Here we are in Rome. The Eternal City. It�s a city that thrives with life unlike any other I have seen � the people are vibrant and loud, the sights are beyond world-class, and the food is astounding. We have been to many places on this trip and tried lots of different cuisines, but nothing has been as wonderful as that first taste of lasagna. For my money, the Italians are the kings of food. And the proliferation of Italian restaurants across the world attests to their mastery.
But Rome is also overwhelming and exhausting. The transportation is not wonderful � most of the time we end up riding buses from one place to another. The traffic is everywhere, and the drivers are reckless. Mopeds scoot between cars and over sidewalks. Walking is at once both spectacular and dangerous. I guess Rome, much more than most cities, just takes some getting used to.
We have been around to most of the city over the past couple days. We are staying in a hotel just down the road from the Colosseum, giving us the most spectacular view of the Arch of Constantine when we walk outside. We have a nice little balcony overlooking the street, which has been wonderful due to the great weather. It was so refreshing to get off the train from Munich, where it was pretty cold, and feel the warm air of the Mediterranean � pretty close to 75 degrees. We wore short sleeves for the first time since we left for London.
Colleen and I came to Rome last year after Abigail died, and we managed to get most of the major sights in: the Colosseum, the Capitoline Museum, St. Peter�s, and so forth. So this time around, we have been concentrating on walking around the city. We have seen many of the major sights, but we have also seen how Rome works.
On Saturday, we had a real treat. Overall the day was stressful, with demonstrations clogging the streets and snarling traffic, with bus routes that changed on us without explanation, with subway lines that stopped running, and with spitting Roman bums riding on (it seemed like) every bus we used. But we decided to go out to see some of the catacombs that line the outskirts of Rome. The catacombs were designed by early Christians as a place to bury their dead. Believing in the afterlife and the eventual Day of Reckoning, when all dead bodies will arise from their graves to be either granted eternal life or doomed to eternity �down there,� they preferred to place the bodies of the recently deceased in the earth, as opposed to the Roman preference for cremation. Miles and miles of tunnels were dug to accommodate all the bodies, and these tunnels (just some of them) are now open to the public.
I was in awe as I walked among the tombs. Holes, dug into the walls, once held the bodies of so many believers. Saints and martyrs were also buried there, only being taken out when succeeding waves of invaders from the north ransacked Rome in search of treasure. When the tombs were emptied by the fearful Christians, the cult of relic collecting began.
So we walked through the tunnels with an English-speaking tour guide. The tour was informative but pretty dry, and we were surrounded by Americans on a bus tour, which always sort of dampens the experience. Not that bus tours are bad by nature, but my experience is that these tours generally end up as an American experience (with those new friends from Jersey that you never quite remember to send a Christmas card) punctuated by quick glimpses of fascinating sights. And conversations begun on the bus continue in the sights, regardless of their sanctity or awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping beauty. Colleen and I, on the other hand, are walking or riding public transportation to these sights, so when we arrive there, we are ready to take it all in. Of course, everyone has their own preference for how to do things, and as long as people enjoy their travels, everything is just fine.
Anyway, the catacombs are covered with early Christian murals depicting religious themes. It was so interesting to see early depictions of the crucifixion or the last supper and compare them with the depictions we have seen in museums and churches around Europe, most of which came much later (Renaissance and Reformation, mostly). The early depictions, to me, even though we were really rushed through the catacombs, seemed purer and more real, less romanticized and less politicized.
So that about does it. We have seen so much over the past few days that it would prove impossible to relay it all. Many of you have already, no doubt, stopped reading this message. But if you�re still with us, then there�s one more surprise. I think we have come up with a name for our little girl. So stay tuned.
Paul and Colleen
Back to home page