Finally home

We finally arrived home at 8PM tonight.  It has been a long 24 hours!  Our day started at 7am in Frankfurt.  We were lucky that last night when we checked in at Rome, we received our boarding passes and checked our luggage thru to Calgary.  So this morning it was just a matter of going through security and finding our departure gate.  That was much quicker than our time through the first time.

Our plane was due to leave at 9:55, but was delayed loading about an hour because of late arrival.  We got loaded and than spent another 2 1/2 hours on the tarmac waiting for a window to open for us to leave.  But leave we finally did, 3 1/2 hours late!  Our trip to Calgary was a little longer because we had to take a more northerly route to avoid the volcanic ash that has started to plaque air travellers again.  On arrival in Calgary we had to rebook missed flights to Vancouver and Campbell River.  But, we are home at last!!

I will write a bit more tomorrow about our travels, but now it is to bed for a good rest.

The journey home begins

Well today will be our last day on Italian soil.  I am still feeling the effects of a nasty head cold, so am very happy that Bill has taken over the cleanup of the apartment before we leave.  We fly out of Rome this evening at 7PM, headed for Frankfurt, where we will overnite.  we have said we will be out of the apartment by noon, so I guess that leaves us with about 6 hours to hang around the airport.

My husband makes a good nurse

Bill has been doing an admirable job of trying to nurse me back to health.  He has been wrapping my foot everyday so that I can walk relatively pain free for the last week.  He is also good a going out and getting me something for this cold.  This morning it was lemon and honey - this afternoon he was out to a Pharmacy to get something medicated for my sore throat.  I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall watching the pantomime that was going on!  Anyways he did come back with some sort of mint/cinnamon lozenge and some dry throat spray so he did get across what he needed to.

Today is our last full day here.  Tomorrow we fly to Frankfurt, overnight there and then to Calgary Sunday morning and home to Campbell River early Sunday evening.  It's time we are going home - we're starting to complain too much to each other about the tourists and their impact on our life here!!!

Woe is me!! I think the vacation is coming to an end

Well, all the signs are pointing to the fact that the vacation is well and truly over.  Today is the 3rd day of rain, a sore foot that has been plaguing me for nearly a week is not getting better, and now I have a nasty head cold.

In spite of all that we decided to take a train out into the countryside and visit the town of Tarquinia.  It is another Etruscan site where the tombs have stunning frescoes preserved inside them, and where a great deal of funerary objects of high quality were found.  Tarquinia was the major Etruscan city so it is no surprise that the richest decorated tombs and the finest artifacts were found here.  Because of the rain, we did not go out to the Necropolis site, but we did tour the museum.  The museum is located in a 14th century palace in the town.  The town of Tarquina itself is a fortified one, with embattlement walls surrounding it where it sits on a hilltop over looking the valley below and the Mediterranean Sea about 6 kms away.  there are known to be inhabitants in the area since at least the 14th century BC.  

There were lots of very beautifully decorated ceramics from the tombs there.  But unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures.  There were also many pieces of beautiful delicate jewelry.  They also had 4 of the most delicate and at risk frescoes from tombs conserved, removed and recreated in the museum.  If we had gone to the necropolis we would have been able to see many more decorated tombs that are enclosed behind glass and climate controlled to preserve them.

Tarquina itself looked like it was going to be a fun place to be this weekend and next, as their were going to be Medieval games happening, with jousting, sword play, crossbow competitions and many participants in full costume.

Just random Rome pictures today.

Mediterranean Sea

                       
                     Large pear cactus(about 8' X 20') growing high up on wall

                                    Roses in bloom all over the city

                                                                        Pretty potted flowers             

                 Pastas in all kinds of flavours, colors, shapes, and flavour mixes        

         Evidence of the first thong used on a 13th Century BC solider from Capistrano

 Life in Rome is not easy for some - this fellow spent 2 nights in the doorway across the street

                                        Some nice grill work

                                                                   Looks like Buffalo Bill

                                                                     It's a long way up there

                          Cheeses of all sorts and not a yellow one in site

                         Marinated foods of all sorts and prepared salads

                               Yummy baked dolce (sweets) of all sorts

                               On the outside of a casket in a church

                                           A meal shared

                                       ? New Roman chariot

We've hit "the wall"

Today we had planned a trip out of the city but last night's wine and the heavy, low-hanging clouds threatening rain this morning conspired to prevent that happening.  That, plus the fact that we both suddenly feel like we have hit the wall.  We could not face another monument, museum, church, statue or neighbourhood.  So we just spent a quiet day.  In the afternoon we wandered out to see if we could find a piece of Roman art to take home as a souvenir of our trip.

I knew of a street that was reported to have lots of galleries and artists along it.  It looked fairly easy to find so we did not take a map with us.  Mistake!  It was near the Spanish steps.  We arrived there with 1000's of other tourists.  It seems like the numbers have dramatically increased since the beginning of May.  I am assuming a lot of them are cruise line customers as that season is starting here as it is at home.  You can get trapped on the narrow streets by groups of up to 40 of them slowly ambling along totally oblivious of anyone else around them.  Also many of them are elderly and I don't know how they manage these 2 and 3 hour walks up and down the hilly streets.  There can be as many as 20 of these groups in a small area.

Anyways, we tried to find our street and ended up climbing what I am sure is the highest hill in Rome!!  I thought we would never get to the top.  But as with most things, we were rewarded by our effort.  We had a wonderful view over the city from the top.   The area was right on the edge of the Villa Borghese, which is a hugh park created from the estate of the wealthy Borghese family (they were Popes, princes and the such and the one we are most familiar with is Lucretia Borge of poisoning fame).  Needless to say we did not find our street of art.  When we got home I looked at the map and we had made one wrong turn (actually shouldn't have turned at all when we did) that led to us being so far off course.  Oh, well c'est la vie - it wasn't meant to be.

Random pictures

    

Fabric heaven visited

Well today was one of those days that the laundry had to get done, so that's how we spent our morning. In the early afternoon we headed out to see the fabric store that I missed yesterday. We were early so just spent our time wandering down small streets and finding interesting shops and places to look at. Ladies there are beautiful shoes here, and generally the price is not too dear. You can of course spend as much as you like but lots of really nice shoes in the 35 to 50 Euro range. I like the styles that are out now with more rounded toes and heels that are high but substantial - not the 6" spikes that have been out there recently. They look feminine without being severe. There are lots of cute ballerina flats out there and sandals with ?cuffs - I'm not sure what you call them - maybe a legging about 4 to 6 inches high - or a gator.


Finally, 3:30 came an it was time to go to Bassetti Tessuti. You climb up 3 flights of stairs about 7 steps each, and suddenly you enter into this fabric heaven. The first room you enter has ready made items like sheet sets, bedspreads and duvet covers. And the cashier is here. Then you enter into a fabric storehouse, and this is the only way to describe it. The rooms, there are 9 of them are filled floor to 10 foot ceiling height with bolts of fabrics stacked on top of each other or roll upon roll of fabric sitting on shelves. There is every imaginable fabric there from cotton, polyester, linen, cashmere, the most beautiful wool suiting, upholstery fabric, kitchen toweling, exotic laces, velvets, bridal fabric, evening wear fabric, drapery, knits, sequins, stretchy fabric and the latest fabrics from the runway fashion shows. Prices vary all across the board. The most expensive fabric I saw was a cashmere suiting at 271 Euros - that's about $380 Canadian a meter - it was the softest feeling fabric I think I have ever touched. Here are a few pictures I took while there.

Next we discovered an area where there is a sanctuary for the stray cats of Rome.  A group of people feed them, get them spayed or neutered, get veterinary care for them and put them up for adoption.  It is in an archaeological site called "The Sacra"  where there are the remains of 4 temples.  Here are pictures of the current residents.

Then it was off to yet another church

 Then it was off to the Capitoline Hill  -  these stairs?

 Or these?  

First ones get my vote !

And finally a view over the Forum