Returning from a successful long weekend in Rome, my memories are quickly fading on the tastes and smells, thank goodness for capturing the sites.
The Colosseum was our first stop. We decided to get a voice guide, this is usually a good decision, best is almost always an actual tour guide, but if your are going cheap, it is a well spent 2 euro. The Colosseum is huge. Thinking about the battles that took place above the pathways below. One time they filled the space with water and had ship battles, another time they had hippopotamus fights with gladiators. It was incredible to think about how many animals had died in this stage, and how far they must have come from. The Colosseum now is a shell of it's former self, but incredible still.
The Roma pass does not cover the Sistine Chapel. One should know this and not follow the Spaniards lead. . . The actual chapel takes ages to get to, but the road is more delicious than the actual entree. Looking up and down is a favorite past time of mine. Many people focus on the walls, but in a building that ornate, the details of the ceilings, shutters, floors and window panes are what keeps my eyes busy.
Listening to a guide talking about the "School of Athens" by Raphael was a highlight. I snuck my way near them, the guide had a great voice, and an insight that captured my art filled mind. My favorite story, was that Raphael painted the great philosophers, but with his contemporaries heads. That in place of Plato, he painted Da Vinci and that apparently he painted someone else for Aristotle, but after seeing the Sistine Chapel, came back and chipped away the original head to replace it with Michelangelo's.
The Colosseum was our first stop. We decided to get a voice guide, this is usually a good decision, best is almost always an actual tour guide, but if your are going cheap, it is a well spent 2 euro. The Colosseum is huge. Thinking about the battles that took place above the pathways below. One time they filled the space with water and had ship battles, another time they had hippopotamus fights with gladiators. It was incredible to think about how many animals had died in this stage, and how far they must have come from. The Colosseum now is a shell of it's former self, but incredible still.
The Roma pass does not cover the Sistine Chapel. One should know this and not follow the Spaniards lead. . . The actual chapel takes ages to get to, but the road is more delicious than the actual entree. Looking up and down is a favorite past time of mine. Many people focus on the walls, but in a building that ornate, the details of the ceilings, shutters, floors and window panes are what keeps my eyes busy.
Listening to a guide talking about the "School of Athens" by Raphael was a highlight. I snuck my way near them, the guide had a great voice, and an insight that captured my art filled mind. My favorite story, was that Raphael painted the great philosophers, but with his contemporaries heads. That in place of Plato, he painted Da Vinci and that apparently he painted someone else for Aristotle, but after seeing the Sistine Chapel, came back and chipped away the original head to replace it with Michelangelo's.
The actual Sistine Chapel was amazing for the grander and historical significance, but the paintings themselves, being so far away, were a little disappointing. It is sad to sy, but I have seen better detail on the side of a coffee mug. Still the shear size of the Chapel is astounding and to think of Michelangelo painting all that really is awe inspiring. Since being in Florence, seeing the Masaccio's Brancacci Chapel, as well as the "Lagrimas de Eros" at the Thyssen in Madrid, have been interested in differing depictions of Eve with the snake. What struck me, was that all the versions of the snakes are women or the heads of women. This did not break the rule. I guess we are the evil sex?
We stopped off, while wandering as we do, into a to-go pizza parlor. The common thing seems to be grabbing something to go, and sitting down on the steps of a church or a stoop to quickly eat a square of pizza. We randomly picked one with mushrooms, this being the best food decision, and least laborious we had. The pizza was perfectly seasoned with rosemary and 
marinated mushrooms that kept our tongue tingling with pleasure. And then later . . . we saw a pizza and pasta vending machine. I assume we chose the better option.
Letting ourselves get lost in the streets of Rome, we wound up watching some Italian break dancers. Mesmerized by their ability to use their bodies to defy gravity, we stood and observed their every move. Having taken a year of break dancing myself, I am always in awe with the ease they carryout each move. Having spent hours and weeks trying to perfect the 6 step and never carrying it out with much grace, I have the serious respect for the skill.
Sitting on the Spanish Steps, listening to the melodies created by the babel of tourists. The sound is a bit jarring at first, and then as it becomes background noise, calming. The steps we sat on were smooth, worn away by the millions of people sitting on those exact spots. The white marble soft under my chilly hands. Watching the city turn from day to night, the lights dance on as the sky turns tints of orange and shades of blue. 
marinated mushrooms that kept our tongue tingling with pleasure. And then later . . . we saw a pizza and pasta vending machine. I assume we chose the better option.Letting ourselves get lost in the streets of Rome, we wound up watching some Italian break dancers. Mesmerized by their ability to use their bodies to defy gravity, we stood and observed their every move. Having taken a year of break dancing myself, I am always in awe with the ease they carryout each move. Having spent hours and weeks trying to perfect the 6 step and never carrying it out with much grace, I have the serious respect for the skill.
Sitting on the Spanish Steps, listening to the melodies created by the babel of tourists. The sound is a bit jarring at first, and then as it becomes background noise, calming. The steps we sat on were smooth, worn away by the millions of people sitting on those exact spots. The white marble soft under my chilly hands. Watching the city turn from day to night, the lights dance on as the sky turns tints of orange and shades of blue. 
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