When in Rome, Take a LOT of Pictures!

The highlight of the last month or so was easily our first trip to Italy. We took advantage of a long weekend (we even cheated an extra day on the front end!) to see the ancient capital city, and it was well worth the effort. There is so much to see - a seemingly endless inventory of ancient stone, paint, and carvings; To study any small area in detail could take days or weeks, and there are thousands of these places! The "Map Hall" in the Vatican (which I had never heard of) could merit college courses in Italian geography, cartography, and history (obviously) without even noticing the endless frescos adorning the ceiling and walls surrounding the maps. 

There is some non-Rome-related stuff at the bottom of the post (kid updates) but I'll start with the trip.

Day 1
The flight to Rome was reasonably short, followed by an hour or so in a shuttle to the hotel. We saw bits and pieces of history along the way, which was a nice primer for the days to come. The hotel was nice enough, although very European in its age (old) and room sizes (small). It was in a great location however, and we didn't plan to hang out in the room for very long anyway.

I couldn't resist taking this - the artwork was on the wall of the hotel in the stairwell.

This building's architecture - if not necessarily its condition - is typical of the area around the hotel (Piazza di Spagna). 

Our first Italian meal in Italy (and the first of many pizzas)

Posing at the bottom of the Spanish Steps - 135 of them completed in 1717.

The Trevi Fountain, unfortunately under restoration but stunning nonetheless. Completed in 1762 but the commission dates back another century.

The Pantheon (not to be confused with the Parthenon - in Greece, or the Pantheron - a made-up mix of the two).
Nearly 2,000 years old, the dome remains the largest reinforced concrete dome in the world.

The oculus in the dome provides natural light, a place for rain to enter, and a backdrop for pictures.

Quite the front porch roof.

Looks rough on the outside, but nearly perfect inside.

The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the four rivers, 1651) in the Piazza Navona.
The rivers represent the four continents over which Papal authority had spread: the Nile (Africa), the Danube (Europe), the Ganges (Asia), and the Río de la Plata (South America)

A wider view of the piazza and the central fountain. One of the many Egyptian obelisks (the number varied among the tour guides) around the city rises through the fountain's center. I was surprised at the amount of Egyptian influence.

For the most part, the street entertainers and vendors were my least favorite part of Rome. The guys selling Narcissi-sticks, roses, and garbage toys were aggressive and plentiful. There were however some exceptions, like this guy levitating.

Another exception - all of these animals are made on the spot by a man weaving bamboo leaves. Awesome.

An unexpected piece of art from back home - a painting of the Derby! (Not sure which one...)

Twin churches Santa Maria in Montesanto (left, built 1662-75) and Santa Maria dei Miracoli (right, built 1675-79) on the Piazza del Popolo (the People's Square). This shot is often taken from farther back, which then includes another Egyptian obelisk (of Ramesses II) blocking the view of the center street, but it and the surrounding fountains were under renovation.

Catching a quick rest outside while Mom inspects one of the churches 

Another of the "performers" - this one had several sticks/ ropes that would create huge of small bubbles for the kids to chase around the square. They had a lot of fun doing so - as did some adults!

I believe this was the second gelato of the day - they earned it; walking that far uses up some calories!

Day 2
Our first full day in Rome had a little more structure to it as we had a Vatican tour scheduled in the afternoon and we all wanted to see the Colosseum in the morning. As we walked over from the hotel, I was again blown away by the number of ancient "things" still standing and in incredible shape. Just between the walk and the Forum, we would have blown through several rolls of film. Fortunately (??) Apple has lots of memory available for rent (and film is no longer an issue) since we still had a full afternoon ahead of us!

The Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) was very cool, despite being relatively young (1925).

The road to the Colosseum (named Via dei Fori Imperiali) was built by Mussolini after WWI. Houses, churches, gardens, a monastery - many irreplaceable structures were demolished to make way for the road. Some of the ancient Imperial Forums are visible on the side. Although you can't walk through them as you can the Roman Forum, you also don't have to stand in line or buy a ticket!

Remains of the Basilica Ulpia, part of Trajan's Forum. 

Intricate carvings on Trajan's Column (113 AD) on the northwest end of
Trajan's Forum describe the epic wars between the Romans and Dacians.

The remains of the Forum of Augustus (inaugurated 2 BC).  

Remains of a structure that currently stands in the southern corner of the Imperial Forum area.

Details (from the photo above) remain in good shape 2000 years later.

I found the Roman Forum to be incredible.

The Basilica Nova (to the left) as seen from across the Forum.

Closer-up, these rooms are immense. Incredible engineering/ architectural feats for 312 AD. 

The Temple of Romulus, built around 300 AD and renovated in 1632 when it was raised by ~23 feet.

Inside the temple 

The picture Holli was taking.

The "new church" sits above the original temple and is accessed from the opposite side.
The original temple of Romulus was restored to its original form in 1947. 

The temple's dome.

The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, 141 AD.

From a little farther back: The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina on the left,
The Temple of Romulus in the middle, and the Basilica Nova to the right. 

The Temple of Castor and Pollux, with an impressive (and unknown to me) building behind. 

The Temple of Venus and Rome as seen from the second level of the Colosseum.

Your tour guides for this afternoon... tips are appreciated!

I think just about every kid dreams of seeing the Colosseum (or the Flavian Amphitheatre) at some point, and it is without a doubt one of the 7 Wonders. It could: hold between 50,000 and 80,000 people; be flooded for mock sea-battles; support a cloth "roof" to keep the sun off of the spectators; and house lions, prisoners, actors, props, etc. below the floor (which is now gone). Perhaps most importantly, it could survive largely intact for 2,000 years despite multiple earthquakes and constant vibration and pollution due to modern roads built nearby.
It is probably one of the most photographed structures in history, so we only took a few (hundred) shots.

Holli must have taken this... Panoramics do some funny things sometimes.

On to the Vatican! We stopped for a quick bite before meeting up with our tour guide for the afternoon. We entered through the Vatican Museum, which I didn't even know existed.

St. Peter's Basilica in the background. More on that later.

The entrance to the Basilica from the Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square)

And from the Castel Sant'Angelo outside of Vatican City.
The dome is HUGE and can be seen from just about everywhere in Rome.

Saint Peter is entombed below this incredible Baldachin. It is made of solid bronze and the columns are 66 ft tall.

While it is enormous, the baldachin appears relatively small within the
basilica since it sits below the dome (which sits some 450 ft high).

Michelangelo's Pieta, also inside St. Peter's, was one of his earliest works and the only one that he ever signed (he did this well after finishing the piece in what could be considered an act of vanity of not outright vandalism). 

Back outside of the museum, some more Egyptian art - an anatomically-correct pair of lion fountains. No fig leaves here... 

The top of what was at one point a very large likeness of one of the Roman emperors.

One of the endless frescoes painted on the domed ceilings.

And another one.

Even the floors are art - many of those mosaics being walked on by thousands of feet daily are thousands of years old. 

Several things here... The large bronze statue on the left was found underground in Rome. It is presumed that it had been struck by lightning (by Zeus since he did not like it) and buried to appease the god. The tub that dominates the photo was used to make the room smell good by filling it with warm water and scented oils or flowers.
Also of note - another ancient mosaic tile floor that is in incredible condition.

A particularly impressive room is the Gallery of Maps, which contains 40 maps (as frescoes) covering Italy - all done by a single friar at the request of Pope Gregory XIII. The ceiling of the hall is also covered by paintings of great detail. Essentially every square inch of the gallery is a work of art.

The Barberini family's coat of arms includes the three bees; they are seen in many works in the Vatican as Pope Urban VIII (formerly Cardinal Maffeo Barberini).

A detail from the ceiling in the Gallery of Maps. 

A couple of Swiss Guards preparing to relieve another guard at the gate.

The Vatican Post Office (for Mom!)

One of the more interesting things for me was the Pope's emergency plan. His apartment overlooks St. Peter's Square and unless I misunderstood our guide, his study window is the top one on the corner in the center of the photo. The wall just below the window and coming towards the camera - called the Passetto di Borgo - was used by several Popes through the years to escape to the Castel Sant'Angelo, pictured below. The passageway runs 800 meters.

We visited this castle a couple of days later...

Day 3
We weren't moving terribly quickly to start out our third day after getting so much in the day before. We decided to check out the Crypt of Capuchins, which was recommended by some Ex-pat friends in Amsterdam. As with many of the religious places we visited, pictures were not allowed (this is also why we have no pictures of the Sistine Chapel). We did buy some postcards (pics below) to give some idea of what this place was like... In short, when this monastery opened there were a lot of remains (of deceased friars) that came from an old monastery. One of the friars requested permission to display the remains artistically, and permission was granted. The estimate of bodies within the crypt is 3,700. I will say that we all enjoyed it and once you get past the medium, it is very interesting and could be considered beautiful - if in a very macabre way. There is more info via the link above and more (illegal?) pictures on their Facebook page.

From the catacombs, we walked over to the Villa Borghese gardens and rented a "quad-bike" to explore the park. Despite the electric-assist, Dad got grumpy pretty quickly while piloting (and powering) the vehicle up and down the hilly terrain. We finally found a great picture spot overlooking the Piazza del Popolo (where the girls chased the bubbles a couple of nights earlier).

Surprisingly (not), the dome at St. Peter's is in the background!

This proves that we were there! 

Grabbing lunch near the hotel prior to our bus tour - pizza again!

Due to a miscommunication and a transportation strike, we all enjoyed a lengthy tour of the streets of Rome, interspersed with brief visits to some tourist attractions...

First up was a trip to the Catacombs of Santa Domitilla, easily the highlight of the trip for me. The church (shown here) sits about 20 feet below grade. The catacombs start below, going down another several levels and 9 miles in length. Digging the tunnels was easier than you might expect given that the rock is tufo,  a soft but dense volcanic rock (you can scrape it away with your fingernails). Unfortunately, picture taking was forbidden in the tunnels and ultimately there was not a lot to see. 

Nope - this is NOT Football Jesus (that's in Indiana). This is St. Francis of Assisi.

Basilica of St. John... After an hour sitting in traffic, I have no idea what was special about this place.

Big doors. It did have those...

The Holy Staircase

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore 

Beautiful window that is hardly visible from the outside.

I've made light of it because of the circumstances, but the places we went were incredible. Perhaps not as much so as any of the other places we visited, but there is SO much to see in Rome that it's hard to help but to become jaded.

One final landmark to point out as many of the pictures were taken during this day... Twelve miles of Aurelian Walls were built in the late third century to surround and protect the city. They are in remarkably good condition and can be seen all around.

Near the Villa Borghese 

Not far from the previous photo 

Gate near St. John's Basilica (Porta San Giovanni)

The Porta Latina

A random, sweet pair of Jorts - not common on this continent.

Day 4
I really wanted to see the cylindrical castle before we had to go back "home," so we walked over after breakfast & got in the long but fast-moving line. The Castel Sant'Angelo was cool from the moment you see it, and gets better the closer you get. Standing in the line outside the gates, I could see the arrowslits and machicolations that would have made taking the castle difficult for an attacking force. Not to mention the outer curtain walls, trenches, and the Tiber River to the south.

Inside the walls - the innermost wall to the left and the base of the castle to the right. Not much easy access. 

Looking up is easy when arrows, rocks and oil are not coming down on your head.

One of the wider arrowslits provides an archer a good view of this status.

Looking down on the southwestern guard tower that overlooks the Tiber.
Note the stacks of cannonballs on the lower level.

The castle was not originally built as such, however; the emperor Hadrian built the original structure as a mausoleum for his family early in the 2nd century AD. It was likely the cylindrical foundation of what would later become the castle. Conversion for military purposes began around 400 AD, and the castle began to emerge in the 14th century under the rule of the Catholic Church.

The other end of the Passetto di Borgo, which originates in the Vatican at the Papal apartments.
The passage played a part in one of Dan Brown's books. Notice the dome of St. Peter's in the background? 

The interior of the castle varies greatly from raw, rough-cut stone passages to lavish paintings and marble as seen here in the Papal quarters. The Popes had quite a nice retreat here, and I believe that the Vatican still "owns" the grounds.

The Archangel Michael played a part in the castle's history; this is one of two statues here. 

This one (by Bernini) is much more impressive.

We ended our trip with a bike tour & dinner with another ex-pat family from ISA - the Wickens.

We have a couple of photos without this impatient lady and her husband in them, but sometimes more is more!

Ben (left) and Lilli (right) heading towards the Colosseum with Jack and Lucy just ahead of them. 

Sarah & Brent on the same stretch - just because that's the best place for a photo.

Eliza actually pulled (well, pushed) her weight!

Holli pulled this selfie off without a stick!

We did see some other things. 

Circus Maximus - didn't get to see the ruins up close. 

Over-the-shoulder camera work.

We stopped for a pizza/ ice-cream/ beer/ wine break where Fidel Castro was watching a soccer game next to us.
Our guide (center) has degrees in philosophy and history and did great job with the tour (Sadly, he's taken. Sorry ladies.).

Back at the Four Rivers statue, well lubricated after our break. 

Dinner was at Maccheroni was fantastic. Sarah and Brent tag-teamed this street vendor that wandered over to our table, ultimately getting this dancing cat for under 8 Euro. What a deal! 

A good time was had by all.

Back in Amsterdam
Lilli had a big few weeks as her last school dance was held and her football (soccer) team played in the end-of-season tournament. She really enjoyed the dance, but was disappointed in the football results. She had a lot of fun though, and that's still her primary goal.

Ready for the dance - she decided to wear a dress for this one!

Working hard against the arch-rival Hamburg team.

Getting after it! 

We only spent one night in Bonn (where the tournament was held), but we made a quick stop for lunch in Cologne on the way home. This church is the thing to see here - very cool gothic style.

The finial in the foreground is the same size as the ones on top of the spires.

Lucy had some big news as she received her red ribbon for swimming. She will test for her A diploma in two weeks - a very big deal here in the Netherlands, and not an easy test.

Lucy rolling a 9 while Eliza rearranges the balls. Killing time during Lilli's dance at the only place open in Amstelveen.

Eliza is playing soccer after school and she and Lucy both have (separate) gymnastics classes that they thoroughly enjoy.

She holds her own with the boys, as you might expect.

Biking through Vondelpark - Eliza's skills continue to improve (Holli's as well).
Holli also wishes for my dear readers to know that her hair is wet in the picture - not greasy.

Triple swing!

Same triple swing occupied by one hard-headed 6-yr-old while 3 bigger girls give her the stink-eye. She was unimpressed.

We spent one afternoon at Tun Fun with the Wickens clan. The place is an underground playground that was put together in what was a highway underpass. Kind of surreal, but functional and easy to clean!  

I had a significant personal event this month as well - I started a new job with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) as a Process Control Engineer based out of their Rotterdam/ Europoort site. I will be supporting multiple sites across Europe. I've spent much of the last couple of weeks in the car (it's about an hour's drive), but I'm hoping that I can work mostly from home once things get lined out.

The Europoort is pretty incredible - there are dozens of industrial sites including refineries and bulk material handling plants (oil, gas, iron, coal, containers, cars, etc.) spread out over several miles.

Satellite view of Europoort