Quack

We arrived safely back in Eugene. The flights were long but not bad. The customs stuff in Detroit was the smoothest we have ever been in. There were no lines at all.

:)

Pictures!!!

Last Day in Rome

Saturday was our last day in Rome. We had a few more sites that we wanted to check out. Our plan was to check out the National Museum of Rome and San Clemente, plus any where else along the way.

We took the metro to Termini and walked to the museum. Funny, it really does seem that everywhere we go, there is an event. Today we just could not get away from a marching protest. They protesters were marching to stop racism and homophobia. There were police and guards everywhere. The museum was very quiet. A much needed change from the hustle and bustle of the city. We could still hear the helicopter at certain points in the building and sometimes we could hear someone on a megaphone but we could not make out what he was saying.

The museum has excellent sculptures and exquisite mosaics. There are also numerous sarcophagi. One in particular, il Sarcofago di Portonaccio, left us both completely speechless. So incredibly ornate and it was not even complete. In the explanation it says something about the lid having the faces of the husband and wife who were expected to be placed in it but the faces were never completed and it is unclear whether the piece was used.

In the basement there was an extensive collection of coins as well as a mummy of an 8-year old girl. They found her in a small sarcophagus and she had some lovely pieces of jewelry and dolls with her. They are not sure who she is and the sarcophagus does not have the details of her family. There was a video about her but it was in Italian so we did not understand it. The coin area was very organized and they even had some stations with magnifying glasses that moved by pressing arrows so you could zoom in on the coins. Some of the coins were very tiny and some where just giant. I couldn't imagine carrying the giants ones so I think they must not have been for general use.

When we left the museum, the protest was really getting going. Seems we were at the meet up/start of it. I started to get nervous as I remembered reading about the protests (same topic) before we left and they didn't always stay calm. The police had helmets and shields. The guy on the megaphone started chanting hallelujah and we decided it best to leave before they started marching. We headed in the direction of the Colosseum and stopped in at a pizza shop for a quick slice. It was only ok so we went in search of the pizza place that had the spicy pepperoni and good sauce. It took us a bit to find it and we had to walk all around Trajan's Market to get to it. The pizza was just as good. The place is called Caesar Pizza and it is on stairs near Trajan's Market. The lady is nice and the pizza good but the drinks are very expensive. $4.50 (US) for a small Powerade.

My third slice in hand (you can never have to much good pizza), Alan and I headed to San Clemente. It is a 12th-century church, built on top of a 4th-century church, built on top of 1st-3rd century buildings, which include a Temple of Mithras and an old Roman house with a spring. The top-level church is free to visit but to go below there is a small fee. Unfortunately, there is no photography allowed in any of the locations. We only saw one camera flash the entire time there. The guidebook mentions that it is possible the Christianity may have been worshiped secretly in the lower buildings in the 2nd century.

From here we decided to head to the Campo de' Fiori. Turns out, the marching protesters were walking that way too. We stayed just ahead of them and the police. Along the way we passed the Theater of Marcellus. This building looked like it was pieced together from several different types of material but it has just been used for so many different things. We walked around one side of it and continued on our way.

We made it to Piazza Farnese. The market ended at 1:00 so we had missed that but they were still cleaning up when we arrived. We walked through the square and down a narrow street to Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte. The traffic, in order to get places despite the protest blocking most of the central area, was just whizzing through the little streets around the area trying to find a way through. Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte is the church dedicated to the burial of the unknown dead. There are skulls and hourglasses decorating the church and it was very quiet. Not many tourists here. There was a nun watering the fresh flowers and music was playing in the background.

I decided to sit and rest outside while Alan snapped pictures. As I was sitting, a couple young guys stepped out, speaking English. One of them was a young priest. He said, "James, there are more skulls out here. I wonder what they mean." I told him the church was dedicated to St. Mary of Prayer and Death. He asked me what that meant... I told him it was about burying the unknown dead. He thought that made sense. :)

From here, we decided to squeeze in a few more museums. Piccola Farnesina is small but quiet and has a nice assortment of pieces. There is one small face and it looks like it is made from tiny bits of alabaster or mother of pearl. I don't know which but it was shiny and lovely. From here we went to Palazzo della Cancelleria. It had a temporary exhibit showing mockups of Leonardo da'Vinci's works. Some of the pieces were interactive so that was fun.

And just when you think we cannot possibly walk any more, we walked all the way back to the area of the Trevi Fountain. We came across a yarn store but it wasn't that great. We found a restaurant and each ordered some pasta. Spaghetti alla bolognese for me, tortellini alla bolognese for Alan... mint gelato for dessert.

We are all packed up and ready for our 9:45 am pickup. We are headed back to the land of Ubi, Ro, and pumpkins. I already have plans for roasting pumpkin seeds.

Thanks for joining us on this trip. I believe we are headed to Seattle next and then some family time in St. George, Utah.

Tchuss! Adios! Arrivederci!

Villa Borghese

Friday morning we decided to go check out the Villa Borghese, a park just north of Rome. On our way to the metro station, we stopped at Pan de Zucchero, a tiny pasticceria. According to the guide book, the bobe calde (warm doughnut-like pastries) are legendary." We found it to by quite tasty indeed.

We continued on our way to the metro, and took it to Flaminio where it dumps out onto the Piazza de Popolo and there is a giant entrance into the city, the Porto de Popolo, and a big square with an obelisk in the center and a few churches. We were able to go inside the Santa Maria del Popolo which had a lot of creepy skeletons and tombs.

From the piazza, we walked into the Villa Borghese area. We first headed for the Museo e Galleria Borghese, but found out that it requires advance ticket purchase, and the next available tickets were for Sunday at 7pm. In need of lunch, we headed to the nearest cafe in the park which happened to be over just outside the zoo. Since it was so close, we decided to check out the zoo as well. It's not the biggest zoo, but they have a lot of animals, lots of primates, and big cats too. The Capuchins and Japanese Macaques put on quite a show, all running and jumping around.

After leaving the zoo, we decided to rent one of the four wheeled, two person bikes to stroll around the park. They are rickety quads with some kind of power assist that turns on and off at strange times. It has two steering wheels, but on the one on the left is hooked up to the steering, so the person on the right gets to play with the steering wheel like a child. We took our bike off road a few times, and through the mud, then ended up out of bounds somewhere past the zoo and rather than turn around, we got out and pushed it up at an angle around the barriers blocking cars and other large sized vehicles (including our double-bike). Back in the park, we continued on and found the lovely ionic temple dedicated to Aesculapius, with a small lake around it where you can rent row boats.

We returned the bike and then walked from the park down to the Piazza Navona where we found a few nice fountains, and some more cool churches including the Santa Maria dell'Anima, the Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, and the Sant'Andrea della Valle.

On our way back to the room, we stopped for dinner at yet another pasta and pizza place. Good stuff!

Forum, Colosseum

Thursday morning we decided to visit the Pantheon in the day, we had seen it Wednesday night on the way to dinner. The columns outside are very impressive and the inside isn't to shabby either. The tomb of Raphael is here. The ceiling has a hole in it, open to the elements and yet the floor is clean and dry. This surprised me.

After the Pantheon, we decided to visit the Capitol area so we headed first to the Piazza del Campidoglio. Here there is a replica of a statue of Marcus Aurelius. There were a lot of people and some police, even some reporters. It seems everywhere we go there is always something happening. We were able to buy tickets to the Capitoline Museums (Palazzo Nuovo & Palazzo dei Conservatori) without a wait in line and walked right in. The guide book was confusing because it explained the museums as separate but with one ticket, but to us it seemed it was really just one museum connected underground.

Both museums have great pieces, the sculptures are a must see. There were some school groups, which made for some teenager annoyances but for the most part we were able to walk through slowly and could take pictures without anyone in the shots. It was very peaceful here compared to the streets outside. From the underground level, you can take stairs up to a panoramic view of the Forum and from here, get a great glimpse of the Colosseum through the Forum ruins.

When we were walking around the Palazzo dei Conservatori, we finally found were the crowd of people had gone. It turns out there was a meeting/presentation on something called 'Run for Food.' The attendees didn't look like runners to me but they did get t-shirts at the meeting. Alan guessed that they were organizers.

From here we headed out in search of food and found some lovely pizza (mmm... pepperoni and cheese with a spiced tomato sauce) at a small cafe near the museum. It was quiet inside, several locals, and in the streets children seemed to be getting out of school. One kid stopped in for a slice rather than play in the street. He ate his slice in the blink of an eye and was gone before I knew it.

Rejuvenated and ready for more walking, we headed to the Forum. The line was not long and tickets in hand, we explored the west end first. We really liked the ruins of the Temple of Vespasian (3 columns survived) and the Temple of Saturn (8 columns survived, remains from around 42 BC).

After a look at the Temple of Julius Caesar, we started our walk of the east end of the Forum. Here you have several ruins that have been renovated and are now churches. The remains of the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius really show the grand scale these buildings. You can walk into what would have been the basilica and sitting there can see the huge halls and walkways. The gilded tiles and marble ceiling ornamentation had all been recycled by popes long ago.

The ticket you buy to get into the Forum also gets you into the Colosseum and the Palatine so we headed to the Colosseum. Here, having the ticket helped as we breezed past the line, even the Roma Pass line was long! There are signs that tell you a good route for walking. You get to see part of the Emperor's box, some seats, and the area under what would have been the floor. The area under the floor is said to be where the animals were housed.

The construction and layout of the Colosseum makes it a very interesting building. There were so many entrances. The entrances were numbered 1-80 and everything was so organized (by class and gender) it is said that if you arrived at the Forum for an event you could reach your seat in less than 10 minutes. Now, there is only one entrance and one exit and it takes forever to get in and out. :)

From the Colosseum you can walk across the way and to the left to enter the Palatine. This might be a good entrance to buy a ticket to see everything if you come at the right time because there was no line. There is also less people in general in this area. You can meander and view Augustus' house and the Farnese Gardens. Augustus is said to have lived a simple life and his house was really modest. His succesors did not follow suite though. They built palaces. The gardens are not original but still contain an interesting assortment of plants, including a prickly pear cactus.

After the full day of walking, we decided to catch the metro and head back to the apartment. The first metro was packed to the gills. The second metro was quiet and less crowded. When we got back to the Trevi Fountain, Alan ran to get the computer so we could get internet at the corner cafe. They have 'free' wireless but you have to go into the restaurant and get the password. We just asked for a mixed salad and a hot chocolate to share because we didn't want to eat a lot. They gave us the password for the wireless and a fantastic salad. It was very fresh. We managed to get all caught up on posts while we sat and ate the salad. Alan then ran the computer back to the apartment while I waited and then we headed to dinner.

I had noticed a wood-fired oven in a restaurant on one of our walks and had wanted to eat there so we finally did eat there. Alan had a sausage pizza and I had the spaghetti alla carbonara. Both were very tasty. The pizza was closer to the kind we are used to, round and thin. Most other pizza here is square and a touch thicker.

Friday, we go in search of a bombe calde (a warm donut) and some more fun sites.

The Vatican

We started out the day deciding to go check out the Vatican area first, to get it out of the way before the weekend. What we didn't know was that the pope has a regular Wednesday morning audience. The bus was jam-packed with people and when we got to St. Peter's square, there were metal detectors, barricades, guards, and thousands of people. Oh well, we figured with everyone there to see the pope, maybe the Vatican museums wouldn't be as packed. This turned out to be true, and as we read in the guidebook, Wednesday mornings around 10:30am are an ideal time to visit the museums.

There was almost no line at all and we were quickly inside and on our way to the Sistine Chapel. The route through the museums is mostly one way, culminating at the Sistine Chapel. Tour groups at choke points make it a very slow journey with many areas wall to wall people. Still, we saw a lot of cool stuff and the Sistine Chapel is really amazing. No photographs are allowed inside the chapel, and it was amusing to watch people whip out their cameras and take photos anyway. The guards would clap at them, yell, "no pictures!", and sometimes even make their way through the crowd and escort people out.

On our way out of the Vatican Museums, we stopped to eat some not-so-great pizza (compared to Italy/Rome). Then we headed to St. Peter's square and the Basilica. The line here was similarly tiny. The basilica is utterly massive, and extremly ornate. It comes across as much more of a palace than a church.

After leaving the Basilica, we headed to the cupola access. We took the elevator option, which shaves off 250 of the 570 stairs to the top. Tiny spiral staircases that seem endless finally lead to the top where there are fantastic views and tons of people.

We headed out from the Vatican to check out a local market area only to find it closed (too late in the afternoon). We looked for pizza instead, some truly Roman style pizza to counterbalance the crap in the Vatican cafeteria.

After pizza, we headed to one of two metro lines that serves Rome and used our 3-day metrobus pass to take the metro to Spagna to see the Spanish Steps. The fountain at the bottom of the steps is really cool, designed like a leaking boat. We were amused to see people come and drink from the fountain... gross. We searched our guidebook, but couldn't find anything about special luck from drinking the fountain water.

We walked up the Spanish Steps and checked out the church at the top. From here, we followed the walking tour from the DK guide and found our way back down to the fountain by the Colanna dell'Immacolata, a column with the Virgin Mary atop.

On our way back to the Trevi, we stopped in at the Santi Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso church which has in the back behind the altar the actual shriveled heart of San Carlo. It's been there for hundreds of years.

We rounded out by the closed off Mausoleum of Augustus, built in 28 BC. Then we went by the Ara Pacis (Alter of Peace) which was closed at this late hour. Continuing on, we went into a couple of more churches, including San Rocco.

We ended the evening with a fantastic meal at a restaurant recommended by one of the guidebooks, il Bacaro. Misty had a pasta dish with pumpkin and bacon sauce with parmesan cheese and I had beef strips in balsamic vinagar, rucola, and parmesean cheese and a salad.

The Road to Rome

Today we flew from Barcelona to Rome, our final destination of the trip. We went to breakfast with Kevin, got croissants and dipping chocolate for them, and said our goodbyes. We headed back to their apartment to collect our things and prepare to head out. A quick metro ride and the train to the airport and we were ready to go. The new "Terminal 1" of the Barcelona airport is very spacious and nice. We brought lunch from the cafe where we ate breakfast.

Our flight was early and nearly empty, a rarity. At Leonardo Davinci Airport, we called the apartment owner to arrange a meeting time and then took one of the very expensive taxis into town. There must have been a little bit of a miscommunication about where to meet. We figured he would meet us outside, but he was inside and was waiting for us to buzz. There are no names on any of the six buzzers, so I couldn't guess which to hit. After 20-30 minutes Misty asked a nearby restauranteur if we had the right address. He confirmed and then called the number on his cell phone and spoke to him, which is when we found out he was upstairs the whole time. We returned the karma back to the restaurant guy by eating at his restaurant that very night.

The apartment is really really nice, and quite cheap (cheaper than any of the hotels we were considering). Just look at the pictures yourself. It has a fridge, stove, microwave, and even a washing machine. The only downside I've found with it is that first, for some reason, it has two tiny bathrooms, both with showers (one that you can barely turn around in, and another with a small tub that you can barely stand up in due to the low ceiling). I can't understand why they didn't make it just one large bathroom, that would have been really nice. The sofa out in the living room has a folding bed, so I guess you can have two couples here. The other drawback is that the water heater is microscopic and probably set to a pretty low temperature. We run out of water pretty fast.

After checking out and being impressed by the accomodations, we headed out to look at the Trevi fountain, just a stones throw from the front door. From there, we just wandered around a little bit, and bought some groceries for breakfast the next day (milk and cereal). Along the way, we bought some freshly roasted chestnuts from a corner gentleman. Then it was back to the room for a good night's sleep.

Montserrat

We purchased tickets to go to Montserrat on Sunday so that we could get an early start on Monday, and not have to wait in any lines. We got up early and were able to get on all the right trains, thanks to Kevin. The train was long and we were lucky enough to get a 4-pack of seats together so Laurel and I had time to knit and I even dozed off a bit. The sights are varied once you get out of Barcelona. There are cool fields and houses and there are also slums and industrial areas. There were a lot of people on the train but most of them got off before Montserrat.

You could see the 'serrated' mountains as we approached the train station. We then transferred to the train that took us up the mountain. The train used a cog rail to get up the hill. The track was only one line except for the short passing lane. It was slow getting up and fast getting down.

We arrived at the top and had just enough time to look around and check out a quick slideshow set to recorded music about the monastery, the history, the culture, and the people.

We grabbed a quick snack, croissants, and then headed into the basilica to hear the boys choir. The guy we bought the tickets from said they started at 1:00. We read in the guide book that it is very popular and the place fills to standing room only. It said it gets so busy that you might only hear them and not see them. We must have timed it just right because we were able to get seats in the main section. There was a traveling group, German I think, that started singing first. They were sort of a warm up band. They had the crowd clapping and some even sang along.

They cleared the stage and the young men came out. I would guess they were 10-14 years old and they were very good. They only sang two songs and then they left. Brief but so beautiful. You can tell they train them well. The other group did not even compare.

We decided after the choir to get some things for a picnic at the top. We grabbed some sandwiches and rode the funicular up an even steeper track. We were lucky enough to be at the front of the line and thought we were clever by running to the lower car to get the better view going up. The lower car was unfortunately blocked by the train so we had to crouch on the ground to see the views. We recommend getting the very top car for the best non-crouching views. :)

At the top there was a calico cat. She is definitely well fed. The views were amazing and the weather was pleasant. We walked a brief bit to the top and then proceeded to walk back down to the monastery. We ran out of time to walk down to the cave were the 'Black Virgin' was found, the statue that is one of the reasons why people pilgrimage here. It is just a statue with an orb that has darkened over the years.

We hurried back to catch the cog rail down. We wanted to make sure we caught the last train to Barcelona. The train stopped at the parking garage stop and we were so busy chatting that we didn't notice that everyone got off. See, on the way up, the train just went up. We didn't have to switch at the middle stop. Well, when the rail started up again, we knew instantly we were going the wrong way! It was really funny. I think we got our money's worth on riding it up and back again. This time, the train did continue on to the train station. Go figure.

We managed to catch a train to Barcelona. We were all a little worn out from the jam packed days of touring so we decided to grab a bite to eat out at a Lebanese place that K&L like. We all ordered duren kebob. I had falafel and cheese, a really good one and I forget the name, and then they put on a bunch of fresh veggies. It was so good and quick. The place was beautiful too, mosaic mirrors and friendly staff. Definitely a keeper!

Day 9 - Montjuïc

Sunday late morning, we headed out on the metro, then bus towards the fortress at Montjuïc. The fortress here is pretty neat, but the real attraction is the view of the city. From the castle walls, there are excellent views in each direction. You can see the beach, port, and airport to the south and southeast and the city sprawling in all directions.

We brought food for a picnic and set up for lunch part way down the trail through the park at a fountain. After lunch we found some treats at a snack stand and continued through the park. We found the three fun toys of the park. First, there are the parabolic reflectors that bounce sound from one end to another. You can whisper at one spot and hear it 100 feet away. The second item is the sounding wooden toys. There's a big stepping wooden keyboard that makes sounds when you step on them. The third item is the

We took a funicular down the rest of the way to the metro and continued to Barceloneta where we walked along the beach, stopped to rest our feet and listen to a street band.

For dinner, we ate tapas at Cerveceria Catalona, lots of great little dishes including little fried fishies (escavitoes fritos), shrimp, padrones, bread, escalivada, potatoes, sangria and three different desserts. Yumm!

Caves - Day 8

Happy Birthday KEN!!!

On Saturday, we decided to take a day to explore the cava area. Cava is the sparkling wine of the region, made the same way that they make champagne. It used to be called champagne until the French trademarked the term and required that it come from that region in France. We headed west on the train and after a short ride, we landed right at the front of the first place we had a tour reservation, Freixenet. We were early so we went to town for breakfast.

We walked a very short distance to the little town, over a bridge with lovely views of the vines and found a very modern and new place that was open and serving. Bacon and eggs, omelets on bread, and hot chocolate that was thick and sweet were what we decided on and they were good. We were all glad to have found something to eat because we were not sure we would have made it through the morning without.

After the quick breakfast, we headed back to Freixenet for our tour. Some of the first things you see when you get here are the funny collection of 'cars.' Scooters in the shape of bottles, a car that is a bottle, and a car that is a cork. They did have a tour in English so we were able to learn about the entire process. The tour guide was a German woman and only knew the tour in English. When other folks asked her questions, it took a bit of explaining before she understood. For the tour, we walked through and listened to her explanation as she showed us large, fancy signs on the wall. She had a remote that turned the light on at each sign as we walked through. Then we walked down into the cellar. I have no idea how many levels total there was but it seemed to go on forever. It smelled old and there is a special fungus that keeps the moisture very low. It is a good fungus the tour guide said. I had to touch it, it was really squishy. After a short ride on a train through the old cellar, the tour was over.

After the tour, they take you to a tasting room and offer you a sample of their Cordon Negro. The translation has to do with the color of the bottle and the formation of a 'rope' in the bubbles. You have to use your imagination and stare at the bubbles with your eyes sort of crossed to see the rope but it is there.

After the tasting room, we headed through the store and out to find a taxi to our next stop, Codorníu. The grounds here are just amazing. There is a garden, a old house, and rooms that you can rent. The tour guide here also spoke English and she actually understood it. Angels was her name and she was a great guide. Very funny and energetic. She first showed us the museum and explained a bit about the history of Codorníu as we looked at ancient presses. Then we headed down to the cellar.

Our guide again explained the process. How I understand it, first you grow the grapes, then you pick the grapes, then you extract the must and bottle that. The first fermentation gives you the base. They then add sugar and yeast and it ferments a second time. As the yeast eats the sugar the bubbles are formed. Once the yeast has used the sugar, it dies and falls as sediment. They start the bottle out in a horizontal position. They turn and lift the bottle over the required amount of 'shelf' time. For cava, they must ferment at least 9 months but cannot go more than 4 years. Each company has a different amount of time, longer sometimes means a higher end product.

Once they bottle has been turned and lifted into a vertical position, the yeast has now fallen into the neck of the bottle and the cava is clear and ready for the last bit of processing. They will dip the neck of the bottles into freezing liquid and then the temporary lid and yeast literally explodes out of the bottle. They add a bit more cava to bring it back to full and then depending on the variety, they add white wine and sugar to make the different varieties. It is quite an interesting and simple process.

Here we also got to ride on a small train. This time our guide drove it. It was fun to zip through the old cellar and look at the dusty bottles that have now turned to vinegar. They are there mainly so the tourists can see the old method of production. It is much more modern now, no more hand turning, it is all done by machine. At one point we were waiting as there was a train in front of us, our guide heard the clanking of bottles and laughed and said 'do not touch the bottles.' As she said that, I turned and all I could see were arms reaching for the bottles. People, they never surprise me.

Here too, we ended the tour at the tasting room. We were offered two samples, a rose and a brut. This tasting room was down below and dark, the Freixenet room was upstairs and very sunny. We all agreed that the tour and guide for Codorníu was better but the tasting room at Freixenet was better.

We headed out through the shop here too and went in search of food in the little town again. It turns out, we happened to be in town for the last day of Cavatast 2009. It seems that the region has quiet a few Caves and here you can sample more of them. It is a cute little festival. You buy drink, food, and dessert tickets and then go sample what you want. The food was pretty good and it was fun to see everyone just milling around.

We headed back to Barcelona on the short train ride and headed to K&L's market to get dinner fixings for home. We decided to eat in and fix a giant salad and just eat olives, bread, pita, cheese, hummus, and baba ganoush. The local market has vendors and we were able to get all the stuff and great prices. The salad fixings were less than 7 euro combined, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes... even the figs we got to eat with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar (warmed in the oven) were less than 1 euro. All of it was very fresh and so good!

Pictures from the day are here.