May 16, 2006

• we return you to your regularly scheduled program.

  Tiny update at the very bottom
  Hey!  Did you guys know schlemiel is in the dictionary?  I never knew that.
  schlemiel/noun : An unlucky bungler : chump 
  
  And if you don’t get the link well then your young and need to get out more.
  
  
  
  Now!  Back to Rome.
  
  
  
  
  Saturday, way back on April 8th we had the whole day to ourselves to do
  as we pleased, when we pleased.  We pleased ourselves by touring
  historical Rome. 

   We went up to the Borghese gardens and walked all over the park and
  finally meandered our way over to the villa and these gardens which are
  in the back of the Villa.  The villa has a very important museum inside which I wanted to see so
  bad I could taste it, what we didn’t know and no website that I looked
  at tells you, is you need to buy/reserve your ticket, sometimes more
  than a week in advance.

  (I should have checked the “official” site) 
  So we asked for a ticket and the polite man
  said they were all sold out. I asked when two would be available and he
  said next Tuesday.  
  Bummer, because I wanted to see the statues of Daphne and Apollo and
  also Pluto and Persephone.  Both by my favorite Italian sculptor
  Bernini.  It’s my own fault and really I have no one to blame but
  myself.  So I must go back if only to see the museum.  My
  husband said “uh huh a likely excuse”  but it sounds perfectly
  reasonable to me to fly back to Rome to see a museum.  
  And I’m sure it makes perfect sense to  my friends too, lol. 
  Now all I have to do is save a whole bunch of money and go. 

  
  

  Piazza De Popolo
  
  
  
  
  This was taken from a balcony above the Piazza while still inside part of Borghese park.
  
  
  That’s St. Peter’s Basilica way back on the right side.
  
  
  
  
  The next picture shows a better view of the domes that are kind of blocked by the two pines.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    The twin churches of Santa Maria Montesanto and   Santa Maria Dei Miracoli … they are so beautiful and huge too!

  I’m glad I didn’t have a regular film camera because I took about 50 pictures just in this piazza.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The gate is 16th century
  and at one time was the main gateway to the Adriatic.  There has
  been a gate into Rome in this spot since about 220 BC.  You know
  the saying…..”All roads lead to Rome.”

  I was actually trying to keep the Semi-trucks in the picture.  It
  gives a good perspective on how large the Piazza really is.  We
  were about in the middle when I took this so there is almost as much
  space behind me as there is in front.  And yes those are regular
  sized semi-tractor trailers.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Trevi Fountain
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I’m actually surprised at how pleasant his expression is, he abhors
  crowds and as you will see from the third picture down the crowds at
  the Trevi fountain were absolutely horrendous.  It’s still a
  breathtaking fountain, crowds or not.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I didn’t know this but the entire fountain is a story, all the statues
  are either part of the story or represent something about Trevi Fountain. 
  
  
  Briefly: Oceanus is riding upon a chariot of seashells drawn by two
  water horses controlled by 2 tritons.  One horse represents a calm
  ocean the other a stormy ocean.  I think, if I remember right there
  are over 42 separate places the water trickles, spurts, gushes etc, besides the large
  main fountain in the middle. 
  
  
  The fountain is much, much bigger with a whole lot more stories and
  statues but with all the people it was impossible to get a really
  decent picture.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  We got some of our best excitement here.  An old gypsy lady
  was
  stealing the money out of the fountain and got caught and
  arrested.  It was rather entertaining to say the least.  It
  took four cops to get her (2 female) and she yelled and waved her arms
  around like they were killing her and her family too.  The cops,
  like cops all around the world weren’t buying her tale of woe. 
  I’m sure they’ve heard it all before.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Piazza Novona

  
  
  
  
  
  
  What’s really cool is this stands on Emperor Domitians stadium (81-96AD)
  and it still has the shape of a stadium.  At the time the stadium
  was the biggest in the world, even bigger than the coliseum.  It
  could hold over 50,000 people. 
  Oh and before I forget you can see parts of the walls of the arena all
  around the outside of the Piazza and we were told if you can get into
  the basements of the buildings you can see the foundations.
  
  
  We didn’t try since some of them are embassies, and since I can’t even
  get into the American embassy I doubt the Argentineans will let me in
  either.
  

  
  
  Fontana dei quattro fiumi
  
  
  Fountain Of Four Rivers
  
  
  
  
  Designed byBernini in 1651.  The guy was very busy.
  
  
  
  
  At the time they only knew of four continents, so only Africa, The Americas, Europe and Asia are represented.
  This is Africa.  He has his face covered because when this
  was sculpted the source of  the Nile had not yet been discovered.
  
  
  
  
  The other three rivers are the Ganges for Asia, the Danube for Europe and the Plate for the America. 
  And no, I have no idea why they picked the Plate (Plata) and didn’t pick any of
  the other jillion
  rivers known at the time.  But if your like me I had to come home
  and look up where the Plate river is, so I saved you time and put a
  link on the name.  (Sweet huh?)  I find it a little ironic
  that in the 17th century no-one knew about the Nile and everyone knew
  about the Plata and now it’s the complete opposite.

  
  
  That’s it.  Of course there’s a
  bunch I left out, but good grief this is pictures heavy enough and you
  will probably hate me for how slow it loads.  On the bright side
  if your in the subscription page it doesn’t show the pictures so it
  probably loaded quick.
  
  

  
  
  Now unless something
  major comes up ancient Rome should be next.  I loved ancient
  Rome.  I could spend days just in that part of the city.  And
  if I really do ever get to go back I will definitely spend at least one
  entire day in that area.

  (links are colored)
  tiny update. literally!  I really hate how my site looks and I
  know that I will NEVER be html proficient enough to design something
  myself.  So in the interest of making me and someone else happy I
  have decided to offer a years free premium to design a new look. 
  If your interested email me.  indigolady1@yahoo.com  Now I’m really finished!
  
  

  • 11:10 am
  • 10 Comments