The Grinding Meat Wheel

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Busted Flat In Firenze, Waiting On A train

It's time to return to Rome. We went to the Accademia Museum today. It was much nicer, cooler, quieter and better laid out. It had more commentary on the pieces and the artists. We got to see Michelangelo's David; and I thought I couldn't feel any worse about my physique. Then we went to the David Gift Shop and bought a few things for guess who? I competed in the Firenze Marathon and my time was an hour and twenty minutes(that's my time between capuccinos). I have a load of photos to download. Tomorrow it's back to dodging traffic and people. I'm going to take it down a notch and just visit Trastevere (the SoHo of Rome) and the Jewish Ghetto.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Firenze

We are in Firenze tonight. The difference between Roma and Firenze is that Firenze is manageable. You can actually walk around without having to Dodge speeding buses. Most of the downtown is closed to traffic. It is also quieter and less congested. It took about 90 minutes to get here on the new bullet train. We left Roma from the station and traveled through the countryside at 250 km/hr. We checked into our motel and have the penthouse suite (yes Marianne I'm actually staying above the second floor). We then started off to climb the "duomo" of the biggest church in Firenze. We snaked our way up the 900 plus steps to the top of the dome. The passage was about two feet wide and some of the way it was as steep as a ladder. We walked around the base of the dome which was covered in a marvelous fresco depicting Dante's Inferno. Then we went to visit Ben's friends at the consulate. We had a great time with them. The U.S. has a consulate here because Ferenze is a college town with about 30,000 U.S. students. Of course those wild and crazy kids seem to get into a fair share of jams that require the help of the State Department. later we dragged our sorry butts to Uffizi Art Galleria. The Uffizi was crowded and not air conditioned. We also got stuck in an elevator with a couple from Sacramento. Finally after about twenty minutes of waiting for help to arrive we pryed the doors open and escaped. All was not a loss because after getting out of our steamy elevator we found the exhibit with three Caravaggio's. Then Ben a bought a leather jacket(Firenze is the leather capital of Italy). Dinner starts here about 1930 so we went out for Thai Food. Ben is out seeing one of his State Dept. friends and CP and I are out on the patio looking at the duomo. Florence is to Rome what San Francisco used to be to New York. It sure isn't as daunting.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Villa Ada

Great Feng Shui

A small touch of N.C.

Let's give it up for the band

The coolest dude in Rome

Villa Ada

Goldens are popular

Sammy-Stud

Girls and their dogs

Light Lunch

Dessert for later

Today's translation lesson:

Vaseline = Vaselina bianca F.U.

Strike!

Today the buses and Metro go on strike from 0900 until 1730. Actually, this may be good because I have a much better chance of not being mowed down. Yesterday, we discovered the Metro. We found it very cool and pleasant. It was completely devoid of the muggers, lovers, and thieves we've been warned about. Since we don't want to get Shanghaid in the south we are trying to find a park north of Ben's. We are being brave because we are going Off map. Ben has given us the usual directions (go a few blocks make a right, another mile make a left at the top of the hill,go three blocks to the fountain then take the first alley, you can't miss it). Yesterday we went to the catacombs to see my co-workers. It's literally the coolest place in Rome. Leave it to the Roman efficiency to create the original "Big-Box" cemetery. The bus took us down the Appia Antica to the Low rent Christian section. After our cool respite in the underworld we had to walk a half mile and find the secret bus stop that would bring us back to Circus Maximus. We can always find the right bus we need because it's always the one that is just pulling away. Waiting for a bus on the Appia Antica is like standing on the course of a Formula One race for a half hour. Well it will be interesting to see what "Rome A La Strike" tastes like. I got a feeling all these people are just going to stay home today.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Them Bones

The conversion of Paul

The stoning of Stephen

The mosaic above the altar at San Paolo Fuori La Mura (Saint Paul's Outside The Walls)

Saint Scholastica. Marianne's patron saint (note the overdue library book on the floor).

Outside the Sacristy, who else but John The Baptist.

We will leave the light on! Confessions offered in a dozen languages.

Joel Osteen couldn't fill this place.

More mosaics

Saint Paul's chains

Eternal Flame above Paul's sarcophagus.

Saint Paul

Bernini's last sculpture at age 79

Where's CP?

Crypt of Saint Sebastian

Front of Saint Paul's

Trevi Fountain, where I proposed to CP 32 years ago.

Literary Follow Up

I just finished Three Free Sins. It didn't have a concise conclusion at the end, but still it was a great book. It was one of those books where one feels reaffirmed that the they are not crazy. It's the system that's off the wall.

I found the above book in Ben's bookcase. Naturally, being the Neanderthal that I am, I almost put it back. It seems that it was MP's book, which makes sense. I started reading it and I'm ROFLOL. This book could only be written by a Jewish girl. I guessed NY Jew, but she's from Wisconsin. It's sort of like Sarah Silverman with an intellect.

I'm not sure I can stand this much reality.