Rome
Aboard SAA Flight 015
Somewhere over the Transvaal.
9th December.
We are now 20 minutes outside Johannesburg having had an uneventful flight. We left about half an hour late - a very full plane. (Ray says I am being mean so have to write on the lines, not between!)
Bulawayo Airport.
Heather and Gareth took us to the airport - we left Falcon at 8.00 and booked in etc. soon after 9 and then went and had coffee on the veranda and watched various little planes taking off and landing. I got quite panicky because the kept on telling us to report immediately to Customs and Immigration half an hour before the plane even arrived from Johannesburg. Panic was not the non-appearance of the plane, but the fact that Ray refused to budge!
Well I finally did budge, and put Ann in the queue for Customs and Immigration and went back upstairs to take my photograph of our belated plane. I carefully put the lens cap to my camera half into my trousers pocket, took the photo and returned to Ann. Just before we took off, the steward announced (now on board) that the passenger who had lost a Minolta lens cap should indicate where they were sitting. Frantic check - it was my lens cap, which I was very glad to get back. I think I could be lucky if I've still got it when we finally get home! We are now starting our descent to Johannesburg.
We arrived in Johannesburg at 12.30, phoned the Nortons, and went in to Rotunda where they picked us up. As they were going out this evening we were brought back to the airport by them (very kindly) at 5.00 p.m. We had a good afternoon with the Nortons, with the usual topics of conversation (Churchill, Savings Bonds, retirement, race laws etc.). We are now killing time (7.55 p.m.) until our flight to Rome (via we still do not know where), which leaves at 9.00 p.m.
Jan Smuts Airport.
Lisbon 7.00 a.m.
Well it is via Lisbon where we have not been allowed to get off, which is a bit annoying. We took off on time and flew here non-stop. I think it's been the best long flight I've had, because always before we've stopped at about 2.00 a.m. in stinking hot Ilha do Sol or Las Palmas, which breaks what little sleep one may have had. Supper was somewhat chaotic as the hostess forgot to put the last batch of food to heat up, so we got warm food very late. The menu said the choice was turkey, beef or veal. When it eventually arrived we had no choice - she had only lamb left! Very nice all the same.
We've just had a change of crew and the head hostess has just very dictatorially ordered us to our seats.
Approach to Rome.
We arrived in Rome at 11.30 (whose time I am not sure - I think Roman time) in beautifully clear weather and quite warm at 9oC. Lisbon was 16oC. The Italian Customs was the most curious I've ever been through. It consisted of a small barrier with empty cubicles, one man standing there gazing nonchalantly about, and a notice in Japanese which we didn't understand.
We arrived at our pensione with no difficulty at all, by 1.30 p.m. It is centrally heated and very comfortable. We are now resting up until the Daveys arrive from Geneva in about 2 hours' time.
There was one unfortunate incident at the airport. While we were sorting things out I went to confirm our onward reservations (which, incidentally, didn't even exist, according to the computer) and left Ann to collect the luggage as it came in from the aeroplane. When I got back it was all there, and we had finally succeeded in locating one of the remarkably scarce trolleys, e ready to set off. Ann turned around to pick up her bag or something just behind her and tripped over a very dangerously protruding metal bar from on of the seats. She wrenched her back badly and got a nasty fright. She landed on her elbow and leg, which have already started going dark blue. After a few minutes of pacifying, Ann was ready to move again. She took a propon (pain killer) and seems to be alright now - I mean from a point of view of her back.
We have just looked at our map of Rome and we are three blocks away from the Opera House, and it's the main opera season!!!
Monday evening.
Ray is busy washing so I'll carry on. After we'd had a sleep yesterday afternoon we went to the air terminal, two blocks away, to meet the Daveys who were late, as Andrea had had visa difficulty. As her visa is exactly the same as Ray's we were lucky not to have had the same trouble. We came back here, dumped the Daveys' bags and then went for a long walk, during which we stopped for supper at a ristorante. We have found that few Italians speak English. My guide book says most speak French - not so! So with a mixture of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin and music, we have managed quite well.
Via Cavour - parking a Fiat is no problem!
Ann is now washing so I'll carry on. We started off the day trying to find out about music and opera, but there was nothing of interest happening - very disappointing. We then went on to the Forum and Palatine Hill. The Forum was most impressive and we were enchanted by the layout, marble arches, frescoes, temples and so on. We got there early (9.00 a.m.) and had the place almost to ourselves for about half an hour, but there weren't many tourists even after that. The weather was absolutely magnificent, with a temperature of about 16oC, but cold out of the sun.
The Forum with the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II in the distance.
Basilica Julia in the Forum with the Arch of Titus in the distance.
Arch of Septimus Severus.
Above and below, details on the Arch of Septimus Severus.
Arch of Titus, much restored.
Calcara medioevale (and us) near the Arch
of Titus.
Temple of Saturn.
Temple of Vesta.
Details of Vesta's Temple, showing
some restoration.
From the Forum we went to Palatine Hill via the gardens of Farnese, where we had 'brunch'. The Palatine is mostly reconstructed and not as awe-inspiring as the Forum.
Church of St Maria Francesca Romana,
from the gardens of Farnese.
Detail of the church.
View of Rome from the gardens of
Farnese.
Then on to Constantine's Arch, which was quite magnificent, some of it built in A.D. 315, other bits older and transported there. We met the Daveys at the Arch. They had been to fix up Andrea's visa, but she was told she needn't have bothered after all!
Constantine's Arch, built in A.D. 315.
Above and below, details of Constantine's Arch.
The four of us under Constantine's
Arch.
We went over the Colosseum together, and once again we found it very impressive.
View of the Colosseum through
Constantine's Arch.
View of the Colosseum exiting from the
Forum on the Via Sacra.
The underground of the Colosseum,
below what used to be the marble floor.
Terraces in the Colosseum, with the
memorial to Christian martyrs on the left (and one of the ubiquitous cats at the
foot of the cross).
Part of the original exterior façade
of the Colosseum.
Above and below, views of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, Piazza Venezia.
We then made our way to the Trevi fountains (now around 3.00 p.m.). They were very beautiful, and we had late lunch/tea at a café and then made our way to the Borghese gardens which were very peaceful, in parts. Unfortunately the museum there, housing quite a lot of Bernini's work (which I would love to have seen), was closed, so we caught a bus home at about 5.30 p.m.
Above and below, Trevi Fountains.
We were pretty exhausted by then, but we did make one more excursion out to get something to eat for breakfast and lunch tomorrow. It really has been a most enjoyable day, with bits of Ancient Rome appearing all over the place. But Rome is filthy! And the traffic ...! Not as bad as Athens, but a very close second.
Tuesday 12th
Evening
We woke up to a complete change in the weather, but were not too upset about it as today was mainly to be spent indoors anyway. In fairly heavy rain we caught a bus out to St Peter's. The crush getting on to the bus was unbelievable - not tourists, just Italians going places. At St Peter's we took another bus out to the Sistene Chapel and started our day there. The Sistene is actually a vast complex of smaller chapels and rooms which finally led us to the Sistene Chapel itself. Of the smaller chapels, those done by Raphael were the most impressive. Nearly all of them were in rococo or baroque styles, beautifully and ornately decorated, although some more recent additions were far less attractive.
St Peter's from the Sistene.
Statue of the Sleeping Ariadne in the Pio Clementino Museum,
the Vatican (thought to be a Roman copy of a 2nd century Greek statue).
Laocoön, 1st century B.C.
Gallery of Candelabras.
Gallery of Maps.
Detail from Raphael's "The School of Athens".
Ceiling of the Room of Constantine.
The Sistene Chapel itself was breathtaking. Strangely enough, they do not allow you to lie down to view the ceiling, which we would love to have done. But even more impressive than the ceiling was The Last Judgement on the wall behind the altar. There was also an interesting section in one of the museums which gave an account of the restoration of Raphael's The Transfiguration, which I had never realised was so beautiful.
Above the entrance to the Sistene Chapel.
Michelangelo's "The Last Judgement" in the Sistene Chapel.
Detail of "The Last Judgement".
Part of the Sistene Chapel ceiling showing The Creation of Eve, The Creation of Adam, and God Dividing the Waters.
The Creation of Adam.
Above the altar of Pius VII.
The Hall of Books.
The Braccio Nuovo of the Sistene Chapel.
Attacked by statuary in the Braccio Nuovo.
Cover of the Bible given to Leo XIII.
Detail of Raphael's "The Transfiguration".
Copy of Michelangelo's "Pieta" in the Sistene Chapel.
Taking photographs without flash was permitted throughout the Sistene, but not in St Peter's, which we visited next. We caught the bus back to St Peter's and had lunch on the square outside, during about the only half-hour of the day that remained light, with a little sun thrown in for good measure. I'll let Ann tell you about St Peter's.
Lunch under the columns of St Peter's Square.
I really don't know where to begin! It really is quite breathtaking and vast. The Piazza is huge and was comparatively empty today. My guide book had said that the proportions of the Basilica were such that one did not realise its magnitude at once, and we found this very true. It's only when you start walking that you realise how vast the place is. One could put St Paul's Cathedral inside St Peter's and Paul's would not touch anywhere! Michelangelo's Pieta is in one part of the church - incredibly beautiful, and now behind glass as a madman took a hammer to it some years ago. As much as anything else I found the floors fascinating, with hundreds of different patterns in different coloured marble. We took the lift up to the first gallery of the dome. The view down was spectacular and gave you a better idea of the size of the place. Andrea and I then waited there while Ray and Tony climbed to the top. The came back somewhat puffed! But Ray says the views of Rome from the top were magnificent.
Cleopatra's Needle in St Peter's Square.
The dome of St Peter's from the Square.
Clock and bell on the left of St Peter's.
The right hand side of St Peter's.
Above and the following two photographs: views from the roof of St Peter's.
Ann on the roof of St Peter's.
Fountain on the right of St Peter's.
Wednesday 13th
We started off the day with a trip to the Pantheon, another very impressive Roman ruin dating back to 27 B.C. and used as the burial place of many since then, including Raphael.
Then it was off to the airport to catch an Alitalia DC9 to Vienna, and we had a lovely, uneventful flight. There was snow over the Alps, and the higher mountains looked very pretty.
The Pantheon, built in 27 B.C.
Raphael's tomb inside the Pantheon.
The altar in St Ignatius' Church, Rome.