Sniffles, Subways, and the Spanish Steps

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Somehow we all ended up with head colds, and to compound the matter, it's been raining steadily, but that hasn't put a damper on our adventurous spirits. And once again, in the spirit of New York City, once the rains start falling, the umbrella vendors come out in full force. Kind of funny.

We had our first breakfast in our new hotel and I must confess to really looking forward to my croissant and cafe solo each morning. Such a great way to begin the day, and I go to bed at night thinking about them. Maybe it's because I'm always hungry. I have found that on vacation I tend to eat a lot less, though the food is richer, it's less accessible and I find I don't snack at night. Just wait until I get home...

We decided to brave the Rome subway system and use it as a way to get around town, because the walking thing was getting to be a bit much. We'd still have to walk, but the big monuments have quite a bit of distance between them, and we're finding Rome to be a lot more hectic and crowded than we'd thought, and more like New York than say, Paris or Barcelona. Either way, the streets are small and heavy with traffic, so we ducked underground and took the Metro.

Kids ride free, at least we think kids ride free. That's how we've approached it, and nobody's arrested us, yet. In fact, you can get an all day pass for 4 Euros, which is a great deal because you can get on the train as many times as you'd like. The subways themselves are so reminiscent of New York, I couldn't believe it. They tracks were old and damp, and the stations incredibly dark and dank, somewhat depressing, actually. I felt like I was catching the uptown A train in Union Square, but it's a great way to get around.

We set out for the Spanish Steps, which were actually made by the French but in honor of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. There was quite a scene out there, an amazing number of people, who all seem to flock to the same sights as we do. Funny how that works. When in Rome... The Steps were apparently a gathering place for beautiful people in the 18th century in the hopes of being chosen as models for paintings and sculptures. Some things never change.

Of course we had to climb the steps, and up top there's a French cathedral that we passed on and instead headed down. We all tried to count the steps but for some odd reason came up with four different numbers, though I would personally go with whatever Audrey came up with.

At the base of the Spanish Steps was an interesting fountain in the shape of a boat called the Barcaccia. It was designed by Bernini (who else?) and was apparently inspired by a boat that was stranded in the nearby Piazza de Spagna after an exceptionally bad flood from the Tiber. It was also yet another example of Roman genius in terms of engineering prowess, whereby the low lying fountain provided water with more pressure on it's way to the Trevi fountain, which was on our list of things to see.

Our goal was to hit at least one other big attraction before the end of the day, either the Sistine Chapel or the Coliseum, but that might have been pushing our luck. We stopped on the way to what are known as the Twin Churches, and nearby there is yet another church that has two important Caravaggio (sp?) paintings, which Ruth was interested in seeing.

The Twin Churches (designed by Bernini) actually have an important historical significance in that they mark the beginning (or end) of an important juncture for pilgrims coming to Rome called the Trident was an important example of Renaissance urban reconstruction and a model for the rest of Europe during the Baroque period.

At the obelisk in the square (there are dozens of these obelisks throughout the city) there was a fountain with four lions and Nicholas wanted to climb on top of them. I looked around and noticed that another family was letting their kids do it, as well, so I said go ahead, figuring if other Europeans did it, why not? Of course, it was only later that I realized the other family was from the US, so only the ugly Americans were being disrespectful and disorderly. Live and learn.

The church of interest for Ruth was closed at the time, and wasn't going to open for another three hours, so we decided to come back another time and made our way to the Trevi fountain, a pretty spectacular fountain in a town of spectacular fountains. And once again, there was a healthy crowd of people just like us. I began to wonder if any of the locals ever hung out at these places.

Now the Trevi is famous for being the place where people actually toss money over their shoulder and make a wish, and my understanding is they do it with vigor, because they pull out half a million euros a year from the place, which they give to the church, not that they need any more money. Apparently American money is given to the Red Cross.

After the Trevi we set out in search of our authentic Italian meal. We'd grown tired and weary of pizza, which Ruth was determined to avoid, and went in search of a place the guidebooks recommend called Piccolo Arancio, which was way off the beaten track and non-descript. In fact, I'm amazed we even found the place. It was quaint but had a healthy crowd inside, all of whom seemed like locals, but what do I know. We ordered spaghetti and fetucine and roasted vegetables and fresh mozzarella, and it was all delicious, but the cynic in me always says, when it comes to pasta, we could make this at home. I think to really enjoy good Italian food, you need a local, and you need to avoid the quotidian dishes that you grew up with when you ate Chef-Boy-Ardee. Whatever the case, the meal was delicious and an experience, and we'd managed to avoid pizza

Then again, we had to finish it off with some gelato.

And then it started to rain. In fact, it started to pour, which is kind of a bummer because phred the genius had left the umbrellas at the hotel. What was I thinking? I didn't realize it rained in Italy, or for that matter, Spain. Either way, we ducked into some shops and did some browsing, and when the rain let up a little we dashed off to the subway and went back to the hotel, which I must confess to liking a lot.

I'm not sure if he's the owner, but the guy in charge was super nice to Audrey and Nicholas and gave us a DVD player and some kids movies, and we holed up in our room (by then it was after 6:00 PM) and watched Toy Story 2 and ate doner kabob sandwiches (so New York) while Ruth ventured out on her own to see her Caravaggios. It felt good to be "home" after another long day of walking, though I still have a few issues with our Euro toilets, though they do look good.

Today the forecast calls for more rain, but we won't let that stop us as we make our way to see the Coliseum and the Sistine Chapel. Wish us luck, and please remind me to bring that darn umbrella.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and Ciao.

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Photos

What Goes Up Must Go Down
Descending the Spanish Steps and trying to count them.

The Barcaccia
The boat fountain.

The Trevi Fountain
Pretty spectacular.

Euro Toilets Part III
Does anyone back home use a bidet?