Today we left Rome. Packing up all our stuff and dragging it around the train station was quite the production. The photo below is us at the Rome train station with our ridiculous amount of luggage struggling to fit in the frame.
I started writing this post on the "Red Arrow" train to Florence and am finishing it at my small desk in our Florence apartment. It is nearing midnight but I really want to get these pictures posted, so here I give you a mildly disjointed photo album with small attempts at narration.
Most happily for Jon, on day three in Rome he finally got his missing bicycle. And now he not only has his precious, but also the Strava "King of the Mountain" title on Appian Way. Somewhere a Roman cyclist named Enzo is displeased. I would include some photos from Jon's rides but this post already has over 30 pictures. Jon has some neat content; maybe I can dedicate a separate post.
The arrival of the bicycle.
Jon and Axel sitting at Mario's, the café to the right our our building. Axel orders cacio e pepe most of the time, one, because it is good, and two, to flex how he is able to pronounce things his mother cannot. Note our neighbors across the street, an ancient roman building still going strong and in active use. This building is part of Trajan's Forum.
Some priests, Trajan's Forum, and a peek of Mario's restaurant (right) out my bedroom window. The middle priest caught me taking the photo, much to Axel's embarrassment.
This is our neighbor, from the back, where they have set up to have a party. Imagine your al fresco dinner where people have been eating with a view of Rome for two millennia.
Before the bike arrived Jon was still up for lots of walking tourism, so we went for a walk to Michelangelo's steps. It was hot and crowded, or maybe I just remember it poorly as that was the day the jet lag found me.
We happened upon a church with a gallery of art focused on Mother Teresa and the Pope. Here Jon walks the hallway.
Some excavations going on at the church.
I noticed lots of other restorations happening. This woman at the Roman bath was bathing the statuary. The quantity of archaeological treasure in Rome must be enough to keep an entire country occupied.
Me checking out the old and new art, hoping I did not scandalize the priests with my bare shoulders.
Jon and Axel at one of Rome's many obelisks.
Axel overlooking the Roman Forum.
Jon and I at some epic equestrian statuary.
The boys on the street.
Romulus and Remus supping at the she-wolf's teats.
Axel found a medieval playpen. See Christmas Walkabout 2007 and Christmas Day in Bruges 2008 for his history of this sort of thing.
Later on day four, after Jon got a bike ride in, we took an evening walk. Highly recommend evening walks in Rome. Still crowded, however it is much cooler.
Some horses in Piazza Spagna, decorated with horns.
Jon and I at a packed Trevi Fountain.
When it is hot- drink giant Negronis? We did not order this, but I can confirm that Jon seemed intrigued.
While Jon went on bike rides I went out alone. Axel was more interested in staying in the apartment playing internet chess. I did not mind. One of the days I went to the Diocletian Baths and the National Museum of Rome, on another I toured our neighbors: Trajan's Forum. Rome tip: go to these three places if you want to avoid crowds.
Here I am exploring the many rooms of Trajan's Forum. There were were acres of grounds, many mansions worth of rooms and levels, and there were only five people there.
This is Julius Caesar, from the collection of the National Museum of Rome (also deserted).
I think I saw several modern Roman women wearing this same dress.
Another lovely room of Trajan's Forum with a view of the far-more-crowded Victor Emmanuel Monument.
Like many ancient Romans would have been, I was shocked to have the entire big pool at the baths all to myself.
Speaking of crowded, this is me taking a selfie at Trevi Fountain, giving the illusion of no people when I am in fact surrounded by hundreds.
In the title of this post I promised discs and cats. I know discus is much heavier and totally different, but the diameter looked about the same as a frisbee golf disc.
Here is a disc that was buried with an ancient Roman man about 2700 years ago. He was not only buried with armor and weaponry, but also with his "athletic equipment" including one disc and an ancient water bottle.
Is this an ancient Roman female with a disc?
This is a cat with a duck in a 2000 year old mosaic. That is like 14,000 cat years.
This monk had a cat.
This lion looks a little funny. I wonder if artists only got a quick second to see the lions in the Colosseum and struggled to remember what they looked like.
A piece of another funny looking lion.
An actual Roman cat and my only company in the entire Diocletian Baths statuary area.
On our last night in Rome we all went to the Borghese Gallery. Cardinal Borghese was ultra rich and turned his 16th century mansion into a museum. There is a lot of Baroque art in addition to tons of ancient Greek and ancient Roman statues and mosaics. The Cardinal has the world's best collections of Caravaggio paintings and Bernini sculpture.
An ancient Roman statue in amongst the Berninis.
Proto-Fluffy
After we left the casa cardinal we crossed the street to look at some fancy cars. Axel was very excited. This is his "very excited" face, for the uninitiated.
Finally, we went out to eat at 10:30pm, which was quite fun. We had a starter of eggs with black truffle, then first courses and then second courses and then dessert. Oh and grappa and a bottle of wine and a prosecco. No wonder I am tired today. Speaking of which, today just became officially tomorrow. More from Florence soon. Ciao!
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