4 MONTH OLD BABIES

Masks.
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 into the catecombs...and reflected a

I noticed these vines growing in my backyard/patio. I saw a few yellow flowers a while ago, and now there's these (sort-of) beautiful fruits. From afar, I thought they were flowers, but found that they were fruits. They're pretty, but they're invasive.

The orange part is the capsule, and the red are the arils, which contain the seeds. The seeds are dispersed by birds, as they are attracted to the red arils. Well, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure if it would be considered a capsule fruit or not. It's not really dry, but not really fleshy either. It does open like a capsule, however. I guess I'll ask my Botany professor next week.

Today, I'm going to study Organic Chem II and Calculus for Monday & Tuesday's finals. When I get sick of that, I'll work on Cell Bio quizzes and studying for Cell Bio and Botany finals. I'll probably get to sleep tonight by reading some of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species." (If it isn't obvious by now, I'm a nerd).

Fun weekend, right?! :-/

I downloaded an app on my iPod called "Stanza" and it has access to many free classic works. I read "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" this week. I really liked it, even better than the Disney movie. It's pretty funny, and it doesn't have a tale about a walrus-like-man eating baby oysters like the movie does (that part always disturbed me as a child).

I've downloaded Beowulf! I don't know why people always hate on Beowulf, I effing love it! My Dad didn't enjoy it when he was in school because he had to read it in Middle English (I don't blame him). Translated, it's a great read. I also dl'd Pride and Prejudice (just because I want to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies eventually), The Divine Comedy (I've read parts in a lit class), The Essence of Buddhism (I enjoyed going through my Dad's Zen phrases book when I was a kid), The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, The War of the Worlds (I haven't read this one yet, I just know of the story), and War and Peace (I was introduced to Tolstoy in an Art vs. Regimes class in spring). Those should keep me entertained over an entire month of winter break (!).