Goodbye to Rome

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We woke and were happy to contemplate that tomorrow we would arise back onboard a ship and hopefully have a relaxing final leg of our trip. We finished packing and made our way to the hotel reception and from there to breakfast. We checked in with the hostess who confirmed that we had pre-paid for our morning meal. It wasn’t the sumptuous spread that would be available to us tomorrow; but, after our late dinner and ice cream the day before we weren’t exactly starving.



John was our driver again today. We were streaking through town on our way across the Tiber, and I noticed how he would alternately choose to drive on the center lanes (one in each direction for the cable cars, although some cars were using these lanes as well) or on lanes on either side of these (sometimes these side lanes might be one-way and others two-way). You really needed to pay attention for the round blue signs with the white arrow slanted down to the lane or side you were permitted to drive (and also the occasional round red sign with the white horizontal dash meaning no entry). As for lane lines on these often cobblestone streets… what is that popular Mafioso term… fah-ged-ah-bout-it. In some of the circles cars seem to make their way through going a variety of directions through multiple lanes of cars. And it is apparent that when it comes to driving in Rome, size does matter. Many smaller cars (and almost all of them all) and the even more abundant scooters would make ample room when we would head across the multiple lanes in what seemed a cross direction to catch a small side street that also split off from a circle. And it wouldn’t be just two cross-streets at an intersection or circle, it could be twice that or even more! Sometimes there would be traffic lights, and there are separate ones for the regular streets for cars, and different ones for the cable cars that cars must follow too if driving in those lanes. The red-yellow-green ones are obvious (for cars) and often delineate the direction of travel allowed or not. The street car lights were white, indicating a vertical line for go, and a horizontal line for stop. We’d just entered a circle only this time the cars weren’t yielding to our large Mercedes SUV/Van (room to hold eight people and luggage) because we’d come to a dead stop trying to cut across three lanes. There was a bus to our left stopped closest to the inside circle curb, then us, then a taxi pulled in trying also turn around us but also stopped. Behind us traffic was making its way down the street that we had been on and continuing in that direction. The driver noticed that the bus ahead of us about one hundred feet ahead appears to be broken down in the narrow connector to the side street that we were attempting to weave through traffic to. Our driver was trying to talk to the taxi driver talking some in Italian through the window that the cab driver obviously couldn’t hear (not that he could have with the cacophony of honking horns and other motor noises); but, mostly with his hands which the cab driver seemed to be ignoring. It was clear the cab driver was content just to sit there. Our driver backed slowly up until he could snake our Mercedes around him and continue in the first direction to find an alternate route. He said, cars could be stuck there for two hours until somebody manages to move the bus. I had asked about the trolley lanes, which he said was only for public transportation, including busses, taxis and limousines such as ours. He then darted down a narrow allow and bemused, “This road is not for public transportation, but it is a short-cut!” It was one of the narrowest pedestrian paths we’ve been on, were cars had parked in spots wide enough not to completely block the road. When we saw an approaching oncoming car, he veered down another, even smaller alley, and in another minute got us back on the original road we’d been trying to reach. It was part of the ancient Roman road system that wound all the way to Barcelona, back in the day. Our driver likes to say “Back in the day” a lot. Funny how it has a different meaning for Americans.



Finally we’d escaped the confines of Rome, crossed to the north side of the Tiber River. Romans lived on the south side, to the north were the Etruscans. As Roman influence dominated the region (back in the day) the Romans would either assimilate an Etruscan community or destroy them. Our driver believes that the technological contributions that the Etruscan heritage gave to Rome comes from their Babylonian ancestral heritage; however, some also believe that the Etruscans were local tribes. It begs the question, how long does a people have to live in a region to be considered “local”. Our driver from Civitavecchia may have had the answer: Seven generations. One of their engineering contributions was the use of tough rock (or possibly “tuff rock”) for construction. Our driver first described this as “too-fah” rock, and at first I thought he must be saying terra rock; because, he described it, in his words, as coming from the earth, cut by hand the building stones used to construct buildings and walls. The local hills are filled with massive regions of volcanic rock. While in the ground it is soft and can be carved out with simply a chisel or wooden wedge by hand. Once in the air it begins to dry out and strengthen and become very hard. These rocks are used in many of the buildings in the region.



Our first stop was at Angillara Lake. The lake filled in the crater of an ancient volcano. We arrived and our guide mentioned that it might be a good idea to don a jacket or windbreaker. Sharon poo-poohed that thinking the breeze should be refreshing(and it would have been difficult to get it out from her suitcase anyway). Stepping out of the van a brisk wind was felt, chilling us as it flowed in over the water which was choppy and breaking ashore with tiny white caps. We took some pictures of the clustered homes, some showing ancient stonework. Upon walking along the cobblestone walkway that served as a boardwalk (does that make it a stonewalk?) we came to a point where the wind bore down us with a shivering force.



Our next planned stop before lunch was the Bracchio Castle. The castle was once the residence of the prince of this province, but was later converted for military defense purposes. The current owner uses it to generate income by offering tours such as ours, or renting it out for special events such as the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Unfortunately, the electricity was currently out at the castle, and they were not permitting outsiders in with their security system currently being non-operational. Our driver suggested we could visit an alternate site to visit the Necropoli at Civitteri. These are burial sites of the ancient Etruscans. The burial tombs are round slightly domed rock structures that have been carved out of the “tough rock”. The interiors are carved out areas that may be as simple as a single room, or tombs for an extended family composed of two or three or even more rooms. Each room has two or more stone beads carved out of the rock. Only the matriarch of the family has a carved headboard. In the region there are 40,000 tombs. Where we visited there were a couple dozen tombs that we walked through. A few had sound tracks that you could initiate after stepping into the tomb by pressing a button on a remote that we were given (Pressing “5” for English). A total of eight different languages were offered including (Italian, French, German, Polish, Russian, Japanese and Dutch). There was a guest visitor’s center in the middle of the “city of the dead” that we visited and watched a presentation on the tombs. A second presentation in 3-D showed some of the artifacts that had been found.



After we’d spent about 45 minutes checking out the tombs we returned to the parking lot and met up with John, who said that he would “reservate” a table for us at a local restaurant. We drove a short piece up a local promontory and stopped in a tiny square of this old Etruscan village of Cerci. The road up this walled community had a single-lane traffic control to allow vehicles in or out, winding up a steep grade to the top. We took some scenic pictures. We also visited the local church where a recent discover had found frescoes that go back nearly one thousand years. The restaurant was a rambling building that seemed to have far more rooms for dining than it could ever fill in this remote. We were seated with a view of the fields below. Behind us were the hills where the “tough” rock is still quarried today. I ordered the antipasti, and also the gnocchi with funghili (mushrooms). We couldn’t find any chicken on the menu (or pollo) and this menu had no subtitles and our waitress didn’t speak English. I recognized “Bistecka” as steak and there were three choices, and I sort of pushed Sharon into going with “Buffalo”. The steak was very good; but, massive in portion… way more than Sharon needed. It was also a little tough to suit her. It came with one potato which Sharon said was very good. Our time was dwindling away and it was clear that we would not make the 1 PM planned arrival at the ship. The castle delay and hour spent at the Etruscan tombs no doubt contributed to falling behind; but, also at the church before we walked down an alley for church had also taken over one hour due to our guide getting involved with an extended chat with the church overseer who described some of the work being done and restoration work done so far and planned. I’m sure it would have all been very interesting; except, it was all in Italian though our guide did interpret quite a bit for us and the other man did know a bit of English.



We got to the ship and boarded rather easily along with many “In-Transit” cruisers returning to the ship after their Roman tour. We got to our room and noticed that Team Trivia had started fifteen minutes earlier… oh well. We had the safety drill at 4:30 PM and then Sharon went to her 5 PM mass. We noticed that the elevators on the Zuiderdam don’t offer help in knowing which day of the week it is, and that was somehow a disappointment. It gave the sense somehow this wasn’t home. And for the first time we are staying near the very front of the ship; so, it will be a long walk to eat!



We sat at a table for eight and dinner, and everyone there was American. I had the “Bay Scallops” cocktail, and the lady across from me had thought that she’d ordered the “Bay Shrimp” cocktail normally on the first day menu of a cruise at dinner. It was very good, and in my opinion much better that their bay shrimp cocktail. I also had the cream of chicken and artichoke soup, which was also excellent. I decided to have the vegetarian penne with garlic and tomato and basil. The man seated three to my left had also ordered the same choices that I had, which is unusual with most people ordering the prime rib. Sharon’s prime rib was prepared as she likes it medium (plus)… virtually no pink to speak of. There were no chocolate desserts not polluted with fruity concoctions so Sharon had the Crème Brule. I of course went with one of my favorite desserts, the banana crisp with vanilla ice cream. Unlike our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise, I didn’t need to ask for it with vanilla ice cream… it comes that way on the Zuiderdam! And that gentleman to my left, he also got the banana crisp. He had ordered his food after I’d ordered mine, and I wondered if he just copied what I asked for.



We checked out the Casino for a few minutes and Sharon didn’t find the machines she likes but did play on won and came out $20 ahead. We went to the showroom early so that we could play the free $250 jackpot bingo game, the single card game they start the cruise with. The game was “The Big-X”. A lot of numbers had been called before the first person stood up, needing just one number to win. A few numbers later there were over half a dozen standers. It was another three calls before a squeal came from the back of the room. I don’t know Show Host Andy could have known this was a call of Bingo, but he did ask “Did I hear Bingo?” A very timid “Bingo” was uttered almost in disbelief. “Come on down and let’s see if this is a valid Bingo,” Andy chimed back, and the excited woman rushed up to the front. Andy took one look at the card and declared, “I’m sorry, but this is not a valid Bingo.” Three calls later, another woman whispers “Bingo,” which somehow Andy heard. She went right up to the stage, and again he had to inform the excited player that hers was not a valid bingo either. I should have realized what the problem was… these weren’t regular bingo players, or rather, perhaps they were because they obviously didn’t understand “The Big-X” and were just playing a regular… they just hadn’t played in bingo games on ships where different patterns are required. Three calls later there came a “Boo!” from the back. Sharon and I both thought someone behind us was simply booing someone who had stood up (In fact Sharon had just stood up). I still needed 3 numbers (of eight needed to win). Sharon was disappointed that she hadn’t yet had a call to let her possibly win… she needed I-19. I told Sharon, not to worry. I figured strange things seem to happen in threes, so I didn’t think this one had Bingo either. And she didn’t. Then Andy called a “G”. Then he called another “G”. And then he called “I-19” and Sharon showed everyone in the room how you’re supposed to shout out Bingo. Andy didn’t have to ask her if she had called Bingo. He invited her down, and lamented that he hoped someone would have a valid Bingo. “Okay folks, it looks like we could have a valid bingo here!” And it was indeed confirmed by the computer. It was a great way to start a cruise.



We stayed for the show to have the entertainment staff introduced to us. It’s sort of unusual as this cast features four singers and six dancers. The show introduced the Piano Bar Entertainer Thomas who seems like he could be very personable. He has an excellent voice and can play in a very entertaining style. So hopefully we’ll be enjoyably entertained for the next 19 days.

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