VISTORS
December
31, 2005-January 1, 2006
Everybody
but me went back to the Vatican yesterday to see the Museum and Sistine
Chapel. On the first day they did the
Basilica and climbed to the top of the Dome.
The Vatican is a wonderment that gives breath to Rome and tries to
strangle it at the same time. It is so
all encompassing and demanding and impossible to ignore, but then ends up being
worth the time.
I
continue to struggle with my cold. It is
so boring and seems to be lasting forever.
Still, it is nice to have the quiet time for reading, going to my
Internet place, introspection and observing.
I was reading an article in the New Yorker on Alzheimers. Scientists are discovering that certain kinds
of changed chromosomes cut off the brain synapses. I have never been good at crossword puzzles,
but I am tempted to start now. I do know
that not having the language has made me totally observant to what the people
here are doing even when I can’t understand what they are saying. I guess when you don’t have the language
going other senses help you take over.
Aside from being shoved around by little old ladies in the grocery store,
I generally get what is going on.
New
Year’s Eve has never been my favorite night.
I think of it at home in a car as amateur night. We were going to take a walk around Piazza
Venezia just before midnight, but the rain kept falling and finally we just
went to bed. A pretty quiet night even
for us oldsters. Whitney and Amy found a
“pub crawl” event for the young set that was meeting at Santa Maria Maggiore
and set off alone for New Years in Rome.
They returned about 3 AM and proclaimed it interesting but the group was
loud. It was a mostly American event and
it is hard to worry about personal safety at their age. Best of all, Rome is a town that lends itself
to walkers and if you can keep from getting hit crossing the streets, public
safety does not seem to be an issue. I
found out from my landlord’s son that at this time of the year there are lots
of burglaries by people who needed money for the feast days. While I remain irritated about our invasion,
I do not feel threatened. I am watching
the Motorino closely and will take it up to the Academy when I go to Naples
Tuesday.
Kimberly
and her crew leave tomorrow for a much anticipated train trip and sightseeing
expedition to Florence and Venice. I
have demurred to accompany them because it should be a good time for the girls
without me and I have wanted to go South to see if it is any warmer anyplace
else. Naples is filled with things to
do. No doubt, I will report. We will all meet up again on Friday and then
Saturday Whitney and Amy return to the states.
It should be a great week for them.
Miss Kim is teacher, guide and Mom; it is role she loves.
To
celebrate the New Year, Kim has taken the troops up to the Spanish Steps and
the Piazza del Popolo for the afternoon Passaggiata. They will stroll the Via Condotti looking at
clothing they can’t afford along with thousands of other Roman walkers. Many of these celebrants will be dressed to
the nines for the walk. They will be taking their time, smoking, talking and
mainly having a good time.
Yesterday,
the power in our apartment really went out.
How could we know that a combination of a hairdryer, hot water heater
and the washing machine would trip us up?
This was little more then a blip because our upstairs neighbor showed us
how to reset the system. I try to
remember that our home is over a thousand years old with columns from ancient
Rome, but I am not entirely successful.
Kim advises me to not curse at all of this stuff and today I will
meditate to try and accomplish this mission.
Northwestern lost to UCLA, I think they looked pretty good trying. So, having had my nephew Tobin TIVO it, I
will see it in a couple of weeks. I am a
UCLA dad, so it didn’t hurt too badly.
May 2006 be a great year.
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