Art History All Tied Up with a Bow

Our day began with breakfast in the courtyard, a lovely green space. Hmmm, what do I want?

                     

The lovely courtyard was shared with creatures that belong in a garden like birds and bees, and insects. Good luck came our way by a tiny drop of sparrow poop and a bee sting for Dennis who then sought revenge. Breakfast was not a peaceful tranquil start to the day but it was delicious. 
And off we went for a tour of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s. 

We were ready to go. Then we found out that June and Dale were assigned to a different group. In the end they were probably happy that it happened that way so that immediately upon leaving the Sistine Chapel, they could get into a taxi and go back to the hotel. The tour was 3 times longer then we thought it would be. The tour guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable and he wanted to share. So we received a church and art history class in the glare of the sun which I’m sure was baked right out of our brains as they sizzled in the heat. But is it an amazing place? Absolutely! One of the facts that sticks to my brain are the “lines” that mark where other cathedrals around the world would fit inside St. Peter’s.

After standing in the hot sun, the cathedral was an oasis. The thousands of people walking through, taking photos, reading informational signs, listening to tour guides, talking to each other, and some even stopping to pray, were all swallowed up in the vastness of the place. We left the cathedral to begin our trek to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. It was a long HOT walk. 

Once inside the museum, the walk through the museum to the Sistine Chapel was extremely crowded, if thousands of Covid infections were not transmitted here it is a true miracle. On the staircases people were shoulder to shoulder, the railings were grabbed by thousands of hands, everyone following an actual guide or an audio guide, all straining to see whatever was being described. Certainly an adventure with hidden dangers all around in a museum that has one of the world’s best collections of art from all periods, certainly a once in a lifetime experience.  

We ended the day with real Italian pizza, just down the street from our hotel.

And finally, a drink on the rooftop across from our hotel…

Sweet Dreams!

 

Roaming in Rome ain’t so Easy in the Heat

 We arrived in Rome, slightly groggy from lack of sleep but excited to be here. The cab ride from the airport was almost an hour accompanied by rock n’ roll music from the Platters, the Everly Bothers, the Four Seasons, all the rockers from the 50’s & 60’s interspersed with explanations about old and new Rome, current and past governments, and as we passed monuments, ruins, and famous sights, more commentary. We arrived at the hotel and found our rooms ready so even though it was early, we were able to settle in.

We are a party of eight: seven adults and one child. What a trooper that child is even without sleep or food that really appeals to her. Everyone went to their rooms but Dennis and I went out for a bit of a walk to try to see where we were and what was available in our area. We are near the Piazza del Popolo and in this heat we are making use of the taxis which are easy to find.

After we all had had a nap, seven of us decided to try the Hop On-Hop Off bus. It was quite a walk to catch the bus. But we made it, not quite a stroll along the Tiber river, more like a forced march but make it, we did!

Sitting on the top deck of the bus we were able to feel a breeze and see a bit of Rome. Unfortunately we could only go three stops before we were running out of time if we were going to make our dinner reservations. So off the bus we trooped, and into a taxi. We arrived back at the hotel in time to freshen up and go next door for dinner.

The evening ended with reminders to be in the lobby by 8:15 AM to catch a taxi to the meeting place for the Vatican tour. Good night, sweet dreams.

  

5 Days and Counting...

Travel in the summer of 2022 is more open? Really? Yes, it's more open and more expensive and hotter, almost everywhere. And it's still a bit dicey. As we were about to find out. No restrictions from the USA for travel, no restrictions for entering Italy, except for the requirement to wear FPP2 masks on public transportation. Easiest way to meet that requirement? Amazon!

To combat the heat, we could do what Spanish ladies have done forever and charmingly, batted a beautiful fan. 

Instead we will be sporting neck fans and cooling towels. Not so romantic looking but hopefully it will keep us from having heat strokes. 

The fan is quiet so even in a tour it will not interfere with listening to a guide. There are eight of us landing in Rome on August 3: seven adults and one child. We will head for the Anahi Hotel and then to the I Love Rome Hop-on Hop-off bus. This will give us an overview of all the wonderful sights to behold in the eternal city. Yes, the eternal city so named by Tibullus in the 1st Century BC and if you were over 2,000 years old most of us would think you were pretty eternal. So our first day in Rome will be spent "roaming' but by bus.

In order to make the most of our three days in Rome we have also booked a small group tour of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on our second day and the Colosseum on our third day. We have booked only skip the line small group tours which last about an hour. I think with the heat this will be plenty and will also allow anyone who wants more time to be able to explore on their own.

Now we are excited and beginning to pack for our two week adventure full of family and a wonderful event. What would bring us to Italy during the hottest summer ever? A wedding! Yes, the wedding of Elana Mosca and Alan Luna. A fly and a moon...nuff said. The wedding will be in Cortona at the Il Rifugio villa. https://www.sojourninitaly.com/ We are all so excited, a small family wedding in a beautiful Tuscan villa. But wait, there's a fly in the ointment--the bride has Covid! Another fly, the groom has Covid! That's the bad news. The good news, they'll both test negative by the end of July, all of 4 days away. After the quarantine they need to wear their masks for an additional five days. The bride has said that she is going to put her mask on with Gorilla glue! We will all be wearing masks in the airport and on the plane.

So we are packing and planning and hoping that all goes well. 

We are optimistic that this will be a lovely time for all. There are plenty of events planned, not just the wedding but wine tastings and wine dinners and shopping and wine and art and wine and architecture, and wine...stay tuned!

The End of Our Journey: Part 2 Madrid

     Back to the train station in Cordoba and on to Madrid. Once at Atocha (the train station) we were concerned about getting the back packs, the carry-ons, the wheeled suitcases, and the big pink bag onto the platform on time. They really want you off the train quickly. As we were staggering down the platform, a good Samaritan in the guise of a tall young man insisted on helping us to where we could see our exit to get a taxi. He was changing trains to go on to Valencia. It was such a sweet surprise.

We got in the que for the taxi and were soon on our way to Ana's apartment. She was already there after teaching all day. Though she doesn't drink, she had a bottle of vino blanco seco for us, an alvarino that was so tasty we finished it (are you surprised?) before leaving the apartment to go down to one of the neighborhood restaurants. There, we had a deliciously fresh salad and a fantastic pizza.

    The next day Ana had to be at work for one more day before starting her spring break. The day started with a wonderful gift from Raquel, her very own private label wine. Ana Sanchez came to take us to lunch at a delightful traditional restaurant in a small town near Madrid. There we sampled cocido which was so much food, it was impossible to finish. Really, we couldn't even finish the wine. 

After lunch we went into the town to see a church which a priest began building with his bare hands. After he died, his followers took on the task of upkeep and finishing the church. It is a work in progress for these dedicated people.

Quite a job for the workers and the congregation.

        

    From here we were back in the car and headed into Madrid to meet Ana at Retiro. While waiting there we also ran into Pablo who has grown into a very handsome young man. He says he may be coming to IU and that would be great! Ana joined us shortly and we even got a glimpse of Jorge. So a very wonderful day.

And we got to see Jorge but should have asked him to turn around.😄

    Saturday was another sunny day and we were off to the Prado. First lunch and then a date with Goya and Velasquez. I prefer Goya's paintings of life in Spain, the court, people during his lifetime. Dennis likes his religious paintings and always seeks out Satan Devouring his Son. This time he also saw Saturn devouring his son by Peter Paul Rubens. I skipped this feast for the eyes and sat on a bench in the hall. We followed the feast with manzanillo tea in the courtyard of the Pardo and a trip to the gift shop.   

    Sunday, Ana was off to her Italian class. We packed and I did a bit of work in my journal. Dennis was nervous about our online Covid tests that are required for entry into the USA. With the help of Google but mostly with the help of Ana Sanchez we found a clinic that would do the tests with results in 15 minutes. So we quickly went to the clinic, got the tests, got the results, and got back to the apartment before Ana came home.

Malaga

Frigiliana

    The evening found us walking toward the bullring to meet Estefania, Ruben, Yuriko, and Yael. Estefania had taught in Cicero for a number of years. She and Ruben both taught in Odessa, Texas where we visited them a few times on our way back home from New Mexico. The last time we saw them Yael was a baby, now he's in second grade. Which makes us? Old. Yep, afraid so. We met them in a small plaza and then walked down toward the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. On the way we stopped for coffee before continuing to the restaurant for tapas. 

    El Tendido was a treat. As usual I was so engrossed with all of the new tastes that I forgot to take a photos. We had at least eight tapas and good wine plus deserts. The kids ate well and it was fun to see them enjoy their food. We were among the first diners to arrive. We had to be at the airport by 8:00 so we knew we couldn't do a really late night. Actually, really late nights are behind us but we still think we can do it. It was a delightful evening filled with lively talk and laughter. Dennis got to tell his bullfighter joke. No, I won't retell it. That's totally up to him.

    The family walked the three of us all the way back to Ana's. There they could get the subway back to where they parked their car. What a lovely way to end our time in Spain!

The final word from the Dennis--

We had a fabulous time in Spain, red rain and all! The bullfighter joke will only be told in person and the cost of the telling is accompanied by hours (not saying how many) of DVDs. 😈