Okay, finally a blog on our last trip with the Phillips: Rome. This was not Mike and my first time to the ancient city but we loved seeing it again. One of our favorite parts? The gelato of course! We had tons of it and it was wonderful. On our first day we went to the Borghese Gallery. I had been once before, but it had been a long time. No one else had seen it. While we waited for our allotted time to go into the museum we walked around the Borghese grounds. I cannot imagine this was actually someone's residence at one time!
It started raining while we walked around so we sought refuge under the trees and watched the people riding bike carriages go by (or getting stuck in the mud). Jay was asleep but at one point a huge clap of thunder and a flash of lightening woke him up. He sat up and frantically shouted, "da, da, da, da, da" then went back to sleep.
Apparently he dreams in "da da" too. Inside the sculptures were beautiful. They were a nice reprieve from all the busts of Popes and paintings of saints that usually coarse through European museums. The majority of the collection (and the best part) were the sculptures by Bernini.
It is difficult to describe how impressive they are. The man was a genius! My favorite was Apollo and Daphne followed closely by the Rape of Proserpina and Bernini's David. I love the mythological (and biblical in David's case) stories behind the scenes. The only downside to the museum was that they don't allow strollers and Jay was determined to crawl instead of being carried. Next time we plan a museum trip we'll make sure we take a carrier too.
We spent the next day seeing ancient Rome. After a hotel breakfast of pastries and really gross orange juice (which only Mikaela liked;) we headed out towards the Spanish Steps to meet a friend Mike had met through work. He moved to Rome a few months ago to be the head of security for the Spanish-Vatican Embassy in Rome. He kindly offered to give us a personal tour of the embassy. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. No one was home at the embassy so Pepe, Mike's friend, showed us the whole place. This included the room where the Pope visits, the ambassador’s living quarters, the Spanish king's living quarters and the royal ballroom. We also were able to see the embassy’s collection of fine art including an original painting of Queen Isabella
(the copy of which is in the Prado) and two busts that Bernini personally sculpted himself. One was a man's head and the other a woman's. They depicted agony and serenity. Bernini created the agony sculpture by lighting a flame under his elbow, looking in the mirror and carving his own expression!
It was such a privilege to see them. We also saw a tapestry that was so well liked by Mussolini that he tried to politely force the Spanish to gift it to him. Apparently the Spanish kept telling him they'd "think about it." The embassy itself was ancient and beautiful. Needless to say, we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to see it.
After the embassy we went on to see the Fountain of Trevi. We tossed in a few coins to make sure we'd be coming back then headed on to the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. The Coliseum was as breathtaking as always. Can you imagine seeing it during its prime? Of course, I'm glad I didn't. Those gladiator games sound pretty horrific. Still, the structure must have been very impressive.
After seeing the Coliseum and the famous Arch of Constantine we took a Rick Steve tour of the Roman Forum. I really liked the ruins of the Basilica of Constantine. They were enormous arches and yet they only represent 1/3 of the original basilica. It had a roof 130 feet high and a hall as long as a football field. Rick Steve describes it as being, "lavishly furnished with colorful inlaid marble, a gilded bronze ceiling, fountains, and statues, and filled with strolling Romans." Can you imagine? It's always so fascinating to think of a time when these ruins were glorious and the people that filled them ruled the world. I also enjoyed seeing the
Temple of Julius Caesar where you can still find flowers memorializing the spot where he was burned after his assassination. The Temple of Vesta was also interesting. It was a sacred spot where a fire continuously burned. As long as the sacred flame burned, Rome would stand. Six vestal virgins tended to the flames. They were honored and revered by the Romans and were chosen at the age of ten to tend the flames until they were 30.
If they never broke their vow of chastity they were given money and gifts, honored with a statue and were allowed to marry. However if they did break their vow they were paraded through the streets, given a loaf of bread and a lamp and buried alive. Yikes!
If that doesn't give you nightmares I don't know what will. Finally, the Curia was an interesting look into Rome's power to the people rule. It housed the senate where the people-elected officials debated and created the laws of Rome.
Of course, let's not forget that women could never be Roman citizens, although slaves and conquered peoples could gain the privilege.
After exploring the Forum we headed towards the Pantheon, always an impressive building. It is extremely well preserved and offers a look into what ancient Rome may have been like.
Raphael chose to be buried here as well as Italy's first two kings. After seeing the Pantheon we got some gelato. The gelateria was amazing. Every flavor of gelato you can imagine was there, along with about half of Rome. Mikaela and I enjoyed the chocolate coconut and yogurt strawberry best. Mike's melon was also very good. Dan went with banana and chocolate, a good combination. Later that night we had a good Italian dinner. The waiter was not very happy with me when I changed my mind after we had already ordered. When he saw I had changed to his recommendation of the seafood pasta though, he was all smiles.
Since waiters don't receive tips in Europe you almost have to earn their respect instead of the other way around. My favorite part of dinner was the yummy bruschetta appetizer that Dan ordered for us. We were so tired after a long day that we hung out in the hotel room and turned on the only English-speaking program, which was sadly a reality show in search of the next Pussy Cat Doll.
The next day we went to explore Catholic Rome. When we got to the Vatican museum, which houses the Sistine chapel, we found a line literally 8 city blocks long. It wasn't single file either.
We checked out the line to get into St. Peter's and it was significantly smaller so we opted to go there first. St. Peter's was beautiful. It's my favorite cathedral. It is so magnificently adorned with gold and mosaics and stained glass windows, quite a tribute to Peter the Apostle. Again, no strollers were allowed so we struggled holding Jay the whole time. Poor kid. Maybe someday he'll appreciate where he's been. Of course by then he'll have forgotten the experience and need to go again. After St. Peter's we checked the Vatican Museum line again and it had gone down significantly.
If you’re ever planning on going to Rome, don't go to the Vatican early morning. People get up at all sorts of early morning hours to stand and wait until the museum opens. At 10:00 the line is significant. I think it's better to get there mid-day. Not too late, or the chapel would close, but not with the rush. The best time to go is on a Wednesday, when the Pope speaks. Then nobody is interested in the museum until he's done. Perfect time to go. Since Mike and I had already seen the museum we let Dan and Mikaela go while we wandered around the city.
We had some great pizza and then were accidentally caught in a tourist trap and paid 11.50 euros for ONE small bowl of gelato that we shared. We were walking along when we got tired and wanted to sit down. A waiter ushered us into a restaurant, Nova Cafe, where we just decided to share a cup of gelato. NEVER order before you check how much it will be. 11.50!?!? After leaving we realized we were on the street directly leaving from the Vatican, thus the tourist trap.
Ouch. I guess you have to get ripped off at least once per vacation. Never go to Nova Cafe in Rome! We walked on to see the Castel Sant'Angelo and Bridge then met up with D & M again.
For our last night's dinner we went to a restaurant near our hotel in the Plaza Rebulica district called Giovanni's (is that right Mikaela?). There was a little grandma in the back peeling melon when we got there so it was clear it was going to be good. We weren't disappointed.
It was seriously some of the best food I've ever had. It was amazing! The best part was dessert. We had a delicious flan covered in a berry sauce and these little lemon pastry balls filled with cream and glazed with a lemony frosting. They were incredible! We just kept eating and eating. As soon as the waiter brought something we'd gobble it up. He probably thought we'd never quit. The price was actually reasonable which was a nice change from the norm.
We had to bid Dan and Mikaela goodbye the next morning so they could catch their plane back to the states. We were so sad to see them go. We had a wonderful time and can't wait until they come to visit again!
Today is Jay's second Halloween. It's hard to imagine how the time has passed so quickly. We started out the day with a breakfast of orange pancakes, green scrambled eggs, and red milk. Jay loved it all and I think his daddy enjoyed it too. Last year Jay was a teddy bear for
Halloween. He was so cute and little, all snuggled up in his bear costume. This year Grandma Jill sent him a Superman costume. He's been wearing it all day and he looks so sweet. I sure love my little man. He's my little hero! Tonight we're going to a Halloween party on base and then we're going trick-or-treating. I'll post more about it when we get back.
