Roma Chronicles - Monday, December 14, 2009

You may wonder why I have not posted much in a week. It took me awhile to adjust to the change in time zones the second time around plus the return to work. (Italy is six hours ahead of us and it took me a week to adjust to the time change the first time.) Meanwhile, I contracted a cold which I blame on my brother who came down with one while we were abroad. I really wonder if the fact that he lived on pizza, pasta, and gelato the entire time we were vacationing had anything to do with it, although I did see him consume one or two salads. But, I digress. I really want to blame this cold on him because I followed my diet the entire time I was abroad and besides, I do not think he would mind. Anyway, the cold turned into a fever of 101 yesterday afternoon and 101.2 last night. So, my plans to decorate the apartment for the holidays, including lights on the balcony, and make meatballs for our upcoming staff Christmas party, etc., were completely destroyed. Instead, I lay on the couch like a sack of potatoes and watched two Christmas movies. It was not exactly what I had in mind.

Since I have to wait until 24 hours after the fever breaks to return to work again, I now have time to blog about the trip. (And yes, I have been resting as well.) I think what I would like to do is give a somewhat day by day account by posting the e-mails I sent to the staff and friends while in Rome. I did this not just to make them jealous, but also so I would remember what we did. It can all become a mental blur so quickly.

So, here they are, minus any superfluous information:

November 26, 2009

Dear Marilyn and all the gang at Martindale's:

I am so tired right now that I can hardly type. It was a full day thanks to my brother's determined mindset! I think he comes by it honestly. Perhaps, it is his Petrillo nature coming to the surface. Well, we toured the Colosseum yesterday. What a magnificent sight! It is too much to write about, especially at this moment. Today, we toured the Palantine Hill (home of several Roman emperors, including Augustus), the Forum (center of Roman commerce and government), and the Capitoline Museum until we (Fran, Lissa and I) just about dropped. We did not finish the museum because we were all too tired and all the history and beauty of it all was beginning to melt into one big blob of culture! (How do I spell tired?) AAAGGGHHHH!!!! Anyway, it was really all so beautiful and mind-boggling how the ancient Romans built so many amazing buildings. Then, to view the Renaissance works of art on top of that was beyond words to describe.

Tomorrow, we will visit the Vatican, where I am sure the Pope (Il Papa) and I will be able to have a wonderful chat together over a cup of tea. Can you imagine? Maybe, I could use my one year of high school German on him. Oh well, we will see what happens. By the way, my brother tried to send some pictures to the family, but the computer could not handle it. I think his memory card was too large. I guess the pictures will have to wait until I return.Hope you are all doing well and behaving now that Mark is in charge. If not, do not bother to tell me. At this point, I do not care at all. Maybe, it is the Italian atmosphere or the fact that I am so tired that I know I am rambling. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Have a blessed week as well. I will try to write again soon.

Love,
Joan

November 27, 2009

Hi Joan!

Wow!!! Sounds like you really had a full day! Don't push too hard. (Yeah, it's the Mom thing kicking in again.) So what do the Italians eat on Thanksgiving? Oh...wait...no Indians there!

lol. I'll pass your email on to the others. Keep me posted. (I'm living vicariously through you.)

Have fun!!

Marilyn

Dear Marilyn,

I ate manicotti with spinach and cheese because I could not find a turkey in all of Rome.

Joan

November 28, 2009

Dear Marilyn and All the Gang at Martindale's:

Yesterday, we went to the Vatican and toured St. Peter's Basilica, which seats 60,000 people. Every single inch of that building is indescribably and breathtakingly beautiful!! I was completely mesmerized for four hours straight. I also climbed the 320 steps to the top of the dome of the basilica and was able to take a number of pictures of Rome and the Vatican (city). It was amazing! The stairs are inside the dome, and wind up a circular, narrow staircase to the top. I really made it!!! Not bad for someone who finished chemo 23 days ago, huh! Then, we went to lunch at a nice, little restaurant just outside the walls of the city (Vatican). Later, we went back and saw the tombs of the popes. I thought I would take pictures of Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II, because they were popes in my lifetime. I took the first two, then saw a guard tell someone else not to take pictures. Oh well, I did not know I was breaking Vatican law.

Today, we went to the Piazza Navona and saw the fountain of Trevi, Rome's most famous fountain. It is absolutely beautiful!!. We have also seen the monument to Vittorio Emmanuele, Italy's first king, affectionately called the 'wedding cake' because it is so elaborate. There is so much history and beauty to take in, but, I must confess, although the food is good, I actually think I can match the taste. (That will be my one obnoxious opinion for this e-mail.)

We expect to return to the Vatican on Monday in order to see the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michaelangelo in the 1500's. I will write again as soon as I can, providing I can access the computer.Goodbye for now. I hope you are all behaving as I really do not want to know anything that happened when I return. :) :) :)

Love,
Joan

November 29, 2009

Dear All,

Just an update for you. Hope you are all well. Saturday, we saw the fountain of Trevi. I walked up the Spanish steps (a mere 80 of them) and saw another church I forget the name of at this point. Saturday evening, we saw La Traviata in All Saints' Anglican church in the Piazza di Spagna. I did not understand a word, but read the story in english so I knew the plot.

Sunday, we strolled the Piazza di Spagna, Piazza del Rotundo and the Piazza Navona all day, including the Pantheon. (Rome is built in sections of streets which look like triangles when viewed from above and are called piazzas.) We had lunch across the piazza from the Pantheon and then saw the church of Saint Ignacius de Loyola. We shopped in many little stores and then saw the church of Saint Marcello. Today, we saw the Sistine Chapel and some of the Vatican museums. I cannot describe it adequately in an e-mail, so I will wait until I get home.

Write to you soon! Arrivederci!

Love,
Joan

December 1, 2009

Ciao, Marilyn,

Buon Giorno e come va? That's about all I know (in Italian) at this point. To continue my saga of Joanie goes to Roma: Today, we went to the National Museum of Rome. I saw so many statues, frescoes, and mosaics, including one excavated from the house of Livia, wife of the Emperor Augustus. But the big deal happened this morning when Fran and I had to do our laundry in an Italian laundromat a few blocks from the hotel. Fran kept calling it another one of my "hair brained ideas" as we dragged our suitcases full of dirty laundry through the streets of Rome following Roberto, the consierge at our hotel. I felt like I was stuck in an "I Love Lucy" script called "Lucy does her laundry in a foreign land." All I can say is "thank God!" for high school Spanish. It has really come in handy! Well, we managed to get the laundry done for a mere $28. (The hotel would have charged $150 according Roberto.) He escorted us there because he did not want us to get lost and call the police - more about that when I get home. Fran decided doing the laundry was a decent idea afterwards. Tomorrow, we will spend the day in Florence where we will see Michaelangelo's statue of David, among other things. I will write again as soon as I can.
Love to all,
Joan

December 3, 2009

Dear Rose,

Yesterday, we went to Florence. I climbed the 463 steps to the top of il Duomo (the cathedral). Then we took some pictures. We also saw Michaelangelo's David, as well as some unfinished works of his. They were amazing, especially David, although his face looks kind of angry. We then saw the graves of Dante, Michaelangelo, Macchiavelli, and Galileo in the church of Santa Croce. We also shopped in a number of neat little stores and had lunch at a nice restaurant across from il Duomo.

Today, we had a more leisurely day. We went to Piazza di Spagna again, then over to Piazza Navona where we had a nice lunch. I tasted that famous tartufo ice cream, indigenous to Rome. It was excellent. Then, by accident, we wound up in Campo di Fiori, got kind of lost, and walked back to the Colesseum to catch the Metro home. I believe we walked the circumference of the city and my "dogs" are killing me. Oh, by the way, I bought a really nice pair of heels, made in Italy, of course, for £25. (about $37.50)

Well, I will sign off for now. Hope you are well and had a nice Thanksgiving.

Love,
Joan

December 4, 2009

Dear Marilyn,

Well, today, after I dropped the pepper at breakfast and spilled my tea, we were off to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican again. All of us thought it would be good to take another look at the art because the first time we were too busy taking pictures. We waited about a half hour in line to clear security, then thought we would be smart and go to the bathroom first. The problem was that the three of us did not realize that we had passed the exit out of the Vatican when we entered that particular bathroom. So, upon exiting the ladies' room, the Vatican policeman informed us that we had to get back in line in order to clear security because we had passed the exit sign. We tried to explain we did not know we had exited, but to no avail. By that time, the line for security had increased to about, no exaggeration, one thousand people, stretching halfway around St. Peter's Square. Soon, Steve came and tried to talk to the policeman who would not change his mind. Fran and I started praying about it. After a few minutes, the guard walked over to us, told us not to say anything, but let us back in. Thank God! By that time, it was raining. We also saw a papal exhibit this time, then went to lunch. We were going to go to Castel D'Sant Angelo, the papal bunker used during political uprisings, but it started raining hard so we walked back to the Metro instead. Unfortunately, there were delays on the "B" line so the "A" line was mobbed, literally. We waited for about five trains to pass in order to board. We were packed in like sardines for six stops and yet people kept trying to board at each stop. One guy's backpack got caught in the doors, but he still would not get off the train. I was really glad to get off.

Well, I had better sign off for now. I hope to go to Naples tomorrow. We will see whether or not that happens.

Arrivederci for now,
Joan

N.B. We never went to Naples because of poor planning on our part as well as a couple of unusual circumstances. Instead, we planned to visit the famous Borghese Galleria on the outskirts of Rome on Saturday, December 5th. However, due to poor planning again, we were unable to secure tickets.

December 6, 2009

Dear Marilyn,

Well, it is my last night in Rome. AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am used to being here and going sight-seeing instead of working. What will I do! Maybe I could retire early....Instead, I guess I will come home and go back to work. Ugh! Yesterday, we never made it to the Borghese Gallery because you have to make a reservation in advance and they were booked until Tuesday. So, we walked the park for what seemed like miles, then rented a four-man bicycle. (They actually make them in Italy.) We peddled around the park for an hour. It was a really nice experience. Afterward, we went back to the Spanish steps and the Piazza di Spagna and ate lunch and shopped some more.

Today, we went to the Grace Kelly exhibit, authorized by the Grimaldi family, in the Piazza di Spagna area. It was really interesting. Piazza di Spagna was mobbed with Christmas shoppers the same as yesterday. So, we took the Metro to the Lateran district. It was at this point that Fran got caught on the train and the doors closed and we had to take the next one and find her. Thank God, she knew where to go. Anyway, we had a great lunch and then visited San Giovanni of the Lateran. It is a beautiful, huge church building where the popes were crowned until the 1870's. There is no way to describe the beauty of the artwork in these churches. You just have to stand and stare and try to soak it all in and hope you remember it. Then, we came home, packed, and had our last dinner here. :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

Arrivederci and love and kisses,
Joan

N.B. I also wanted to report that, for the first time in my life, I ate chestnuts roasted on an open fire. At every corner in Rome, during the fall season, vendors roast and sell chestnuts on charcoal fires. They sell them in paper cones for a few euros, so I finally tried a batch. It seemed a bit unusual to eat something in Rome that I have always heard sung about in an American Christmas carol. Anyway, it was an interesting culinary experience, but I think I will stick with my favorites - almonds, cashews, and walnuts.

By the way, in response to my communications, the gang at Martindale's sent me an e-mail entitled, "Everything is under control." In it I was reassured that everyone was busy doing their jobs to the best of their abilities while I was away. To prove it, they sent pictures of Mike looking inebriated with a bottle of Martinelli's poised at his lips. In addition, there were pictures of some staff members and Steve, one of the owners, smoking fake cigarettes. Mark, the Sales Manager, was tied up with rope and gagged. (They promised me they were giving him bathroom and lunch breaks.) The last one was a picture of my office being used as a storage closet. I laughed to the point of tears, then answered them with an e-mail stating they were all in trouble as soon as I returned home. To be honest though, I was wondering how much work was getting done while they were constructing this letter.

So this was truly the trip of a lifetime, at least, until I have another one just like it. It was quite an experience, and one that I will never forget. It was also a wonderful mental, emotional, and physical diversion from the cancer protocols I am encountering.