Monday, May 17, 2004
Well back in Finland now with just enough time to unpack, do laundry and then pack again. Today's Monday and we are leaving Joensuu for Helsinki on Thursday evening and then we are off to Dallas on Friday morning. And the big question is not whether or not we will be able to pack all of our stuff, nor is it if we will be able to clean our house well enough before we leave, no, the real question is will I lose my tan before we get to Texas? After spending the past 4 days sitting on the beach and soaking up the sun, I return to a Finland springtime that is currently looking at highs in the low 50's and at night the temp comes close to freezing. They predict some sleet this weekend. And here I was worried that I would miss the blooming of flowers and the blossoming of Spring while I was away on this trip, only to find out that I will miss the blooming and the blossoming anyway, just on the next trip.
Regardless, I am beginning not to care too much about this as I have other things on my mind. Namely, how the hell should I recap this extraordinary - on both sides of the line of good and bad - in such a way as to do it justice - and not have to put a security on my blog. Well here goes...So we got there.
We arrived in Rome on Saturday morning and hit the town running. My first impression of Rome, at least when we arrived in the center was, "How the hell am I going to remember where I am?" The roads we tiny and the structure of the city was plain awful. The history of Roman city planning is that there never was a plan, they just built. Our hotel was in the same Piazza as the parliament building, which I thought was a little weird, but as it turns out it was just enough out of the way and still very central to all the sites that it was a great location. Just don't go there for the pool that they advertise - it's a kiddie pool at best and a bird bath the rest of the time.
I didn't want to waste any time so as soon as we were at the hotel we unloaded and then began our tour. I forgot the map, so I will try to remember the names of the places off the top of my head. We first went to Piazza Novana and had some lunch, that consisted of beer and frozen pizza. I explained it to myself like this: After traveling and being a little out of sorts, we get one free pass on food and this was it. The Piazza was nice, if not a little windy and had a gathering of artists and fountains and tourists.
After lunch we walked towards the Wedding Cake - a monstrosity of a building that houses the museum. At first I thought it was amazing, but on closer inspection it was simply an amazing eye sore. The locals call it Wedding Cake, because it really does give off that impression. But walking up the steps on the Cake we were shown the Roman Forum, the ruins of Rome. And that was simply awesome. It was wild to think about the history here. I've been to places that have building from the 15th century and other older places, but this was like nothing I've ever seen before. Such detail in the buildings, such majesty. It was obvious that at one point in time, and for a long time, Rome was the capital of the world. ยด
Then it was time for the Collesium and the first of many long, long lines. But our timing was perfect as there was a guided tour that was just beginning and we were able to jump in front of the 1 hour line for an extra 8 euros - well worth it. Our tour guide was a character and had a book that he would always refer to, "Youa see ma boook? Loooka ma book." He was able to tell of the construction of the Collesium and some colorful stories that added to the scene. I will admit, for however much I expected this to be the end all be all of the trip, it was rather anti-climatic and nowhere near my favorite part of Rome.
After the Collesium we walked back to the hotel and met up for dinner. I had an artichoke, avocado, walnut and cheese salad as an antipasto. Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella as my pasta dish and a grilled beef fillet as the main course. Wash it down with a red wine from Sicily, an espresso machiato and a sambuca and I easily made up for the mistake at lunch. A few scotches later and I was fast asleep. Side note - the salad and beef fillet were great, whereas I make a better pasta than the one I had.
Next day we were off to the Vatican, but the real long way and I was thankful for that. We went through a neighborhood called Trastevere where I took two of my favorite pictures in Rome. The people I was with went to an enormous open market while I walked around Trastevere and soaked up the atmosphere. Lots of musicians, lots of locals just going about the daily Sunday routine.
A few hours later we were at the Vatican. Timo, Karoliina's father has an idea for a story that we have discussed numerous times and that is where is all the gold that the church confiscated during the Inquisition and throughout the years? Well, I think I know where it is, it's in the wall at this place. I still don't know what to make of the Vatican. Sure it's the center of Catholicism and therefore should be a little bit more than other places, but this was so much more. I think it bordered on tacky, but in a very impressive way. We weren't able to do the museum and therefore not able to do the Sistine Chapel, as it was closed on Sundays and so we decided to go back and rest. But I thought that I would rather explore more and walked around the town and went to the Spanish Steps and to the Piazza Popano (I know I got that wrong). These places mark the beginning and middle of Rome's premiere shopping district and the places was packed. I can imagine, in times gone bye that this was a thieves paradise, but it seemed perfectly tame to me.
Now I had made reservations for a seafood place that night and was very excited about eating seafood. Well, too many cooks in the kitchen send plans out the window and we had to scramble and pick a restaurant from scratch. Wine and Grill bar. Mistake. And the biggest mistake was that after the seafood restaurant fell through I told myself not to order seafood wherever we went. So what did I order? Seafood. Was it good? What do you think?.
Next day, Monday. We had our visit to Cinecitta Studios planned for 11am. We were going to take the subway which meant we needed to leave by 10:15 at the latest. It was the same distance from where we were in Rome to Cinecitta as it is from Park Slope to the Upper West Side, without the transfers. Well, the Sistine Chapel opens at 8:30 and we could try to squeeze it in. We get there at 8:30 and the line turns corners like a snake. We think about giving up, but we have nowhere else to be for another 90 minutes and so we ride along. Well it moves pretty quickly and we were in the museum by 9:15 which gives us enough time to get in, get out and get on with it. Well no one told me that the museum is like 5 miles long - filled with breathtaking artwork - but 5 miles long and we only have 45 minutes to do it in. So I am running down the hallway snapping pictures and following signs to the chapel. Sign after bloody sign. 30 minutes later I am standing in a room with hundreds of other people staring at the ceiling while the guards yell at everyone to be quiet. "Silencio! No Foto!" Well I took a couple before I was caught, but by that time we had to leave and so we left.
We are walking to the subway when I get a call from the Studio telling us that they need to push our meeting an hour or so. All that rushing and the meeting gets pushed. Go figure. Cinecitta was cool. We got to check out the sets from Gangs of New York and the working set for Rome, The Empire and there was some really cool things there, but it was pretty much a regular, ho-hum time. There was one thing, but I'll tell you later.
After the studio I wanted to go and check out the Jewish ghetto from WWII. After all that Jesus, I felt a little Jewish would be in order and I wasn't disappointed. The ghetto, which fortunately looked nothing like a ghetto, was filled with color and kosher. Butcher shops and other groceries, restaurants and other shops filled this very small place. No real history of the ghetto was obvious except for some signage, but I may have missed it, to tell the truth.
Finally we are having dinner and this time the pasta was the best dish. 4 cheese Ravioli with a simple oil and pepper sauce. If I could have combined this pasta with the salad and fillet from the first night, I would have had the perfect Roman meal.
That's all I got for Rome. I'll do Cannes later, but I need to rest a little.
hb back in Joensuu, for now.
Regardless, I am beginning not to care too much about this as I have other things on my mind. Namely, how the hell should I recap this extraordinary - on both sides of the line of good and bad - in such a way as to do it justice - and not have to put a security on my blog. Well here goes...So we got there.
We arrived in Rome on Saturday morning and hit the town running. My first impression of Rome, at least when we arrived in the center was, "How the hell am I going to remember where I am?" The roads we tiny and the structure of the city was plain awful. The history of Roman city planning is that there never was a plan, they just built. Our hotel was in the same Piazza as the parliament building, which I thought was a little weird, but as it turns out it was just enough out of the way and still very central to all the sites that it was a great location. Just don't go there for the pool that they advertise - it's a kiddie pool at best and a bird bath the rest of the time.
I didn't want to waste any time so as soon as we were at the hotel we unloaded and then began our tour. I forgot the map, so I will try to remember the names of the places off the top of my head. We first went to Piazza Novana and had some lunch, that consisted of beer and frozen pizza. I explained it to myself like this: After traveling and being a little out of sorts, we get one free pass on food and this was it. The Piazza was nice, if not a little windy and had a gathering of artists and fountains and tourists.
After lunch we walked towards the Wedding Cake - a monstrosity of a building that houses the museum. At first I thought it was amazing, but on closer inspection it was simply an amazing eye sore. The locals call it Wedding Cake, because it really does give off that impression. But walking up the steps on the Cake we were shown the Roman Forum, the ruins of Rome. And that was simply awesome. It was wild to think about the history here. I've been to places that have building from the 15th century and other older places, but this was like nothing I've ever seen before. Such detail in the buildings, such majesty. It was obvious that at one point in time, and for a long time, Rome was the capital of the world. ยด
Then it was time for the Collesium and the first of many long, long lines. But our timing was perfect as there was a guided tour that was just beginning and we were able to jump in front of the 1 hour line for an extra 8 euros - well worth it. Our tour guide was a character and had a book that he would always refer to, "Youa see ma boook? Loooka ma book." He was able to tell of the construction of the Collesium and some colorful stories that added to the scene. I will admit, for however much I expected this to be the end all be all of the trip, it was rather anti-climatic and nowhere near my favorite part of Rome.
After the Collesium we walked back to the hotel and met up for dinner. I had an artichoke, avocado, walnut and cheese salad as an antipasto. Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella as my pasta dish and a grilled beef fillet as the main course. Wash it down with a red wine from Sicily, an espresso machiato and a sambuca and I easily made up for the mistake at lunch. A few scotches later and I was fast asleep. Side note - the salad and beef fillet were great, whereas I make a better pasta than the one I had.
Next day we were off to the Vatican, but the real long way and I was thankful for that. We went through a neighborhood called Trastevere where I took two of my favorite pictures in Rome. The people I was with went to an enormous open market while I walked around Trastevere and soaked up the atmosphere. Lots of musicians, lots of locals just going about the daily Sunday routine.
A few hours later we were at the Vatican. Timo, Karoliina's father has an idea for a story that we have discussed numerous times and that is where is all the gold that the church confiscated during the Inquisition and throughout the years? Well, I think I know where it is, it's in the wall at this place. I still don't know what to make of the Vatican. Sure it's the center of Catholicism and therefore should be a little bit more than other places, but this was so much more. I think it bordered on tacky, but in a very impressive way. We weren't able to do the museum and therefore not able to do the Sistine Chapel, as it was closed on Sundays and so we decided to go back and rest. But I thought that I would rather explore more and walked around the town and went to the Spanish Steps and to the Piazza Popano (I know I got that wrong). These places mark the beginning and middle of Rome's premiere shopping district and the places was packed. I can imagine, in times gone bye that this was a thieves paradise, but it seemed perfectly tame to me.
Now I had made reservations for a seafood place that night and was very excited about eating seafood. Well, too many cooks in the kitchen send plans out the window and we had to scramble and pick a restaurant from scratch. Wine and Grill bar. Mistake. And the biggest mistake was that after the seafood restaurant fell through I told myself not to order seafood wherever we went. So what did I order? Seafood. Was it good? What do you think?.
Next day, Monday. We had our visit to Cinecitta Studios planned for 11am. We were going to take the subway which meant we needed to leave by 10:15 at the latest. It was the same distance from where we were in Rome to Cinecitta as it is from Park Slope to the Upper West Side, without the transfers. Well, the Sistine Chapel opens at 8:30 and we could try to squeeze it in. We get there at 8:30 and the line turns corners like a snake. We think about giving up, but we have nowhere else to be for another 90 minutes and so we ride along. Well it moves pretty quickly and we were in the museum by 9:15 which gives us enough time to get in, get out and get on with it. Well no one told me that the museum is like 5 miles long - filled with breathtaking artwork - but 5 miles long and we only have 45 minutes to do it in. So I am running down the hallway snapping pictures and following signs to the chapel. Sign after bloody sign. 30 minutes later I am standing in a room with hundreds of other people staring at the ceiling while the guards yell at everyone to be quiet. "Silencio! No Foto!" Well I took a couple before I was caught, but by that time we had to leave and so we left.
We are walking to the subway when I get a call from the Studio telling us that they need to push our meeting an hour or so. All that rushing and the meeting gets pushed. Go figure. Cinecitta was cool. We got to check out the sets from Gangs of New York and the working set for Rome, The Empire and there was some really cool things there, but it was pretty much a regular, ho-hum time. There was one thing, but I'll tell you later.
After the studio I wanted to go and check out the Jewish ghetto from WWII. After all that Jesus, I felt a little Jewish would be in order and I wasn't disappointed. The ghetto, which fortunately looked nothing like a ghetto, was filled with color and kosher. Butcher shops and other groceries, restaurants and other shops filled this very small place. No real history of the ghetto was obvious except for some signage, but I may have missed it, to tell the truth.
Finally we are having dinner and this time the pasta was the best dish. 4 cheese Ravioli with a simple oil and pepper sauce. If I could have combined this pasta with the salad and fillet from the first night, I would have had the perfect Roman meal.
That's all I got for Rome. I'll do Cannes later, but I need to rest a little.
hb back in Joensuu, for now.
// posted by Howard @ 2:42 PM 
