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the Champagne Palace hotel from the street.
11/22/2004 - Monday: in Rome Roma, the Vatican, train to Florence Firenze

tags: italy



Monday Reality



Left hotel a bit late...not too bad. Tried to get on the subway but there was a line up the stairs. We were going to take a bus, but then we got a cab. 10 euros to take a cab two metro stops...I sort of think that wasn't strictly kosher...but maybe it was. it was still fun. We got to go under a tunnel that we saw yesterday during our ordeal march of being lost.



the idea was to catch the capucin crypts on the way to the vatican. But they were closed...still. so we slipped down back into the subway. We had used our single use tickets when we were turned back by the line at the Termini station, but we decided that the moral constraints were met, so we slipped through and re-used the tickets to get to the vatican. AFter all, we had gone through the gate, but we hadn't gotten on a train...



so the train left at 4:48ish, maybe 4:47...basically right on time ...



Off we rushed to the Vatican museum. We arrived at 10:00...and the english tour was at 10:30, so just enough time to get oriented and rest a bit before the ordeal by marbel floor!



We had a nice tour guide. First she showed us a sort of parchement view of the sistine chapel-two rulls of text and pictures with details of the different scenes. She would wind it down to get the next view.



This was fascinating...I am phenomenally underinformed of art and cultural matters...it is almost a cliche to say that, but egads it it true.



on the other hand, there are things we know today that were unknown 200 years ago. Amazingly...apparantly the whole forum area was under dirt until 18-something. So much dirt that only the tops of the columns were exposed. and even now much remains.



The archeologists cringe over the techniques used to clear what is now exposed. There have been several recent archeological 'campaigns' among the ruins of palatine hill that have excavated pre-roman huts. one of the write ups discussed the findings of 27 flakes of flint, indicating tool maing. So infering thngs based on bits of things found...which is the whole point of archeology.



And it made me realize that they are not done excavating Rome Roma...an odd thing to realize, since only a moment's consideration would reveal how obvious that is! There are Indian mounds that the archeologists are intentionally leaving alone for now, with the expressed plan of letting future archeologists examine them when they have better techniques.



my ears are popping...and the gps lost its lock...I then look out and realize we are going through a tunnel. ah...sense is made.



maybe...perhaps it wasn't a tunnel...I can't tell. several more episodes of pressure changes are occuring.



There are sliding head rests on the cabin walls in back of the seats. they are padded and have vertical supports so that you can lean on them to sleep without falling into the window, or onto your neighbor. they slide up and down to allow you to adjust to your preferences.



We didn't see the capucini crypt, because it was closed, and it was getting dark as we got on the train, but we are doing pretty well.



The vatican tour took two hours...and it seemed that we were moving much of the time. they have these slick radio receivors so you can hear the tour guide even if you are in the next room back.



I had a strong response to a tapestry depicting the slaughter of the chilidren by herod. One baby is being held, barely, by its mother and a soldier has a dagger to the child's heart. The baby is about to die. Other mother's are using their bodies to shield their infants. it is truly horrible.



damn! the pressure changes are really frequent, and amazingly annoying.



I downloaded a bunch of stuff from 'hex'-a friend of Jo and Schuyler's. I'm reading

how to build a reality that doesn't fall apart two days later...file:///Users/admin/wa/web/downlode.org/etext/how_to_build.html



I'm on the train...fighting sleep. I need to pee, but to do that I worry I'll have to wake the gentleman seated in front of the door to our compartment.



passing through orte...at 5:27:00---possibly even got a track point. I had a signal for a moment.



well..more than a moment, but not too long. there is crying in the hall....



The GPS showed us going 115 mph, for a bit. not just one observation. interesting. fast.



The hall of maps was cool because I realized it was, or could have been, not about art and instead was about the simple matter of managing an empire.



I enjoyed the museum, duh, and the Sistine chapel...and then we climbed the dome! I loved that! I truly loved it. We got to the top and I could see radio vatican and the quiet parts of the vatican and various 'stuff.' I don't know why, but seeing vatican radio made me happy.



We descended...heather waited while i ran about St. Peter's one more time. I went back

A close up shot of Bennett's Tavern. Now a little bit of history: Bennett's Tavern was built in the early 1850s by Alanson Bennett, a Rome lawyer and state politician. The tavern was originally located in McConnellsville and served as the first train station in town. Little information about the tavern's daily activities has been recorded, but it is known that it served in this function during the 1850s, 60s and 70s. According to local traditions, the tavern also served as a stagecoach stop at this time. The tavern appears on maps and deeds from the 1850s-1870s, and a receipt from a local butcher to a Mr. Fox at the Tavern was found in the walls of the building. The building was sold in 1883 to Mr. George Gibbons, who used it as a home. The tavern was one of three in McConnellsville and appears to have been a very busy place. The kitchen floor is the third floor the building has had. The tavern also served as a social spot for the town and a place where travelers, salesmen, and workers could stay. The porch of the tavern was only 20 feet from the train tracks and the place must have been noisy when the trains arrived. Three public rooms were located on the first floor: Bar Room, Dining Room, and the Parlor. It was moved to the Erie Canal Village in the 1970s. Located at Routes 46/49, just west of Rome, NY.