Update from the
Heartland
No.803D
1.5.17 – 21.5.17
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Update
no.803D – This is travelogue installment four of four.
Day 11
[Dis-Day]
Civitavecchia, Lazio, Repubblica Italiana:
[Rome]
Wednesday, 17.May.2017:
05:00:
The
ship docked at the Rome Cruise Terminal of Civitavecchia (Old City) in the
busy port facility. I happened to
be up and writing on this humble journal as we approached the port. Another large cruise ship and several
large ferries arrived behind us. The maneuvering was in very close quarters, but the process
was handled expertly and orderly.
We went up to the Lido Deck (16) for a leisurely breakfast, and then
back to our stateroom to wait. We
were supposed to vacate our stateroom by 08:00, but we stretched that to about
08:30. Thank goodness for digital
books, I had the last book of Martin Gilbert’s eight volume biography series on
Winston Churchill to read on my iPhone (since the iPad had been out of
commission since Day 2); this one is big enough to last me until home, along
with taking notes, as is the case with such books.
09:30:
After
staging in the Symphony Dining Room on Plaza Deck (5), our group (Pink 3) was
called for disembarkation, and we were off. The lot of us (roughly three dozen) would be spending at
least one night at the Albergo Savoia (Hotel Savoy) on Via
Ludovisti not far from the U.S. Embassy in Rome.
The
traffic out of the port and on the Autostrada up to the outskirts
of Rome was easy and free flowing.
The farm fields that have been producing food for millennia were well
tended. Fields of ripening wheat,
vegetables of all kinds, grass for hay, olive trees (although no large orchards
I could see), and of course vineyards of grape vines leafing out well. We knew we had reached Rome when the
traffic choked the flow. Security
procedures had already been implemented in advance of President Trump’s planned
visit to Rome, before the G-7 Summit in Palermo, Sicily, later this month,
which made matters worse in that part of the city. Heavy armed army personnel are stationed at most if not all
of the government facilities in Rome and many of the monuments in the city (of
which there are more than a few).
Traffic in the vicinity of the Embassy and as a consequence the hotel
was terrible, and the city traffic police were NOT happy. We were entertained outside the hotel
by a young, female, police officer who was quite animated with her gestures,
protests and instructions; she certainly appeared to be a no nonsense person,
who got things done. Princess
Cruise Lines had one group of passengers arriving (us) and another group
departing for the ship, which meant three large tour buses on narrow city
streets made smaller by cars and motorbikes parked on both sides of the street.
11:30:
Of
course, as would be expected in such circumstances, our room at the Hotel Savoy
would not be ready until 15:00. We
checked our baggage into the hotel’s storeroom and settled into a nice lounge
to wait our planned afternoon excursion.
12:45:
Our
driver for the remainder of the day, Jean Lucca (same company as Roberto in
Livorno), arrived early to fetch us.
We
drove past the Palazzo del Quirinale (the presidential
palace), reportedly the largest building in Italy, the second largest in
Europe, and the ninth largest palace in the world. The palace is 20 times larger than the White House. I guess bigger is better. I cannot imagine how long it would take
to learn navigation of a building that size.
The
Altare della Patria (Altar of the
Fatherland), also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II
(National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II), celebrates the unification of Italy
as a country in 17.March.1861. The
monument dominates Capitol Hill.
Altar of the
Fatherland
This is a terrible, unflattering image of the monument, but
it shall have to suffice; it is the best I have. Also, at the base of the monument, the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier is guarded by a duo of military men rotated among the national services
every four hours, 24/7, come rain or shine.
To
the right of the fatherland monument (off frame) lays Piazza de Campidoglio
and the National Museum (not visited, unfortunately). Michelangelo designed the square. On the backside of the square is an
impressive overlook of the ruins of the Roman Forum, and beyond the forum is
the Coliseum (tomorrow).
The
iconic Fontana de Trevi (Trevi Fountain) offers a magnificent backdrop
for a happy snap of the woman I love.
Jeanne at Trevi
Fountain
Pope Clemens XIII inaugurated the fountain on Sunday, 22.May.1762. The fountain was refurbished in 1998,
and featured in a few cinema films.
If we could exclude the mass of humanity around the site, Trevi Fountain
would be a very peaceful place for contemplation.
The
Scalinata di
Trinità dei Monti (Stairway of the Trinity of the Mountains),
more commonly known as the Spanish Steps, connect Piazza di Spagna
with the Chiesa delle Santissima Trinità dei Monti (Church
of the Most Holy Trinity of the Mountains).
Spanish Steps
Neither one of us felt the urge to ascend those 135 steps. I am not sure why the Spanish Steps
garnered such attention, but hey, at least we were there.
The
Colonna di
Marco Aurelio (Column of Marcus Aurelius) in Piazza
Colonna with a detailed spiral relief sculpture celebrating the
battlefield victories of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Marcomanni, Quadi and
Samatians (today lower Germany and Eastern Europe, north of the River Danube).
Column of Marcus
Aurelius
This is not the best side of the column from a solo image
perspective, but it was the best for the light. I tried to get the best image of the column relief
detail. The following image is the
best I have from a slightly different angle.
Column Relief
The small rectangular openings along the column are actually
windows to light the interior stairway.
I am fascinated by the history this singular column represents and would
love to study the symbology included in the carvings.
The
Pantheon began as a Roman temple dedicated to all gods and completed in 125 AD,
during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.
Pantheon Dome
The claim to fame remains the dome is the world's largest,
unreinforced, concrete dome. The
8.8-meter diameter oculus sits at the apex of the upper half of a 43.2-meter
sphere, interior surface of the dome.
The aggregate used in the concrete varies from fairly dense at the base
to significantly less dense toward the top. The Roman Catholic Church converted the Pantheon to the Chiesa
di Santa Maria e dei Martiri (Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs),
still in use to this day. The
engineer in me is fascinated with such structures.
By
this time, Jeanne was really not feeling well. She passed and stayed in the van with Jean Lucca, while I
took a tour of Piazza de Navona (Navona Square) and Basilica
de Santa Maria de Navona.
The long plaza contains three fountains, the center of which is the famous
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the
Four Rivers) in front of the basilica.
Fountain of the Four
Rivers
Jeanne
was running out of gas. I wanted
her to see Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses. She agreed to gut it out for just one more stop. Jean Lucca drove us to Basilica
de San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint
Peter in Chains), with a rather non-descript exterior.
Moses
The dominant attraction of the church is Michelangelo’s
magnificent sculpture of Moses. The
sculpture is not well lit; so, all the images I took from multiple angles do
not present the sculpture adequately.
Jean Lucca told us the story that when Michelangelo finished the statue,
he knocked on it a couple of times and said, “Why don’t you speak?” I have no idea whether the story is
true, but it does make for a good story; the statue is incredibly detailed and life-like,
so much so that he looks like he could speak.
We
were spent and asked Jean Lucca to drop us off at the hotel. We invited him to dinner with us, but
he declined. He did tell us of a
nice ristorante (restaurant) near our hotel that served good food and
opened earlier than 19:00 – Ristorante il Pomodorino.
16:15:
After
finally checking in, getting our bags into our room and sorting the safe
operation and power supply (we had to borrow an adapter and converter from the
hotel; Europe uses 220 VAC), we set off to find the restaurant. Confession: I thought I understood Jean
Lucca’s directions, but apparently I did not. This reality added to our exhaustion and frustration. We looked at a couple of local cafes
without success. In the end, we
elected to have a small dinner in the hotel, rooftop restaurant, as it was
getting late for us; it was a good meal, nonetheless. Jeanne had an insalata Caprese, and I had an
excellent paccheri pasta dish.
Day 12
Roma, Lazio,
Repubblica
Italiana:
Thursday, 18.May.2017:
08:30:
Jeanne
was still not feeling well. We
considered cancelling the day’s activities. Eventually, she agreed to go as long as she was able. A new driver . . . this time Mauricio .
. . retrieved us at the hotel. We
needed to make a quick stop to pick up a packet of AA batteries, since I was
unable to recharge the batteries for my camera (charger did not like the hotel
power supply).
First
stop on this day was the Coliseum, AKA Flavian Amphitheater. The original name in Roman times was Amphitheatrum Flavium. It was completed and inaugurated in 80
AD, during the reign of Emperor Titus.
In its heyday, it held upwards of 80,000 spectators.
The Coliseum
Of all the images I took, I chose this one, since it best
represents the original and the new construction to restore the site. The new construction helps stabilize
the remaining original structure.
The image also shows the on-going restoration work that continues to
this very day.
Coliseum Layers
I like the second image, as it shows the layering of the
structure and the scale of the building.
Our
next stop was the Circus Maximus –
the first and largest Roman stadium.
It became the model for other similar (smaller) stadia throughout the
Empire. It was 621 meters long and
118 meters wide, and held 150,000 spectators. Very little of the original stadium remains today. The stadium was used for horse and
chariot races, festivals and other sporting events.
Circus Maximus
The ruins of the imperial palaces on Palatine Hill can be
seen on the far side of the Circus Maximus, behind Jeanne and Cap. Jeanne was not doing well by this time,
so she put on a brave face, but she was going downhill.
The
Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums) is a necessary step to visit
the Sistine Chapel, these days. [Just
an ancillary side note: I do not recall that requirement on my previous visit –
1969.] We were advised to get
tickets prior to our visit. The
tickets specified an entry time.
We found NO indication there was any metering of attendance. The mass of humanity was the worst
encountered since the Barcelona Immigration Hall (Day -1). That said, the tour of the Vatican
Museums was carefully laid out and organized for an orderly flow; I cannot
imagine this amount of people moving through the museums without the routed
tour guide.
The Gallery of Maps
Absorbing the whole of the experience, the most fascinating
to me was the Galleria delle Carte Geografiche (The
Gallery of Maps). The blue panels
on the sidewalls are maps of different geographical areas of interest to the
church, thus the gallery’s name.
Yet, it is the ornate artwork of the long, continuous ceiling that
captured my attention.
The
pièce de résistance for this adventure was the Cappella
Sistina (Sistine Chapel) at the far end of the walking tour. I had seen the Sistine Chapel frescoes
in 1969, during my first class midshipman cruise aboard the fleet oiler USS Mississinewa (AO-144), before the
restoration. The ambitious
restoration project began in 1979 and was not completed until 11.December.1999. I wanted a good high quality image of
the restored frescoes. They do not
sell them in the gift shop. They
prohibit photography inside the chapel.
So, I resorted to the old axiom: it is easier to seek forgiveness than
to gain permission.
Ceiling Fresco
I surreptitiously took a half dozen images with my
iPhone. The image above was the
best of the lot. The colors are
more brilliant than the image displays, but at least it is not blurry or out of
focus. Well, at a minimum, we have
an “I was there” picture. The sea
of humanity in the chapel made enjoyment of the artwork and symbology more
difficult to appreciate. I was
also concerned that I was pushing Jeanne too far. We worked our way back out.
Regrettably,
we had to pass on the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano
(Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican). We missed Michelangelo’s La Pietà. C’est la vie! It was a struggle for her to get through
the Vatican Museums; it was not fair to Jeanne to keep pushing her. I did not want her keeling over on me.
Jeanne was not feeling well, so we cut the day short at 14:00, and asked
Mauricio to take us back to the hotel.
We
took a nap. The rest did Jeanne
good. My nap was shorter than
usual for me, as writing beckoned me.
I
followed Jean Lucca’s directions more precisely this time, and we had a very
nice dinner at Ristorante il Pomodorino . . . well
worth the several blocks walk. For
anyone visiting Rome in the future, I highly recommend il Pomodorino, Via Campania
45/e, Roma; you will not be disappointed.
We
called it an early night – one more sleep. It will be a very long day tomorrow.
Day 13
Roma, Lazio,
Repubblica
Italiana:
Friday, 19.May.2017:
As
fate would have it, I woke up at 02:30, and started plinking the keys. The last couple of days have been
action packed and I am way behind on my documentation.
04:00:
Yep,
I set my alarm – a rarity for me in the last few decades; but, I did not trust
my wakey-wakey instinct this time.
As it turned out, both of us woke before the alarm sounded. Fortunately, we were already prepared,
so a quick refreshment shower was all it took.
05:15:
We
departed the hotel by bus, organized by Princess Cruise Lines, for Aeroporto
Internazionale Leonardo da Vinci [Leonardo da Vinci International
Airport (FCO)] {AKA Roma-Fiumicino}. There were three other couples with us
on the bus. Surprisingly, there is
very little traffic on the city streets at that hour. We got one last tour of the sites on our way out of the city.
06:10:
We
arrived at the airport. This was
my first experience at Fiumicino – a very modern,
sophisticated airport with lots and lots of marble . . . at least the
international terminal.
07:10:
It
took us an hour to check in, drop off our bags, get our boarding passes, and make
our way through customs and passport control. We were departing from gate E39. My impression: I think the layout was
intended to stimulate shopping, rather than move people . . . you weave your
way through the duty free commercial area and shops are everywhere. The other impression, beyond the shopping
inducement, is walking . . . lots of walking with lots of corners to turn, no
straight shot anywhere.
09:15:
This
was our scheduled departure time on American flight 239 to Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW)
– a B777-200 aircraft. We began
boarding at 08:25, pushed back at 09:10, and took off on time. Apparently, the
upper level winds were less than forecast, as we gained quite a bit of time
during the trans-Atlantic crossing.
Once we made landfall at Newfoundland, the pilot began a series of
significant deviations, presumably to avoid weather. One disadvantage of these
seat back, personal entertainment systems is we have to have the window shades
down for optimal viewing, which means I could not look outside to keep track of
the weather; the shades stayed down the entire flight.
13:24 [S] CDT:
Even
with the deviations, we landed one hour early, against a schedule 14:25 arrival
time. We had a short ground wait
to allow three other aircraft to move before the gate was ready to receive
us. This was the first time using
the new Automated Passport Control . . . impressive I must say. You answer the requisite customs
declaration questions at a kiosk rather than the old handwritten forms of
yesteryear. I had applied for the
Global Entry program, but the earliest interview date was in late August, but
Global Entry makes an individual a trusted traveler and supposedly makes the immigration
and customs process even faster. I
picked up our bags, went trough Customs and checked the bags in for the last
leg home, all complete by 14:22 – a dramatic difference with what we experienced
in Barcelona on the way over. By
14:35, we were at our departure gate to Wichita.
We
boarded the last flight on time at 15:55, had a ground stop for an unspecified
maintenance problem, and took off at 16:40, versus a scheduled time of
16:25. We landed at Wichita at
17:45, picked up our bags and took a taxi home, since Aspen was working.
Wichita, Kansas, United States of
America:
Friday, 19.May.2017:
We
arrived home at 18:15 [S] CDT. I
got the bags inside, took a quick shower to wash off the dust from a road well
traveled, and we both went to bed at 19:00, and were soon unconscious after a
21-hour, very long journey. The
adventure was done. While
memorable, it is so good to be home with the affection of our dogs.
Postscript notes:
One
general observation: Jeanne is able to talk to other folks readily and easily,
and about anything under the sun.
It is rather amazing to watch her.
I have deduced I must be anti-social or overly cautious; it has never
been easy for me to go up to some person I do not know and just talk to people
without a purpose or message. I
have no problem with public speaking or public intercourse on topics of
history, aviation or politics, but I have never been comfortable with social
exchange.
In
closing this rather lengthy tome, I will note that we took several thousand
pictures between us, with our camera and both iPhones. I could not possibly include all of the
images. I reduced every image from
2-3Mb to < 100Kb in size to save space. I tried to select just one image per site visited, but even
that was a lost cause . . . just too much interesting stuff to see, experience
and learn. The final file is 4 Mb
in size. If anyone would like a
copy of the file, simply let me know, I would be happy to send it along for
your use.
Fini
2 comments:
Rome is a fascinating and historic city. I'm glad you got to see as much of it as you did, but sad Jeanne did not feel well. You will probably enjoy the experiences for years to come.
It occurs to me that your cruise has given you seeds for years of vacation travel to each of the cruise stops to see them in much more depth. Of course, the entire rest of the world also deserves attention. How to choose what to see is a fun but difficult question that can only be answered individually.
Calvin,
Quite so. And, we were only able to enjoy a mere fraction of its sights.
Good point. Each one of our port calls offered a wealth worthy sites for further exploration. Those will have to wait. Other destinations higher on the list at the moment.
Cheers,
Cap
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