Highlights from our last day in Rome

Before we go to sleep, I thought I'd jot down the highlights from today. We did our usual walking, viewing, going in and out of churches as the art is so wonderful, and then we came to the Basilica de San Pietro in Vincoli, and there we saw Michelangelo's Moses (1505). Truly colossal and the subject of much discussion, including Freud's essay The Moses of Michaelangelo, as Moses sports two small horns, which were inspired by a mistranslation of a biblical passage. The 'rays of light'were translated as 'horns'. Apparently Michelangelo was aware of the mistake, but gave Moses horns anyway. From other stories we hear, the artist was a bit of a bad boy.

And then we went to Alfredo's for lunch. You know....fettuccine Alfredo? Great fun, very expensive but prosecco outside is always worth it, as was the tiramisu.

But the best was.....

Yup. We've just returned from a fabulous performance of Aida at the Rome opera house. The singing was marvellous, costumes for the 70-80 cast members brilliant and the dancing and choreography, include a whirling dervish, was mesmerizing. Truly a night to remember and made very enjoyable by the fact that the subtitles were in English and Italian.

A gelato on the way home and now bed.

Tomorrow, we're back to Montpellier.

Rome in the rain

We started yesterday morning, looking for breakfast, hoping to also do some people watching. There was a place near us, so without looking at the menu, we just ordered two lattes, two small pastries and "oh, did we want some orange juice?" Of course. Well, remember our breakfast in Paris when we didn't look at the menu? For those who don't know Italian, it is the spremuta that took us over the top. 6€ for a glass of orange juice!!! Fortunately, I can laugh this off, but Les had a little more trouble letting go.

And before we could go any further on our day's adventures, we had to return for raincoats and umbrellas. And then we headed out to the Basicllica of San Giovanni, which was the original basilica for the Pope, before they moved to Avignon for almost 100 years. Beautiful building and except for the lack of domes, very much like St. Peter's. It is the official basilica for Rome, while St. Peter's is the basilica for Vatican City.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbasilica_of_St._John_Lateran

We had a terrific time admiring the paintings and sculptures, the cloister, etc. and also went across the street to the Scala Santa http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scala_Sancta. And we also went to the Basilica di San Clemente, going four floors underground, first seeing 11th century frescoes, then further to a 4th century basilica and then further to a Roman house and a dark temple of the Mithras.

Today we started off early. We'd spoken with two Australian women at the hostal who had booked a tour at the Vatican. It had never occurred to us, but we booked one as well for 9am this morning, so we were up at 6:30, breakfast of yogurt and coffee/tea and a walk to the Termini to catch the No. 40 bus to the closest stop to the Vatican. We arrived early, followed the wrong line but quickly sorted that and were directed to walk the km around the walls to Museum entrance. As we walked, with our lovely prepaid voucher, we passed about 2,000 people, waiting in line in the rain and I may well be underestimating. Les and said it was kind of like having a reservation for the ferry lineup. Anyway, after the security search of knapsacks, etc., we sashayed up the stairs, presented our voucher at the wicket and were told to go to area B (10 ft away), which we did. It was only 8:20 and we didn't have to be in our group until 8:40, so we were both pleased and surprised that we were early. By 8:45, "B" didn't seem to be doing anything, but "E" did, so I wandered over and spoke to the chap handing out earphones, etc, and sure enough that's where we were supposed to be, AFTER we had gone back to the original wicket (where I had been told to stand at B) and exchange the voucher for two tickets. Done! Fortunately, because of the rain, they waited five minutes for all 25 of us to arrive.  The tour guide was great! She gave us a 20-30 minute lecture on the Sistine Chapel, with illustrations, etc., before we started the tour. Thus, when we finally reached the chapel about two hours later, we had some context and knowledge to really enjoy the artwork, because of course, there is to be silence in the chapel, so she would not be able to provide any interpretation.  I have never ever been on anything like this. We were literally herded, quietly and slowly from one room to another and the whole time, the guide continued to be helpful and give us great historical info. Even though, in each room, we were cheek by jowl, it was okay as mainly we were looking at the walls and ceilings. Admittedly, it was a bit difficult to appreciate the mosaic floors.

This statue was fabulous. It was carved around 40-30 BC, and found in 1506 on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. It was identified as a masterpiece from Rhodes and quickly bought by Pope Julius. The story that goes with it is that during the Trojan Wars, Laocoön, a priest of Apollo in the city of Troy, warned his fellow Trojans against taking in the wooden horse left outside the city gates by the Greeks. Athena and Poseidon, who were favouring the Greeks, sent two great sea serpents to kill Laocoön and his two sons. The guide pointed out to us how the sons are looking to their father for help and he is helpless to save not only them but himself. As she was telling us this, and advising us to look for the emotion in the marble, I thought she had tears in her eyes. 

As we exited the Basilica and St. Peter's Square, we noticed dark clouds.....

so, after being on our feet for over five hours, we followed Neville's advice and dashed a couple of blocks to Il Papalino, where I had a fabulous eggplant parmigiana with prosecco and Les had pizza and beer, while the rain landed on the awning above our heads.  We then toddled back in the rain, for a rest.

Since it was continuing to rain/pour, we spent time planning tomorrow, our last full day in Rome and had dinner at the hostal. Fabulous food and reasonably light after our lunch.

Corrections and amendments

Les read the blog and said that he had eaten the rigatoni carbonara, not the bolonase. He had referred to it as the bacon and eggs of pasta. An sauce of egg, cream and Parmesan with a few bits of prosciutto. And here's the sea bass, a pic I had not included before.

And it was the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere that we visited. Still, quite fabulous.

We've done so much walking and are still constantly amazed. Yesterday we walked through a leafy neighbourhood between the train station and San Giovanni Laterano. Then suddenly, we turned a corner and there is another ruin and a beautiful park.

Many of the restaurants attract patrons by having food dishes displayed outside. Here's one. Hard to resist eh?

In Rome and in overwhelm

As much as I love Rome and as much as we are pacing ourselves (afternoon nap/siesta) I still find all the new sights and sounds very stimulating and overwhelming.

For our full first day in Rome, we had breakfast at the Beehive and I think Les enjoyed his fried eggs and toast as much as I enjoyed my oatmeal with apples. With great coffee, it was a fabulous way to start the day. And then we walked......and walked......first to the Colosseum (crawling with half of the world's population), then to the Trastevere neighbourhood, with lots of markets and cool shops and the beautiful Basilica do Santa Celia in Trastevere, with a Cavellini frescoe. Stopped for a small sandwich and coffee and moved on. Then to Trident area, on to the opera....Aida is on and perhaps we'll get tickets.....then to the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain (still under wraps with renovations), checked out Hannah's favorite gelato place and by 4:30, collapsed for a nap. At 6pm I attended a cooking class offered by the Hostal, with a couple from Florida and one from Texas. We learned so much, and had a blast. Besides the eggplant starter, we made three pasta sauces: from top left: eggplant and parsley, tomatoes and basil and lemon and sage.

All fabulous. Les chose a quiet evening in with Brie, prosciutto and wine.

Because of the crowds, we decide to rise at 6:30am, have yogurt, fruit and coffee in the kitchenette here and we were out the door by 7:30, in line for tickets to the colosseum by 8:15. We had a good, uncrowded visit, ignored all hawkers and really enjoyed ourselves, letting our imaginations run as to what life might have been like here 2,000 years ago. We promised ourselves lunch in the Trastavere neighbour and went to a restaurant recommended by Neville. Again, sea bass for me. I'm so predictable, but the bonus on this dish were the mussels and clams. Delish. Les had the rigatoni bolonase and we were both so full there was no room for dessert. But we had had wine, so time for siesta again.

By the time we got ourselves organized, it was 7pm and time to head out to a small theatre about one hour's walk away, to hear "Three Sopranos in a Maria Callas Tribute". The theatre was behind the Pantheon, held about 125 people, but was only half full and the performances were fabulous. What a way to spend an evening in Rome. We were walking home shortly after 10 when we realized we had not yet eaten. My solution was a gelato at Como iI Latte, near Hannah's favourite. We thought it was cool that restaurants were closing at 10pm, yet gelato places had lineups at 11!

So today was another early day as we headed off to the Palatino and the Roman forum. Truly overwhelming. A lot of walking over cobblestones and Roman roads and appreciating what the Romans have given us. Almost every arena in the world is modeled after the colosseum in terms of entrances and ability to seat people quickly. And where would the world be without Times Roman or Times New Roman typeface, used by typewriters and now computers. Check out the 2000 yr old archway. Oh, yeah....the arches. Think about it.

I took this photo of the Roman Forum

From here....from the top 

Our naps seem to get earlier and earlier. Les is sleeping soundly as I type this, but time to wake him up and explore a new neighbourhood. 

Pizza tonight I think.

Rome!

After a quick turnaround to unpack the camino, wash clothes and dust the apt, we packed an entirely different set of clothes and flew to Rome today. After 15 nights in a different bed each night on the camino, we will have 7 days in the same bed. What luxury.

We are staying in Rome in a place called the Beehive http://www.the-beehive and it's great. Welcoming, comfortable, and lots of suggestions for dinner, activities, walks, etc. We even have our own little terrace and a shared kitchenette so we can make coffee/tea, snacks, etc.

We went for a bit of a neighbourhood walk to find a gelateria and there'll be pics of that when we actually buy something. But we were hungry for dinner and so at 8:30 stopped in at the restaurant beside the hostal. We were so hungry that we started to eat before I remembered to take a pic. Prosciutto with mozzarella:

I then had the homemade gnocchi with butter and sage and Les had the lasagna, both of which were fabulous.

And then the drama started. By this time, it was 9:30 and only one other table was occupied. Then a table for eight was set up, carafes of wine, baskets of bread, bottles of water, the whole deal and the staff waited......

And then they came.....but only six, so they rearranged the table so it was cozy.

We figured trouble was afoot. At one point the waiter bent down to pick something up and I figured it was a bullet casing ;-) We let our imaginations run wild and had ourselves laughing as these six men sat down, obviously some meeting for the first time, and we're so enjoying each other's company. 

I'd love to have figured out what the meeting was about, but I think it was pretty tame.

Last days in Santiago

Although rain was predicted, we had two dry, sunny days in Santiago to relax and just take in the history of the city. As we strolled the streets, we bumped into other pilgrims we'd seen along the way: the 2 guys from Detroit, one who is eternally grateful that I told him about walking backwards downhill; the two German women who arrived two days after us and Craig, the Australian who had also slowed his pace towards the end. And our Norwegian friends with their granddaughter. Because of stomach troubles they had had to take the train from Pontevedra, but otherwise, this almost-six-year-old, walked the whole way from Porto. 

Of course, statues of Santiago are all over this city and certainly all over the cathedral. We did see two of Santiago as  the Moor slayer (Matamoros), inside the cathedral

 And outside on the top of a university building across the square.....

We loved having tapas at Do Bispo. Here's a sampling of their display. 

Last night we we went out for dinner to a restaurant on San Pedro, with Lanzada and here children. Among other treats, had fabulous pulpo:

And then it was time to say goodbye. Lanzada's son took this photo and her daughter photo bombed it. 

So now we're on our way back to Montpellier. And as a matter of interest to those who walk with walking sticks, Ryanair will check them FREE as stowed baggage as they are not allowed through security. I imagine other airlines do the same. 

On to Rome!

Packing in the dark

Last night at 9:20pm, the hospitalera, and I use that term with caution, as she was more like a warden, returned to the albergue to tell us she was turning off the lights in ten minutes. All six of us were tired (the albergue had 54 beds), so we didn't mind. However, at 7am when we woke to start packing up to leave, still no lights. There was a central switch and no one around to turn them on, so we huddled near the bathrooms that had motion sensors lights, and packed our gear. It was pouring outside, so ponchos on, we walk about 5km to our morning coffee and croissant. Beautiful walk and even better when the rain stopped. 

And here we are having lunch with about 7 km to go. 

And then.........we made it!!!!

We are now showered, and have been out for a celebratory beer, some tapas and will roam the streets for dinner. It's been a wonderful journey and I only one blister on my baby toe. We have another whole day to explore Santiago with Mel before he heads back home. 

Two days of awesome walking

We left Arcade at 7:45am, heading towards Pontevedra and lunch with our ex-neighbour's mother, whose apt overlooks the camino. We took a lovely scenic route so instead of walking 12km we likely put in about 14. 

We finally reached Rosa's house and she welcomed us warmly. After about 20 minutes chatting, the doorbell rang and she said her cleaning lady had arrived. In comes a young woman with impeccable English. Something didn't seem quite right and after bringing in and putting away a broom and dustpan, the truth finally came out. This was another of Rosa's daughters. We all had a good laugh and then headed out for lunch. Getting to the café took us through part of the downtown and we soon realized this was a town that we would visit again. After lunch.....I had jamon, queso and red wine, we went to another café for coffee. We were served a couple complimentary churros but unfortunately they weren't fresh. We promised Mel that we would find some fresh churros in Santiago. 

We finally returned to Rosa's apt, picked up our packs and headed out at 3:30pm for another 10km. It started to rain a bit, but the scenery was so lovely we didn't care. We finally arrived at the next albergue at 6pm. Again, a fabulous welcome. The Hospitalero was in a wheelchair, spoke only Spanish and had done the camino at least three times. Amazing. He made a dinner for the ten of us of chicken soup, salad, tortilla Español and bread. And the wine flowed. Everyone seemed to be quite tired so most were in their bunks by 9:30. Lights out at 10.  

Today, we left again at 7:45, planning to stop for breakfast about 2km down the road. That café was closed, so we walked another 8km to the first open one we could find. A great omelette for me, and bacon and cheese bocadillas for Les and Mel. We met a young man from Montreal there, who had stayed at this small albergue/café for three nights. He had arrived very sick and he said they had taken care of him like he was their child. He was happy to be walking out the door again and on his way to Santiago. This is the place!

We walked on and after an hour or so, with me trying to dry my pants which I had washed (silly me) on the back of Les' pack. I was drying the rest of my clothes on the back of my pack and then the rain started. 

We walked for a bit but I badly needed to stop and put my feet up so we spied a bar and ordered three teas. What a treat. 

Another hour of walking and we arrived at an albergue 3km south of Padrón. A place called Pontecesures that had an albergue for 54 and a restaurant that offered food to pilgrims on a donativo  basis. We checked in to a beautifully clean, basically empty (2 other pilgrims) albergue. Mel and Les say the showers are great but my towel is still soaked so I'm passing. I rested while Les and Mel went to check on the restaurant. After a few beer, thy returned to say it was basically a dump, with junk all round and a guy drinking heavily, lining up the beer cans as he drank them. After enjoting a couple of berrs and some pimientos Padrón, they made the wise decision that this would not be a place we would enjoy for dinner. We dressed warmly as it's 11C at 8pm, and found a bar that would serve omelette, fries, calamari and wine. We thought we had ordered patatas bravas as Les loves them, but what came out of the kitchen was French fries with a spicy mayonnaise. We've promised Mel some good Spanish food in Santiago. We'll have breakfast tomorrow in Padrón   

Off to bed now and hopes for another gorgeous day tomorrow. We may make it to Santiago. 

Walking with Mel

I left Tui after the most scrumptious breakfast buffet I had seen in ages. Now that I am in Spain, there are different signs and markers and the first part of the walk took me through a beautiful path and forested area. For me, walking on cobblestones is like standing on granite all day; walking on asphalt is like linoleum and walking in the forest is like a plush carpet. So I started the day on a plush carpet.....

On the Roman Road, and we have seen these signs now for two days. 

Spanish directional signs, different from Portugal. 

A lovely Roman bridge. And then I did not take out my camera again until the end of the day. I missed the suggested turnoff and consequently walked 7 km through a horrible industrial estate into O Porriño, so I was quite grumpy.  Fortunately, the Hospitalero at the albergue put me back into a great mood as he had lovely music playing and when I mentioned that Mel had sight problems which were especially bad at night, he gave us a private room beside the bathrooms. Not one floor up with everyone else. 

Les and Mel arrived around 4:30. They too had missed the detour so we were ready for beer. Mel texting his wife to say he's ok!

And today has been a mixed day of walking. Forests, half km beside a road, through farming and then residential areas, up and down and finally to Arcade.(21km) I had chosen this as it is famous for their seafood. 

We've just returned from sharing a beer with a prof from Melbourne, a GP from Zurich, who recently returned from running an Ebola hospital in Sierra Leone, and the Hospitalero. 

Les and Mel have gone to the beach and fish boat area, and I'm resting my knees. Tomorrow we visit our ex-neighbour's mother in Pontevedra. 

An extra day in Tui

Yesterday was a fiesta day in Tui and it was so much fun to sit in the open air, at 6pm, by the paseo, nurse a beer, and watch the beautifully dressed women and children go by (men tend to remain more casual). However as the festivities continued, it was not so much fun as the noise and loud voices, all around the albergue, until 5am, left many of us very tired in the morning. And we had to be out of the albergue at 8am. And of course, since it is now a special day, the day after fiesta, most places are closed and the cafês were not opening until well after 8:30. We even bumped into cops looking for their cuppa. Once sated, we left my backpack at my hotel and I walked with Les to the train station. He's off to Porto to pick up our brother-in-law and tomorrow we will meet in Porriño .....about 17km. 

When I returned to the cathedral area I knew there was something going on. A band was warming up, dignitaries arriving , couples in national costume, all waiting for this man. 

I walked over to Valenca for some soup in Portugal and by the time I returned, two hours later, the service was just ending. On the way back, I had stopped in one church and seen a statue is St Roch, the patron saint of pilgrims (and a Montpellier boy) very much like Santiago, but he points to his leg wound and there is a wee dog bring bread so his master can survive. 

In the cathedral was a relief of Santiago as the Moorslayer. 

And at the entrance to Tui is a new (2005) statue which has Santiago seated.  ...quite unusual. 

I have been told that there will be a celebration tonight between 8 and 9 so I will go. Meanwhile I type this, while in the garden of the hotel, enjoying my complimentary:

If you're interested, here is my room....all for 40€, including breakfast. 

http://atorredoxudeo.es/habitacion_el_jardin/

An short day

We started this morning with the intention of doing 18km to Valenca, but after 9km, we came upon a Quinta, owned by a guy from Nova Scotia. He was so warm and inviting, that after a cup of tea and a sandwich, we decided to stay. And what a good decision. 

But first, when we started out this morning at 7:45 or so, the clouds were still in the valley and it was 8C. 

We had coffee and a bit of breakfast at a café/grocery store about 1km from the albergue and then we started our walk, on a Roman road through a lovely wooded area, at times beside a stream and waterfall

And then on the large blocks of stone that make up the road. 

As we passed through a small hamlet we came upon a woman carrying flowers to the church in memory of her husband. Another pilgrim asked to take her picture and here she is showing her the result. 

And then the woman and I had a bit of a conversation as she had lived in France for 8 years and loved to speak French whenever she could. 

And then we arrived at this albergue. Les and I have our own room with an ensuite. Tea and coffee are there for the taking, as are beer and wine. A young woman did our wash and I hung it out.  I'm having such a lovely rest, enjoying the birdsong and the sun. 

And where we will have dinner tonight. 

The entrance, unfortunately in the shade. 

The price for all this and breakfast too?

Donativo. I think we'll leave alot!!