Monday, May 16, 2011

Pantheon

I'm no architect nor historian, but I have always thought that the Pantheon, the temple to all the gods, is the greatest and oldest of all extant buildings, the most ingenious of the classical era, begun by Augustus and completed by Hadrian, who, some say, designed the great dome himself; the grandeur of Rome all in one place. No photo can capture it. But it is worth many.
From the back side it's not all that impressive--ignoring the fact it's 2,000 years old















The facade, begun by Augustus and his chief architect and son-in-law, Marcus 
Agrippa, is more promising















It's when you stand at the great 20 foot original bronze doors and gaze up at the 
sunlight blazing through the oculum, 140 feet overhead, and understand that the 
width of the rotunda is exactly equal to its height...that it begins to overwhelm you

















As I said, no photo can do it justice















1500 years after the Pantheon was built, Brunelleschi--
who was attempting the great dome in Florence--was 
permitted to drill into the Pantheon's dome to see how 
it was done; here, I think, are the holes he left 






















Rafael's tomb



















Another exterior view

Roman Roamin' III

Ruins of a podium temple in Hadrian's Forum















And rising among the columns, the greatest of
them all, Hadrian's Column, chronicling his
reign and conquests





















Closer up for a smidgeon of detail















Moving right along, across the Piazza Venezia and up the
stairs of the Capitoline to the Piazza del Campidoglio; we'll
return in a week or so for the Capitoline Museum
















Looking from the Campidoglio into the Foro Romano















Theatre of Marcellus, an example of building right over the
ruins














And just down the road, another Ionic/Corinthian/Baroque
Temple/Church, St. Nicholas in Prison















Interior



















Campo di Fiore by day















And the Trevi Fountain















Closer-up















And the Spanish Steps, now in bloom

Roman Roamin' II

Another day's roaming.... By this time I had mastered Rome's Metro and bus systems and had purchased a week pass, allowing me to hop on and hop off all over the city.
Our campground--actually a camper-stop adjoined to a
camper storage site, more about which anon--is in southwest
Rome, a bit beyond the Laurentina station, in the EUR
suburbs of the city; the EUR, Exposizione Universale Roma,
was one of Mussolini's experiments in urban/suburban
planning, pushing Rome southwest of the old city; it was
to be home of the 1942 World Fair, but, alas, World War II
intervened; the EUR continued development after 1946 and
today is one of the city's newer if not nicer business/residential
areas
















The Palazzo della Civita Italiana, EUR's major
landmark




















Monument to the Universal Exposition Rome
that never was




















Moving right along (on the Metro), the Circus Maximus, with
Nero's skyboxes overlooking (seriously)















The Piramide, a minor general's monument to
himself, an instance of Rome's 1st century BCE
infatuation with all things Egyptian





















Driving past the immense Baths of Caraculla (been there,
done that)















Out on the Appian Way, the oldest and most famous of Roman
roads















Shrine on the Appian Way



















The famous Domine, Quo Vadis? church



















"Jeez, what are you doing here?!"















Another of the seeming hundreds of Egyptian
obelisks in Rome, this in the Piazza San
Giovanni; originally from Karnak, later in
the Circo Massimo





















And, at the end of the day (before being stranded in the bus
strike), the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, oldest and most
important of the four papal churches in Rome (or anywhere in
the Roman Catholic world), officially, the Mother Church,
seat of the Bishop of Rome, aka, the Pope; it's way old, going
back to Constantine

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Roman Roamin' I

Most of my time in Rome, awaiting Vicki's return, was spent in non-touristic activities: assorted repairs and maintenance of the Grey Wanderer, washing and waxing it, finding a lavanderia a gettone (coin wash) and doing the wash (finally, near Basilico San Paulo), dealing with my dead Asus eee 900 computer, trying to repair it, bussing to the internet shoppe to maintain connection with loved ones, dealing with jet-lag (the worst I have experienced; don't know why), trips to the grocery and other places. I have almost felt like I was becoming a resident, especially after working through a couple or more transportation worker strikes. (I had to take the taxi home from the Metro station one night.) Nevertheless, I did get out now and then to see bits of Rome. My first trip out was to get to the Beatification of John-Paul II at the Vatican. This was, of course, a very big deal in Rome. Alas, I did not actually get to the Mass, but somehow they carried on without me.
J-P2 mementos and souvenirs were everywhere;  Saturday
night a candle-light procession passed by the campground at
4AM; way out on the most distant edge of Rome
















The whole city was covered in placards and
banners




















At Piazza Reppublica the morning of the Beatification Mass
Transportation plan notices on the Metro that morning, in
Italian, English and Polish (he was Polish, bishop of Krakow)















J-P2 Event Staff at  the Lepanto Metro stop near (somewhat
near) the Vatican; this was as far as I got; unbeknownst to me,
and to other travelers and pilgrims, the transit system had
pulled busses off the outlying routes in order to provide
continuous free shuttles from Termini (grand central station)
to the Vatican; thus, despite waiting for a bus from 6:30AM, I
did not actually arrive in the Vatican area until after 11, when
the Mass was over (well, I was up that early because of jet-lag,
not devotion)





















I could have been part of this













But I wasn't; I did admire the man, nonetheless, for his
international work, and particularly for his courageous
aiding and comforting the Polish revolution that overthrew
the communist regime there and led, fairly directly I believe,
to the overthrow of communism throughout eastern Europe















Friday, May 13, 2011

Dish Walk

One of the more popular recreational trails near Palo Alto is the Dish Hills Walk, up a low ridge west of the Stanford campus to The Dish, a radio-astronomy facility, a two-mile roller-coaster of a trail I enjoyed doing several times, the trail-head just a few hundred yards from Holly and Buzz's house, where we were staying. (Thanks, again, many thanks, Holly and Buzz).
Looking out across the Stanford campus to the Bay















South to San Jose; Obama visited Facebook while we were in
Palo Alto...saw the helicopters flying overhead...















And north to The City











"Yes, but the reception is great..."
















Just like Montana



















Vicious coastal ground squirrel


















Moss Beach, CA

We're back in Rome again. I arrived the 29th of April and Vicki the 8th of May. Of course, nothing during our stay in California could surpass the birth of our grand-daughter Penelope, but, apart from helping Rebecca and Jeremy around the house and with their preparations, we did take a few day trips around Middle California, to Half Moon Bay, to Concord (for a crummy RV show), and all around Palo Alto and Menlo Park and Mountainview and Redwood City.
Moss Beach, at the northern end of Half Moon
Bay











Century-old cedars everywhere; Jeremy and Rebecca had their wedding and 
wedding photos done near here last June







Seals on the beach








Surf was up







Really up







Conglomerate







Everything abloom
















Sunday, May 1, 2011

Return to Rome

I arrived back in Rome Friday afternoon. Alas, there will be no extensive blog posts, and certainly no pix,  until Vicki gets back in a week. My computer died Saturday, and I am reliant now on such internet shoppes as I can find in town. Sic transit, Gloria. Meanwhile I am now en route to the beatification of Pope J-P2. When in Rome....

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Grand-parents!

This morning, April 23rd, at 6:43 PDT, daughter Rebecca gave birth to Penelope, making Vicki and me first-time grand-parents. Mother, daughter, and dad Jeremy are all fine, if a bit fatigued. Penelope scored a 9.9 on the Apgar, and, so far, she likes to sleep. She was born 8 pounds 4 ounces, 19 inches long, a dark-haired beauty. No one who knows Rebecca will be surprised that Penelope was born on Shakespeare's birthday. Vicki and I are elated and so happy we made the journey from Rome for her birth. For the next several days we'll be helping the young family as we can. (Thank you Holly and Buzz for putting us up). I go back to Rome on April 28th, and Vicki will return on May 4th. A few more months of European touring, and we'll be ready for the next big family event: Rachel's wedding with Will in Missoula next August. It's been quite a year; and still going!
Penelope














And dad Jeremy















Penelope and Vicki















Grand-parents doting already
c