Queue the rain

It’s hot here in Roma. Everyday it’s been in the mid-80s. I’m getting so much of my vitamin D from the sun, along with a nice tan and a healthy coating of sweat by the end of the day. Gross, I know. It’s a far cry from the mid-60s and thunder storms in Belgium and Germany. It’s also good practice for when we experience the mid-90s in Madrid.

Street Musicians

The imposing street musicians used to irk me. When I was last in Rome, I was appalled that someone would do something so nice as to provide a little soundtrack to my dining experience and then walk up to my table and ask me for money. The nerve!

Now that I’m a musician myself, see these people in a different light. The kind of light I like to be under. The one that can’t resist the urge to perform. I respect the talented people who come up to our table and share their gifts and talents with restaurant patrons or subway riders. They’re just trying to make a buck by playing what their mamas and papa probably made them learn. And loving music myself, I can’t help but share a strong sense of camaraderie with them, and even a slight bit of envy that they get to do what they love and make money for it in one of the greatest cities in the world.

So my philosophy is that if I feel like I’m in a giving mood, I tip my favorite. Nothing’s required. Only if I enjoyed the performance and I’ve got some change in my pocket.

Bug bite blues

Well, I guess all the bug life saving I’ve been doing at home only gives me a bloodsucker free pass with the local insects. Here, it’s open season on my sweet, high cholesterol blood. They all love me – mosquitoes, biting flies, creepy crawlies, you name it. As long as they’re not poisonous I do all right with the little itches. I can resist the urge to scratch even though I have almost ten bites above my neck. My natural spearmint but repellant doesn’t really help. I recommend chemicals if you really want to shoo the bugs away. Next time I come here, I’m bringing some deet.

Siestas are important

Perhaps you’d think that every moment spent in Rome must be used for quality site seeing, and that naps during the day time are a waste of time. I thought that for a little bit, until I got tired of being in the hot sun at three in the afternoon. I get if you only have three nights to spend in the city of Amor, but if you have a little more time, make your excursions enjoyable by getting enough rest, drinking plenty of water, and taking some public transit instead of walking everywhere all the time. There’s nothing sadder than vacation wear out, and it leads to going back to work and feel like you need another vacation. Catch those zzz’s and be an efficient planner. The city’s not going anywhere.

Biking in Borghese

One of the most fun outings Joyce and I have had is at the Borghese Gardens. On its own, it’s a simple arboretum with wading fountains and grassy quarters. It has its own museums – this is Rome after all – as well as a beautiful panoramic viewpoint. I guess it’s not so simple. What made it extraordinary was the cycle-buggy we rented for 10 euro for an hour. Look at the pictures and imagine the fun we had cruising through the park on that awesome contraption. To make the experience all the more awesome, I brought my iPhone with me this time (conveniently stored in my new murse I acquired at the flea market last night) and I turned up the tunes as loud as I could. We played everything from hip hop to jazz to Bananarama during our trek. Two times we stopped to walk in public fountains – a refreshing experience on a hot day.

I highly recommend renting one of these buggies, especially if you’re in a group, maybe even if you’re all by yourself. It’s such a fun ride and an quick and memorable way to view the park. I had never been to Borghese before, but I can tell you, based on the fact that I’m a frills kind of guy, that without this buggy, this place would have just been a walk in the park.

Sistine Chapel Free For All

It would be absolutely awe inspiring… if people followed the rules. The last time I was at the Sistine Chapel, it was more or less silent. For me to take pictures, I had to hold my camera inconspicuously and take non-flash pictures. It seemed like there were more guards there, and that the place was more protected.

Flash forward ten years, and everyone’s talking like it’s a block party. Flash photography ran rampant and there were maybe ten guards in there at most. I can tell you, I got plenty of pictures this time. None of them flash pictures, but lots of them. Yes, I feel guilty, and I’ll probably go to confession when I get home, but who knows if I’m going to come back here or if the people I show the pictures to will ever get to see the Sistine Chapel.

Still, it could have been silent in there. Even if people were taking pictures. I believe silence would have made the place feel more like a chapel. Joyce and I thought they could play some peaceful choral music in the background – or better yet, have different choirs volunteer to sing in there – to entice people to zip their lips. I don’t think I got an authentic experience of the chapel this time.

St. Peter's Basilica: Attraction or Church?

Is St. Peter’s Basilica a tourist attraction or a place of worship? Of course it’s not an either/or question – it’s both/and. But I would call it a church that attracts not just tourists, but everyone. Notice I called it a church first, because that is, first and foremost what it is.

If I visit Mecca, I’m there as a visitor to admire a place of worship, not just a fancy location. I felt the same way when I visited the Japanese Shinto and Buddhist temples. You simply can’t deny the sacredness of a place of worship, whether you’re a visitor of a different religion or an atheist. If you don’t believe in God, and you’re visiting a place like St. Peter’s (I’m sure San Pietro is just teeming with people who don’t believe in God), you might deny the presence within yourself, but you’re foolish if you deny the presence in others who are there and understand and believe in God.

So even though there are thousands of people wandering through the Basilica taking snapshots and chatting away, it’s very important to understand that each fresco, every mosaic, all the sculpted stones, bronze and marble is Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.