text:
in Rome
in May, my mother, brother, and I went to England for an 18-day trip. When
we returned I told my sister how much I enjoyed the trip and would love to
go back for a week. In July she called and asked if I would be interested
in going to London over the Thanksgiving holiday. We could take advantage
of one of the GoToday.Com specials and the trip would only cost about
$800. Also, since it was over Thanksgiving we could do the trip while only
using two or three days of vacation time.
sounded wonderful and I immediately began planning the trip. As I looked
at the specials from GoToday.Com I noticed that a "Paris-London" trip
they were offering during the summer. This greatly interested me and I
hoped they would offer the same trip during the fall. Unfortunately, they
did not. I also noticed that they were offering a week in Rome for just
$100 more than a week in London.
just returned from London I was more interested in seeing Rome (not that I
wasn't eager to return to London). So I called my sister and proposed
that we go to Rome instead. She was agreeable with this idea so I started
we had to figure out who all was going. Initially it would be my sister,
her husband, a family friend, and myself. After some convincing my brother
and mother, also decided to go. In late August I made our reservations
with GoToday.Com. The cost per person was $828. This included airfare from
Birmingham, Alabama, 6 nights lodging, and transfers to and from the
airport in Rome.
live in Madison, Wisconsin while the rest of the group was leaving from
Birmingham, Alabama. I decided to fly down to Alabama a couple of days
early so that we could all travel as a group. This also gave me a chance
to visit some with my grandmother at Thanksgiving. This extra ticket cost
me $220 on United Airlines.
I was doing research on Rome I found mention of the Necropolis beneath St.
Peter's Basilica. I sent off an email requesting a reservation for 6
people and received a prompt reply. I also made reservations online for
the Borghese Gallery. And finally, I contacted Scala Reale as recommended
in Rick Steves book to arrange for tours while we were in Rome. I will
write more on each of these below.
time approached I made two purchases for items to take on this trip.
First, I purchased a carry-on bag (the kind with wheels and a handle). I
was determined that this would be my only piece of luggage. After
carefully packing it several times I was able to pack everything into this
carry-on. I also took along a smaller bag in which I had kept my cameras
and a few other items. I figured if I had more items than I could pack
coming back I would get a box to pack the additional items in.
also purchased a digital video camera. I had been looking at these cameras
for the last couple of years but could not justify the cost. The camera I
wanted was a palm-size JVC. These are very small and will actually fit
into a pants/jacket pocket. A few weeks before leaving I walked into a
store and saw an "open box" camera on sale for half-price. After
looking it over I decided to splurge. I called the salesman over and said
I would like to buy the camera. He said, "Great, let me get you one out
of the back. Follow me."
was thinking I would buy the one on display but I followed him into the
back where he brought out a brand new camera in an unopened box. The
camera also included a 3-Year replacement warranty. He explained that they
were trying to get rid of last years models. The current model included a
flash to take still photos and a "memory stick" to store them on. This
was no loss to me as I already own a digital camera. The model I bought
also has the ability to take low resolution digital stills but stores them
on the tape itself. I was very pleased with the performance of this
camera. Not only is it very portable (weighs only 1 pound), the picture
quality is very good and I am able to dump the video into my computer,
edit it, and then burn up to 1 hour of great quality video onto a CD or
send it back out to a VHS player. For those of you more interested in this
please drop me a line.
the trip approached I believe everyone became excited. My brother and
sister took a 6 week Italian class at a local college. While my sister
speaks Spanish fluently and my brother knows some Spanish, they both felt
the Italian class was helpful. There were times in Rome where they were
able to use a combination of Italian and Spanish. While this making things
a little easier we got along fine just using English and a few Italian
phrases (hello, goodbye, restroom, etc.). Don't let the language be a
barrier. You will get along just fine.
November 19
arrived at the airport at 5 p.m. for my 6 p.m. flight. I had packed the
night before so I was able to enjoy church and go out to lunch with
friends without any last minute headaches. Once arriving at the airport I
found that my flight to Chicago would be late (no surprise – they are
always late). We departed about 30 minutes after we were scheduled. I was
a little concern about making my connection to Birmingham. At the worst I
figured the airline would put me in a hotel for the night and fly me own
down the next day.
will say that United (actually United Express operated by Air Wisconsin)
has greatly improved their customer service. Before we boarded, we were
kept well inform of the status of the plane (when it left Chicago, when it
was close to Madison, when it landed, etc.). The gate attendants were also
proactive in rescheduling those who would miss their connections. On
board, we had the greatest flight attendant ever. At the end of our flight
she actually got a round of applause from the passengers (many of whom
were missing flights or having to go on rescheduled connections). She
managed this by her wonderful sense of humor. I won't try to repeat her
jokes here but can only say you will be fortunate if you ever find
yourself on a flight crewed by Deann Braxton. I also wrote United
commending her for her job performance.
arrived at Chicago just minutes before my next flight was to depart.
United Express uses the "B Terminal" at O'Hare. These are smaller
jets that park away from the terminal and require you walk into the
building. Realizing that my connection would be nearby I was hoping I
could still make my flight. As soon as I got into the terminal I spotted
the gate from which my connection would be leaving. The gate attendant
informed my that my connection had just arrived and that they would begin
boarding in the next few minutes. A few minutes later I found myself back
on the exact same plane, the same seat, and the same flight crew including
Deann. How fortunate could I be? We arrived in Birmingham only 30 minutes
later than scheduled.
November 20
didn't do much today except visit with my grandmother. I did deliver two
20-pound frozen turkeys I brought from Wisconsin in a checked bag. I
can't help but wonder what the security people thought when they saw
those go through the scanner.
November 21
left for the airport at 10 a.m. with our flight out departing at noon. My
uncle drove us to the airport in my mother's van and my older sister
(who wasn't going on the trip) followed in her truck with all the
the airport we met Margaret (my sister's friend) who was going to Rome
with us. Everyone but my sister was able to quickly get their baggage
checked and their boarding passes. I had decided to take my bags as a
carry-on because we only had a 45-minute layover in Philadelphia. I wanted
to make sure that my clothes made it to Rome with me.
my brother-in-law (Jody) and my sister to finish checking-in, the rest of
us went through security and proceeded to the gate. A few minutes later
Jody ask me to go back to the ticket agent with him. It seemed that my
sister forgot to have her name changed on her passport after she got
married. So the name on the ticket didn't match the name on her
passport. She left every other form of identification at home so could not
"prove" that she was the person on the ticket. After a few tense
minutes, including a call to Rome by the ticket agent, they agreed to
reticket her using her maiden name.
at the gate we discovered that our flight was delayed. Our original flight
schedule was: 12 noon departure from Birmingham to Charlotte arriving at
1:30 p.m.; 3:15 flight from Charlotte to Philadelphia arriving at 4:45
p.m.; 5:55 p.m. departure from Philadelphia arriving Rome at 9:00 a.m. the
following day. However, before we left we discovered that our
Charlotte-Philadelphia flight had been changed to a departure of 3:45
arriving at 5:15 leaving only a 30 minute layover.
our first flight to Charlotte was delayed. This delay had been caused by
someone getting through security in Charlotte and the entire airport being
shut down while a search was made. A 9:15 flight to Charlotte was still
waiting to depart. Our 12:00 flight left 30 minutes late (but still
departed before the 9:15 flight). We arrived in Charlotte around 2 p.m.
with plenty of time to make our connection.
plane for Philadelphia was sitting at the gate so we hoped our next flight
would be on time. As we were waiting Jody, Margaret, and Alan purchased
pizzas for lunch and I purchased a grilled chicken sandwich. We boarded on
schedule and it seemed all the passengers were on board, but we didn't
move. Finally, 45 minutes after our scheduled departure time we pushed
back from the gate. At this point we were all very worried about making
our connection to Rome. No reason was ever given to us as to why this
flight was so delayed.
we were getting closer to Philadelphia it seemed more likely than not that
we would miss our connection. Sallie asked a flight attendant if they
would be able to call the Rome flight and inform them that 6 passengers
were just arriving and could they hold the plane a few minutes. She was
rather rudely informed that there was nothing they could do and the we
would just have to run for it and it was up to us if we made the
the Philadelphia airport it was close to three-quarters of a mile from
where our Charlotte flight landed and our Rome flight was to depart. We
decided for Margaret and Alan (my brother) to take off running and see if
they could get to the plane and have them hold it till the rest of us
arrived. As soon as we could get off the plane they started running and
the rest of us were walking as fast as we could with our baggage. Right at
the end my sister "hailed" a passenger cart to assist our mother the
last two hundred yards.
made our flight, barely. If it weren't for Margaret and Alan running, I
doubt we would have made it. As soon as we sat down the doors were shut
and the plane pushed-off from the terminal. The pilot then had the
audacity to come over the speaker and announce that we would be arriving
in Rome an hour early! This was the only flight of the day that was
departing on-time and would be arriving an hour early. There was no reason
why they couldn't have held this plane 15 – 30 minutes when they
realized that passengers were coming on inbound flights that had been
fact, the plane was only about two-thirds full and there were many empty
seats. It seemed that someone was sitting in our seats so the flight
attendant just told us to take the two bulkhead seats (Pat and myself). I
didn't argue. I love the bulkhead seats for the extra leg room they
provide and not having someone reclining into your lap. The unfortunate
part of the bulkhead seats is that you are unable to stretch your legs out
in front of you. My knees begin to hurt if I can't stretch out so
several times during the night I had to stand and walk the aisle. But this
is a minor inconvenience and I would always prefer the bulkhead.
flew on one of the new A303 (I believe) planes that USAir has in their
fleet. The best thing about the flight was the interactive personal
entertainment centers for each seat. As we were in a bulkhead seat we had
a small screen (about 5 inches) that swung-up on a metal arm from beneath
our seat. Other seats had the small screen in the back of the seat in
front (where the in-flight phones use to be located). Attached to your
armrest is a remote control device connected by a retractable wire (there
is a remote on one side and a phone on the other). The remote device
allowed you a choice of about 10 movies, 30 television shows, and many,
many, albums. You could start, rewind, fast forward, and pause each of
these whenever you wanted. I believe the shows/music are stored digitally
on a hard-drive/dvd platform (just guessing) and the operating system is
windows based (I know this for sure because I saw the windows logo pop up
at one point). This was awesome and made the flight much more enjoyable. I
had seen most of the movies listed so I choose "Where The Heart Is"
starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd. The only addition I would like
to see is a position chart on screen (GPS) showing what the plane was
flying over.
the movie, dinner was served. I had chicken and rice. I also added a
couple of miniature whiskies to my collection. After dinner and the movie
I leaned back and managed to get several hours of sleep. A couple of times
during the night I gazed out my window at the crystal clear stars.
Orion's Belt was prominent as well as Jupiter crossing the sky. At one
point I saw a meteor.
sun begin to rise about 6:30 Rome time. Looking out the window we could
see the tops of mountains rising through the clouds. We were soon over
flying down the coast towards Rome. The land we were flying over had a
"tropical look." By that I mean it reminded me of the landscape in
parts of south Florida.
November 22
landed we made our way to the baggage claim area. This included taking a
small tram car from the international terminal to the main terminal (very
similar to the set-up at Gatwick in England). I was sure that our baggage
had not made it to the plane. After all, we had barely made it and that
was only by running from one end of the terminal to the other. I was
congratulating myself for having carried all my luggage on the plane. But
miracles do happen and all of our baggage arrived with us.
made our way through passport control and following the "No
Declaration" line we found ourselves out in the main lobby. We were
suppose to look for someone with a billboard with our names. We had
arrived an hour early so I wasn't sure if the person meeting us would be
there. I looked around and didn't see anyone. Pat (my mother), Alan, and
I decided to find an ATM and get some money. I soon found myself with
500,000 lira. The ATM was very easy to use with English as a language
option. Pat and Alan both had difficulty drawing more than 100,000 lira.
Why this was we never found out. Later during the day they tried an ATM
from a different bank and were able to make a larger withdrawal. Once
again I found myself getting a great exchange rate that was very close if
not the same as the bank exchange rate with no commissions or fees. I
withdrew money 3 times and received the following rates (2261.73; 2276.87;
2276.61). We found ATMs everywhere throughout the city. There appeared to
be additional ATMs installed in special "tourist information booths"
for the Millennium / Jubilee Celebrations.
joining the others I started looking at the documentation and realized
that there were two different company names for the transfer company that
would be taking us to the hotel. After looking around again I spotted a
man with the sign for our transfer company. Sure enough, he had our names
on a sheet. He told us to wait and he would get the van. A few minutes
later I saw him talking with two other tourist and then he walked off with
them following him. We were all unsure as to whether we should follow him
or not. I insisted that we shouldn't as he had told me to wait. We
waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and then waited some more.
Finally, after about 30 minutes I started thinking I should have followed
him and was getting ready to call the company when he reappeared. It seems
that he had to go a long way to get the van and had brought it to the
outside of the terminal so we wouldn't have as far to walk.
van driver was a young 20-something Italian lady who drove 80 miles an
hour while talking continually on a cell phone (I think this is a law in
Italy). The van was a seven passenger and we all "just fit" with our
luggage. It took about 40 minutes to get to the hotel. On the way we saw
the Tiber, the Colosseum, and the Circus Maximus. Our driver pointed these
out to us (the first two we sort of knew) and the third one we managed to
figure out through a combination of Italian, English, and pantomime (more
pantomime than anything).
were staying at the Hotel Napoleon. We had three rooms with Alan and me
sharing one, Sallie and Jody another, and Pat and Margaret the third. We
were on the same floor and just a few doors apart. The GoToday.Com package
had several hotel options at different prices. I had chosen the Napoleon
for two reasons: 1) it was located near the metro and 2) it included a
full breakfast buffet. The Napoleon was $50 more per person than the
lowest cost hotel but it was well worth the upgrade.
me say everything about the hotel here so I don't have to keep bringing
it up later in the journal. To say the hotel is close to the metro is an
understatement. You walk out the front door, across the sidewalk, and down
to the metro. This made it very easy to make a quick stop at the hotel
during the day.
breakfast buffet was also great. The buffet consisted of: eggs (fried and
boiled – delicious, I ate a large plate every morning); cold slices of
ham and some other meat (both good); a selection of bread and sweet rolls;
selection of cereals; large selection of fresh fruit (delicious plums and
pears – I ate peel and all); orange juice; the best tasting grapefruit
juice ever; selection of cheese; hot chocolate; all varieties of coffee
and tea; cola (if asked for); and many other things I have forgotten.
Regardless, the food was very good and after filling up each day I
wasn't hungry again until late in the afternoon.
rooms were almost identical. Sallie and Jody had a tub and shower in there
bathroom. Each room had twin beds, a small t.v., bathroom (shower, bidet,
toilet), large wardrobe, smaller writing desk, and a mini-bar. The
mini-bar prices were actually reasonable with colas costing about $1. We
also purchased large bottles of water from the bar several times for just
$1. Calls from the room cost about $.30 each.
rooms had large windows that we would leave open at night to cool the
room. Our rooms faced away from the street so it was reasonably quite (we
were usually too tired to be awoken anyway). I left cameras in the room
and other valuables without any problems. The staff of the hotel were all
very friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone.
You can check out there website at www.napoleon.it or www.venere.it/roma/napoleon.
The pictures on their website are exactly what you will find when you
were able to quickly check-in. Only two rooms were ready but this was
fine. Sallie and Alan both wanted to take a short nap. So after cleaning
ourselves up a bit, Jody, Margaret, Pat and myself (John) took off to take
a walk and see what we could find. I pulled out my Rick Steves Rome 2000
book and my City Guide Laminated Map. Rick's book was invaluable. I
finally made the "sacrifice" and actually ripped out the sections that
we were going to see each day. His books are put together in such a way
that pages come out easily. This allowed me to tuck 20 pages into my back
pocket instead of carrying around the entire book. I also relied heavily
on the laminated map. We used it to walk all over Rome and with the
exception of one wrong turn (my fault) never had a problem. There are also
many free street maps that you can find once arriving in Rome. However, I
love maps so I don't mind buying them ahead of time.
left the hotel which was located on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. We headed
down Via Emanuele Filiberto and soon arrived at San Giovanni in Laterano.
It took us some time to figure out what we were actually seeing. The first
"church" we saw was the Scala Santa. This "church" is primarily a
building which houses a flight of stairs. The stairs are supposedly the
stairs from Pontius Pilate's Palace in Jerusalem which Jesus ascended
before his crucifixion. There are suppose to be the blood stains of Jesus
on the stairs. Whether they are there or not is debatable. (Actually, one
book states the stairs came from the Lateran Palace). What isn't
debatable are the hundreds or thousands of people who climb the stairs
daily on their knees while praying. The building also houses the Pope's
private chapel. The only thing I found odd was that the Scala Santa leads
to a gift shop (err… money changers in the temple?). There are also gift
shops on the top of St. Peter's Basilica where you can buy a very nice
shot glass which has a picture of the Vatican.
of the Scala Santa I decided to buy a bottle of water to break one of my
larger bills. This was the only time on the trip that I experienced the
"slow count." The water was 4000 lira and I handed the man a 50000
bill. He handed me 6 1000 lira bills and then turned his back. I carefully
counted my change and then asked for the remaining 40000 lira. He made
some excuse that he was getting the extra change and a few moments later
it was handed over. It was plain that he had wanted me to walk away with a
$25 dollar bottle of water. While not exactly dishonest it is definitely
not ethical (I guess the church grounds on which he was selling the water
didn't influence him much). So do be careful and count you change, but
don't be paranoid.
next toured San Giovanni. This is a very large cathedral and claims to be
the oldest Christian church in existence (although the original buildings
have long since disappeared). The church is very beautiful on the inside.
I was surprised at the "emptiness" of the Roman cathedrals. Having
visited England and Ireland where the churches are full of tombs, statues,
etc., the churches in Rome seem to be vast hollow shells in comparison. I
am not saying this as a negative, just as a comparison. It is also very
hard to tell the age of the building from its façade. Many "modern"
facades cover ancient buildings while many ancient facades contain modern
buildings which have been placed inside. I don't know enough about
architecture to really know what I am talking about here – so take all
of this with a grain of salt.
tried to exit the building using the same door that we entered but were
politely pointed to another exit. It seems that we had entered through the
"Holy Door" which was symbolic of entering into Christ. It seems you
cannot exit out of Christ. The pope had declared 2000 to be a Holy Year
and a Jubilee Year. The Jubilee Year can be traced to the Jewish faith
where every 50 years all debts were to be cancelled and lands returned to
the original families. At some point in history the pope took up this idea
to celebrate a "holy year" in the Catholic Church. Originally it was
every 50 years, then got moved down to every 25 years (still the official
interval), with special holy years being declared by the whims of various
year the "Holy Year" coincides with the year 2000 making it a big
time "Holy Year". The pope also started a movement to get the
governments of the world to forgive 3rd world debt (similar to the
original Jubilee Year). I think this would be a good thing if the
governments of the world took this action. Several countries have agreed
to do this. Anyway, the door that we entered the church was the "Holy
Door" that is opened only every 25 years and then bricked-up by the pope
(personally I can't see the pope laying bricks) till the next holy year.
The other doors to the church are monstrous 50-foot brass thingies which I
believed were once part of the Roman Forum (I may be confusing this with
the doors to St. Peter's – go look it up yourself).
over Rome we saw thousands of "Jubilee Volunteers" wearing blue vest.
They are there to help visitors to Rome. Unfortunately, we never found any
who spoke English so they weren't much help to us.
headed back to the hotel to get Sallie and Alan. I had reservations for
the Borghese Gallery at 5 p.m. tonight so we planned to walk in that
direction seeing what there was to see on the way. We also wanted to find
some place to eat lunch.
found a small restaurant (more of a lunch counter) just across from Santa
Maria Maggiore. We ate in the restaurant and the prices were reasonable.
The lasagna had a tomato sauce that tasted like canned spaghetti. This
wasn't a good first impression for Italian cuisine.
lunch we entered Santa Maria Maggiore through another of the "Holy
Doors". Once again we used Rick Steves book as a guide to show ourselves
around the church. It was about 3 p.m. as we left the church and continued
heading towards the Borghese Gallery. On the way we passed the National
Opera house.
hint, as you are facing the building the ticket office is on the left hand
side. We, of course, entered the office on the right hand side of the
building. After much gesturing the man behind the desk convinced us to go
to the other office. Once there we had to somehow figure out how to: a)
see what was playing, b) find out if seats were available, c) decide if we
wanted to purchase the tickets (and at what price), d) do all of this when
none of us spoke Italian and no one there spoke English.
one lady in the ticket office spoke Spanish so Sallie was able to
communicate with her. We quickly discovered that Aida and West Side Story
tickets were available. Tickets for Aida were in the $60 range (the only
ones that were left) and West Side Story tickets were in the $30 range. We
decided on West Side Story. The lady at the ticket office then said that
we could all purchase student tickets for half-price (now I'm 34 and
hardly a student) – except for my mother who had to pay full price –
so go figure. So, I plumped down my Credit Card and we soon walked away
with tickets to see West Side Story at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night. The
show was at a different theater so we would have to figure out where it
was later.
walking another 20 minutes we found ourselves at the huge Borghese Park. A
group of old men were "lawn bowling." I am not sure of the actual name
of the game they were playing. A few minutes later found us at the
Borghese Gallery.
Borghese Gallery is located in a large white mansion located in the park.
To visit the Gallery you must have reservations (although on the day we
were there I would think you could walk up and get tickets – but don't
count on it). You can make reservations over the internet for free. The
cost of tickets is in the $6 to $8 dollar range. We purchased our tickets
but weren't allowed to enter until 5 p.m. even with almost no one there
– so they are sticklers on this ticket/reservation thing.
looked around the gift shop and purchased some snacks. One thing to note,
at many places there is a method to purchasing food: 1) look around and
decide what you like, 2) look at the price board on the wall to find out
the cost, 3) pay the cashier who gives you a slip of paper, and 4) give
the paper to the person at the snack bar who will prepare your order. This
actually makes sense as it keeps the hands of the person fixing the food
from handling all that filthy money. I had a ham and cheese sandwich
(delicious) and a bottle of water for about $2.50. Margaret and Jody
ordered some delicious looking desserts.
outside we were sitting on benches waiting to enter the gallery when a
"tour tram" arrived. This was a small tractor pulling four carts with
benches. I asked and found that it was only $1.25 to take a 15-minute tour
of the park. What the heck. We all hopped on and we went to see the park -
15 minutes later we were back having seen the park.
5 p.m. we lined-up with about 50 other people to get in the door. I did
find out that our tickets were good for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This meant we
could enter at anytime during those two hours but had to leave by seven. I
can imagine at times that the gallery could be extremely crowded. While we
were there we had some rooms to ourselves. There are actually two sections
to the gallery. The main floor which is primarily sculpture and the upper
floor (which you enter through the basement) which is mostly paintings.
There are CD-guides you can rent but we choose to just use the RSB (Rick
Steve's Book).
going to Rome this is one museum that shouldn't be missed. The building
itself is very beautiful with gilded walls and painted ceilings. The
sculptures are amazing. It is difficult to believe that something so
lifelike (delicate, flowing, layered, etc.) is made of stone.
being truly impressed with our own artistic deficiencies, we made our way
to the upper gallery. To get there you exit the main gallery and return to
the gift shop in the basement. Follow the signs to the back of the
building and find the spiral staircase. You then see a sign saying you can
only spend 30 minutes in the upper gallery. Once again I am sure this is a
crowd control measure. I would think it would take about 30 minutes to
visit the various rooms on a crowded day. The spiral staircase (there is
also an elevator) goes and goes and goes and goes. Several hundred stairs
later (very slight exaggeration) you find yourself at the top. We walked
from room to room being ignorantly unimpressed by the multitude of
masterworks that surrounded us.
completed touring the museum we exited at 6 p.m. finding that it was quite
dark already. The night was cool but not cold. Looking at the map we
decided that the closest Metro Station was the one located next to the
Spanish Steps so we headed in that direction. After walking a few hundred
yards I saw a police officer and asked for directions. He pointed and said
a metro station was just across the street.
my map didn't show a metro station but I figured that the officer knew
what he was talking about. We crossed the street (and beneath an ancient
Roman aqueduct) and found a set of stairs with the words metro. Now,
according to my map there wasn't a metro station anywhere close. So
Sallie, Alan, and Jody descended to do some reconnaissance. A few minutes
later they returned saying that stairs just kept going down and tunnels
went off in several directions. I am sure that there is a way to get to a
Metro station but which one and how far I have no idea.
we decided (and fortunately) to walk down Via Veneto to the Barberini
Metro Stop. At the time we had no idea of the significance of the street.
We just found it to be a pleasant street with nice restaurants and shops.
I later learned that many years ago it was "the street" where the rich
and famous came to see and be seen. What we did find was the Hard Rock Café.
Twenty minutes later we were on our way again with several "Hard Rock
Café – Rome" items.
the bottom of Via Veneto we found the Barberini Metro Station. Not sure
what to do we approached a ticket machine an proceeded to look confused. A
old man came up and started showing us how to purchase a ticket. I was a
little wary at first but then decided the most I could loose would be
three or four dollars. But he was honest and we soon had our tickets.
purchasing tickets is very simple. This is going by memory but to purchase
a ticket: 1) punch the button for the language you need, 2) insert money
– the machines takes bills and gives change (but will only give 4000 in
change – this can cause a problem if you need a 3000 ticket and only
have 10000, the machine won't sell you the ticket), 3) choose the type
of ticket you want: single ride ticket good for 75 minutes from time
stamped, daily ticket, or weekly ticket, 4) collect your ticket and
tickets for the Metro System work on an interesting principal. After you
purchase your ticket there is a machine that you place it in for it to be
time stamped. Single tickets are good for only 75 minutes. Daily and
Weekly tickets are good for amazingly enough, a day or a week. Once you
stamp your ticket you can put it in your wallet and do not need it again.
You can get on any bus or Metro without ever showing your ticket. To
ensure honesty there are inspectors who will randomly ask to see your
ticket. Failure to produce a valid ticket results in a hefty $50 fine (I
was later told that the inspectors come out in force towards the end of
each month). But tickets are extremely cheap. An all day ticket cost less
than three dollars. This first ticket we bought we didn't know you had
to get it time stamped. Luckily, no one asked to see our ticket. Once on a
very crowded bus, we were unable to get to the stamp machine at the back
so we just wrote the current time/date on the ticket, not official but
Metro in Rome is limited but extremely fast, relatively clean, and
definitely saves the shoe leather. With out hotel being right beside a
Metro stop there were several times we went back to the hotel to drop off
purchases, change clothes, or just to take a short rest. And like any big
city, there are times when the trains are sardine-can packed and times
when they are nearly empty. During "rush hours" we sometimes let two
or three trains go by before we found one that wasn't jammed with
people. And you will often find that the cars farthest from the stairs
have the least people.
stop in front of our hotel was the Emanuele Metro Stop. Unfortunately,
this first time we rode the metro we exited on the opposite side of the
square from our hotel. The street looked almost the same and it took us
some time to discover (and after asking a police officer) that our hotel
was on the other side. By this time we were all very tired (having arrived
that day, with very little sleep, and walking across Rome) and making our
way to the other side of the square was almost more than we could take.
were back in our rooms by 8:00 p.m. I was totally exhausted. I feel on the
bed and was asleep by 8:01. I'm not sure how late everyone else stayed
awake but I believe everyone was in bed early. I did wake-up about 1 a.m.
and couldn't get back to sleep until about 2:30. So I pulled out my
books and started planning what we would do the next day.
November 23.
morning we had a 9 a.m. tour reservation to visit the Necropolis beneath
St. Peter's Basilica so we wanted to leave the hotel by 8 a.m. So after
a huge breakfast (see description above) we were on our way. It only took
about 15 minutes to go from the Emanuele metro stop to the Ottaviano Metro
Stop. From there it was a 15 minute walk to St. Peter's.
arrived at St. Peter's square with only a few people about. The top of
the dome was still hidden in the morning mist. I asked for directions to
the Excavations Office in the baggage-check room. To get to the
excavations office you enter the Vatican through the far left gate (facing
St. Peters) and ask the Swiss Guards for directions. We then quickly
entered St. Peter's to take a quick peep before the crowds arrived.
8:30 a.m. I asked one of the Swiss Guards how to get to the Excavation
Office. He said it was just inside the gate and to return at 9 a.m. and he
would let us in. We visited the gift shop, post office, and rest rooms
(all on the left hand side of the square when facing the basilica). I also
set off in search of a water fountain. I finally found one above the
baggage-check office. It was a very large fountain that had twenty-spouts
pouring water into a basin. I wasn't sure if this was drinkable, but
what the heck, it tasted good. I drank from it several other times
although I never saw anyone else taking a drink.
at 9 a.m. we entered Vatican City. I had walked just out of sight of the
Swiss Guards when a Police Officer called me over and asked what I was
doing. After assuring him I wasn't trying to steal the Pope-Mobile, we
found the Excavations Office where we promptly waited. About ten minutes
later the office opened and I picked-up the tickets I had reserved several
months in advance.
get tickets to tour the necropolis, it is absolutely essential to reserve
as far in advance as possible. It is my understanding that very few groups
are allowed through each day and these are limited to 10 people each.
Later in the day I was talking with another lady who had tried reserving
tickets in early October and had been unable to obtain them. I started in
mid-September. You can reserve tickets through the internet. Be sure to
state the exact date(s) you will be in Rome, the age of the people, and
the number of tickets you need. They will then email you back a
confirmation and directions on how you can pay. I was able to send a
personal check (which took about 6 weeks to clear my bank). Tickets are
only $8 each.
me this was probably the most interesting part of St. Peter's. Our
English-speaking guide first took us into a room and gave us some history
about the site, the first church, and the current church. We then
descended 20 – 30 feet into an area that was excavated in the 1930-40s.
It was interesting to note that as we passed into each new section, doors
shut behind us sealing in a carefully controlled climate.
part of the Necropolis that you can visit is essentially a long street
between ancient buildings. Imagine if you found yourself in a 3-foot wide
brick-paved street between brick buildings that were 15-20 feet high. The
"ceiling" is actually the floor of the crypt in St. Peters. These
buildings are actually family crypts. It was customary during Roman days
for families to visit the dead and eat a meal on the roof of the crypt –
essentially they are small houses. Most of the tombs are pagan with only a
couple having Christian symbols. At the end of this street you can look
through a small opening and see the "hole" where Peter is thought to
have been buried. I say hole because that is all that you see – the hole
under the "tombstone" which was excavated when they were looking for a
body. The tombstone is actually a small stone table of which you can only
see half, the rest is still buried in the ground. And although you cannot
see them, there are bones thought to be those of the Apostle. The Roman
Catholic Church officially admits that it is not positive that this is the
body of Peter or that this is the actual site.
is however based upon church tradition and our guide make a good case for
the possibility. I might get some or all of this wrong and certainly not
in the detail in which our guide went. It seems that Constantine built the
original church outside the city and on top of an ancient cemetery. Why?
He must have had a reason to build there and the reason was this was the
location of Peter's tomb. He leveled the hill by cutting off one end and
piling it on the other. In the process he packed the crypts he found with
dirt and used them as part of the foundation for his church. He also must
have guaranteed the families of the dead that the tombs would not be
violated as many valuable artifacts were found in the excavation
(otherwise the workmen would have made off with them). The church was
built so that the very center would be above the tomb that tradition said
was Peter's (and even today the top of the dome is in a direct line with
this tomb). Peter was buried just 50 yards from the site where it is
believed he was crucified up-side down. And St. Peter's square was
originally an ancient race course.
was also a little claustrophobic to think of the huge church sitting above
your head. Our guide also made mentioned that of the many tens of
thousands of people who visit the church each day only a few know of the
necropolis beneath their feet and even fewer ever get to visit. I highly
recommend taking this tour if you can – this was one of the most
impressive places we visited in Rome.
tour ended in the crypt and we spent only a little time looking at the
graves of the previous popes. We went back inside the church (through yet
another holy door). It was a little more crowded by now but still not very
bad. Using the RSB we self-guided our way about. St. Peter's is big like
the Super Dome is big. It is so big that you can't really grasp how big
it is. And while it was built to impress those ungrateful protestants with
the might of the church, it was also built in such a way to mask its huge
size and make it seem more "personal". Once again I was struck by the
emptiness of the church. Now, there are many mosaics and statues, but they
are not overwhelming. There is only one true painting in the church. All
the other paintings are actually mosaics. And the most impress statue must
be Michelangelo's Pieta.
next wanted to climb the dome. Well, I wanted to and convinced everyone
else to come along. We paid the $5 fee (including using the elevator to
bypass the first two hundred stairs). Exiting the elevator you find
yourself on the roof of the church (complete with rest rooms, gift shop,
and water fountain). Just 50 stairs up and through a door you find
yourself on the inside of the church at the base of the dome. At this
point you can look down upon Bernini's bronze Baldaquin and get a great
bird's eye view of the church.
through another door you start to climb, and climb, and climb, and climb,
and climb, and….pass out. The stairs are actually very interesting -
some are normal stairs going back and forth , then spiral stairs, then
stairs going inward (towards the center of the dome). All the time the
outward wall is curving inward which at places gives the whole place the
skewed aspect of a carnival fun house. Eventually, just as you think you
are going to die, you find yourself outside and very high.
I can say is climb the dome. It might take you a while (if you get out of
breath just stop and rest). From the top you have an incredible view of
the Vatican, of Rome, and even the snow-topped mountains in the distance
(at least they were snow topped in November). We snapped pictures and
videos, looked for and found the Colosseum, and took a few minutes to
rest. The day was gorgeous with blue skies and the temperature in the
climbing down, using the roof rest rooms, and one last look into the
church, we headed back to the metro and to find a place to eat. We
promptly fell for one of the oldest blunders know to man, "Never start a
land war in Asia." No, actually, we sat down outside a café and got to
pay $5 for a coke and $8 for pizza. Normally you could get a Coke and
pizza for $4 total! But we were too tired to complain.
was now about 1:30 and we had until 3 p.m. until we met our guide from
Scala Reale for a 2-hour "Introductory" walk to Rome (as if we
hadn't already walked all over Rome). We hopped the subway back to Via
Veneto with the hope of visiting the San Maria Conzione.
the way to the subway a man selling purses saw Margaret and called out,
"Blondie, I have a special price just for you." This was hilarious.
For the remainder of the trip Margaret was known as "Blondie".
had come across this church mentioned in the guidebook as I was doing my
planning at 1 a.m. that morning. This is a church that has 5 or 6 rooms
completely decorated with human bones. Unfortunately, it was closed until
5 p.m., just liked it mentioned in the guide book. Funny, I missed that
part. Fortunately, the church is right beside the metro so we hopped back
on and went back to the hotel to relax, freshen-up, and drop-off assorted
2:40 p.m. we got back on the metro and went to the Spagna Metro Stop. We
were to meet our guide in the area. We had made reservations for tours
with a group known as Scala Reale (www.scalareale.com) as recommended in
the RSB. For more information check out their web site. To book tours with
them you must pay a $20 fee to join their organization. I believe this fee
has something to do with them not being an Italian company. For this fee,
they provide a 2-hour introductory walk to Rome.
were to meet our guide, Jenny, at the Piazza Colonna. We quickly found
where to meet and started to window shop as we waited for our guide. One
store was a dealer ship for the "Smart Car". The "Smart Car" is
probably the cutest cars since the original VW Bug. They are very small,
just 2.5 meters in length, and come in an amazing array of colors. I would
definitely love to have one back in the states. The store was closed but
we decided to stop by later in the evening when they would be opened.
our guide showed up promptly at 3:00 p.m. Our group consisted of 10 people
– the six of us and two other couples. This was a very relaxed and laid
back tour that focused mostly on the Rome of today. Jenny is a film
student and has lived in Rome the last five years. She shared with us what
it is like to live in Rome. She doesn't drive and had only just
purchased a scooter a few months before. Our tour went through many small
streets and back alleyways, past the Mausoleo di Augusto, and ended in the
Piazza d. Popolo.
Del Corso is the main road leading across Rome from the piazza and Via
Babuino leads to the Spanish Steps. These two roads are connected by many
cross streets. This is the prime shopping area of Rome. In this area you
can buy just about anything. Some stores are bargain basements while
others you can't even afford to look through the windows. We spent some
time window shopping as we made our way back to the Smart Car store. By
this time the store was opened. This is the only car dealership in the
world that I have ever seen people come in to take pictures of the car.
also sold "Hot Wheel" versions of the car in several different sizes.
Sallie and Jody bought one as a Christmas present for Jody's father. The
toy they bought cost about $20. The real car cost around $10000.
then shopped our way to the Spanish Steps where a large group of "soccer
hooligans" were merrily singing something at the top of their lungs. The
streets were full of people out having a good time. We spent about 30
minutes looking for a gelato place that Jenny had recommended. We never
found it and finally settled for gelato from one of the thousands of other
gelato places.
we made our way down to see the Trevi Fountain. It was crowded around the
fountain but not too bad. This was the only site where I had people
constantly trying to sell me various items. I also now know where all the
coins are in Italy, at the bottom of fountains.
this time we were tired and decided to head back to the hotel. The plan
was to walk to the Barberini Metro Stop. Somewhere (actually on V.
Scuderie) I made a right instead of heading straight. We found ourselves
walking through a half-mile tunnel beneath the Giardini del Quirinale and
emerging on the Via Nationale. It was at this point that I realized the
mistake. We didn't want to retrace our steps through the auto-exhaust
filled tunnel so we headed for the Repubblica Metro Stop.
actually turned out to be a mixed-blessing. While we were all very tired
and this additional walking wasn't exactly what we wanted, we did get to
meet Roberto and I got the pleasure of someone trying to pick-pocket me.
We were waiting for a train in the Metro when we met Roberto. Roberto is a
Colonel in the Italian Air Force and looks, strangely enough, like Steve
Martin. We had a great conversation, took some photos, and exchanged
email. While we were talking we allowed three trains to pass by as they
were all too full to get on.
a train arrived that had just enough room for us to board. Roberto warned
us to watch out for pick-pockets. Now, I always keep one hand on my wallet
in any situation that is crowded. As I was stepping onto the train I felt
a hand slip into my pocket and quickly pull out. I turned around to see a
small girl jumping out of the closing doors and running down the platform.
This is a typical M.O. for these pick-pockets. They wait till just before
the door closes and try to grab your wallet and get off the train. If I
hadn't had my hand on my wallet it is very likely that she would have
succeeded. My advice is to use common sense but don't be overly
paranoid. Yes, at the worst you might lose your money but it is very
unlikely that you will be physically injured. A money belt can keep your
valuables safe. I had sewn a large pocket into my jacket where I was able
to keep my camera, passport, etc. This pocket had buttons and could not be
easily accessed.
this little bit of excitement we made our way back to the hotel. On one
corner of the square was a small rustic trattoria. These are small
take-out / eat-in places that can be found all over Rome with excellent
food and very cheap prices. There is usually a selection of pizza,
lasagna, different meats, desserts, etc. We stopped and bought dinner to
take back to the hotel. I purchased a large slice of eggplant pizza, two
"spanish rice" filled fried dumplings, and a 1 liter Sprite for about
$4. Back at the hotel we each went to our own rooms to eat.
again I believe I was asleep before 9 p.m. I must be getting old! Alan and
I did spend a little time watching the Italian version of "Who Wants to
be a Millionaire". We felt fairly smart as we were able to figure out
the questions in Italian and get the correct answers. I woke-up again at 1
a.m. and was unable to get back to sleep for the next hour. I spent the
time looking through guide books and planning what we do for the remainder
of the trip.
November 24
woke-up this morning without having to worry about what we were going to
do – the reason was we had an 8-hour walking tour with Scala Reale. But
I had forgotten what we were suppose to be touring today. After breakfast
we gathered in the hotel lobby to wait for Gregory. Promptly at 9 a.m. he
walked through the door.
asked if there was anything in particular we would like to see and
suggested we start our tour at Santa Maria Maggiore. I let him know we had
already been there and he quickly changed plans. I did suggest that we
would like to visit St. Peter in Chains and San Clemente.
me give you a little background on Gregory. He has lived in Rome for five
years. He originally came to Rome with a friend who was flunking out of
college and came for a summer of intense Latin. Gregory (not Greg mind
you) came along and decided to stay. I believe he must be an art student
although I don't remember if he ever told us. What I do know is that
when it comes to art he is an expert! I learned as much in this single day
as I did in a semester of Art Appreciation in college. And Gregory is very
passionate on the subject. He almost literally dragged us from one site to
the next so that we could get in as much as possible. He also would
criticize (and rightfully) people taking pictures of paintings with a
do I think of Gregory's performance as a guide: Positive) He is very
passionate, knows his stuff, friendly, patient, pleasant, seems to enjoy
his work; Negative) Needed to communicate itinerary for the day and in his
eagerness tended to "drag" you along. Overall, I would highly
recommend Gregory as a guide and wouldn't hesitate to make use of his
services again.
I don't see why people try to take a picture of a picture: 1) the
pictures you take don't come out that well, 2) using a flash is very
destructive, 3) its much cheaper and you get a much better picture by
buying either postcards or a book of photos. I purchased several books of
photos for less than the price of getting two rolls of film developed.
what did we see today?
Peter in Chains and Michelangelo's Moses - The main reason I wanted to
visit this church was to see the carving of Moses by Michelangelo. Be sure
to have some coins to turn on the lights (many places have coin-operated
devices that will light up the paintings/statues for 5 to 10 minutes).
Moses has horns! This was due to a mistranslation of the Hebrew text in
the 16 century. In the Bible it states that Moses face shown with beams of
light when he descended from the mountain. I believe the word "beam"
was mistranslated as "horn". The church also contains two sets of
chains which supposedly held Peter and Paul while in prison.
of Titus – We walked past these on our way to St. Clemente.
Clemente – The most interesting part of this church is the basements.
There are actually three buildings built atop one another. The sub
basement is a Roman "Mithra" worship site. Mithra was a "secret"
religion that was very popular among the military. The next level up
contains the remains of an early Christian Church. The walls are covered
with ancient frescos. One of the frescos includes the earliest know
writings of the Italian language. The writing is on part of the Fresco
that would have been covered over by the floor and thus would not have
been seen by the ancient worshippers. It was obviously put there by the
workmen knowing that no-one would ever see what they wrote. The fresco
shows two men carrying a large stone column (workmen). In comic bubbles
above their heads one is saying to the other, "Pick the damn thing up,
its heavy." The other man replies, "Shut up, you S.O.B." Wouldn't
that make you proud of your language?
St. Clemente we found that it had started raining very heavily. Gregory
said wait a few moments and a Pakistani man would come by and sell you an
umbrella. Sure enough, a few minutes later here he came. Gregory, Jody,
and Margaret all purchased umbrellas after haggling with the man for a few
minutes. Pat and Sallie both had panchos they had brought along. Alan and
I both had waterproof jackets with hoods so we were set.
waited on the street for 10 minutes for a taxi but none passed that were
available. Finally, Gregory suggest that we walked to the Colosseum a few
blocks away and get a taxi at the taxi stand. We took two taxis from the
Colosseum to the Pantheon. The cost of our taxi (with 3 people) was less
than $5.
toured the Pantheon and were all very impressed with this marvelous
building. In fact, it is probably the most impressive building in Rome. We
also saw the grave of Rafael.
we walked a few blocks to the Church of St. Ignaisius, the founder of the
Jesuits. The church contains a magnificent false dome.
was approaching 12:30 and Gregory hurried us along to the church of San
Luigi dei Francesi which contains paintings of St. Matthew by Caravaggio.
Not knowing our schedule Sallie, Jody, Margaret, and Alan stopped to buy
gelato. Pat and I continued on with Gregory as the church was about to
close. The two of us were able to see the paintings while the rest of the
group stayed outside and ate their ice cream.
next stop was in the Piazza Navona with the Fountain of Four Rivers. The
Piazza was originally a race course and still retains the shape. Gregory
explained the history of the fountain and the church that it faces – it
seems that one was built by Bernini and the other by Barmini and that
neither man really liked the other.
was also a man wrapped in a skin tight gold suit with an Egyptian mask
standing on a box in the square. In front of him was a box in which you
could throw a coin. If you placed a coin in the box he would very slowly
bow – other than this he never moved. Gregory rightly stated that the
man knew that Italian boys would gladly throw in money to see something
this foolish. Jody, being the big Italian (sarcasm), threw in a coin and
we were rewarded with a bow.
was now time for lunch and Gregory took us to a small restaurant nearby.
The food was very good and very reasonable. Sallie ordered a potato pasta
dish and I ordered a large salad and we split the two dishes. Alan had a
spinach-filled ravioli with pumpkin sauce. This tasted good (very sweet)
but I don't think I would order it myself. Jody ordered a steak (beef,
not horse – which was on the menu) and Pat and Margaret each had pasta.
lunch Gregory pointed out a talking stone. In ancient Rome there were
several stones scatter around the city on which people were free to place
messages. The stones were dedicated to themes such as politics or
religion. The one we saw was a "religious" stone and had several pro
and con messages concerning the Roman Catholic Church.
then got two taxies to take us to the Vatican Museum. I had read how at
times it took 2+ hours just to get inside the museum due to the crowds. We
walked right in, purchased tickets, and were on our way. The museum is
huge and you could easily spend a whole day seeing all the exhibits.
Gregory, being an art expert, concentrated on the works of art. He did
skip the Egyptian exhibit with the mummies which I would have enjoyed
seeing. What he did cover he covered in detail. I could write pages about
the paintings, tapestries, sculptures, maps, engravings, etc. that we saw
and he explained – but I won't.
main reason that everyone goes to the Vatican Museum is to see the Sistine
Chapel – but take your time and enjoy the museum. Outside the chapel are
posters showing the paintings. Gregory used one of these to explain
everything in great detail. Inside the Sistine Chapel you are not suppose
to talk – but everyone whispers and occasionally a voice over a loud
speaker reminds everyone in 142 languages (seemingly) to shut their
restoration of the paintings was completed recently and they now look as
if just painted. Soot had blackened the paintings over the centuries has
been carefully removed leaving behind the brilliant colors. Gregory
informed us that art historians are re-evaluating Michelangelo's use of
color based upon what has been reveled. Two small sections were left
covered in soot to show how it looked formerly. The difference is
astounding. The soot turned the brilliant paintings into dim, black
chapel was fairly crowded with people – probably the most crowded place
on the trip. Along the walls are benches where you may sit and stare
upwards. We all sat and stared. After twenty minutes of staring and
beginning to get a neck cramp (plus the place was about to close) we left.
We exited the Chapel right next to the ticket booth to climb the dome of
St. Peter's. We had already thoroughly toured St. Peter's on our own
but Gregory had a few items he wanted to show us.
we were entering St. Peter's Sallie and I were goofing off which
resulted in a Gregory rebuking us. Once inside we took another look at the
Pieta. Alan and I stopped to take a picture and lost the rest of the
group. The church was fairly crowded and we couldn't spot them anywhere.
We walked to the center of the church and were headed back to the front
doors before we finally found them.
showing us a few other items in the Church our 8-hour tour was finished.
Outside, we paid Gregory for the day, and parted ways. It had been raining
all day and was still drizzling steadily. We walked across the square and
spent some time in a large book shop / souvenir shop. I purchased a book
of pictures showing Rome and a "Then and Now" Book. This book has
pictures with plastic overlays. The overlays show how Rome looked 2000
years ago and the picture shows the same site today.
were all very tired by this time and thought about getting a taxi back to
the hotel instead of trudging to the Metro. There was long line at the
Taxi stand and we decided not to wait. We completely figured out the Metro
by this time and soon found ourselves back at the hotel.
a short rest, during which a thunderstorm came through, we went to the
pizza place on the corner to buy supper. Tonight we bought pizza, rice
balls, stuffed tomatoes with rice), water, etc. and brought the food back
to hotel and ate in the large lobby. Afterwards, we played Spades for
several hours with Sallie and Margaret vs. Jody and John.
November 25
was art, today is ruins – Roman Ruins that is. Today we are scheduled to
spend 4 hours with Richard from Scala Reale visiting various ruins around
Rome. Richard was an excellent guide who had just finished his
dissertation with Stanford. He spent time explaining the sites we visited,
suggested places to get good photos, volunteered to take pictures of our
group, read us sections of ancient histories describing the sites we were
viewing, and realized that it is nice to sit and relax occasionally.
left the hotel at 9 a.m. for the 10 minute walk to the Colosseum. I had
planned, but forgotten, to ask Gregory if he knew where the theater was in
which we would be watching West Side Story. I was going to ask Richard
when Sallie spotted the theater just two blocks from the hotel.
spent the next four hours touring the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine,
the Arch of Titus, the Palatine Hill, the Circus Maximus, and the Roman
Forum. The day was beautiful with blue skies and the temperature in the
mid-sixties. The day before had been wet, but we were inside for most of
the day. Today we were outside and we couldn't have ordered a more
perfect day.
took a city bus back to the hotel. Richard recommended a small restaurant
where we could eat lunch. He also drew a map to a gelato stand near our
hotel. We had the Turistico Menu for lunch. It cost $10 each and included
wine, a starter, a main dish, and a salad. We each ordered different
items. I had a dish of meat balls and pasta. Pat had pasta with a
wonderful garlic flavor.
lunch we went back to the hotel and dropped off a few items before going
to find the gelato. Hopefully we would have better luck this time. We
almost didn't find the store. We first went down the wrong street before
realizing we should be over one more block. When we got to the correct
street we went in the wrong direction for several blocks. We did pass a
grocery store and it was interesting looking around inside. Heading back
the correct way we finally found our gelato. The place was actually a
factory where they made gelato. There was a very large counter with dozens
of flavors.
consuming huge amounts of gelato I waddled back to the hotel. We had two
hours until the play started at 6:30 that night. I promptly took a nap. At
6 p.m. we gathered in the lobby dressed for the play. At the theater we
found our seats on the left near the back, but with a good view.
can I say about the play? Not much – to put it nicely it was terrible. I
had seen West Side Story on t.v. years ago and knew the basic story – I
also knew a little bit of the music. Now, what about this production? Let
me just make a list:
1. The singing was very good. 2. Parts of the play were innovative.
1. The acting was terrible. It almost seemed as if the actors were making
up their dialogue as they went along. 2. The play had been
"modernized" but not in a good way. The dialogue was laced with
profanity. Above the stage was a screen on which the Italian translation
of the English dialogue was projected. It was interesting to note that
none of the profanity was translated into the Italian. 3. Call me a prude
but I don't expect to see nudity in a production of West Side Story. 4.
Parts of the innovation just didn't work.
in all I was extremely disappointed with the play and extremely glad when
it was over. I was also grateful that I had only paid $12 for the ticket
and that we hadn't purchased the much more expensive tickets for Aida
which was produced by the same company.
the play Alan and I went to the ATM to withdraw some money. We planned on
getting some food from the local pizza place but every restaurant we could
find was already closed. I finally purchased two sandwiches and a bottle
of water from the bar in the hotel ($4). We then played Spades for the
next several hours. It was the usual teams and we decided the loser had to
buy lunch the next day. Sallie and Margaret had a nice free lunch the next
day at Hard Rock Café.
November 26
was completely free for us to do whatever we wanted. We decided to go to
the Catacombs along the Appian Way. To get there we followed the
directions given in the RSB and arrived with no problems. We purchased an
all day metro/bus pass to get around. We took the metro from our hotel to
the Ponte Lungo stop. The bus stop was just outside the station. I asked
the driver if this was the way to the Appian Way and he assured me that it
minutes later we found ourselves standing on the road by which Paul
entered Rome. It was slightly raining as we started down the road to the
catacombs. On the way we passed the large tomb of Caecilia Metella.
only cost about two dollars to enter so we decided to look around. To me
the most interesting part of the building is in the basement. Here you can
see an ancient outflow of Lava. There are also very clean restrooms in the
basement, just be careful, as the doors are hard to open and you can get
stuck inside.
down the road we first came to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian which were
closed for the day. Another half mile down the road we found the Catacombs
of St. Callistus. I noticed a bus stop so I guess it is possible to take a
bus directly to the Catacombs. There was a reasonable crowd but not too
bad. After purchasing our tickets we waited about 15 minutes until the
English Speaking Tour was called.
guide was an elderly man from Spain who gave an excellent presentation.
The funniest thing he told us was, "The catacombs are 60 degrees, both
summer and winter. And they are 120 feet deep, both summer and winter."
was completely surprised by the catacombs. I didn't know what to expect
but what I found wasn't what I was expecting. I guess I have watched too
many Indiana Jones films. I expected the catacombs to be narrow, small
passages that you had to stoop and walk sideways to get through. What I
found was a virtual underground city. Many of the passageways were 5 feet
(or more across). In many places the ceiling was 30 feet or more above our
heads. There were over twelve miles of passages on three different levels.
We were allowed to only see two levels. I won't go into the history of
the catacombs here. I will greatly encourage anyone visiting Rome to take
the time to visit one of the Catacombs surrounding the city.
we emerged from beneath the earth we found that a storm had passed over.
We could also hear a worship service nearby and the singing of familiar
praise songs in Italian. We walked back down the Appian Way and proceeded
in the opposite direction from the bus stop for some distance. Finally,
having seen all we wished, we returned to the bus stop to await the next
bus. None of us knew how often the bus stopped.
to the stop was a small snack shop where we purchased colas and pastries.
Soon the bus returned and we head back to the metro. On the metro a young
boy was playing a flute and asking for money. Jody gave him 10000 Lira. We
made a quick stop at the hotel before heading to Via Veneto to eat lunch
at the Hard Rock Café. As we exited the metro we were caught in a heavy
downpour. We were saved by one of the omnipresent umbrella salesman.
prices at Hard Rock were actually very reasonable – no more expensive
than a T.G.I. or Chili's back home. Hard Rock is o.k. but I don't see
the big thrill of it myself. We did drop a good bit of money in the gift
shop buying presents for people back home.
lunch we stopped at the bone church (San Maria Conzione - see description
above). It was then back on the metro and to Spagna Stop so we could spend
the rest of the day shopping. We spent the next several hours wandering
the streets throwing money at things we didn't really need. I managed to
purchase $40 worth of chocolates to take back to family and friends (they
will be lucky if they can pry any chocolate from my hands). The streets
were packed with people – tourist and locals alike. It was fun just to
people watch. We did stop in McDonald's to take advantage of the
facilities – and to gape at the full-service bar.
shopped till we could shop no more, then headed back to the hotel. Another
round of cards finished off the day before we headed to bed.
November 27
we would be going to Pompeii. I had arranged for a driver and a van
through Scala Reale for $60 per person. Yes, I know you can go on the
train for cheaper, but I had my reasons for doing it this way: 1)
convenience; 2) we were on a tight time schedule and I didn't want
something like a train strike from stopping us; 3) cheaper than a
"tour" bus.
driver arrived at the hotel a few minutes after 8 a.m. Monday morning. The
skies were a brilliant blue and it promised to be a great day. We slowly
made our way out of Rome – the traffic coming into the city was bumper
to bumper.
road we traveled on (at times over 100 mph) was a very modern highway. We
were travelling in a very nice van with two seats in the front, three
bucket seats in the middle, and two bucket seats in the back. Our driver
was named Max, a young twenty-something. Going and returning Max stopped
at a truck stop so we could get snacks, walk around, and use the toilets.
He even purchased a bag of candy for us to snack on. Max knew the way to a
good tip is through chocolate.
drive to Pompeii gave us a chance to see some of the country outside of
Rome – limited to what you could see from the highway. Most of the way
seemed to be in a valley between two mountain ranges. Scattered on the
sides of these hills were small villages.
our plan was to first go to the Archeological Museum in Naples. This
museum contains many artifacts (especially frescos) from Pompeii. We saw
very little of Naples but what we did see is not encouraging. It seems to
be just an extremely large town with little character.
dropped us off right in front of the museum at 11 p.m. The museum is
housed in a very large building. The entrance fee was about $8 and you
could rent a cd-guide for an extra fee. We just used the RSB. It seemed
that nearly half of the museum was closed for renovation. This proved
Richard right when he said you could never tell what you would be able to
see. Even with parts of the museum closed, it was definitely worth seeing.
frescos are amazingly bright and detailed. It was interesting to note on a
painting of a man riding a horse that the harnesses of two millennium ago
are exactly the same as today. I also noticed that the Romans had mastered
perspective and depth in painting, an art lost until the 14th century (if
I remember my art appreciation correctly). My favorite item in the museum
was a small metal statue of a leaping pig.
finished the museum in an hour and were soon on the 30 minute journey
across town to Pompeii. Looming over Pompeii and Naples is Mount Vesuvius.
If the mountain blew today millions of people would die. With that lovely
thought we had to decide where to eat lunch. Max suggested a restaurant
just down the hill from the entrance to Pompeii. This sounded fine to us
and we asked Max to join us.
restaurant was large and nice, but empty. This mainly had to do with the
fact that we were there during the off-season. I imagine during the summer
that the place is packed. We let Max order and had a very interesting
lunch. We started with a wide variety of dishes as starters. These
included: bread, brushetta (tomato on bread), anchovies, octopus with
tomato sauce and bread, crab, squid, shrimp, potato balls, seaweed balls,
ham and mozzarella cheese. Our main course was spaghetti with sauce and
parmesian cheese.
I don't think any of us would have ordered some of these dishes, but it
was an interesting cultural experience. This also turned out to be the
most expensive meal on our trip costing about $22 each. As I had been
wanting to go out somewhere and try a variety of "Italian" dishes this
worked out well.
mentioned to Max that this was the most expensive meal yet on the trip –
and he was shocked. I believe he thought all "tourist" were rich and
that most of the places the people he chauffeured wanted to go to were
much more expensive. It was interesting talking with Max about the
different customs between Italy and America. I did learn that you don't
eat bread with pasta!
lunch we went to Pompeii. We purchased our tickets – there is an ATM
machine right beside the ticket booth. We also decided to hire a guide to
show us around. I wanted a guide because we only had about 2.5 hours and I
didn't want to get lost. Don't laugh, Pompeii is four square miles.
guide did a great job of showing us the most interesting areas of Pompeii.
I would like to return one day and spend more time thoroughly exploring
the site. I would also like to be able to go to the top of Vesuvius and
see the crater.
a great day to visit Pompeii. The temperature was in the mid-sixties and
the sky was cloudless. There were very few people and many parts of the
city we had to ourselves. We did pass, but didn't enter, a large snack
shop / gift shop that has been built inside the city.
city itself is incredible. The people in Pompeii had running water, flush
toilets, sliding doors, one-way streets, fast food, and ways to heat and
cool their houses. And while I had heard that the city was preserved –
it is hard to believe just how well it is preserved. Probably the most
famous, and deservedly so, part of Pompeii, are the people of Pompeii.
the volcano erupted, ash covered the city to a depth of 30 feet. "No
Lava in Pompeii, just ash" as our Guide told us 40 to 50 times. The
people of Pompeii actually died of asphyxiation. The explosion sucked the
oxygen out of the air. They were then buried so quickly that some were
still in a sitting position when found. The ash hardened around their
bodies. After their bodies decayed it left a cavity. As the site was
excavated plaster would be poured into these cavities resulting in a
perfect cast of the victims. Many of these cast reveal the people covering
their eyes and mouth with their hands to protect themselves from the ash.
time in Pompeii went by quickly and the Sun was going down as we left.
Outside the gates we stopped at a souvenir stand. I purchased a lava
necklace for Beth, some postcards, and a "Then and Now" book of
was waiting for us in the van across the street. It was dark as we left
Naples behind and headed back to Rome. I think everyone (except Max) fell
asleep on the way back. We stopped once at the truck stop. We were back at
the hotel a little after seven.
and I wanted to do some shopping but I first had to go to the ATM.
Afterwards, we stopped at a hat store. Alan and I each purchased a hat. I
also bought a hat for a friend back home. As we were entering the hotel
Pat came out and ask me to go shopping with her. There are many stores
around the square and just a few doors down from the hotel we found a
large department store. Pat purchased a little girls outfit for Sheila's
collection. I bought a small stuffed moose to give to a friend at work.
at the hotel I spent some time packing my bags. I put all of my clothes in
a large bag and used my carry-on to hold all the gifts I had purchased.
This was the most I have ever purchased on any trip.
we walked down to the small pizza place at the end of the block and
purchased dinner. We carried the food back to the hotel to eat.
Afterwards, Sallie, Margaret, Jody, and I played Spades for a couple of
hours before going to bed.
November 28
was time to return home. We were packed and waiting in the lobby at 8 a.m.
for the van to the airport. As we left the town we passed the Colosseum
and crossed over the Tiber. Check-in went smoothly, almost. Everyone else
quickly checked-in and got their boarding pass. Margaret and I were in a
different line. The lady behind the counter had absolutely no idea what
she was doing. Each time she had to enter something into the computer she
had to get a supervisor to help her. It took nearly 30 minutes for
Margaret and I to get our boarding passes.
through security it was time to spend the lira I had left over. I
purchased shirts for Paige and Clint and a calendar for myself. We then
hopped the tram out to the International Terminal. Sallie, Jody, and Alan
had staked out seats for us at the gate. Boarding started on schedule and
Alan once again got taken aside to be searched by a man carrying a large
machine gun. This happens to Alan everytime we travel.
plane was only three-quarters full and I two seats to myself (aisle and
window). We flew north along the coast and the view was incredible. I
could see roads encircling the islands we passed over and each of the tiny
villages. On the ocean I could see fleets of fishing vessels. We
eventually climbed above a level of clouds and the view of the ground
had a decent meal and I watched one movie and part of another. The first
movie was about a group of ballet students in New York. The second movie
was "Small Time Crooks" This is a Woody Allen movie that quickly had
me snoring. I managed to sleep four or five hours. The flight back was
nearly two hours longer than the flight over.
arrived in Philadelphia with nearly three hours before our connection to
Birmingham. This time we didn't have to run. After finding our gate,
Margaret, Alan, Jody, and I went to find somewhere to eat. Margaret wanted
Burger King after seeing someone walk by with a bag – twenty minutes and
a mile later we finally found a Whopper.
at the gate we pulled out the cards and played Spades as we waited for our
flight. The flight back to Birmingham was uneventful and I slept most of
the way. Margaret's father was waiting for her when we landed. Sheila
and Aunt Peggy arrived just as we were collecting our luggage. Back at the
house we spent an hour talking about our trip.
November 29
was up at 4 a.m., back at the airport at 5 a.m., with a 6 a.m. departure
for Chicago. Of course I forgot to call and see if the plane was on time.
My flight was delayed until an 8:30 departure. This would mean that I
would miss my 10:30 flight to Madison so they rebooked me on a noon flight
arriving into Madison at 12:50.
purchased breakfast from McDonalds, a USA Today to see if we had a
president yet, and Michael Crichton's new book "Timeline". I quickly
read through the USA Today and then spotted the current Discover Magazine
that someone had left on a seat. So I grabbed it and it kept me occupied
until about halfway to Chicago.
boarded at 8:30 and as the flight wasn't very full I headed towards the
back and grabbed two seats. Just as I got comfortable a family arrived and
insisted I had their seats (which I did). Why they just didn't sit in
one of the 30 empty seats around us I will never know. Anyway, I got up
and moved to another seat.
we landed in Chicago the flight attendant asked if the "passenger to
Madison" would identify himself to the agent who would meet the plane.
At the bottom of the stairs was a customer service agent who was to escort
me directly across the tarmac to the Madison flight that was waiting for
me. They even made sure that my checked baggage made it onto the same
flight. I walked onto the second plane, grabbed a seat, and they
immediately begin shutting the doors. It seems that they had waited on
just me (even though I had been rebooked for a later flight). Once again,
despite the delays, I am extremely pleased with the customer service of
United Express – Air Wisconsin. I arrived in Madison and had the
additional pleasure of seeing my luggage as the first two bags through the
friend of mine was waiting to drive me home. This had been a terrific
trip. One day I would like to return to Italy to see the rest of the


text:
|Oracles of Deliverance Church was founded upon the principles of Christianity and is established for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to the King James' version of the Holy Scriptures. This ministry does not have ceremonial joining nor membership. Believers voluntarily conform to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures administered by the Reverend Marilyn Thomas. Fasting and Divine Healing are virtues of Faith associated with Christianity. No one is compelled to adhere to them. Only those who are of legal age and are both willing and able, follow these principles.
|We believe that the bible is the inspired word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
|We believe that repentance is the first grace of God given to a sinner for forgiveness of sin. St. Mark 1:15: ". . . The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
|We believe in Spiritual and Natural Baptism. Acts 1:5: "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."
We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
St. Matthew 1:23: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
|We believe that the true church is the bride of Jesus Christ. Revelation 21:9 ". . . I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." St. Matthew 25:10: ". . . the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage . . ." Revelation 21:2: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
We believe that Holiness is the Divine standard for humanity in which we receive life eternal.
Hebrews 12:14: ". . . holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." Ephesians 5:27: "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the supernatural power in which we are prepared for Divine service.
Acts 1:8: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Romans 12:1: "I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
|We believe that anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ is not part of the True Church.
Romans 8:9: ". . . if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
|We believe that Divine healing was provided in the atoning sacrificial offering of the body of Christ. Isaiah 53:5: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
|We also believe that through Divine guidance, Physicians can be instrumental in the physical healing of those who have faith in God. St. Luke 5:31 ". . . Jesus . . . said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick." Colossians 4:14 "Luke, the beloved physician . . . greet you."
|We believe in everlasting punishment to those who do not repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Revelation 20:10: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
|We believe that eternal life will be given to those who obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Revelation 21:24: "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it . . . ." Verse 27: "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
|We believe in Spiritual Resurrection from the dead works of sin. Ephesians 2:1: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."
|We believe in the Final Resurrection of the dead for the godly and ungodly. 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
|We believe in Divine punishment for sinners who do not repent. St. Luke 13:3: " . . .except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Revelation 21:8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." St. Matthew 25:41: " . . . Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
|We believe that Tithing is a fundamental part of the Christian Faith. Malachi 3:10 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
|We believe that the Anointing is a special spiritual gift from God to consecrate men and women for the service of God. God does not send those who have not been anointed. Jesus said, St. Luke 4:18-19: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Acts 2:17-18: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy."
|Home Page . . .Click here.
|Sermon . . .Click here.
|Order of Worship . . . Click here.
|E-Mail us here:firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What's your WHY?! Did you know one of the things I hate the most is pictures and videos of myself. Yes, you got that right, I've made a living off of posting pictures and videos of myself to social media. Something I highly DISLIKE.
So WHY?! On the days when I really don't feel like taking another picture, making another post, coming up with the perfect thing to say, I remind myself why the heck I started this in the first place.
Sharing my story.
Sharing my struggles.
Helping other women not feel ALONE.
Helping other women reach their true potential.
This is what I get to do on a daily basis.
To me there is nothing more REWARDING than helping another woman not feel the feelings I felt for so many years. And yes I have my days where I just don't feel like it too, but then I remember WHY I started this whole thing in the first place. I realize all that I've accomplished. And I remember that I'm doing EXACTLY what I set out to do. 💕
What's your WHY? Drop it in the comments


text:
Back from hiatus! Boy this past weekend has been crazy busy …. just running left to right, friends visiting, friends graduating, not staying at home for longer than 15 minutes becoming the norm …. gosh it was insanely chaotic and a change from when I'd been spending basically most of my day at home and finding an excuse to never leave my desk. Now the opposite … oh how the tides have changed …
So this week's BDIB challenge was to do prep school style …. to be honest, this isn't exactly a fashion style I'm totally in love with. There was a day ironically back when I was in middle school when wearing neckties was the in thing to do with fashion and yes, I totally sported one everyday. Now? Not so much …. yet I think the author of the challenge, Pretty Shiny Sparkly carries these challenges out with so much elegance and style regardless of whether I like it or not hehehe. Great props to her for being able to do this!! (Hence, why she is the big fashion blogger here ;-).)
However, I still gave it my best shot!! With a random tie my roommate bought and lent to me hehehe (what are the chances another female roommate would have the tie you need??!!).
vintage black velvet blazer, American Eagle skirt (super super old), roommate's necktie, pink necklace from Korean flea market
Madden girl shoes, knee high socks that I actually wore in high school when I was at a private school for a year
Photos by my roommate DP.
So enjoy!! As the challenge wasn't something I was used to doing, I still had fun with it. 🙂 That and it brought me memories of my old school uniform as this outfit seemed to sort of resemble it.
Check out more here!!


text:
You don't normally think of rappers as news sources. But in Senegal two prominent rap artists, Xuman and Keyti, have been rapping the news in French, Wolof (Senegal's dominant local language), and English for the last two years. Their YouTube series, known as JT Rappé, is watched by some 45,000 viewers every week online.
I spent a couple days with the lean and dreadlocked Xuman and the shorter, powerfully built Keyti, who have been friends for over 20 years and are widely known throughout the country not only as talented musicians, but also as social activists who aren't afraid to challenge authority figures—including politicians and influential religious leaders.
Every JT Rappé episode starts with the same familiar greeting by Xuman, who clears his throat and deliberately stacks his notes before rattling off in French the standard JT introduction: "Welcome, get settled in, we have some news for you. Some good, some bad, but some news for you …" And the eight-minute news bulletin begins, a range of local, regional, and international stories, from the recent imprisonment of the former Senegalese president's son to the Charlie Hebdo tragedy to xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Their relaxed and informal style stands in contrast to the serious subject matter.
As they assemble the episode, the two rappers are crouched together on the floor in a corner of their sound studio in Xuman's house. They are quietly sharing notes and exchanging ideas for the upcoming episode. There are murmurs in Wolof and French, rhyming and rapping and bobbing of heads. The sound engineer, known as No Face, arrives to set up the beat to which that week's lyrics will be set.
The rest of the afternoon is spent recording as both Xuman and Keyti take turns rapping their news segments, ensuring that sentences rhyme, words flow, and the content is informative and meaningful. It's a task that requires incredible timing, precision, and patience. But it also takes research, creativity, and a keen sense of messaging. They strive to deliver news that is relevant and thought-provoking, that challenges, questions, and stimulates debate.
This episode is focused mainly on sex education among Senegal's youth. It's a sensitive topic in this 95-percent Muslim nation, where premarital sex and promiscuity are strongly discouraged. It's also exactly the kind of topic JT Rappé seeks to address—it's taboo, relevant, and youth-focused.
Young Senegalese are Xuman and Keyti's primary audience. They're the segment of society that often feels disempowered, voiceless, and frustrated with the state of their political, social, and economic environment. Rappers, as an artistic community in Senegal, enjoy unique status as the voice of the young masses. For the country's under-35 population, it's rappers—not the media—who are the true Fourth Estate.
This particular day of recording took over 12 hours, about 10 hours more than usual because the JT Rappé duo invited two teenage boys to "guest rap" on this episode. The second day took place at a three-bedroom apartment across town, where they film each episode. The set consists of two chairs, a table, and a makeshift green screen. The crew is nothing more than a cameraman and someone to hold the iPad teleprompter.
Xuman and Keyti, both dressed in ironically formal attire, record their separate film segments with their pre-recorded voices from the day prior streaming from the MacBook on the floor. Eschewing the staunch formality typical of news presenters, Xuman and Keyti deliver their reports with theatrical antics, humor, and satire, which means you don't necessarily need to understand the language to enjoy the show.
After spending a day observing the weekly JT Rappé episode being produced, it's clear that beneath the beats and the antics there's a deeply substantive body of work being produced. Xuman and Keyti have pioneered a channel for youth engagement in current news affairs in a masterful way—the number of YouTube hits they get speaks for itself.
But they've also extended their influence beyond the youth population, and even beyond Senegal, appealing to a multitude of ages and nationalities across West Africa. Recently, the rapped journal concept reached nearby Cote d'Ivoire, where two prominent Ivorian rappers, Smile and Nash, are now bringing news and rap together in that country, opening new minds and fostering new debates. And that, quite frankly, is good news for us all.
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6 Comments
Very smart and engaging strategy ( I assume that) Modest production, however is creative, neat, professional and well designed; not too time consuming to be created and effective.
Jerri Jef whey for this timely story on hip hop artistes creating authentic media as activism. I think it is important for our global community to understand the role that hip hop artists have played in mobilizing youth to take action on issues related to their country's social development, particularly in Africa. It is time for us to elevate and commend these artistes for their work. Thank you again Amanda and Open Society for all you do.
Thank you guys for the support, please subscribe to our channel www.youtube.com/jtronline and join our community on www.facebook.com/JournalRappe or engage on Twitter @jtronline
Clever and very creative!! Keep the good job guys!! Hugs from Angola!!!
Very creative and superb talent--especially in the delivery of important news to those who ordinarily may not be interested in the regular news.. I like the fact that they use English Subtitle for those who don't understand French or Wolof..Great job!
This is phenomenal! What a brilliant way to convey the news.


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So Civic is finally here, while build quality has raised some eyebrows, there is yet another point of concern which has long been overlooked by Honda Atlas. If you have followed PakWheels Blog, you probably know that 2016 Honda Civic has long been coming. If you don't know already here's a little heads up, Honda Atlas started booking the 2016 Civic back in the first week of June about a couple of weeks after I released the spy shots of Civic's Test Mule.
Also Read: 2016 Honda Civic in Pakistan and its Questionable Exterior Build Quality
Since the booking process started without a reveal of the car itself or of a specification sheet which outlined the equipment it will come installed with, all we knew were its "tentative pricing" (which too were announced a week after pre-booking started on a 50% partial payment of the overall price).
A lack of information, in fact, zero information, lead to a sense of total unpredictability around PKDM Civic, this meant, dealerships were to make guesses regarding Civic's features to claim bookings which meant misleading the public. Now as final pricing and spec sheet have been officially released by Honda Atlas, we know the extent of the false information which was circulated by dealers.
Have a Look: Pakistan's 2016 Honda Civic Officially Launched in a One of a Kind Way!
Here Are The Errors Made by Dealers Regarding 2016 Honda Civic Since Pre-booking went underway;
Rear Entertainment System – Standard OR Optional?
Multiple Spec-sheets which were made by dealerships merely by rumors mentioned that Rear Entertainment System would come as an optional feature for the VTEC Turbo variant of 2016 Honda Civic. While now as Civic hits the showroom floors after seeing a PKR 100,000 increase in its tentative pricing has the Rear Entertainment System as standard which is also a feature primarily responsible for the rather ugly "U" shaped press on VTEC Turbo's center console made to accommodate this system!
LED Fog lights?
LED Fog lights a feature mentioned by many dealerships on their specification sheet when pre-booking is something missing from the new Civic. What I think though is that maybe, dealers who had no knowledge about the to be released Civic at the time booking started, mistook the LED daylight running lamps (DRLs) as LED fog lights. Which may sound foolish on dealers part but provided the lack of information they had regarding the new Civic, it's not a long shot to think this as an explanation.
Dual Auto Air-condition meant what? – Rear ventilation ducts or Dual zone climate control? (This dealer thought both!)
This particular dealership who mentioned LED fog lights as a featured seemed to be confused themselves on what rear air conditioning vents mean. In the specification sheet both rear ventilation ducts and dual auto air condition (climate control) are stated. Out of these two, one attribute made way to the final product that is the rear air A/C vents while the alleged dual auto air-condition which to me suggests a dual climate zone air conditioning remains absent.
Read More: The Fragmented Lineup Of 2016 Honda Civic In Pakistan – Explained!
Prosmatec or CV-T transmission?
This particular tid-bit generated a great deal of confusion on the internet as to what sort of transmission would come inside the new Civic as CV-T is available in other regions. Now since the car is before us, we can confirm that the transmission to our relief is CV-T instead of age-ing Prosmatec.
Multiplex Speedometer or Information Display or Driver Information Display?
A couple of dealers mentioned Civic's speedometer as a "Multiplex Digital Speedometer" again something unheard off since worldwide there are two types of speedometers available on 2016 Honda Civic i.e. either Driver Information Display (which is the full-colored display) or Information Display (the which has made way to our PKDM Civic).
This specific dealer spec-sheet came up with the most accurate set of alleged feature set!
However, despite all the confusions surrounding 2016 Honda Civic, booking response remain positive. What do you think of the new Civic?