TWENTIETH
DAY
GOODNIGHT
AND GOOD LUCK
October
2 and 3
Well,
Saturday was a blur; we managed to do what is common in Rome and not just for
us. We missed three different things
because of either not reading correctly or misjudging time and how long it
takes to get anywhere. We were joining a
group from the Academy for a visit to the convent atop the Spanish Steps. It is part of the Church called Triniti de
Monte. The church itself is lovely if
unremarkable by Roman standards. It is
the convent that has all the hidden treasures.
We were 10 minutes late because we left too late from our place. My fault, the bus did not come soon enough
and our connection was poor for bus #117.
117 winds through the back streets of old Rome right to the foot of the
Spanish Steps, still a stellar place to be.
We ran up the steps (impossible) and got there 5 minutes late. The group had already gone in and we could
not find the entrance. Kim was nice
about it, but we probably will not get another chance to tour this closed
spot. Oh well, back to the 117 and a
ride down to the Piazza del Popolo. The
piazza is a very large egg shape with three of Rome’s main streets coming in
from different angles. The main drag Via
del Corso in the middle and Ripetta on one side and Baubuino on the other. It was nice and warm and we sat down to read
the Green book. We learned a lot about
the square. Then we made our way to the
Church of Santa Marie de Popollo where a wonderful wedding was in progress. The main item in the church and there were
many are a pair of Caravaggio paintings in one of the side chapels. As we were
walking over to see them, the janitor started throwing people out. It was 12:30 PM and the church was closing
for 4 hours. I caught a glimpse of one of
the paintings as he was shoving others and me out the door. Another miss. Finally, beaten and hungry we consulted our
Red Italian food book that has places listed in no discernable way and found a
small Trattoria nearby. Another miss was
in store as the food was ok, but the service was poor and long. So being 3 for 3 we headed home to the
Supermarket and slept and read the night away. We cooked at home and the food
was fresh, good and without a conto (bill).
The service was better, too.
We
woke up to a splendid day and walked down the Gianicolo to the Vatican. There is this neat way to get to St. Peters
through a bus terminal and escalators and elevators down to the entrance to St.
Peters. All the tour buses let their
passengers out there. We saw the Pope’s
Mass on big outdoor screens and then waited until 12 when the Pope came to the
window of his apartment to speak to a huge, roaring crowd. He spoke in five different languages although
I sense that Japanese is not his first one. The ceremony of the Mass is quite
extraordinary and the vestments and pomp make it a real event even on an
outdoor screen. Kimberly loves this kind of pageantry, and I just think it is
hard to stand in one place that long.
The day was turning wet and we just made it into a bar on our hill and
had the best Sandwich of the trip. A
little confection of egg, ham, tomato and cheese all heated up and slathered
with mayo. One of those can set you back
about 350 Calories but who’s counting.
Sitting outside in the pouring rain, wed decided to go to a movie. We went to the room and managed to leave late
again. I don’t think I get it yet. Ended up in a cab. Most of the cabs we have taken have been
expensive and the drivers have seemingly never been in Rome. They have no idea of where they going. This time I had Norm, the gate guy, give him
the directions. (More about Norm another
day) Then Kim told the driver to step on it in Italian. He got it and we were in our seats in plenty
time. More confusion and the steepness
of learning curve ensued. Movie seats
are assigned. We had no idea of this
assignment and went directly to our normal movie seats on the aisle where we
were climbed over until the movie started.
We managed to stay put but will now request where we want to sit. It is always the little things that get
me. Am I just so old that this kind of
thing bugs me? Oh well, Clooney has made
a splendid movie, Good Night and Good Luck, about Murrow played by David
Strithern - black and white with lots of cigarette smoking, close-ups and
actual footage of McCarthy and his ranting.
A good look at the era, and I remember it well. Murrow kicked his butt and so did the Senate.
Eisenhower really hated McCarthy because he was an embarrassment to the
Republican Party and Welch was smarter and quicker. Where is that America? The movie was only
about 90 minutes and there was a subdued feeling of tension throughout. Make sure you get your seat assignment
first.
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