price included beverage, and beer and wine were offered as choices in the included beverage service. The meal concluded with an Ice cream cup, with the unique feature that it was mostly vanilla with a chocolate musical note that went as deep as the cup.  I'd say a fine meal for $10.   I just don't think you can get a bad meal in Italy.  It was a bit comical when our tour leader apologized for rushing us through lunch.  Rushing?  That was an hour-long leisurely lunch, to those of us used to eating in 20 minutes or less, this was a nice relaxing lunch.  As we would find out Italians really enjoy meals, and usually eat at a slower and more relaxed pace than we Americans do.  

 

After having had lunch, it was back on the bus for the long ride to Assisi.  Shortly after leaving Ravenna the Ferris wheel and top of the lift hill for Katun, a B&M inverted roller coaster could be seen.  Luckily for the coaster enthusiast in the group, Mirabilandialand was closed today, as it has been since October 7.  Why lucky?  Lucky as I didn't have to bear the site of passing by an OPEN amusement park.  After passing by Miribilandia it was a long bus ride through the mountains and tunnels of the hillside for quite some time.  It was actually a very scenic and picturesque drive. About halfway there a stop was made at a rest area/store then it was on to Assisi.

 

Assisi is a mountainside medieval town.  A town that is still surrounded by walls and gates.  As it is built on a mountainside, there are almost no flat areas in the whole town.  The town featured quaint buildings and narrow winding roads with several hairpin turns.  The roads are just large enough for an automobile and perhaps a single file line of people.  It should be noted that most cars in Italy are compact in nature, this is quite understandable when you hear that gas is about $3.75/gallon over there.  Actually gas is about 1975 lire/liter over there, but I did the math for you.   The roads are so narrow and steep, that our bus had to stop at a parking lot located just outside of town.  From there our luggage was loaded onto tiny trucks, and cab service was offered to those who wanted it (5,000 lire per person) ($2.50) to our hotel. I chose to walk while Mom chose, quite wisely, to ride.  The first part of the walk involved a long ramp along a road up to the city gates.  Once through the city gates, we would have to walk uphill several blocks to our hotel.  There are no new buildings in Assisi, as they keep reusing the old ones.  There is reconstruction but no new construction going on.  Assisi, as you might know was the victim to a bad 1997 earthquake, and as such rebuilding is still underway.   Ah, here we are up at the Hotel Fontebella.  This hotel was sort of strange for mom, as she had stayed there on a prior choir tour in 1986.  After resting a while in the lobby, we were given our key and headed upstairs to our room.  We rode up to our room on the 6^th floor in an old elevator, complete with manually operated doors.  Progress was brought to a halt if a person forgot to close all the doors when leaving the elevator.   Now is as good a time as any to mention that Italy is not very wheelchair friendly.  Although no one in our group had a wheelchair, it's one of the things I have come to notice when I visit places.  The majority of the elevators we encountered on the trip were tiny, and even if they could hold a person in a wheelchair, the doorways would be too narrow, or in the case of this hotel the inside door of the elevator opened into the car.  Making it a trick to close even when you are able to walk.  If you have claustrophobia stay out of Italian elevators.  Other items were the lack of elevators in some places, or the elevator does not serve all the floors in a building, or steep stairs, or public restrooms either in a basement or upper level of a building with no wheelchair access.  Okay now we are in our hotel room, on the top floor.  Due to the unusual placement of the window, a small winding staircase with banister was built in our room to reach the window.   Odd to have a window that high up on the top floor of a building.  At this hotel we saw an unusual tactic of conserving electricity.  When you enter the room, you have to place your key into a slot on the wall.  Once the key is fully inserted the electricity for the room will turn on.  Once that card is removed from the wall, you have a limited number of minutes before the power goes out.   Did I mention that the climate control device also turns off?  As this hotel used mechanical locks in the doors, a specially shaped key ring fob was inserted into the wall.  After coming from the Hotel Sirio this place is a definite step up in luxury.  Heated bath towel racks, let's hear it for drying off after a shower with a heated bath towel.  We had some time to rest up, before we headed down to our restaurant.  The restaurant, while associated with the hotel, is not actually in the hotel.  Despite the panel on the elevator that said to press "1" for the restaurant.  We boarded the lift pressed "1" (the bottom floor on the floor selection panel), and once we arrived at the bottom, discovered that it would be another fight of stairs down to the hotel's other lobby, then across the street to the restaurant.  

 

Dinner was the included meal today, and consisted of Cream of Asparagus soup.  Again Mr. I-Hate-Vegetables made quick work of finishing his soup. Mmmmm Good.  The soup had pasta in it so I guess counted for our pasta dish. It was quickly followed by meat that was never really identified, a salad and some peas.  Dinner was real good, as all our meals have been.  After dinner it was time for the choirs first major concert of the trip. Realizing that the church was back down at the bottom of the hill, I spied an empty seat in a cab of choir members, and quickly parted with 5,000 lire to ride down to the church with them. The taxi ride is very note worthy as it surpasses any motion-simulator experience.  What can compare with tiny streets, dodging pedestrians, hairpins turns without even slowing down.  Tiny clearances, low margin for error, etc.   A taxi ride that turned into a real thrill ride. The taxi deposited us at the upper level of St. Francis Church.  The church of St. Francis in Assisi is quite noteworthy in that it is actually two churches, one placed above the other.  Tonight's concert would take place in the upper church. The upper church was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1997, and the walls still show signs of damage.  What is even more amazing is the amount of restoration that has gone on.  Several years ago, our local church had booked a speaker for the lecture series from Assisi to talk about the town and the restoration project that was ahead of them.  The slide show she gave back then showed the wall mosaics on the floor in pieces, and skilled art students working at benches trying to recreate them as if working on giant jigsaw puzzles.  My friends, it is truly amazing how much restoration has occurred.  Through a team of very patient individuals the majority of the artwork has been restored.  And tonight we would be able to gaze at the art under the full power of the electric light.  Oh, and I discovered that the person sitting next to me in the audience was that same lecturer from a long time ago. 

 

Tonight's concert was an international group effort, our choir, and a choir from Assisi joined together for tonight's program.  Each choir performed its own separate concert, and then joined together for the closing number (Mozart's Ave Verum).  The music was of course classical and church music.  I must say both choirs put on an excellent performance that was well received by the large crowd in attendance.  An especially emotional moment took place when our choir performed "America The Beautiful":  When I saw that on the program, I wasn't sure how that would go over in a foreign land.  I report that it was well received and served to point out that there were other American groups in the audience that night.  Namely a group on retreat from Lexington.  After a particularly fine concert and some photo opportunities, I decided again to join a group in a taxi back UP the steep hillside to our hotel.

 

Once back at the hotel, I joined a good-sized group at the hotel bar, where I had a fine Italian beer, Peroni.  Peroni is served in rather large bottles so I only needed one bottle.  The mingling and laughter in the hotel bar was lively and could be heard all the way up on the 6^th floor landing of the stairs.  After some drinks, and friendship, I returned to my room for a shower. A shower that first required a pole vault into the rather high bathtub.  No shower curtain, just a Plexiglas shield that didn't seem large enough, but was strategically placed to catch the shower water.  Did I mention the nice heated bath towels? And so to sleep.

 

Day 5 - Friday, November 16, 2001

 

Today, we awake, get dressed, you know all the usual stuff, then headed down to the bottom level of the hotel for breakfast.  Fortunately, breakfast is held inside the main hotel building in a room that looks a definitely medieval.  Battle axes on the walls, tournament banners on the arched ceilings, and all. The breakfast menu was quite similar to that served at the Hotel Sirio in Venice. After breakfast, we were told to meet back at the tour bus, which if you recall is parked WAY down at the bottom of the town in Parking Lot A.   Morning rush hour in Assisi, Narrow roads, cars zooming by, medieval buildings, oh and some concert announcements.  Wait! That’s a poster for our group’s concert from last night.  Too bad they used some really good glue to apply the posters to the walls.  This was our first walk through town in bright daylight, and Assisi is just a magic mountainside town.  So small, so quaint, so relaxing.  Eventually we make our way outside the city gates, down the hill and onto the bus.

 

At the bus, we meet our local guide. While on the bus we hear about the town of Assisi, we pass a road down to the old monastery, we keep driving.  We notice the city wall, and eventually wind up in parking lot B, which is at the top of the city.  Smart tactic.  Use motorized transportation to get to the farthest, hardest to reach point and walk back.  At the upper parking lot, we take a series of two escalators to the highest point in Assisi, and therefore start our walk back down.  We first stop at a fantastic overlook where we can see the city and mountainside below us.  We then head to St. Claire's.  The historical significance of St. Claire's Church is that it holds the famous crucifix, which is believed to have spoken to St. Francis of Assisi.  A brief tour of the church, and the chapel, which holds the famous crucifix, took place, followed by a brief prayer.  Another oddity of that particular crucifix is that is shows Christ alive.

 

From St. Claire's we were a bit surprised to learn that we would have to walk uphill to the Assisi town square of sorts.  This is where the government offices are located, and a rather famous temple.  It was pointed out that the stairs leading up to the temple seemed to be stunted.  As we learned in Ravenna, the older buildings are actually sinking, and that there would have been a further 12 stairs back in the days of the Roman Empire.  We spent some time in the town square, before heading back downhill with an ultimate destination of St. Francis Basilica.  Along the way down we stopped at a famous house of some sort, though because I was lagging behind the group I did not hear what was important about it.

 

At the base of the hill our guide told us about St. Francis, the two churches in one building.  How the lower church contains the tomb of St. Francis. The lower church having previously been a courthouse in St. Francis's day.  In fact both churches of the Basilica were built some time after St. Francis death.  As you may recall, yesterday we had the concert in the upper basilica, today we would have the Mass in the lower basilica.

 

There is a world of difference between these two churches.  The lower basilica almost had a cave like atmosphere, with minimal windows mounted high up in the walls.  Our Mass was in the chapel nearest the main entrance.  Our choir sang for the mass of course, and even our tour director got into the act by doing the readings.  Of note was a portable organ that was wheeled in that is said to have been over 600 years old.  Its keys aren't painted white like modern instruments; instead a bare wood finish is left.  Unlike Venice, the mass was said in a fashion that is more like we are used to in the States.  In fact Venice is the only place where the priest faced away from the people.

 

After mass we had some time to explore the Lower Basilica on our own.  This included a trip to the crypt of St. Francis, a very simple affair, reflecting the saint’s values.  Another member of our group discovered a high tech spin on an old tradition. Coin-operated votive candles. Instead of trusting people with matches, the person merely inserts a coin and a candle is automatically lighted for them.   After touring the rather dark surrounds of the Lower basilica, we exited out into the square for further instructions.

 

Group vote, we can either have 2 hours of free time here, and continue on our way, or leave Assisi now and have our break somewhere along the way to Rome.  As most folks hadn't gotten time to purchase souvenirs yet, the group opted to take the free time in Assisi.  Our local guide had mentioned that any extra copies of our concert poster would be up at the Tourism Board.  We recalled from the walking tour that the Tourism board was way up at the top of the city.  After a convenience stop, a small group of us headed up to the Tourism Board.   There we met another tour member who was just leaving the government office, and informed us that she had acquired the entire lot of remaining posters.  The posters were carefully packed away and distributed at the first choir rehearsal after our return to the states.  Good team effort.  The small group I was with decided to stop in a counter service pizza parlor, a pizza-by-the-slice joint.  I had been told that pizza varied drastically in Italy depending on where you were.  Up here in Assisi, pizza had a real thick, crunchy crust.  No matter where you got pizza in Italy, very fresh ingredients were used.  Such as squeezing tomatoes for the sauce right when the pizza is made. Nothing from a can here folks.  Fresh real ingredients are used, and go pizza shops have displays of fresh toppings on display. Some of the best pizza I've had, and reasonable at only 2,000L ($1) per slice. Large slices too.  

 

On the way to the pizza place, in the same food area, I had seen a Gelati Stand. After finishing my pizza, I walked over to the Gelati stand only to find it closed.  Those worried about my Gelati intake will be happy to know I found a Gelatria (think ice cream parlor) on my way back down through the town.  A few stops were made for souvenirs as we made our way back to parking lot A at the bottom of the town.  From here it was back on the bus for a short drive to our next stop.

 

Just outside of Assisi, we stopped at the Basilica did S. Maria degli Angeli.  As had become common, the church was explained out on the front steps of the church, as to preserve the rule of silence inside.  This Basilica is important because it too, is two churches in one.  This time the much larger church (16^th century) served to protect a tiny church built in the 1^st century. This is the church that St. Francis reportedly restored with his bare hands after hearing the message of the crucifix.   But the original church is only one site to be seen here.  After touring the main basilica, it is necessary to follow the signs to the rose garden.  Along this one-way pathway you pass the statue of St. Francis holding a basket.  In the basket is a real live dove.  (Symbol of peace).  Further along the walking tour you exit the building to the rose garden that bears roses with no thorns.  Last stop is the cave that is said to have been where St. Francis prayed.  After the cave you go through a few courtyards and labyrinth like hallways to get back to the main church.  Along the way the path leads you through a gift shop.  After our tour of the church, we re-boarded the bus for the long ride to Rome.  The ride to Rome was pretty, but I would be dishonest if I didn't say that most people caught up on some sleep sometime along the way.  At about the halfway point we pulled off the road to go to a 'rest area'.  This rest area is one of those tourist trap stops.  Our tour director even warned us that it was. It's a "Pssst! Bring your tour group here, and we'll make it worth your while" places.  Upon exiting the bus, you enter the building to find nice large, clean, free restrooms.  The catch is that after using the restroom, you can't exit the building the same way you went in.  You must instead go through the market.  The market is set up in such a manner that you must go down every single aisle.  The building exit is located at the far end behind the checkout counters.  While the first aisle offers traditional convenience store items, and even a snack bar, the markets true purpose is revealed.   Italian Candy, Italian Wine, Italian Olive Oil, Italian Salsa, Italian spices, Italian Jewelry, Italian Cosmetics, as well as an aisle full of traditional tourist souvenir items.  However the market had a fun atmosphere with lots of free samples to be had as you made your way through the maze, including wine tasting.  It was a fun rest stop, and I don't think anybody got out without buying something,

 

As we left the market our guide said.  "With smooth sailing we should be in Rome within an hour" No sooner had she said that, we turned the corner onto the Autosrtade (turnpike) to discover the traffic jam to end all traffic jams. A few miles on the Autostrade revealed the reason.  A multi car pile up in the high-speed lane.  That and road construction did not help matters.   The statue of St. Christopher (the patron saint of transportation) was pointed out along the entrance to the turnpike.  It was a slower drive to Rome than expected, and our guide was biting her nails, but rest assured we made it to Rome on time.  We drove past the Olympic Stadium, where we noticed they were getting ready for some event that night, and then we drove through the modern, commercialistic side of Rome.  As we were told, Rome has too faces, the Historic Rome, and the Contemporary Rome.  W also got our first glimpse of Roman driving habits.  All traffic rules are out the windows folks.  Traffic lights and signs are merely suggestions.  Parking wherever you can cram your compact car, be it sideways, backwards, on the side walk, in the grass, as long as it isn't blocking traffic, its alright.  Besides the compact car, motorcycles and motor scooters are quite the rage in Rome.  And remember, in Rome, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way.  As the group joked "He who hesitates, dies".   To help combat this traffic problem, many sections of Rome are restricted to cars belonging to residents of those neighborhoods only.   This includes tour busses, forcing tour groups to sometimes have to walk several blocks from a main street to the site they want to visit. To further help, Rome has a very fine public transit system involving busses, subways, shuttles, streetcars (yes on rails), trains, and they are said to be working on an elevated railway system. In addition public transit is very reasonable, with fares being calculated based on time.  The lowest time unit sold is 75 Minutes for 1,500 L (75 cents), up to all day passes for 9,000: ($4.50).  No fare boxes, and tickets must be purchased before you plan to ride.  However, ever corner tobacconist sells transit tickets. (And phone cards, and stamps, and lottery tickets)  In short the tobacconist is the tourist's friend.  When you enter the subway platform, or board your first public vehicle, you must have your ticket punched by a time clock located by the boarding doors.  It's on an honor system; just don't get caught without a properly punched, unexpired ticket.  The fine for being caught on a public transit vehicle without a proper ticket is 50,000L ($25.00). This was told to us in our Roman orientation.  It was noted that many Italians do chance riding without tickets, as the transit inspectors tend to spot check tourists.

 

We then were awe struck by getting our first glimpse of St. Peters Square.  It's truly an awe inspiring sight with the round colonnade, the two fountains, the obelisk, and St. Peters Basilica located directly behind it.  For the Catholic visitor, this is truly the "You are in Rome" sight. Even more amazing was when our hotel was located directly across the street from St. Peter's Square.  Due to very special circumstances, we were afforded the opportunity to stay in the Residence of Paul VI.  The floors the hotel is now located on were previously used as a seminary; they are now a modern hotel.  But not just any hotel, this is a private hotel, which means that you have to be invited to stay there. According to the hotel brochure the hotel had 23 rooms, and we had more than 46 people.   This left some people, mainly those who joined the trip as a pilgrimage and were not sharing a room with a choir member to be accommodated in a nearby hotel that looked to be quite nice.  The lower floors of the building contained offices, most noteworthy the Philippine Embassy to the Holy State (Vatican City), further down was an official Vatican gift shop, a cafeteria, gelatria and some other retail stores.  We caught the main elevator and rode up to III. We then entered the hotel, picked up our room cards, and headed to our room.  While at first we were disappointed that the rooms weren't large and luxurious, they were quite nice including all the comforts of a fine hotel, including a superb view of the dome of St. Peters, and a television that had a channel surfer compatible remote control.  The same energy saving tactic was employed at this hotel, and after a little rest, we rejoined the others at the bus for dinner.  

 

Dinner tonight would be at a local restaurant "Osteria de Pontiffs" or something like that.  It was decorated with portraits of popes past and present.  This time the meal started with ravioli, served before what we presumed to be turkey and vegetables.  Fresh fruit for desert.  Another great meal, supporting my theory that it just isn't possible to get a bad meal in Italy.

 

After dinner we got back on the bus for a night tour of Rome.  Rome offers a fascinating tour of Rome at night, with all the famous historical sites lit up in a nice mellow light.  We passed the Palatine Hill, the Circus Maximus, the Coliseum, the "Wedding Cake" (Victor Emanuel Monument, now their "Tomb of the unknown soldier", San Angelo, some roman bridges where we learned the extra holes in the bridges are to allow the river to pass through the bridge without damaging the bridge, a theatre that looks a lot like the Coliseum, and a lot more.  At the end of the bus ride the group decided to skip a stop at Piazza Nuvona, a popular artsy shopping district.   It is fair to say that everybody was very tired. We returned to our hotel; found the front door locked, no card slot.  And got accustomed to communicating to the front desk via intercom whenever the doorman wasn't there.   I must say there is some added comfort to having a hotel in a secure building.   Fortunately for the hotel desk, the front door can be opened electronically.  We then went upstairs and began another night’s sleep.

 

Day 6 - Saturday, November 17, 2001

 

Again we awake, in Rome.  Before even getting dressed, a look out the window was in order to reconfirm that we really are staying right next door to St. Peter's Square.  Okay, we weren't dreaming it. Get dressed, and learn that breakfast will be served up in the clubroom on the 5^th floor.  The lift was full, so we took the stairs and proceeded to have breakfast.  As a nice surprise, in addition to all the breakfast goodies we had been getting used to they had added scrambled eggs and bacon.  We had a very delightful breakfast, stopped back past our room to get cameras, and then went out from of the building to catch our bus for a tour of Rome.  Today's tour would be during the day, in the historic center. 

 

We passed a lot of the same sites we saw last night, and they did look different during the day.  Our formal tour was to concentrate on a mere handful of sites.  We drove out to the nearest bus parking area to the Coliseum, and before heading to the Coliseum, we headed up into town a bit.  We stopped to wait for some stragglers to catch up in front of a building of a Roman university.  This university, instead of having all its buildings together in a campus like arrangement, was instead spread out all through Rome.  Some more political commentary was made as to how they were no longer free to their residents. After this brief pause, we started noting that the street vendors are aggressive here in Rome.  From the minute we stepped off the bus till we got back on we were being followed and pestered by someone selling some trinket.  Our first major stop was St. Peter in Chains, not to be confused with St. Peters located across from our hotel.  One of the two key relics in this church is Michelangelo's famous statue of Moses, which is quite impressive.  The statue appears to be moving, and is just so large it’s awe striking.  Then again in Italy churches are a LOT bigger than what I am accustomed to in the states. The other relic is the chains from which St. Peter was allegedly held prisoner.  We enjoyed a guided tour and a little bit of free time in the church.  The church is currently undergoing a rehab project, and much of the front half is covered in scaffolding.  However, an unusual vantage point of Michelangelo's sculptures can be obtained as a temporary stairway and observation gallery had been erected by the local fine arts society to allow a closer look at some of the sculptures located high up in the side of the church.   Talk about making the most of a situation.

 

We then left the church, and made our way to a nice overlook where we could see the ruins of a temple and the Coliseum.  The Coliseum was at the bottom of a steep hill, but our group took a wise shortcut through a subway station so that a normal set off stairs could be employed instead of the steep hillside.  As you exit the station, you are thrust right into the plaza holding the famous Roman Coliseum, or Flavian Amphitheatre as it is also called.  We learned a lot of interesting trivia points about the famous stadium.  Similar to modern day stadiums, fans of the contests in this stadium were assigned a gate nearest their seat, according to their ticket.  80 gates in all existed, numbered I to LXXX.  Some of these gates gate numbers can be seen in the portion of the Coliseum where the outermost wall still stands.  This section is also interesting for another reason.  If you look around the roof, you will see a punch of square holes, and mounted under them, stone blocks jetting out from the wall.  When asked to guess their purpose, many suggested that they were to hold flagpoles.  Not so.  In fact they existed for a much more ingenious reason.  The Roman Coliseum had, a RETRACTABLE ROOF! In this case the covering was made of canvas, and had a big hole in the middle of it, to let in the sunlight to serve as a spotlight over the arena floor.  No mechanical system here. A crew of 2,500 was required to raise or lower the roof.  The roof pegs were inserted through the holes in the roof, and rested on the stone blocks.  Stadium capacity was 60,000.  Along the base of the statue are a number of costumed characters, in this case gladiators, and a Julius Caesar type person.  They serve to entertain the tourist and also so that you can have your photo taken with a 'real gladiator''.  Buyers beware if you take them up on the offer.  These characters expect to be paid for their time to be in your photographs.  The going rate to have your photo taken with a gladiator is 10,000: ($5).  And this is so your friend can take your picture, of you with the gladiator, using YOUR camera, and YOUR film.  $5 per photo, that is.   They will even pose with their 'blood' covered sword.  This is along with a lot of street vendors and horse and buggy rides.  I suggest that Chariot rides would be much better insofar as keeping with the theme.  Then again I can see the inherent dangers in offering chariot rides.  

 

Oh where was I, describing the Coliseum.  A lot of folks seem to think that the ruins of the coliseum are the way they are because of natural decay and deterioration.  Not So!  After the coliseum had become obsolete, it was viewed at the time to be an inexhaustible quarry of stone for construction crews. This pillaging of the building only came to a stop when it was actually made a church of all things.  A church dedicated to all the martyrs who died there.  The church can still be accessed off the 'plaza' level of the stadium.  If in the coliseum bowl, it's down the aisle with the big cross built above the arena wall.   It should be noted that the Pope uses the bowl of the Coliseum once per year, for the Good Friday service.  Other curiosities are more well known, like the intentional flooding of the arena to allow mock naval games, or the various kinds of contests. (Gladiator Vs. Animal, Animal Vs. Animal, Gladiator Vs. Gladiator)  These were deadly games, as the loser usually died then and there, unless they were given a royal pardon.  The winner would either get paid if they were a professional gladiator, or be awarded their freedom if they were a prisoner or slave.  The Coliseum was a popular place for executions, and depending on the crime, the prisoner may or may not be given the luxury of having weapons.  Under the missing arena floor you can see the maze of tiny rooms and animal cages.  Unfortunately our tour would be an exterior tour and not include the inside.  I will have to deal with this later, as the Coliseum was one place I really wanted to walk around inside.

 

Next on our walking tour was the Roman Forum.  Or the ruins of the Roman Forum.  The Forum used to the political, social and commercial town center. Now it is a field of ruins.  Mind you ruins that attract lots of tourists. While there may not be much left to see, you almost feel self compelled to walk about the ruins.  Maybe Tillyou wasn't that crazy when he posted a sign about charging admission to the ruins of his once great Steeplechase park. To be walking and touching ancient Roman history is an awe-inspiring experience. 

 

Along with the forums, time was taken under the Arch of Titus.  These arches were built to celebrate military victories.  The Arch of Titus celebrated the beginning of the roman takeover of the Jewish lands.  A menorah can clearly be seen in the carving, a close glance reveals it is being paraded through the town as a spoil of war.  A military engagement was judged successful by the townspeople by the amount of war spoils the army had plundered and is bringing back.   Great victories were cause for building great arches such as this one to commemorate the wining general.   Some time was given to explore the Roman Forum on our own.  Then we returned to the subway station where a break of another kind was given to those in need.   We then used the subway station again for its escalator back to the top of the hill. We returned to our bus, where we exchanged stories with those who had declined the walking tour, and opted instead for an informal driving tour of Rome.   This driving tour was unscheduled and unannounced, and was seen as a great gesture by the bus driver, who could have, by all rights just remained parked there for the two hours of the walking tour.

 

Once on the bus, we were reminded that we had the afternoon free, and before going to our final spot on the formal touring itinerary, we were given some essentials.  A street map of Rome and the Vatican.  A transit map of the city showing the major bus routes and subway lines, and a free pass for one day, good for busses operated by the Tourist association for the benefit of tourists.  They differ from the normal busses as they are blue instead of orange, and have route numbers starting with "J".

 

We then headed to St. John in Lateran.  Lateran has no religious significance, and instead indicates whose land the church was built on. St. John's church has a nave with giant statues of the saints along both sides, a shrine in the middle that is alleged to hold the body of St. John the evangelist, and fabulous mosaics amid other artwork, a very ornate ceiling, and a fairly famous pipe organ.  Two of the organists on our trip were afforded the opportunity of performing an organ recital, while the rest of us were afforded seats along the altar side, which offered the best view of the organ console.  A short tour was given after the organ recital.  The organ recital was excellent, and ended with a touching moment when the two organists, a father-son duo sharing a hearty hug at the conclusion.

 

After the church tour, we could either be dismissed at the church, or left to our own devices to get back to the hotel by 18:30 for dinner, or could take a ride in our tour bus back to the hotel and start our journey there.  We opted to be taken back to the hotel.  Along the way we passed the Circus Maximus, the site of the famous Ben-Hur style chariot races.  The valley of the Circus Maximus was chosen, as its terrain was already perfect for the construction of grandstands along the two-sloped sides, and the racetrack in the middle.  All that remains is the judges tower' in the middle of the former racetrack.  We were informed that the chariot races were gambling events, with bets accepted clear up until the signal.  A standard race was seven laps, and the “no more bets” call was made when either charioteer was within two laps of completing the race.  As in the Ben Hur movie, score was kept by a row of golden markers.  Different symbols being used for each charioteer.

 

We also drove by the ruins of a Roman Bath. Roman Baths were the forerunner of today's health clubs.  While originally restricted to the wealthy Roman, they were later made a public facility.  No admission was charged for their use, and bathing suit rental was merely one of the lowest value coin. Clever use of the sun and construction was used to augment the heating facilities.  Baths were available in hot, warm, and cold varieties, as well as a sauna like room.  The baths also included a room that was kind of like a gym.  In addition to the health benefits, the baths also used to include casinos, restaurants, libraries and other civic facilities, which justify the amounts of time, Romans spent in the bath. An interesting trivia point is that Roman baths were originally unisex until a wise monarch discovered a rapid increase in the birth rate. J

 

We pass again past the Victor Emmanuel monument.  (The one that is real wide with the famous statue of a horse in front.  It serves also as their Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and is often ridiculed because of its appearance.  Fondly referred to as the Wedding Cake, ridiculed as the Typewriter. Its eternal flame is guarded by the Italian police 24 hours a day.  On our ride back we are provided with a number of self-exploration suggestions. We arrive back at our hotel, and after a brief stop, its back on the road for self-exploration.  Most of our group decided to grab a meal in the cafeteria in our hotel.  (Referred to as a "Self Service Restaurant") I decided that my touring priorities were higher, and besides with the amount of food I have been eating I could stand to forgo a meal.

 

Our walking group started up large and unwieldy, and quickly broke up when it could not decide as a group what to see.   I chose to walk with Mary Lee and Nell, as they had similar touring plans.  Namely a return to the Coliseum to see the inside, and the Pantheon.  Four hours of touring time does not give much luxury of time, especially when we effectively had only a couple hours till the tourist attractions started closing for the evening. We started out trying to redeem our free ride on the  J5 bus.  After several failed attempts to locate the bus stop (Fermata), including merchants giving conflicting directions, and operators of other bus lines being as equally unhelpful (that is when you could spot one outside of their Plexiglas safety cage), we bailed on the bus service for which we had free tickets, and decided to instead opt for the mainstream subway of which we knew the location of the stations.  We had already wasted a good half an hour hunting down the  J5 stop, and had walked about four blocks, three more blocks to the subway station, down the stairs and to the ticket cage.  1,500L per rider (75 cents) was eagerly paid, and then we walked over and selected the turnstiles nearest the stairs headed down to the platform of the train headed in the desired direction.  We would have to take the A train to the main station, and transfer to the B train to go to the Coliseum, the furthest point out on our touring plan. We managed to ride the subway like old pros, and soon found ourselves and our possessions all intact in the Colloseo Station.  An interesting note about the subway trains is that they are apparently powered by overhead cable, just like the streetcars above ground.  Oh and the trains are badly graffiti covered.

 

With that we exit the subway, and I experience a strange feeling of Déjà vu.  It's like I had seen this view just this morning.  We cross the street and come up to the Coliseum. We pause for a few brief seconds and wonder which way around the oval shape building would be the fastest way to the entrance.  We opt for counterclockwise, and are glad to discover we chose wisely.  About but not quite halfway around we see the entrance.  We also see a ticket office with lines stretching clear cross the plaza.  Except that they aren't really neat orderly lines. You see in Italy, it seems common that in situations where there should be an organized queue line, there is really a clump of people all jockeying to better position themselves to get to the front of the 'line' as quickly as possible.  He, who waits patiently in line, waits the longest.   We, however, were not aware of that bit of local custom, and dutifully took our place at the end of one of the queues.  Despite the fact that the line seemed to be advancing quickly it took almost a half an hour to reach the coliseum gate. Then the good luck fairy shined on us, just as we stepped inside the gate, the security guards slammed the gates shut behind us and announced that queue was being cut for the evening.  We were on the inside of the cut.  Yeah, Us.  We still needed to obtain tickets. By this time we could see the "me-first mob tactics" going on, and agreed that whoever could get themselves through the masses to the ticket window first should get all three tickets.   Not more than 5 minutes later, we had tickets in hand.   That evening the coliseum was to close at 17:00, as it as after 15:30, we were given a late admission discount.  Instead of the usual 13,000L entrance fee ($6.50), we were only charged 3,000L entrance fee ($1.50).  We soon made our way around the ticket cage to enter the queue for the one turnstile they had at that entrance.  Progress to that turnstile was hampered by a security checkpoint involving a walk through metal detector and a bag X-ray machine.  We then passed through the turnstile, which used a similar ticket validation system as the Disney or Universal parks.  

 

The entrance puts you on the concourse that would have been just above the sections lining the arena floor.  We took some pictures, and video, and all agreed that we'd like to get up to the upper level.  An information kiosk visit revealed that the access way to the upper level was halfway around the bowl. After taking our tour of the lower level, we found signage stating that the exit, stairs, and lifts were to the left.  You had to go under the former seating sections, to an area where the exhibit exit is, as well as some art gallery type exhibits.  From there you can walk around under the seating areas (the concourse area), to the lifts. The elevators are I admit, a big anachronism while touring the Coliseum, but sure beats walking up.  They have two big glass walled elevators that seem to counterbalance each other. (I.e. one goes up while the other is coming down). We exit the elevator onto the upper level concourse, and soon make our way to the former seating areas.  All the seats have been removed, and one can clearly see the stairways that would have gone up to the upper-deck seats.  The 'nosebleed' section of the coliseum is off-limits. More fascinating views of the building can be seen by walking around on the upper level. I don't think there was a bad seat in the place. There are also some unique photo ops of the nearby forum from the upper level plaza.  Also a unique view where the current upper level plaza just ends, in the section that has since been destroyed over the years.  Not entirely unlike how Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadiums plaza comes to an abrupt end.  We made a complete lap of the upper level, and decided that instead of taking the elevators back down, we'd use the one stairway back to the lower level that isn't roped off.   You know get the full effect of touring the building, leaving by the original means.  The stairs were deserted, steep, and uneven but soon got us back down to the plaza level.  "Did your gladiator win today?" Our final stop was to be the arena floor, or should I say the recent reconstruction of a portion of the arena floor.  Along the way we took the wrong tunnel from the plaza level into the seating bowl, and came across the church that was more recently built into the Coliseum.  After a brief look, we headed back to the plaza level, and tried another access way to the seating bowl, and soon found the more modern wooden ramps down to the reconstructed arena floor.  About a fourth of the floor has been reconstructed, and to keep with the theme, it is covered with sand. Some unique photo ops existed, and HERE is where I think some of the gladiators that had been in the front outside should have been for photo opportunities. There is a bridge constructed so you can walk the entire length of the arena floor, and this gives you a unique close up view to the service areas that existed underneath the arena floor and the maze of tiny rooms that existed. After touring the arena floor, we made our way to the arena exit. After passing through the arena exit turnstiles, we not too surprisingly found ourselves at a gift cart. Amongst the many gifts and trinkets on offer, some of which involve the building we had just toured, and others more general Rome souvenirs, my eyes were immediately drawn to a real neat miniature of the Coliseum.  A piece that I thought would look great on the shelves in my office. After looking at stuff for a while, the vendor took interest in me, and I expressed interest in the mini-coliseum He demonstrated that it was NOT made of plastic.  The vendor says 'stone' I have my doubts.   Of course the discussion soon turned to money and prices.  He quoted 75,000L ($37.50), I gazed and looked at the piece for another minute or so, before I set it back down on his cart, said "No, thank you", and started to walk away. The vendor comes up behind me and says "How about 50,000L?" ($25.00).  $25 just happened to be the figure I had in my head of how much I was willing to pay for it.  We played our game of "Let's Make a Deal", Lire and merchandise were exchanged, and we made our way towards the Roman Forum.

 

As we had taken a more in-depth tour of the Forum earlier, we merely walked down the street that runs along side it, and gazed and took some pictures. We came across a Gelati stand, and I needed a little something to tide me over till dinner, so I officially had a Gelati for lunch.    From the Gelati stand we made our way to the Victor Emmanuel monument (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), and walked around the side of it to reach the front, to realize it was closed for the evening, and had a pretty strong security presence by guards wielding weapons I would rather not be so close to.   The monument may have been closed, but the positioning of the gates still allowed for some nice photo opportunities. (For fans of "The Amazing Race" this is the "Hoof" they had to find in that one Detour. 

 

From there, we took a break to study our road map, and plotted our way to the Pantheon, our next stop, which was to be open till 19:30.  Without flaw, we found our way to the Pantheon, went down some streets that would fall into the "I would not want to be here after dark alone" category, and found our way to the Pantheon and found the doors to be open.  We entered the Pantheon, and gazed at the wonder. During the day, the Pantheon is lit only by a small 'skylight' in the center of its famous dome.  The building is generally of a round shape, and was built before the time of Christ, when it was used as a temple to the Roman gods.  The only reason it has survived to this day in immaculate condition is that it was converted into a Christian church.   Some more video and photo opportunities, then we glanced down at our watches to learn it was about 5:30, dinner was at 6:30, and we had to figure out a way back to the hotel.

 

We decided to return to the hotel on foot. Going down a major street Victor Emmanuel Way or something like that.  A major wide boulevard. Also a straight shot to the road that leads to St. Peter's square.  The walk was a lot longer than it looked on the map, but we got to enjoy the local atmosphere, got to dodge a lot of cars, and saw the sunset. Now we get to make this walk, in a strange city, after dark.  Luckily our heading was true and we soon spotted the bridge across the Tyvere River. Time for some more photo-ops of the many sculptures built into the very ornate bridge, and of the castle in the near background.  We then crossed the bridge, and walked a few more blocks and entered familiar territory. We took a correct left turn without even consulting the map or road signs because we had seen this intersection before.  A gift shop run was made, then a stop in a snack bar for cold beverages.  Then we are back at St. Peter's square where we started this self-exploration journey. A quick walk across the street led us back to our hotel, where I learned that dinner had been pushed back to 6:45, and that gave me some time to relax before dinner.

 

Dinner would be at the same restaurant as last night, except that we would not have the luxury of the bus. It was about a ten-block walk, and the weather was nice.  We soon made our way to the restaurant, and had another great meal there.  Pasta, perhaps a pork chop, with the salad as the side dish, and a piece of cake.  Again, can't go wrong with Italian dining. Dinner was relaxing, and we all shared stories of where we each went during our free time.  Lively conversation, then we started the walk back to the hotel.  I again decided that after all the walking I had done today, and with Sunday being another full day, to get some sleep.  Catch you tomorrow.

 

Day 7 - Sunday, November 18, 2001

Welcome to day seven, as you probably guessed, we started the day with breakfast in our hotel.  Breakfast was kind of unique for a couple of reasons, none of which had to deal with the meal itself. The first unusual experience occurred because we chose to use the small secondary elevator to transport us from our room on the third floor, to the breakfast room on the fifth floor. The elevator looked modern enough, although the door was still operated manually.  I say door, as the car had no inside door, so one had to be careful not to lean up against the front wall, which of course was moving.  To make this even more interesting the floor button had to be held in the entire time, and the car moved so slow it was almost agonizing.  Add to this a mechanical interlock that had a quirky personality and would sometimes lock or unlock at the wrong time the doors on the various floors.   It won the nickname as "the scary elevator" and its use thereafter limited to trips up the stairs. After an enjoyable breakfast, as we came across the 4^th floor landing, we noted a big picture window looking out onto a lovely rooftop terrace.  A member of the hotel staff revealed to us that by pressing a button on the wall next to the window, that it was really a sliding door allowing access to the terrace.  Unfortunately, due to the events of September 11^th, most of the terrace is now off limits, guarded by a recently installed fence.  Apparently, not even the hotel staff is allowed beyond this fence to raise the flag on an unused flagpole.

Much of the day today was to be spent in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.  Beginning with the Sunday Mass. As we were to learn this was to be no ordinary Sunday Mass, but a very special one.  This morning we were to celebrate the annual rededication of St. Peters.  This required some last minute changes in the choir's music lineup for today, and a last minute rehearsal after breakfast.  After the rehearsal, those of us who were non-singers, and were named "Cheerleaders" by out tour director started the walk across the street to church.  Access to St. Peter's Square from the sides is limited to a few designated entry points, as demarcated by a fence.  We passed through the gate into the square, and to our first walk among the fountains and obelisk of St. Peters Square.  We then turned and started to head to church.  We noted that the vast majority of the way to be blocked off, except for two small entrances on either side.  Security checkpoints, all bags are subject to hand search, and everybody is scanned with a metal detection wand.  I noted that there is currently a more permanent checkpoint under construction that will have walk through detectors and X-ray machines.   It took a few minutes to clear security, as there was no line when we decided to enter.  We made our way up the porch steps, and then through the designated entrance door.  Ten seconds after entering the church everyone was awestruck.  Nothing can prepare you for your first visit to St. Peters, nothing.  Mere words cannot describe the enormous size of the church, or the quantity of fascinating artworks. 

After checking our watches, we saw that we had some time for self-exploration.  This would be good because even though the choir was to sing here today, the church itself was not on our touring schedule. We started with Michelangelo's Pieta, which is located in the first chapel near where you enter, and had worked our way halfway down the one side of the church just gazing at the artwork before our Tour Director advised us that if we wanted to sit during the service, we had better take our seats.  St. Peters, like a lot of churches in Rome have only a limited number of pews up front, once those fill, the rest of the congregation must stand.  We quickly located the seats up close near the choir area.  We may have been seated but that did not stop eyes from wandering about looking at the artwork of the main alter in the apse, or the papal altar in the center, or the organ, or the interior of the dome, or anywhere else we could see.  Everything looks just absolutely fabulous.

 

Then, at the appointed time the Mass started.  The 10:30 High Mass at St. Peters.  I knew this was to be no ordinary mass, when there were no less than 80 priests, bishops, and cardinals in the procession.  The whole service was very emotional and seemed to take on a different higher character.   It just seemed all that more powerful.  Our choir and organist added immensely to the celebration with music that just seemed all the better in this fantastic place.  As you may have suspected with all the extra ceremony, the service ran longer than usual.  This causes us to just catch the tail end of the pope's weekly blessing in St. Peter's Square.   The pope just does not wait if the service runs over.   After the blessing, there was an official photo op for choir and non-singers alike with a professional photographer.

 

After our photo session, we had some time to drop stuff off at our hotel, relax, and hit the gift shop.  As I mentioned the official Vatican gift shop was in the ground level of our hotel.  Therefore we spent the time waiting for our lunch meeting in the gift shop.  Some items were purchased, but most of the goods on sale were high priced.  Mind you they had some real impressive looking artwork in the gift shop.   Our tour guide referred to it as the Vatican Supermarket as it contained a gift shop, art gallery, religious goods store, cafeteria, post office, ice cream parlor, and tobacconist shop. Proving that sometimes it is just as much fun to just walk through the gift shops.

After our gift shop visit, we as a group walked to lunch.  This was to be one of two days where our tour provided lunch, and we would be responsible for dinner. We would be having lunch at the overflow hotel, that is to say the hotel where those who could not fit into the main hotel (The Residenz) were accommodated.  The other hotel was the Hotel Michelangelo, and they served a very good lunch.  Starting with a lasagna type dish, then a breaded chicken filet with potatoes and spinach.  All followed by a piece of cake. For this meal I decided to try the Orange Soda.  In Italy, Orange Soda is not some fake artificially flavored, super sweet orange beverage.  On the contrary, Italian orange soda would be similar to what you get if you carbonated orange juice.   It had a different, yet very pleasing taste than I am used to.  As we dined on our lunch, we noted the sky getting dark outside.  Soon after, we realized that it had begun to rain.  Fortunately this would be the only spell of rain we would encounter the whole trip; unfortunately it would come in the form of a heavy storm.

This did not figure well into my plans, as I had reserved this afternoon for climbing to the top of the cupola at St.Peters.  We finished lunch, exited the hotel and realized just how hard the rain was.  Rather than walking back to our own hotel, we decided to hail a taxi.  Taxis in Rome seem very affordable.  Unlike Assisi, where a taxi charges a flat fare of $5 per passenger for anywhere in the walled city.  (Which means he may collect a fare of $40 for a five-minute drive if he fills his 8-passenger minivan, as was often the case with our group). In Rome, taxi's are metered, and it was common to be able to get a ride for $5-$10 for the entire carload. (Though I swear the meter started out at a higher fare during the storm than it did on another ride when it was sunny out)  Whatever, $5 later we were back at our own hotel.  Yes, it was still raining.  As we waited for the elevator up to our room, another group of six came down the stairs and announced they were headed to the cupola.  I quickly dashed up the stairs, got my raincoat, and dashed back down and joined them. Who cares if it’s raining hard, I may never be in Rome again, and I want to do this. 

 

We crossed the street into St. Peters Square as a group and were immediately disheartened by the sizable queue at the nearest security checkpoint.  After a few minutes we wisely decided to try the other checkpoint, and found a significantly smaller 'queue'.  As in the case of the Coliseum, this was not an orderly line.  Even to get into a church, the line was more of a mob jockeying to get to the security screener first.  After having had practice the day before, we were able to weasel our way through the crowd relatively fast, though it did take some time. Once we passed the checkpoint, we headed not to the church but to an entryway beside the church, as we had been advised the entrance to the cupola was around the side of the church.  Instead we found ourselves at an entry checkpoint to get into the Vatican City proper.  A security agent at this checkpoint was able to advise us of the proper route to the cupola. Up we go again, climbing up the porch in front of St. Peters where we see an entryway to the portico clearly labeled "Cupola à“ This just happened to take us past another site. The Jubilee Door, part of the Vatican's 2000 Jubilee Year celebration.  But we did not actually enter the church instead we continued along the pathway down a sidewalk along the sides of the church, dodging the downspouts that looked more like waterfalls.  This rain isn't getting any better.  I had wisely decided to leave all camera equipment back at the hotel, rather than risk water damage or dropping it. Besides the view would not be worth photography in these conditions.  This was more about an experience than the view.  We were glad to find the ticket office for the cupola to be open, even if we did also notice there was no queue of people waiting to purchase tickets. I suppose that if we are foolish enough to want to climb to the top in the rain, then they will sell us the tickets.  There is an elevator available that will take you up to the roof of the main church building.  From there it is 330 stairs to the top of the cupola.  Of course you are also welcome to climb the stairs from the ground all the way to the cupola.  In fact the ticket price depends on whether or not you use the elevator.  If you take the stairs the whole way, it is 7,000L ($3.50), if you use the elevator to get to the church roof, it is 8,000L ($4.00).  We did not give a second thought to spending the extra 50 cents.  Tickets in hand, we walked down another outside passage to a side door to the church.  Here we met another security checkpoint, and bags were rechecked, and all had to pass a walk-through metal detector scan before starting their accent.

Upon showing our tickets, we were directed to the right.  Stairs are to the left, elevator to the right.  After waiting for the first available car, we began our journey to the cupola.  The first leg, that to the church roof, was really easy thanks to the elevator. Once up on the roof, we exited out into the rain where you could walk along part of the roof.  The entrance to the dome was up a flight of stairs.  That’s one flight of stairs exposed to the elements.  Carefully we climbed up to the cupola entrance. We reentered the building and were pleasantly surprised to find a ramp, which took us up a little bit, then a couple quick stairs to reach the second leg.  The inside of the dome.  Directly above the famous green lettering on a gold background of the cupola, is a catwalk allowing you to gaze into the church from high above.  There was fencing and a guard stationed up there to discourage dropping anything over the side of the railing. We paused here for a few minutes to admire the beauty, and said that this alone would have been worth the price of admission.  But there is more. 

As you exit the interior of the dome, the path forks in two. You must walk down a couple steps, and then make a choice.   You can either turn right and continue your trip to the top of the cupola, or turn left to skip the top of the cupola and start the decent back to the ground.  We chose to continue our trip to the top.  The next segment was taken in what would resemble a funhouse stairway, as a staircase was sandwiched between the interior and exterior walls of the cupola.  This nice gradual ascent was short lived however, when we came upon a long spiral staircase that took us up the relatively vertical part of the cupola, before it started curving inward.  It seemed like this spiral staircase would never end, never give a chance for air, and surely did not provide a handrail. After reaching the top of this spiral staircase, you start the slanted stairs between the two layers of the dome around and around.  Luckily they did plan rest breaks into the climb, where you can step to the side and let more ambitious, or more physically fit tourists bypass you.  In fact there is even one segment as you walk between the slanted layers where the floor is flat for a while.  It's funny but the slant of the hallway makes it hard to walk straight, it seemed like your tilting instead of the hallway. It was here that these became nicknamed the 'fun house stairs'. After a little while the cupola starts curving inwards sharply.  Steep flights of metal stairs have been erected, several flights with each turn bringing you closer to the center of the dome, with the last flight making a sharp turn and heading to the very center itself.  You then go through a doorway and find a real small spiral staircase to break through the top of the cupola to the observatory above.  This spiral staircase is so tiny the steps barely have room for your feet, and the only handhold is a rope draped down the center of the stairs.   At least this spiral staircase is much shorter than the first one and at the top you have reached your goal, the summit.  Allow me to calm down here from this fine aerobic exercise.  Who needs a Stairmaster in Rome, when they have this? The observation area has two rings an inner covered ring, and an outer exposed ring.  We stepped into the outer ring and discovered that the rain had not stopped, and (FLASH) (PAUSE) (KABOOM), oh great, it started to lightning.  Here we are, at the highest point in Rome, during a lighting storm.  With rain gear, we threw caution to the wind and continued to casually stroll around the observation deck, and caught views of the Vatican Gardens, the Vatican itself, and Rome from up top.  The viability was not as good as I would have liked, but I still got to experience the view, and say I was at the top of St. Peters. When the rain got even harder we moved to the inner circle, where we hung out till it subsided so that we could make our way to the exit door. The exit door is on the exact opposite point of the rotunda from the doorway at the top of the steps.  In other words, they had ingeniously planned two duplicate staircases, one for those going up, the other for those going down.  We made our way around to the exit door, and the down staircase.   It was fun, it was wet, it was real, and we are now ready to go inside. Going down is the opposite of going up. Well except that the tiny spiral staircase did not have a rope down the middle, leaving no good handholds, and the metal stairs were a bit slick. One member of our group did slip and fall; luckily she was only a couple steps from a resting area/landing and didn't get seriously hurt. After that we were more vigilant with our footing. First the numerous flights of metal stairs to get to the outside edge of the dome, then the long staircase between the wall layers, then the much longer spiral staircase.  For a while I thought they were going to have to spiral all the way back down to the ground.  I mean this sucker was long.  It was a relief to hear the voices of some of our group that had already made it down to the landing at the base of the spiral steps.  Some more gradual steps along the two wall layers led us back to the ramp.  Here the ramp meandered up and down, and we passed the doorway where those who chose not to complete their climb could opt to exit, and continued down the ramp.  We then exited the dome, with the very wet and very slick stairway down from the cupola to the church roof.  Upon the church roof, we found it a bit humorous to find a gift shop, (which was closed today), and a comfort station with water fountains and facilities.  By now the rain was getting old, and we dashed across the wet roof, quickly but carefully, amidst the giant sized statues that line the roof front, to the little building that houses the elevator back to the ground level.  At this point, you are apparently on your honor, as you enter the tower, and the stairs and elevator doors are both visible but no one asks to check your ticket.  We took the elevator down, and were glad to see that at the ground level, you take a short hallway directly into the church.

Another chance to see the awe-inspiring church.  Again starting our tour with the Pieta, we eventually got all split up.  I had seen all of the right hand aisle, and the center nave, and noticed a flight of stairs going down.  I decided to follow the people into a crypt like area.  Here the crypts of all the popes lie.  Some fancy and ornate, others dull and plain.  Most notable is that of St. Peter, the first pope.  The viewing is at a distance.  The whole crypt like section is a one-way passage, and the staff seemed to be having a time of it keeping everybody moving in the proper direction, though I noted that no one was going against the grain.  Unfortunately, after the crypt tour, you exit directly to the outside.  Ironically right next to the now closed ticket booth for the cupola.  I knew this sidewalk by now, and merely walked back around to the front of the church and re-entered.  This time I concentrated on the right hand aisle.  With the baptistery, the art museum, which I did not visit, and all sorts of artwork.  It should be noted that at first glance there are a lot of famous paintings in St. Peters. Not so, all the flat artworks are mosaic copies of famous paintings. I also noted that the statue of St. Peter is now protected by ropes to keep the faithful away from rubbing its foot.   Much of his foot has already been rubbed away from this practice.  To describe all the artwork in the church proper would be the subject of a long book.  Suffice to say it is large, immense and breathtaking.

After meeting up and talking with some other members of our tour who had also decided to spend the day exploring St. Peters I decided to return to my hotel.  Carefully going down the front stairs to the plaza level, and returning to St. Peters' Square, then a quick walk across the street to our hotel.   Yes I opted for the elevator. I then returned to my room, where I shed my raincoat, my sweater which had gotten damp, found some dry things, got a drink from the hotel bar, and took the time to relax until our next call.

 

The next call would be for the tour's formal concert.  Our choir was to provide the opening night performance for some big weeklong musical event at St. Ignatius of Loyola church.  Yes it was still pouring down rain, and mom started the trend of placing the red robe and music folder in a large sized zip lock bag.   It worked. We soon met, boarded the bus, and the bus took us as far as the Victor Emmanuel monument, from which we would have to walk the rest of the way.  We were scheduled to see the Trevi Fountain at this time, but due to the storms, it was voted to bypass it.  It was a short walk to the church, actually the walk back from the church seemed shorter than the walk to church.  By the time we had reached the church the rain stopped, apparently for the evening.  At this time we were permitted to enter the church where we could take a self guided tour until it closed at 19:00. The concert was at 21:00, which left us non-singers, the choice of being locked inside the church, or some free time to explore and get dinner.  We chose the get dinner option. But not before taking a look at the Cupola of this church.   Noteworthy in that the church has a flat roof.  The cupola is merely an optical illusion. Other famous mosaics and artwork that I didn't get much time to appreciate were present. 

We then exited the church before they locked the doors, and decided on dinner.  It was mentioned to us that if we hadn't seen the Pantheon it was only a block away, and that if we had a craving for McDonalds there was one right by the Pantheon.  No cravings for McDonalds were detected.  We scoped out what looked like a small tiny cozy pizza place.  Upon inquiring with the host about availability for dinner, we were informed that due to the storm, they had an empty dining room, hot food, good atmosphere, and looking for customers. Sold.  We entered the pizza place, and our initial party of eight was taken back to a dining room.  The restaurant was actually quite large, its size disguised by the fact that instead of massive dining rooms, it contained numerous tiny dining rooms connected by a maze of hallways.  Soon after we arrived the majority of the non-singers had found their way to the same restaurant, and the staff seeing that we obviously knew each other, seated us all in the same area.  Creating a virtual party room.

 

After taking drink orders, the antipasto was served.  This was an enormous appetizer for the whole table.  Each person was given a plate, and bowls of numerous ingredients were passed around the table, family style, and unlimited.  So unlimited that most folks filled up on the antipasto and did not order pizza. I mean with Mozzarella Balls, Ricotta Cheese, ham, salami, meatballs, eggplant, peppers, spinach quiche, tomatoes on melba toast, foccacia bread and probably some stuff I forgot, most folks were stuffed.  Cost of the appetizer spread, 20,000: ($10) per person. I then ordered a personal size pizza.  I had ordered a simple pizza, just cheese and tomato, for 10,000L ($5), what they brought was what we would call a medium size pizza.  It was huge, with a paper-thin soft crust.  Here the Italian waiter schooled me, the American, in the REAL way to eat pizza. The super thin soft crust is meant to be folded, after you fold it the slices wind up looking not unlike a quesadilla.  It was much different from the pizza I had in Assisi, but now I can say I had real Roman Pizza.  Considering I had a pizza, the appetizer spread, and a large bottle of beer, I found the meal to be quite reasonable at $20. But what is more priceless than anything is how much fun and laughter we had throughout the meal.  We then took the time to use the restaurant's facilities before returning to the church.   By the time we arrived the doors had been opened for the concert.  We were delighted to find reserved seats for us.   This is the number one concert, the one that they had been practicing for months for.  The concert I could hear in my sleep by now.  Finally being performed for real. Later we would learn that for those two hours we had been having dinner the choir had one final dress rehearsal.

            Due to the weather the attendance was less than the 3,000-5,000 that had been predicted, but the crowd was still of a nice size.   The choir performed wonderfully, and flawlessly.  The director had hired a professional videographer to both video and audio record the concert.  Our professional photographer was there was well.  I must say the concert was well received.  After the concert we took some more time to look about the church then we returned to the bus.  Some decided to opt for taxis, but this time Mom joined the group of us who opted for the bus.  It seemed a much shorter walk back to the bus.  Except there was no bus, there was a slight delay spent looking at the local buildings while the bus arrived.  We were then taken back to our hotel, as always numerous things about Rome were mentioned most of which I forgot.  We did note the church that had been built out of the remains from former buildings.  A version of recycling and cutting costs. Once back at the hotel, we got ready for bed.  Catch you tomorrow!

Day 8 - Monday, November 19, 2001

It's time to get up for another full day, by now the elevator and breakfast routine have gotten standard, so I'll skip that part.  Today we were to have some more group touring in Rome.  Cameras ready, I decided to take the stairs down to the ground floor. Of course there was a reason, I have started to notice flags more lately, and noted than on the front of our building in the spot where the flag of Italy would be, was a flag for Vatican City instead.  Implying at least, that our hotel was in Vatican City.  I took the photo from a viewpoint to make it clear I was inside the building. Down the rest of the stairs and onto the tour bus. 

We began by driving an almost eerily familiar drive, as if the Roman Coliseum and the Circus Maximus and all are part of our normal everyday commute.  We took a turn and headed down a section of the Apian Way.  The Apian Way was one of Rome's earliest military routes.  The road is, more or less, still in service today.  You get to it by driving outside, and around a bit of the walls of the city.  That rising ground concept was again mentioned as to why the walls seem so short. We then started down an old piece of the Apian Way.  Our attention was turned to the really neat marble 'mile markers' along the road.  I don't know if they measure miles, or if the guide used the term 'mile marker' for our benefit, or if they measure some other totally non-related unit of measure.  It is worth noting that the majority of Roman street signs are actually marble plaques embedded into the sides of the corner buildings.  Along our drive out of the center of Rome, we learned a bit about the burial practices.  It's interesting once you hear our next destination.  In Roman times folks were buried outside of the city, and the lots prices varied depending on closeness to Rome, and closeness to the Apian Way.  This was during the time of religious persecution, and although practicing your faith was technically illegal, holding funerals was ok.   In what turned out to be a great trick, the early Catholics, (and other faiths) had one giant plot purchased alongside the road, then built a series of caves deep below ground from there.  In effect screwing the landlords and tax collectors as they only got charged for the land area above ground, when in effect they had dug an elaborate system of tunnels and caves, forming one giant mausoleum. I stress giant as according to our guide, the tunnels stretch for ELEVEN MILES.  Some sections have caves under caves, and at its deepest point are five layers deep.  Fun fact is that if you laid every cave out into one long, long, long passage instead of a baffling maze of twisting caverns, the whole thing would stretch over 450 MILES. I am of course referring to the Catacombs. 

There are three Catacombs that are open for public tourism, and we were taken to the Catacomb of Domatillo. Here we learn that all groups must be escorted by a guide employed by the Catacombs.  With the sheer size of the caverns it is easy to realize why.  Some time was given to enjoy the above land gardens, while other enjoyed the facilities, with their unique outdoor urinals for the men.  Anyway, after touring the gardens, we entered the attraction, where we were issued tickets.  I won't say complimentary tickets, as we all realize the tickets were included in the package price.  One of the many benefits of being on a tour that some people miss.  The tour takes care of a lot of minor aggravations, like already having tickets instead of waiting in ticket lines, or having special privileges like relaxed photo restrictions in some areas, or having those pesky gratuities at meals, or for baggage handlers taken care of, or for a group visiting a lot of religious sites, proper donations already made in the group's name.  Let alone the major benefits, like transportation, English speaking guides, quality and reliable hotels and restaurants chosen, and a general framework to keep you going instead of wandering around and not seeing anything, and seeing things you would have never noticed with self-exploration.   You do trade in some personal freedom along with your package price, in that you may not have ample 'free time' to cover your priorities, or touring while the shopping areas are open, and being free when they are not, or having your day regulated to someone else's schedule, but I'm definitely pro-group tours.   For myself, I can say I hit all my major objectives that were open to be enjoyed. Anyway back to the ticket office at the Catacombs.

Tickets in hand, we are admitted to a staircase down to the Catacombs.  At the base of the stairs is a church, and its inherent auditorium like setting was the perfect place for an orientation speech.   As I already said, the Catacombs were used for funerals, and possibly for worship, though that is not at all confirmed.  What is clear is that the common myth of Catholics hiding out down there is just that, a myth.  There are several reasons why they did not actually hide.  The stench from being in an early cemetery, underground would have been one reason for sure.  Besides seeing the old tombs, the Catacombs provide some of the earliest surviving church art.  It may be relatively simple, but it tells a lot about those early citizens.

 

            After the orientation we went on a tour of a representative sample of the caves.  Along the way we saw the common passages lined with 'berths'.  Note that all the bodies have been removed, at least from the parts on tour to the public.   Reports that body parts, such as skulls were being snuck out as souvenirs.  How sick is that? We paused in what was a larger family vault, and then saw an early fresco along one wall.  We also saw other caves branching off in every direction, and stairs going down to the lower levels.  As I mentioned some parts are five levels deep. A few of the more squeamish amongst us were getting a bit scared, and only wanted the exit.  But we pressed on, amazing how ancient caves come equipped with emergency lighting and signs J.  Sooner or later we found ourselves on the exit stairs that just so happen to lead up into a gift shop.  Some time was given for purchases, and snacks from a snack cart, and then back on the bus for our next stop.

            Our next stop was St. Paul's Basilica.  Here we learned some more interesting trivia, but first a moment of pure humor.  About 10’ before you enter St. Paul's, there is a vendor with a cart selling film and cameras.  As you enter the church there are signs stating that photography is prohibited.  St. Paul's is different from most churches in that it has a huge fenced in courtyard before reaching the church.  Today a statue of St. Paul stands in the center of the outer courtyard, originally a fountain stood there.  The fountain was used by those coming to church for a symbolic cleansing.  It was also noted that in those days, if you weren't baptized yet, you were not allowed in the church building itself, and instead attended service standing outside in the courtyard.   This would include children, as people were not baptized in those days until they were older.  It seems fair to say that in those days Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation were all rolled into one.  We noted the fine mosaic on the front façade of the church, while we learned it is actually a quite recent addition.  Actually much of the church is more recent as it was rebuilt in the early 1900's, after the original wooden roof was struck by lightning.  It was noted that several world religions contributed to its restoration, as St. Paul seems to be an important figure to many faiths.  Up on the front porch we saw their holy door, and learned that the practice actually goes back several years, where the bishops of each of the cathedrals of Rome would open their holy door at the same time to mark the start of the church year.  John Paul II however has automated this process so that all the doors open electronically in all the churches by radio control. 

  

    We entered the church to find another vast expanse.  Another HUGE church. We were told that these huge churches were not originally intended to be everyday houses of worship, but huge churches reserved for special occasions. One feature of St. Paul's is that high up on the walls are lined with portraits of the popes.  Including several blank spaces waiting for the portraits of future popes.   Like most places, a local urban legend has grown that once all the spaces are filled in, the world is going to end.   That is to say some believe that the ring of Popes’ portraits serves as a calendar.  We then moved up closer to the main altar to see the tomb of St. Paul, and the huge statues of St. Peter and St. Paul.  We then moved forward to look at a mosaic in the apse of the church.  Here we saw another bit of technology.  The light switch for the dome with the mosaics is coin operated.  1,000L (50 cents) turns on the lights for a few minutes.  After the fine mosaic work we looked at the Easter Candle holder, which is large enough to be a fine engraved column of statues, but if you look way up there is a candle on top of it.   Fine sculpture work in the candlestick.  We then paused at a pretty side altar, in a bright emerald green.  The altar being so huge, that an attendant had actually climbed up on top of the altar to even have a chance at reaching the candles he was assigned to change.

We then left the church proper and briefly toured the Baptistery.  As I mentioned, in those days you had to be baptized to enter the church.  The Baptistery was positioned at a side entrance to the church in such a way that the new member of the church had to literally walk through it.  The floor of the ornate room was sunken down like an indoor pool, and the new member of the church had to walk through the water to come out the other side and into the church.   Today the practice of  'wading in the water' has been eliminated, the sunken pool is drained, and a modern baptism font mounted in the center of the room.  We then exited the church into the cloisters, where we saw the inner courtyard of the cloisters, and its much more simple form of art.  We then had a gift shop stop in the cloisters.  It's a combination gift shop/art gallery/religious goods store.  One can also buy bottles of a certain kind of liquor that the Benedictine monks are famous for.   A Liquor store in a church, you heard it here first.   At one end of the store were fancy bishops miters and other church service apparatus that were beautiful to look at, and a brief chuckle was had when I realized the ornate bishops miter I was looking at had a price tag on it.  (2,500,000L) ($1,250) for those who are curious. 

 

After the gift shop run, we got back on the bus, and past a farmer's market.  It was noted that Italians in general don't care for supermarkets, and prefer these smaller markets which give the illusion of fresher food.  At one point on the drive, I thought I might have seen a Pinfari Zyklon alongside the road.  This may have been a coaster fans mirage, and it was behind some shorter structures and off on a side street, so I didn't get that good a look at it, but it was a white steel structure, that had what looked like track going around the edges of the rounded off end of the structure. We drove past some more buildings, saw more of Rome, and suddenly embedded into the wall of the city is a pyramid.  The pyramid, just like in Egypt held a tomb.  Of course this pyramid wasn't near as large as those in Egypt but that didn't stop our guide from quipping that we no longer need to see Egypt J. There is a bit of a humorous inscription of the pyramid.  It translates roughly into "Don't Worry, we finished in 330 days".  The legend behind this one is that the man had some deal with the city of Rome that in exchange for having this pyramid tomb built in the city wall, that if it weren’t finished in one year his entire estate would go to the city.  We then took a bus ride back to our hotel.  As always the local guide was pointing things out along the way, and we had another ritual to be concerned with.  Although a lot of gratuities are taken care of for you on a tour, it is still customary to tip the tour guides, and we took this opportunity to tip our local guide to Rome for the last 4 days.   Tips and all out of the way, we sat back, and enjoyed the Roman cityscape.

            We soon arrived back at our hotel.  This would be our lunch stop.  As dinner was the furnished meal today, lunch was on our own.  After running stuff up to the hotel room, we decided to lunch in the cafeteria located on the ground floor of our hotel.  This cafeteria has some significance to a lot of tour members, as they had had a meal or two there during their earlier trip to Rome some 15 years ago.   This cafeteria is designed to cater to the English speaking tourist, but don't be alarmed a lot of locals also eat there.  As that night would be the grand banquet for the tour, we decided on a light lunch of bread, tortellini, soft drinks, and gelati. A note to those traveling, if you are looking for an American style cafeteria, the style is translated as "Self Service Restaurant" on the sign outside.  I was almost expecting an automat when I walked inside.  I ate at the self-service restaurant and must comment about the nice service J.  It was yet another great meal, we then ventured off a couple blocks from the hotel to look in some other gift shops.  A companion managed to talk a scarf vendor, (for some reason silk scarves seem to be a popular item for the vendors to sell, usually for about $5), into selling two scarves for the price of one.  We think said companion got cussed out in Italian, but hey the deal was made.  We returned from the gift shop, took a few moments to relax before walking to the Vatican Museum.  Some, like my mom chose not to walk, but instead hired a taxi.  I'd say she made the right decision as it is a bit of a walk to get from St. Peter's Square to the entrance to the Vatican Museum which is all the way around to the far side of Vatican City. No shortcuts here, you have to walk the perimeter wall of Vatican City until you come to the Museum Entrance.  In our case we would meet up at the museum exit. 

            You see, we were granted a rare special privilege, that of a private tour of the Vatican Museum after closing hours.  They accommodated us on Monday as the museum closes at 1pm on Mondays.  For just our group, the museum reopened in the afternoon.  At our designated meeting time, the exit doors of the museum were opened, and we were admitted and were counted by security. We then took a 'hidden hallway' that leads from the exit hall back to the entrance lobby.  You see, during normal operations they encourage guests to check all unnecessary bags and parcels at a bin check facility, located between the entrance and exit.  We were shuttled through this baggage check area to the entrance lobby.  However we could not enter the ticketing lobby until everybody had passed an airport style security checkpoint.  After the checkpoint, a restroom break was given, as there are no facilities within museum itself.  Besides this allowed our tour leader to go to the ticket window and pick up our tickets.  Formalities continue, even if the museum is technically closed.   To get the most out of our private tour, an additional local guide was engaged to split the group up into two smaller groups.  "Those who rode on the left side of the bus this morning are in group A, those on the right side in group B".  We found ourselves in Group A, picked up our tickets and headed up the stairs to the entrance.  At the top of a flight of stairs, we noticed additional ticket offices, and the hallway leading to the museum.  The local guides description of the self-service turnstiles at the entrance was amusing.  Mostly the line about "If you don't insert your ticket into the machine, the bar will remain locked, causing a most unpleasant feeling in your stomach".  The turnstiles were standard Florida theme park issue, and totally self-service, under the watchful eye of security. Once through the turnstiles, we learned that the whole entryway we are using looks extremely modern because it is.  This entrance was constructed in the year 2000 to go along with the Jubilee celebration.  We also learned that the actual galleries were still a floor higher.  A normal guest would have the choice between the escalator, and a very unique spiral ramp where the coils of the spiral get tighter as you ascend.  Our guides and our museum hosts directed that everybody use the escalator.   The whole method of the tour led some to joke that our tour guide had a guide.  Both groups would tour the museum in the same order, with a guard escorting one group and walking ahead to ensure that no one got ahead of the group, and an escort walking behind the rear group, effectively re-securing the gallery after we passed through.   Around the next bend and we were to start on the upper level of the galleries, make that another flight of stairs. Halfway up the flight, the rather large landing held the first room of artifacts.  These were clearly Egyptian artifacts. The point was made that the items were not acquired for the museum; rather they are items that the various Popes acquired, either through gifts or other means.  Similar to the Presidential Libraries here in the states.  While our guides only spotlighted a few representative works, the layout of the museum is very good.  First we saw room after room of sculptures, statuary and artifacts.  It was noted that a lot of the statues were missing their heads because of tourists.   Not tourists to this museum, but back in their day, when cameras were not available, it was a common, if not despised practice to steal the head off a favorite statue.  I mean you often could not lift and steal the whole artwork, but the head was manageable.  Thanks early tourists for your selfishness. It was also noted that although the statues are exhibited all in white, it was also common to paint the statuary to more resemble the person.   After the rooms of statues and sculptures, we were lead into the tapestry room.   As you may know tapestries were huge wall hangings that served an important purpose.  They served to add warmth to the room before insulation was invented.  Or to cover windows which at the time would not have had glass in them.   It was quipped that students from tapestry guild of the north make higher quality tapestries than those in the south because the northerners actually have to use them.   The tapestries exhibited are huge, and then we were told of the technique.  They were made on a loom, the artists sitting at the loom on the BACKside of the tapestry. A full-length wall mirror would be setup on the front side of the loom allowing the artist to see how the tapestry will look.  It was noted that the tapestry was not made all at once, but in the tradition of quilting, several squares were made which would eventually be joined together.   The tapestries on display were of course very beautiful works of art.  At the end if the tapestry section of the museum, our attention was drawn to the ceiling.  It was noted that we were on the top floor, and the ceiling was vaulted with ornate carvings and sculpture and design.  The question was asked of the group to guess what the ceiling was made of.  Guesses of "Cement, Ivory, Gold, Plaster, Marble, etc" rang out.  All were shocked to learn that the entire ceiling was actually flat, with NO vaulting, and that the whole thing was an illusion of forced perspective. More galleries, and then we enter the Chart Room.  By charts, I mean maps.  On display are maps of the different regions of Italy.  We were told that these maps were made before flying machines, before satellite imagery, before radio and television, before telephones, before cameras.  Now when these maps were made cartographers had to climb to the highest point of the land and make a chart, then move a little bit further, and make another chart.  At the end the various drawings were compiled, and then the final maps were drawn.  The maps on display show the early regions of Italy when they were separate nations, kingdoms, etc. The most amazing thing about these primitive maps is that they agree with modern maps produced using state of the art technology.  In other words these early maps, produced with crude and primitive means are ACCURATE.   They are now treasured as art works, but I think some great recognition needs to be given to the early art of cartography.  We noted the signs alerting us that cameras are not welcome, however, every few galleries, there are gift kiosks selling posters of the works in the gallery module you are currently viewing.   We then entered the early popes residence.  It was noted that although not in use any longer it is a treasure due to the frescoes in the various rooms.  It runs in my mind that Raphael is given the credit, but I may be wrong.  Room after room of frescoes, The former popes study has four walls each depicting a gift from the heavens (faith, hope, love, etc) After touring the former popes residence, it was time to see what some term the crowning jewel of the whole museum.  It most assuredly is the most famous room. The Sistine Chapel.  The pope's private chapel.  We are led down a couple flights of stairs, additional security is added, and we are led into the Sistine Chapel.  

            The Sistine Chapel is perhaps Michelangelo's most famous work.  As a painter that is.  It is quite an accomplishment, when you realize that Michelangelo was a sculptor, and when we was in his 70s the pope commissioned him to paint the Sistine Chapel.  Legend has it that Michelangelo originally said "Thanks, but no Thanks" and left, then the pope made him an offer he couldn't refuse, and as we can see still today, Michelangelo accepted the commission.  Michelangelo used a divide and conquer technique, that of adding what amounts to fake vaulting to the ceiling to subdivide the big expanse of space to several smaller blocks.  This was actually a great move as it helps give the whole composition a sense of order.  The most famous part of the ceiling frescoes is of course "Creation" in the middle, or the hands of Adam and god almost touching.  As an aside it is actually against regulations to sit or lie down on the floor of the Sistine Chapel. We were cautioned about gazing up at the ceiling for more than a few moments at a time as it leads to dizziness, vertigo and messes up your balance system. And we had the benefit of the benches that line the walls.  Covered in a layer of Lucite to protect the original wall art and stonework of the bench.  It was noted that Michelangelo was almost blind when he finished the project from paint dripping down on his head.  In another moment of legend, it is said that when the pope of the day was brought in to review the finished room, he originally was irate and almost had the room totally painted over.  Back the way it was before Michelangelo was brought in.  Before Michelangelo the ceiling and walls were solid dark blue. Luckily for us, the artwork survived this initial review, and Michelangelo was brought in later to paint a full wall sized mural of the "Day of Judgment".  This too was originally not accepted by the pope, and some changes were made, but Michelangelo got the last laugh as it were.  Painting the face of the pope into the group of bodies being led to hell. Later art students were brought in to dress the figures in the paintings.  Clothes were added and a few still remain.  Most were removed as part of a restoration work that was able to restore the figures back to their original design.  A postage stamp sized block remains to the side as a reference to the restoration project.  The unrestored block appears to be a solid black square.  After our formal tour of the chapel, some time was given for self-exploration.   Then another rare honor was bestowed on the choir.  The chance to perform a concert in the Sistine Chapel.  Sure the audience would just be us non-singing tour members, tour guides and a few security guards, but it was a concert nonetheless.  As they often say, this shows not for the audience, it’s for the experience.  One thing learned during the concert is that the Chapel has excellent acoustics.  The sounds of the last notes of a song would remain for a good seven to ten seconds after the song ended.  Another thing noticed is that the security guards who up to now had had a serious no-nonsense look about them started to relax and appeared to genuinely be enjoying the concert.  Mini-concert and all, I would estimate that we had the Sistine Chapel, alone to just our group for a good 45 minutes.

            We then exited the chapel through a door located on a side wall at the other end.  There the path led to stairs to lead us back up to the museum galleries.  Although the formal tour had ended, and the pace was a bit faster than I would have liked, we gazed upon gallery after gallery of artwork of every description.   Then furniture, then religious goods, then the bare rooms themselves began to take on an elaborate view.  Everywhere you turn is another work of art better than the last.   The Vatican Museum may be described in the tourist books as an "art museum", but just imagine the largest, grandest art museum you had ever seen and multiply it tenfold.  Eventually, our Vatican Museum tour came to an end as we found ourselves at he top of the escalator and spiral ramp where we started.  We were taken down to what is now the exit hallway, but was originally the main hall.  We could see the grand staircase in the center of the room, and could also see that if we took the stairs it would be several flights down.   Our hosts decided that we should go down via the Ascensore (elevator in Italian).  When we saw the leaded glass doors and the wrought iron safety gate, and the word "Ascensore" written in brass/gold(?) above the door, we knew this would not be an ordinary elevator ride.  The ornate door was opened to reveal a large elevator car.  (This itself is rare in Italy, as elevators tend to be quite tiny.  Most accommodating "4" persons, but anything over two is a tight fit. The elevator in our hotel even had a scale hooked up to it, and it seemed to know as soon as passenger number five stepped on to light the "Overweight" indicator. (An Icon of a scale, and a buzzer).  These elevators however were enormous, with fine woodwork in them.  As we boarded the elevator car, we learned that instead of the usual handrail along the walls, this car features cushioned benches around walls.  Allowing us to sit down and take our elevator ride in either ultimate luxury, ultimate laziness, or both depending on your point of view.  This elevator, like its more garden variety counterparts does travel slower than what we are accustomed to, however the ride down almost seemed to end too soon, as the leaded glass door was opened and we were beckoned out of the car. We followed the exit hallway, and had to wait while the host unlocked (yes with a key), what has to be the largest, tallest door I had ever seen.  I mean you would think this was a fort or something. We were exited into the parking lot, and didn't even get to peruse the gift shop.  Hearty members decided to walk back to the hotel as the bus would not be available.  I joined mom and several others at the Taxi Stand to hire a taxi.  We had a brief communication problem with a cabbie that did not speak English.  However he did know "St. Peters Square", and  with the help of the passenger riding in the front seat with him, we were able to direct him the 1/2 block from St. Peters Square. So what if we darn near got in an accident, and drove within mere inches of cars on either side, isn't that half the thrill of taxi rides?  More amazing than that was the fare on the meter - 8,500L ($4.25).  Where, in the States, can I get a carload of passengers transported for $4.25?  I, of course, rounded it up to 10,000L then was left wondering if it is common practice to tip taxi drivers in Rome.   On the way into the hotel I decided I would try the one soft drink I hadn't had yet.  Invariably, your soft drink selection is Coke (the descriptor "Classic" is not used), Coke Light (Diet Coke), Sprite, Orange, and Lemon.  No Beverly to be seen. (Beverly is an anise flavored soft drink, exhibited at the World of Coca Cola and reputed to be Italian.  It was not served in any establishment I was in while in Italy, as I was watching for it.  I wanted the lemon-flavored soda, but I had trouble communicating with the snack cart owner what I wanted.  The universal method of pointing to the product on the counter and saying "Uno" for one achieved the desired results.

The lemon soda had much in common with the orange soda.  (And at English speaking stands they are called simply "Orange Soda" and "Lemon Soda" with no brand name. Or sometimes Fanta is used as the brand name.  According to my bottle I was having a Fanta Icy Lemon.  I do question the vendors sign proclaiming he had "The Coldest Soft Drinks Around", but I guess in a land that does not use ice, and very little refrigeration, I guess I have to modify my expectations of "Coldest": The bottle was a strange yellow color I had not seen used before, and in it was essentially carbonated lemonade.  Just about what I had expected. I enjoyed this beverage while relaxing from our day of touring.  The farewell banquet was rescheduled for 7:45, it was now about 5:30 so lots of time to relax and unwind.   We even began the process of packing up to come home.  Something told us we would be too tired to pack after dinner. 

           

But before dinner, we had an appointment, all of us did, with the professional photographer we had while in Rome.  Apparently while we were touring today, he was very busy in his darkroom preparing proofs.  Here is where I point the camera at myself, and reveal how naïve I was.  When we were told that our Rome pictures would be available for purchase I though of the formal group photos taken in St. Peter Square.  One of the choir, and one of everyone, then one of the choir at St. Ignatius.  I figures, okay that would be a choice of 3 proofs to select from.  Upon entering the hotel meeting room, which was currently being used as the photographer’s store, we learned that photos were only 15,000L per photo per copy.  ($7.50), and then my jaw dropped and eyes popped out when approximately 50 proofs were on display.  Gone was plan A of getting one of each. 49 were of the group.  Proof 50 was a portrait of the Pope. We realized we would have to be selective, and I figured okay, we're on vacation so maybe we'd choose four or five photos. Wrong!  I knew which ones I wanted, and Mom just seemed to keep adding more photos to our order.  As I was filling out the order form, I kept trying to tell Mom about how expensive this was getting.  Each time I got "We're on vacation" "Hush" or "Don't worry about it as a response"  Even at "We're up to $50", "We're up to $75", "We're up to $100.00" At that point I just shut up.  After choosing our photos, we handed our slip to the photographer, he added it up and announced 260,000L, payable in cash.  We knew we did not have that kind of Lire. I noticed some American dollars in his cashbox, and inquired on the rate in US$.  He returned an answer of $128. Slightly better than the rule of thumb exchange rate.  Mom then realized for the first time just how much this was going to be.   But we didn't back down, reached into our money belts, and peeled off the bills of US greenbacks.  And here in the center of Rome and Vatican City, the grand dollar was flexing its shopping muscle.  (The photographer had excellent service by the way, and an accurate order of 8x10 photographs arrived just two and a half weeks after the trip. Quite an achievement as it took my postcard about one and a half weeks to arrive.)  Back in our room Mom admitted to not being quite clear on the exchange.  She had thought the photographs were 75 cents each, no matter how ridiculously absurd that sounds for professional 8x10’s.   We got a lot of laughs out of it, and in the end are glad we did buy all the pictures we did, and hey we were on vacation, and how often are you in Rome?  We also took the unofficial award of biggest order on the trip. A while later we were headed back down to our bus.  We learned that our same bus driver would be taking us to the airport, which was a change as we had first been told that another driver would handle our airport transportation.  We then headed at night through Rome and to our farewell banquet.   (Author stops to handle cash bribes to edit the content of the upcoming paragraphs))   Our banquet was held in a restaurant whose name translates to "Vineyard of the Popes" We were led to a private party room in the very back of the restaurant.  Like the pizza place, this restaurant consisted of several smaller rooms.  Before I describe the antics, let me get the menu out of the way first.  We were told that we were about to eat a fine Roman Banquet.   This meal was larger than even the large meals we had grown accustomed to.  We started with the antipasto.  I looked at it and remarked how similar it was to the antipasto we had the night before.  Again I picked off the parts I wanted of it, and let the rest go.   Next up was a soup of unknown description all I know is that it was tasty, then the pasta dish, spiral pasta this time, traditional sauce.  Very good.  Then the main course came, which I believe was pork and potatoes, then a salad, then desert, which was a final round of gelati, all followed up by a shot of Espresso coffee.  Okay, I got the food out of the way, almost because also on the tables besides the bread service, were complimentary bottles of wine and water.  Later we would learn that as we finished a bottle, the waiter would bring a replacement.  Unlimited free wine sets the scene for what is to come.

            To add to the merriment, a group of musicians had been hired to entertain us tonight at dinner.  The musical troupe included an accordion player, a guitar player and a vocalist.  It helped also that the musicians were either comedians, or just plain comical.  It started out with some traditional Italian standards, then the usual ritual of the performers getting a bit too close to pretty young girls in the audience, then a romantic song sung next to another female, then one of the choir’s soloists singing along to the bands accompaniment.  ( Summertime, yes the Gershwin tune).  A bit later, get those cameras ready, It would have been funny enough that a victim- I mean volunteer was chosen out of the audience and led into doing the Chicken Dance (Hey wait, isn't that more of a German tradition!?!), but when the victim was the choir director’s relative, who then pulled the choir director off his chair to join in, the flashbulbs were flashing more than the walkway to the Academy Awards.  Later on inhibitions were gone, and one choir member stood under a statue of Atlas on the wall, posing as the legendary figure.  One of our male vocalists did a rather startling rendition of Sole Mio, without accompaniment, and it just gets better and better. This meal was so fun, so entertaining, so exciting that one could hardly concentrate on the food before them, and runs to the water closet were minimal as people did not want to risk missing "The Moment".  Our choir did a song for the musicians, and then the group gift (a music box that played My Old Kentucky Home) was given to our tour director, and all the pleasantries followed.  Arrividerce Roma! was sung, napkins twirled in the air, and then the waiters came back carrying little American Flags. Is this a subtle hint to go home J? The band stood the group up, saying that we were going to sing a song to help get us ready for the return trip.  You guessed it, "The Star Spangled Banner".   It takes on an even more powerful meaning when the patriotic songs are sung, in a land over 4,000 miles away from any part of the USA.   (General comment: At any rate, its nice that people no longer think the last two words of that song are "Play Ball!") At this time the dinner had come to an end, the tip jar was passed for the music, and of course, the troupe just happened to have CD's on sale. Yes, we bought one.  Then some more antics by selected members of the group, and then we headed out of the restaurant.   An empty restaurant.  Had the American anthem run people out, or had we just taken a lot longer than anybody else to eat.  It was a Monday night after all.  (Side note: While leaving the restaurant, I noted they had a small stock of American flags in a closet, a strange curiosity.)  We then got on the bus headed back to our hotel.  The ride was an interesting one, with the passengers boisterous and doing things such as singing the Flintstones's theme song while driving past an area filled with Roman ruins.     It was an interesting ride to say the least, and everybody got back to their hotel rooms safely.  Then whatever packing that could be accomplished that night was performed, and I climbed into the sack for my final night in Rome.

 

Day 9 - Tuesday, November 20, 2001

 

We awoke especially early today, for it seems that due to the heightened state of security in airports, Delta wanted us there by 9AM for our noon flight.  To help make this timing more interesting, it was announced that we would have to leave the hotel around 7:45, and the earliest the hotel would consider serving breakfast was 7:00AM.  To help expedite breakfast, the hotel staff allowed us to pour our own coffee and other tasks that were previously relegated to the staff.  This is ironic, because back home after church on Sundays, we tend to have brunch at the Holiday Inn, where we commonly take care of serving our own drinks, and getting condiments from the kitchen and rearranging the furniture.  It took nine days, but here we are in Rome back to our normal bag of tricks. We enjoyed our final meal in Italy, and I relished a big roll, that I spread a think layer of Chocolate-Hazelnut spread on.  Upon research in grocery stores by me, I have found this same spread sold in the "Imported Foods" section, I'm good to go.   .

 

After breakfast, we stopped by the room to grab our waiting bags, which were in, as I term it "GAG" status. (Grab And Go). We checked out, rode the elevator down to the lobby and boarded the bus.  A bit later we were on our way to the other hotel to pick up the rest of the group, and then out to the airport.  On the way to the airport the collection envelopes were passed for the group gratuities for driver and tour director, and after a nice drive along the highway we arrived at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport.  Named after the man who first invented the concept of flying machines long before the technology was around to make it a reality.

The driveway to the airport starts with a flag lined drive.  At least 100 poles on each side, alternating the flags of Italy and the European Union.  We soon arrived at the terminals, noted the statue of Da Vinci, and proceeded to the drop off point.  Rome has its airport segregated into three different terminal areas. "A" is for domestic flights, "B" is for flights to other European Union countries, and "C" is for all other international flights.  Accordingly, we are dropped off at Terminal "C", get our baggage from the bus, and load it onto waiting free loaner baggage carts.  Why is it, that in America we pay $2.00 to use the baggage carts, and over in other countries they loan you better quality carts for free?  I mean the carts in Italy actually can turn corners, and have mechanical brakes.  That’s right, when you release the handle, the cart will stop.  So baggage loaded, we walk around to the entrance doors for Delta.  After entering the terminal we see the information and ticket counters, and are directed to head towards "Check In".  In Rome to even get to the check in desk, you must first show a security officer your ID and ticket.  The guard will then let you past the rope barrier to the check in area.  But there is a further barrier to the check in desk.  About 10' in front of the check in desks is a row a workstations where you are interrogated.  Much more than the typical "Did you pack your own bags?" questioning, their questions are open ended and more probing.  If you pass the interrogation a security sticker is placed on the back of your ticket, and you are handed a registration form to fill out.  Standard stuff: Name, address, destination, next of kin (seriously!).  You take your registration form and ticket (with sticker) to the baggage check.  Here you are issued your boarding pass, and your checked bags are turned in to the airline. (After stickers are applied to those).  We were thankful we did not get the baggage and body search that others reported they had.  A full search of both checked and carry on bags, as well as a personal frisking.  One lady on our group had a large bun hairdo, and the guards felt through her hair. You then take your baggage cart, carry on items and self to the end of the check in area, where there is a cart return, then you go to the security checkpoint.  Same setup as most other places, I do agree that they look at your carry on bags longer.  As the bags come out of the machine, they also get stickers.   Right after the checkpoint is Passport Control, where your passport is examined, both to match identity but also to make sure you haven't overstayed your welcome.  They do actually look at your entrance stamp, and then apply an exit stamp right next to it, as well as a sticker on the cover.

 

After getting through all the checkpoints, we made our way to the duty free mall.  We looked for a little while, and then decided we would feel safer if we were closer to our gate. We follow the signs leading to our departure gate.  At the end of the corridor we take an up escalator up to the monorail station.  The monorail will take us out to the concourse.  I noted that security makes sure all arriving passengers have left the monorail train before opening the entrance doors.  We then took our ride out to the concourse, and I was a little surprised to be met with another up escalator.   At the top of the escalator, it was clear that the concourse was roughly circular, and that we merely needed to make our way around to our gate.  Once at the gate, I am a bit surprised to see the gate along the inside of the circle near the hub.  I can see that once you get through the gate, you go downstairs via a wide choice of transportation options.  Stairs, elevator or escalator.  A complete set for each gate.   I then assumed that we would be bussed out to our plane. At any rate, we had a couple hours to wait.  We took care of using facilities, and I got a soft drink at a snack bar. I only mention the soft drink because all throughout my time in Italy I had seen Coca-Cola products but no Pepsi.  However at the airport, Pepsi seems to be the soft drink of choice.   Unusual observation, that's all.  After a long while the gate agents appeared, then security came to set up folding tables between the gate agents and the pathway down to the lower level.  After my departure from Cincinnati, I knew all about those folding tables. 

Although I have nothing to hide from security, the random search is at best an inconvenience.  Hey who wants some soldier who doesn't even speak your language ruffling through your baggage?   I thought back to what I presume got me selected for screening back in Cincinnati.  All during the check in process I was the only one in our section of the waiting lounge that was standing, excitedly talking and looking all to eager to get on the flight.  Okay, here in Rome, I'll remain seated and do as I'm told.  As we were in row 39 we didn't have to wait long until we were admitted, tickets scanned, all the security stickers examined and cleared past the gate.  In Rome there are four guards at each gate.  Who gets chosen is merely a matter of who is next in line when space becomes available at the inspection station.  I again happened to be coming around the corner just in time to be pulled over.  I must say the bag searcher in Cincinnati was a bit friendlier than the one in Rome, but I realize their job is not to score friends. After having my bags searched, body wanded, etc, it was down the escalator.  I saw the open door ahead of me, and was sure the bus would be right behind it.  The door opened into a little vestibule, and I noted that arriving passengers stay on level 2.  I then boarded the plane via the jet way, but not before one last guard blocked the jet way to check boarding passes and passports, then as we boarded the plane, the Delta agent asked the two questions that every flyer has memorized and can recite in their sleep.

All Boeing 767's are not created equal.  For example this one seemed to offer more legroom in the Economy Cabin than the one I flew to London on.  To clarify I was not in an exit row. The flight was to be nine hours.  Nine ungodly hours of Economy class. However there were ample distractions from the boredom.  Aside from sleep, there were two feature length movies shown.  (Evolution and Remember the Titans), two meals served, and an Ice Cream service at the halfway point.   That's not to say the flight seemed short by any stretch of the imagination, but it seemed a bit more bearable.  In fact the cruelest trick was near JFK when we were advised to roll our watches back six hours.  ("If I Could Turn Back Time").  Here by my watch it is 9pm, but local clocks reveal it is only 3pm. Shortly before landing a film was shown on the customs procedures, and I found this to be helpful.  Also useful is a feature called Compass that Delta shows on some flights at points of interest like first taking off, or landing.  It shows all sorts of stats like altitude, wind speed, outside temperature, estimated time remaining, local time at destination, etc.  Along with maps that allegedly plot your progress.  By these maps I learned that we left Europe by flying over Spain.  They are only shown occasionally in Economy, though I hear that Business class has real-time access to the Compass system on demand.   It was also humorous that we had a pilot who had a knack of turning off the seatbelt sign 30 seconds before hitting turbulence, and turning on the seatbelt sign AFTER the turbulence was over.  The descent into JFK was not unlike one of those new "Pounce N Bounce" rides.

We land at JFK airport, in New York City, USA.  The first stepping-stone at returning home is being back in your home country. We follow the ramps and the long hallways to the customs area; for once we get to go in the "Residents" line, and not the foreigners line.  The line for US Citizens leads to an escalator down to the customs area, and signs instructing that photography is prohibited in the customs area.   We follow the signs for US Citizens, and have our customs paperwork in hand that we completed on the plane.  An agent assigned us a lane number, and we waited behind the yellow line to be called up.  First is passport control, our passports are checked, and even though we are US Citizens we still get a USA entrance stamp. We then proceed to baggage claim, where we are stopped before reaching the carousel to be asked a few questions. Stuff on drugs, firearms, agricultural products, money, that type of thing. Some marks are made on our form, which is returned to us, then we enter baggage claim.   I locate a courtesy baggage cart, quickly learn it has no brakes and the maneuverability of a 25 year old Wal*Mart shopping cart.  It took some time but our bags finally arrived to be claimed.  We loaded them onto the cart, proceeded down the hallway, where we chose the "Nothing to Declare" line.  Our customs form accounted for the estimated value of souvenirs we had with us. We turned in the form to the customs agent and were allowed to exit customs into the JFK airport.  As you enter JFK you see the first problem.  Although the baggage recheck counter is straight ahead of you. (It’s totally self-service; you place your already labeled bag on a conveyor belt and walk away.  There is a lineup to get to the conveyor of course.)the logistics problem is that after you drop your baggage onto the belt, you proceed to the cart return, and are headed to the doors headed outside the airport to the arrivals lounge.  To catch a connecting flight, you have to make a U-Turn, cut through the line of people coming out of customs and entering the baggage re-check area to go down the pathway to "Connecting Flights".   Before you can take the escalator up to the departure lounge, you must be rechecked by security.   At JFK they have the detectors set so tight that they are advising passengers to place their watches, keys and pocket change in the dish to go through the X-ray.  Coats and jackets must be removed and x-rayed.   It was a slower process than most, but not one that you can really justifiably complain about.  As in Cincinnati, the National Guard oversaw the security checkpoint, and you had to walk past them to take the escalator up to the departure lounge.  The departure lounge was also being actively patrolled by the National Guard.  We started to walk towards our gate when we saw an 'airport taxi' and decided to use it to go to our gate.  Wise choice as our gate was in a different terminal building and all.  I remembered to tip the shuttle driver, and we assembled at the gate.  Another facilities stop, and a run in the gift shop.  As one might expect there was a lot of NYPD/NYFD merchandise in the gift shop.  They had model Delta planes for sale.  I admit looking for a model Delta Boeing 767 as a souvenir, but that model aircraft was out of stock.  I wound up leaving the gift shop empty handed.  I have this rule about you "can't buy the souvenir item unless you've seen the attraction it represents".   Refreshments were had, including the sourest, tartest lemonade I have ever had.  Then I noted the departure lounge was getting WAY too crowded.  I also knew that due to the new rules, only passengers would be waiting here.  I also learned that in New York they don't patiently wait for their row to be called, no they all jam the gate waiting for their row to be called.  My ticket was inserted into the ticket scanner and I was glad that I was able to walk past the hand check table without being checked.  Hey I had done my duty to demonstrate that air safety is high twice on this trip already.  As we walked down the jet way, we said, "Let's go home!"  No matter how fascinating and delightful the vacation is, when it's over, it always feels so good to finally return home.  All that stood between us and Cincinnati was one more 767 ride.

We boarded the plane which gave us great seats to watch the already tired sounding flight crew realize, "Hey, there are duplicate tickets here".  Contrary to popular belief, the Delta ticketing system CAN and DID assign two bodies to several of the seats.  Several of our group got Business Class upgrades out of the deal.  We were not so lucky, but in hindsight it would have been a total waste of a Business Class upgrade. Apparently there were enough empty seats in both Economy and Business Class to accommodate everybody somewhere.  This did not however prevent us from leaving JFK nearly an hour late, but we arrived in Cincinnati only half an hour late.  Speeding I presume.  Now the reason the Business Class upgrade would have been a real waste.  After we were aloft and I had consumed my beverage, I was into a good sound sleep.  The next thing I knew I was being told to return my seatback to the full upright position.   Ahh, here we are in Cincinnati.  We exited the plane, and headed to baggage claim.  This of course involved a subway ride, then since those awaiting your arrival can't meet you at the gate, they did the next best thing, meet us right before the security checkpoint.  Complete with Red, White and Blue balloons.  After pleasantries were exchanged, we headed up to baggage claim, where another group was awaiting our arrival.  More pleasantries, but we were WAY too tired for that. Here I refused to pay $2.00 to use a baggage cart for five minutes.  Therefore we waited, and waited, and waited then our bags came out, grabbed our bags, said some last good byes and headed outside.  Luckily for us the shuttle bus to our parking lot was arriving just as we exited the terminal building, and I was able to hail the bus.  The driver took care of our bags and we rode out to the parking lot.  I did note the unique US flag made out of Christmas lights on the back of the CVG airport sign.  It is seen as you leave the airport.  It was a short drive to the lot, then the driver loaded our bags into our car for us, tips were given.  Then into the car, and much to our delight the car started on the first try.

We exited the lot, after settling up for a $45 parking fee.  (that is for nine days, of course), and were given some directions to get to Cincinnati.  Yes we were tired and needed directions in our own city. It was a tired ride home, we had to keep talking to each other to have any chance of staying awake. Dinner? Forget it. We luckily safely arrive at our house, enter, and find everything as we had left it.  We checked the voice mails, but emails could wait, and our mail was at the post office.  (Note: If you do a vacation hold on your mail, the post office you have to pick your mail up at may NOT be the one closest to your house!).  Of course the "We're back safe" phone calls needed to be made, and some more than others we had a hard time getting off the phone.  Finally note I was able to get to sleep at 10:30PM.   Not bad, but it took several days for my body clock to readjust to local time.  It took several more days/weeks to get this journal article done.  However, the photo album and video are coming along nicely.  And so ends our wonderful Journey to Italia!

 

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