Random extra photos that didn’t fit elsewhere...

Ducks at the Boboli Gardens

Ceiling in the Uffizi

Cowardly lion?

Kids in a class walking like Egyptians in Rome

Less than colossal lizard (gecko?) at the Colosseum 

The man guarding the wine collection in our hotel in Rome

Florence Quidditch tournament

I love the symmetry 

And I could post about a hundred photos of doors. So many different ones....

Reflections

As we fly back to the states in elegance (well aware that this might be the only time in our lives to travel business class), it occurs to me that this trip was one that probably salvaged my mental health. Having been fired 24 hours before we flew out  gave me little time for wallowing in shock, anger, and sadness. (People have said that not having a contract renewed and being fired aren’t the same thing, but if being fired feels worse, it must be pretty awful.) Had we been in Memphis all of this time, it would have been much harder to gain some perspective. Travel to faraway places and going to the ocean always do that for me. We met some really great people and made some new friends (shout-out to Bryan and Sarah!), and all of that helped me to understand that the world is full of good and beauty and love. I’ve got some grieving yet to do and I’m sure that there will be some bumpy road ahead as I try to figure out a new identity at 57. Having wanted almost all of my adult life to be a teacher, being that, and now not being that is a real “WTF do I do with the rest of my life?” challenge. I appreciate all of you who have touched base to give me hope that the universe must have something meaningful in store. If I I only knew what is was, it would little easier to wait for it. My guess is that most everyone over the age of what? Seven or eight? has experienced that at some point, which is also a good salve on the wound. I have given much thought to karma and what lessons I need to learn from this. If anyone has any suggestions about that, send them on.

Ahead of us is Flora’s 2nd birthday on Saturday, for which - she says - we will sing happy birthday and eat Cookie Manga [Monster] cupcakes. I have a hysterectomy on June 5 and in July, I begin a stint as the chair of the board of Literacy Mid-South, an organization that I truly love. There are many good things ahead. There’s just not anything with a paycheck and insurance yet.

Being in Italy provided some fabulous thinking room. It’s a gorgeous country, full of old and new, and teeming with friendly people. It’s also a country with a history (some current) of egocentric and narcissistic political leaders, much like our current White House occupant. They have survived this. Unlike us, they have been both conquering and conquered. They are a proud people - proud of their combined histories and their food and their wine. For me, I felt like part of my mission was to communicate that not all U.S. people thought that our current political situation was normal. It felt like many of them kind of shrugged it off, knowing that this, too, shall pass.

The undercurrent of religion is, not surprisingly, vibrant and although you hear it with the church bells,  people don’t seem to wear it on their sleeves. Rather, it is represented in the incredible art of their ancestors as if to say, Here is what we are. And there is incredible art. I suppose there would be incredible art if Christianity had not been such a major force, because talent was there, but it was really something to see it. And the juxtaposition with the ancient Roman mythological figures, to me, kind of sums up the country.  

We tend not to like those as much as being in the country, so I don’t know that we would ever return to the large cities, despite the many rebukes we received for not spending enough time there. (Our driver this morning said that it was criminal not to give Rome more time!) There is so much of the world to see, so we may not ever have a chance to go back. It is certainly a privilege to have been there this time.

And Dan just walked over from his seat on the plane and kissed me. Then there’s that. 

Final thoughts

It’s Thursday, and we are at the Rome airport. We had to leave the hotel at 6 - and traffic was nonexistent. If we had waited another hour, the driver said that traffic would have been horrible.

Our driver to FCO was awesome, giving a running commentary during the entire ride. He said that we are criminals for only giving Rome two nights. His plans for retirement in 2024, at the age of 64, are to get to America with his Harley (which cost €42,000 and is now worth €50k) and ride across North America and then into Mexico and South America. He plans a seven-month tour. He wants to see the Super Bowl, the NFL playoffs, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Graceland, and Las Vegas. We warned him that until he gets to Mexico, everything that he sees that is man-made will be very, very new.

Some random observations:
1. Bread - for a country that has so much good food, why is the bread subpar? We tried bread throughout the trip and never had anything delicious. Even the croissants taste like something from Kroger.
2. Coffee, on the other hand, is wonderful. A cappuccino is in front of you in a moment, and it is always good. A cafe corretto is another wonder - a shot of espresso with a shot of grappa or sambuca.
3. Pistachios are something we never got enough of. We had them in pasta and on cannoli, chopped and in sweet spread form, and in gelato and liqueur. Fabulous. We are going to experiment more with pistachios in our cooking.
4. We increasingly prefer to stay out of the big cities, even big towns. That means we don’t get to see all of the touristy things, but we do get to spend time with nice people and get comfortable with our surroundings. If we were to do it over, I suspect we would spend much more time in Metato, up on the mountain.

Finale

Finale: from the Italian

end, ending, finish, close, conclusion, termination, resolution;

denouement, last act, final scene, final curtain

informalwind-up

Last day in Rome. Had big plans to see about a half dozen sites, but Rome doesn’t work that way. We got to the Colosseum in the morning and made it through the throngs of people - 50,000-100,000 people come here every day - only to be told we could get in at 2:30. Plan B - go have lunch in a nice cafe and be there at 2:30. The Colosseum was impressive. Rounding it off, it’s 2000 years old. Get that? That’s MM for the Roman numeral literate. Yes, I took a photo or two.

Note from Vicki: We elected to take a hop-on, hop-off bus to get around due to the relative ease of figuring that out and the mental rest needed after being in a taxi in Rome traffic previously. There is not enough Xanax, weed, or other drug to make me relax in a car in Rome. I figure that the bus can hold its own - and it did. 

While waiting, we met some Aussies who call themselves “Italio-Aussies,” since they live half the year in Italy and half in Australia. We all commiserated about the state of US politics, and while Italy has apparently just elected a loon a la trump, they said that it won’t last, predicting a called election in three months.  Lucky Italy. 

The plan after the Colosseum was to see the Trevi Fountain - again, look at the crowds.

We skipped throwing the coin over our shoulders, and we skipped trying to see anything else. Instead, we walked and shopped. For our last dinner, Vicki had made reservations, like before, using TripAdvisor as a guide. She scored big on this one. At the Porto di Ripetta, we told them it was our last meal in Italy, and Anna, the manager, immediately said that it really needed to be good then. And it was excellent from aperitif to delicious desserts. (Note from Vicki: TripAdvisor has a new reservation system called The Fork. If you make reservations through them, there is often a discount!)

All roads lead to Rome

After passing on climbing the 483 steps to the top of the Duomo - due to rain and my general shape - we grabbed a cab and went to the train station. It was the most pleasant ride thus far, which was good because it was followed by the most horrible ride in Rome traffic. Here, lanes are the slightest hint of a suggestion, and one that is usually ignored. We did, however, make it safely (though mentally frazzled!).

Our hotel is in the Campetelli (sp?)  area of Rome - very convenient to most of what we hoped to see. I wandered around and got to try some new things, take some photos (surprise!), and people watch. Then Vicki and I went out and did that all over again.

Interesting fountain...

Rooftop gardens

This little hole in the wall had pizzas, gelato, a bar, and numerous dinner options. 

Gelato cones

Gelato - it’s good stuff. 

Taking a break

Not ready to open - but I bet they are ready at 7pm. Most places here do a lunch business from 12 or so until 3 or so, then close down and reopen around 7. And your reservation is good for the evening. You stay as long as you like!

An unnamed obelisk in an unnamed square.

Our hotel was behind the building on the left. 

Massive door in one of the arches leading to our piazza, Piazza del Popolo. 

One of the fountains at the center.

No respect. 

Rome is fashion forward. Or maybe behind?

Last day in Firenze

1. Piazzale Michaelangelo, looking at the city of Florence. Pretty stunning.

2. Lunch at Osteria della Contata, again treated so very well. We were seated at the window, however, so when it started raining again, I was getting soggy.

This is a candelabra in the restaurant. I’m guessing that they have used a candle or two.


3. Shopping - great little toy place. Florence is the home of Pinnochio, and there are multiple places selling him.

4. Santa Croce - tombs of Michaelangelo and others

Panorama of the ceiling

Unknown couple 

Marconi, inventor of the radio

Michaelangelo, a somewhat successful artist 

Painting being restored

Dante Alighieri