I had seen the pictures and the videos. I thought I knew what Venice looked like. I thought I was prepared for the freakish sight of buildings rising out of the water, gondolas gliding on the canals, and exquisite bridges leading from one island to another. But there is one thing that photos and videos cannot capture: the feeling of complete disorientation when you try to navigate around this bizarre city.
I *thought* I had a sense of direction. It totally abandoned me in Venice. There is no grid of streets. Well, there really aren’t any streets. Just a disjointed series of short alleyways, blind turns, canals and bridges that never intersect at a proper 90′ angle. And there are no landmarks, except when you are on the coastline, because there is no way to see the landmarks when the “streets” are only a couple of feet wide and all of the buildings tower over you. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a piazza (square). But it is never a “square” and the “streets” leading away from it never go in a useful direction.
I tried. I really did. I even used multiple maps. Even with maps (which I think are deliberately erroneous), however, you *still* are helpless. It doesn’t help that every corner reveals a new “Kodak Moment” that makes you look up, around, and lose your bearings even more. I took a huge number of pictures, thinking that I had stumbled upon the ultimate Venice vista. Until I turned the next corner…
This happens during the daytime, Nighttime is even worse, but it is also even more beautiful as the tour groups leave the city and the moon reflects off the water. More pictures, more disorientation…
Yes, anything near the Grand Canal is probably a tourist trap. Yes, it is expensive and hard to get to. But I have never seen anything like it and it was exhilarating to repeatedly get lost in this unique city. I’m so glad that I stopped here for a day before heading into the mountains.
For our last two days in Rome, we decided to combine some neighbourhood wandering with visits to some of the famous massive structures of Rome. As predicted, there was also gelato; our current favourite (and the apparent favourite of locals) is Gelateria Romana. They have some unusual flavours, including 3 with pesto!
Yesterday began with a visit to the combined site of Palatine Hill and the Forum. Palatine Hill was the former home of emperors, so their palaces form much of the ruins. The Forum was the civic centre of Rome; although much is in ruins here too, you can still see various temples, arches and basilicas. It was surprising to see how these structures were built practically on top of each other; little attempt was made to let the buildings breathe.
After a break, we braved the crowds and visited the famous Colosseum. Its real name is actually the Flavian Amphitheatre, but the later nickname eventually caught on and that’s what everybody calls it today. It could hold 50,000 people and really does resemble today’s football stadia…just with a smaller “playing field”. We were able to wander freely on the first and second levels; it is an extremely impressive structure, even though what remains is really only about a third of what originally existed. Virtually no “seats” remain and much of the outer wall is gone.
While ancient Rome called the rest of the world “barbarians”, by today’s standards the gory and violent events within the Colosseum can only be described as barbaric. The stadium was chiefly devoted to man-to-man, animal-to-animal, or animal-to-man combat…often to the death. Even if losing gladiators survived the fight, they might be killed anyway if their performances were not judged to be satisfactory. Condemned criminals were thrown unarmed and naked to hungry wild animals, so that they would eventually be killed by the beasts.
All of this sounds horrific, but I read last week that the condemned uncle of an Asian dictator was recently put to death the same way. The recent popularity of extremely violent sports (such as “ultimate fighting”) also shows that civilization can be a very thin veneer even now.
Today we visited a nearby but much more recent colossus: the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II (also known as the “Vittoriano”). This is a huge white marble monument (pictured at the top of this post) in the centre of Rome that was built to celebrate the modern unification of Italy. It also affords great views of the city. We stumbled upon a couple of interesting and highly specialized museums inside the Vittoriano: one on the history of Italian emigration and the other on the history of RAI, Italy’s national broadcaster. Although both were presented in Italian only, we really enjoyed them and would especially recommend the emigration museum to immigrants or those from a country largely populated by immigrants. The broadcasting museum would appeal mainly to those familiar with Italian entertainment personalities, but we found enough radio-related material to reminisce about our days with Queen’s University Radio (CFRC).
After a visit to the gradually gentrifying neighbourhood of Trastevere, we stopped at the Circus Maximus (home of ancient chariot races). No real structures remain, but we were able to wander around the “track”.
We ended our day with some shopping in and around the Via del Corso. Sadly, Rome’s music stores have almost completely disappeared, while international brands are taking over more and more of the prime commercial real estate. We consoled ourselves with Perugina chocolates.
Today we stepped back in time approximately 2000 years.
Like Pompeii, nobody has lived in Ostia Antica for many, many centuries. But Ostia Antica was not destroyed by a volcano. Instead, after being lived in for hundreds of years, Ostia Antica was simply abandoned somewhere around the 6th century. The Tiber River changed course over time and this contributed to the relocation of Ostia Antica’s population.
Ostia Antica was huge – it used to be home to 60,000 people. You can still explore almost the entire ruined city, although it gets a little creepy at times. Sometimes it just felt like we were trespassing on other people’s property. At other times, you wondered if you had wandered into some kind of post-apocalyptic nuclear nightmare.
Many of the ruins were several stories high. Some buildings still had floors of mosaic tiles, while some walls still had signs or drawings on them. What I found interesting was the extensive use of bricks, which I hadn’t previously associated with the Romans.
Whenever I explore a Roman site, the same song inevitably runs through my head: Sting’s “All This Time”. It was released in 1991, the same year that I did the stereotypical post-university backpacking adventure through Europe. One of my first stops was at the Roman Amphitheatre in Trier, Germany…and the song has had a Roman association for me ever since. While hit lyrics often look horrendous when written out, these aren’t too bad:
Teachers told us The Romans built this place They built a wall and a temple on the edge of the Empire garrison town They lived and they died They prayed to their gods But the stone gods did not make a sound And their empire crumbled Till all that was left Were the stones the workmen found
Highlighting the inevitable passage of time and the inevitable decline of great empires, it was an appropriate soundtrack for wandering in the archaeological ruins.
We were at Ostia Antica for more than 4 hours and, notwithstanding the occasional creepy feeling, it was a peaceful way to spend the afternoon.
Our first stop on the way to Vatican City was at the Pantheon. Before researching our visit to Rome, I don’t think I appreciated how the Pantheon was different from the Parthenon in Athens. There are definite similarities: they are both 2000+ years old and both have that classical façade.
The Pantheon is the oldest continuously used building in Rome. There are lots of more recent additions inside of it, reflecting the changes of time (Christianity, Italian royalty, etc.). But the most impressive element is the massive dome on top of it. I can’t imagine how awesome this must have looked to an ancient Roman. It looks huge even today. Like many massive indoor structures, however, it is difficult to properly capture on camera. You’ll have to settle for the outdoor view, which doesn’t hint at the majesty within.
From the Pantheon, we passed through Piazza Navona (pictured at the top) and explored some nearby neighbourhoods full of twisty narrow streets. We eventually made it to Vatican City (an independent country, through an interesting series of historic events) where we sent some postcards we had promised to friends and family.
The Vatican has its own postal system and postcards mailed from there are therefore quite desirable to stamp collectors.
We visited the Vatican Museum after lunch and I’ll be honest: we really went for one reason only…to see the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo 500 years ago. It did not disappoint. Considered by many to be the greatest work of art ever created by an individual, its scale is massive. And even if you aren’t impressed by the scale, the technical accomplishment is beyond belief. It is truly remarkable that Michelangelo could design and paint such a massive work, with appropriate perspective, on a curving surface so high in the air. A couple of years ago, we saw Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” in Milan. While an undoubted highlight of our trip to northern Italy, I think it is surpassed by the Sistine Chapel. Alas, the magnitude and appeal of the Sistine Chapel means that you will be sharing the experience with hundreds of other (stunned) people. It was much easier to take in when sitting down on one of the benches along the side walls of the Chapel. Otherwise, it will be dizzying in every sense of the word. No photography was allowed, so you will have to see it for yourself!
A nice surprise was the Vatican’s exhibit of carriages and automobiles that have been used by the popes. I took a lot of pictures but I’ve only posted the “popemobile” that was carrying John Paul II during a terrorist’s attempted assassination in 1981. There has been a definite shift over the centuries from luxury to functionality.
We ended our Vatican day by visiting St. Peter’s Basilica. Again, the sheer scale is overwhelming. It covers 6 acres and can hold 60,000 people. However, partly because this was not the work of just one person, the immensity of it wasn’t quite as impressive as you might expect. For me, the highlight was the “Pieta” by Michelangelo.
He carved this sculpture from a single piece of marble in his early twenties. This would surely be the work of a lifetime for anybody else. However, this was also the guy who painted the Sistine Chapel. And, as it turns out, he also was involved with the design of St. Peter’s and the massive dome on top of it.
We are exhausted after an overwhelming day. In order to see more of “random Rome”, we decided to walk from our hotel all the way to Vatican City. By itself, it was quite manageable and we were able to see a lot of interesting things along the way. However, when combined with the standing and walking in the Vatican itself, it may have been somewhat overambitious. We will try to reduce the amount of walking tomorrow!
Where to begin? We have only been here for a few hours, but already it has felt like a carnival of wonders. Even without trying, we found ourselves stumbling over some of the greatest hits of Rome. We’re staying in the Piazza della Repubblica area, so we started off our adventures with visits to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.
We each threw a coin over our shoulder into the Trevi Fountain, thus assuring that we will return to Rome some day. It was just like in the movie “Roman Holiday”. Even in March, however, these places are awash with tourists…and pickpockets! We have some theft-deterrent techniques in place to minimize the risk.
After this year’s brutal winter, the relatively warm (18’C) temperatures today meant that we could not resist the temptation of true Italian gelato. We’ve had it twice already! As we expect to have similar sunny weather all week, I also see much more gelato in the forecast.
We had a wonderful dinner (with no “coperto”!) in a neighbourhood pizzeria on the Via Flavia. I really enjoyed my ricotta-filled ravioli in a cream sauce with walnuts, speck (Italian bacon) and shaved Reggiano Parmigiano cheese. Louise’s gnocchi was spot-on too. I would happily go back to the same restaurant tomorrow, but there were so many other appealing restaurants on the same street that we might just try each one. They all fit our “dining ideals”: patronized by locals, reasonably priced, and offering more than just the standard types of pizza, pasta and desserts.
It hasn’t warmed up much in Chicago, but I had a great day nonetheless.
First up was a guided tour of the Chicago Theatre – you may recognize its marquee from the musical “Chicago”. It is easily the most opulent theatre I have ever seen. No detail was too small to ignore. And big…it seats over 3500 people comfortably! We were able to go onstage and even backstage, where we saw the dressing room of the stars.
We also saw an incredible assortment of autographs that were written on the walls. I could have stayed for hours, just looking at all of the famous names who have performed (and autographed) at the Chicago Theatre.
I really hope to see a concert here someday.
I then (finally) visited the Lincoln Park Zoo. It’s free but it has a great assortment of creatures…many of whom are housed indoors for the winter, so I could escape the still-cold wind. The animals appeared well cared for; I didn’t see any signs of distress.
This might have been the first time I saw lions, tigers and polar bears. If it wasn’t, it certainly was the first time that I took pictures of them.
But even the smaller creatures were fascinating. It was especially cool to watch a pack of wolves. They look so much like large dogs, but they don’t exhibit the same behaviour when they interact with humans.
And then there were the meerkats: they have a way of looking right at you, as if they understand what you are thinking.
After leaving the zoo, I wandered past the famous Second City comedy facility. Even though it was less than 3 hours until showtime, they still had tickets for tonight’s mainstage production…so I bought one! I’m really glad that I took advantage of this opportunity – the show was a whole lot of fun and it lasted for 3 hours. The first two sets were mostly sketches, while the final set was mostly improv.
It was a special treat to see the show at the true home of Second City…and to realize how many great comedians have come from this organization. It seems like every famous comedian has been at Second City at one time or another; I couldn’t begin to list all of them.
I’m feeling pretty comfortable with Chicago and I really enjoyed today’s activities. But I need to get back to Kingston – on Saturday, Louise and I are heading to a special (and warmer) destination!
Chicago is known as the “Windy City”, although apparently this is because of its history of political bombast rather than the breezes off Lake Michigan.
Whatever the reason, it is brutally cold here in the winter. I had intended to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo today but it was just too frigid. Changing on the fly, I spent a few hours at the Museum of Science and Industry instead. We had intended to visit it last summer but never quite made it. I think we were a little apprehensive about visiting the South Side of Chicago. It doesn’t have a great reputation – its dangers even became the subject of a hit record (“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”, by Jim Croce). In any case, today I made the trek to the South Side and the area immediately around the Museum was fine.
It’s huge – there is a jet inside – and well suited for the young (and young at heart). As my academic career veered away from most sciences after high school, it was very interesting to see which sciences appealed and which ones still didn’t interest me as much. If time spent at the various exhibits is any indication, I’m still keen on genetics, chemistry, transportation and avalanches (though not all at once). Physics, electricity, biology…not so much!
Feeling nostalgic, I then returned to my favourite Chicago record store (Reckless Records on North Michigan Avenue). It’s a good store with very helpful and knowledgeable staff, but it was made especially memorable by the fact that I met John Densmore (drummer for the Doors) there last summer. He wasn’t there today.
Just two doors down from the store, I had a spicy and very warming Thai dinner of Tom Kha Gai and Rama Noodles. I also had some good news today – I managed to get a full refund of my “non-refundable, non-cancellable” prepaid hotel payment in Memphis! Quiet diplomacy doesn’t always work, but it seemed to be the right approach in this case.
Now it’s time to check the weather forecast and see if the zoo might be an option tomorrow!
“For reasons I cannot explain, there’s a part of me that wants to see Graceland…” – Paul Simon, “Graceland” (1986)
“Graceland” is one of my favourite albums of all time. Alas, I am not going to see Graceland itself…at least not for a while. Yes, I had booked a trip to Memphis, Tennessee and fully expected to be posting a blog entry from Memphis this evening. However, when I arrived in Chicago, I learned that my connecting flight to Memphis had been cancelled due to poor weather in Tennessee. I also learned that there was no way to get to Memphis for the next two days. For a three day trip, this was discouraging news!
I had hoped to see the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum, Sun Studios, Graceland, and a handful of other musical and historic landmarks (including the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the site of Martin Luther King’s assassination). I was also looking forward to the cuisine, including some authentic Memphis barbecue.
It would be easy to feel bitter, especially given the financial hit I’m likely taking on the hotels. However, part of travel is remaining flexible and rolling with the punches. I’ve decided to stay in Chicago for three days and see what Louise and I missed when we visited in the summer of 2013. Tonight, I’m going to create an “instant tourism itinerary” for the next couple of days. No Memphis barbecue…but maybe some Chicago-style deep-dish pizza? No Memphis soul, but maybe some Chicago blues? Check back soon and see how it all works out!