A Day of Waiting and Discovery

Dad and Mom at Monument Emmanuel

Mom and Dad at Arch

David feeds a mime

Dad and David at the Forum

Friday comes quickly since we crashed in bed last night at 8:00pm. We discover that both of us are very much awake at 3:15am wondering if we can get any more zzzz’s. And then it hits me – the Cardinals and the Red Sox, the World Series game has just begun back in Boston. Debbie immediately retrieves her computer and begins to search for live audio. Bingo! We have it! From the 4^th inning on we enjoy what turns out to be an exciting victory for our Redbirds. Three rookie pitchers – Wacha, Martinez, and Rosenthal – show again why they are so valuable to the team. They, along with Beltran and Red Sox errors, win an aggressive base running victory 4-2. The series is now tied 1-1, and returns to St. Louis for the next three games beginning Saturday.

            Having access to information, particularly sports information, we read a fantastic article about our Missouri Tigers on SI.com (Sports Illustrated.com). If we beat South Carolina Saturday evening, we will punch our ticket to greatness before season’s end. What a year we chose to be out-of-the-country. On the other hand, here we are in the cradle of civilization; it doesn’t get more exciting than this.

            We enjoy a breakfast snack and coffee in a nearby coffee bar. I wonder if the guy behind the counter recognizes us, we certainly remember him. The pastries are delicious and although served in a very small cup, my cappuccino is wonderful. From there we stroll up the avenue to the nearest plaza, and there, a McDonald’s provides an additional snack and larger cup of coffee, whew! We shop for soda and milk and return to the apartment in wait of the first to arrive this day.

            Overlooking the traffic below our balcony we look for Ray and Monica, and sure enough Roma Cabs delivers them to us. They claim to be fresh but we know better. Nevertheless we walk across Gregorio VII Avenue to a small café and order enough spaghetti to feed an army; we leave more than we consume but the price was right and the pasta delicious. We share airplane stories and the more we hear of their experience the more grateful we become for our luxury seats.

            We hop on the 916 direct to the Piazza de Venezia, the center of Rome located at the edge of The Forum. The monument to Emanuel II, constructed by Mussolini, and while relatively new, it gives one an idea of what the great buildings of The Forum must have been like in 29 B.C. We walk the distance of the Forum to the Coliseum taking a number of pictures along the way. About every pause, Ray is saying, “Oh my, I just can’t get my arms around all this.” Monica is equally amazed at the size, statues, and columns; and we all try to image the Roman soldiers, merchants, government dignitaries, and commoners walking and marching through the archways and ornate buildings.

            We were particularly impressed by the Mime’s on the sidewalks surrounding The Forum. Most of them Debbie and I had seen before, but this time there were some innovative newcomers. The most exciting were several using the same trick of appearing to deprive gravity of all its force. Suspended in mid-air, only by holding on to a simple, and thin, staff, the Mime’s (sometimes in tandem) hold their posture seeking appreciative coins in the containers provided. I, of course, added to their income and Debbie snapped a picture. Note the suspension.

            The Coliseum was unbelievable as well in real life. Here the lions and gladiators and the 80,000 spectators gathered for sport and good times. The experience of the Christians was harder to conjure; albeit more than likely it is something one would rather not ponder. Exhausted we were smart enough to grab a taxi for the ride back to the apartment. We learned the value of a speedy ride from Steve and Susan Zweig who practically insisted we do so when they were with us in 2010. It was particularly valuable this time as we rode beside and around Circus Maxim, the site of the great chariot races. The movie Ben Hur surfaced in all our minds.

            Naps were the order of the day even when they were in the middle of the day. All four of us were out like a light. A good thing as our next sojourn was to St. Peter’s Square (albeit, it is not square) and dinner on one of the small side cobblestone streets. Ray and Monica, having seen many pictures, television and other, of this historic spot, they are overwhelmed by the size of it. Although I am uncertain of exact dimensions I would guess that three football fields could be contained within the hundreds of marble columns that surround the square. And as they will discover tomorrow, one or more football fields would easily fit inside the Basilica; it is the largest religious structure in the world.

            Moving slowly across the square we take some pictures and eventually come out on the other side; here we walk down a wide cobblestone avenue that borders Vatican City and take a right down the first street to reach an area void of cars and full of outdoor (and indoor) restaurants. Along with our familiar waitress, we find the fresco walls, red and white checked tablecloths, charming tables each with bottles of wine ready for the taking. Wine, in fact, is cheaper than water; however, I have no problem sticking with the water. Debbie is the only one who chooses a non-pasta dish, and all of it is delicious. Not only does the waitress remember us, she brings a full dish of extra ice cubes knowing our preferences in this land of people who disdain ice. She points at her head to indicate that she has not forgotten our American ways.

            We walk quickly retracing our steps back to the bus stop – we have about 5 minutes left on our bus passes before they expire; the bus arrives just in time. We remain on board to the stop past our apartment so that we can re-visit the gelato store. The ice cream, is, as always, simply scrumptious. We walk slowly down Via Gregorio VII to our destination. It is a cool evening, not requiring a jacket, and comfortable.

            Showers all around, Monica heads for her bed and is asleep in seconds; Ray and Monica cross the street to purchase some pizza for the late arrivals. As a reminder, they are Brian, her brother and Angela his wife, and Becca, our daughter and boyfriend Justin – all from California. Brian heads up the Western United States flowers and plants operation for Home Depot, Angela operates a small child daycare operation, Becca (we call her Becky) is a neo-natal travel nurse at the Los Angeles Children’s Center, and Justin, a physician-resident at Loma Linda Hospital in Los Angeles. Yes, they have come the furthest to be with us.

            We receive a text from them while they stop briefly in London (Heathrow Airport); they are famished, thus our rush to buy them some pizzas. We will wait for them from our balcony. I am prepared to once again give them a shrill whistle from above when they arrive. It will be about midnight.