Merhaba from Istanbul (not Constantinople) (Day 54 - GToE)

(Ahhhhh, I crack myself up!)

As I indicated yesterday, today was mostly going to be a travel day and indeed, it was. It started at 6:30 am in Naples with a shared taxi to the central train station (shared with Matt, a fellow hosteler hailing from Australia). I got on the 7:00 am train to Rome's Termini station, which arrived at 8:10 am. This left me about 10 minutes to get a ticket for the Leonardo express shuttle train to Fiumicino Airport. Done - arriving at the airport at 8:55 am. I was scheduled on the 11:20 am flight from Rome to Istanbul on Rubberband and a Prayer Airlines...erm...Turkish Airlines. After a quick breakfast, there was 90 minutes of waiting around until it was time to board the plane. I had to listen to 6 old Italians talk non-stop. Man, was that annoying and distracting. I kept losing my place in my book.

Upon boarding the plane, I noticed that it was only half full, which was nice. I hate crowded airplanes. Before take-off, the flight attendants came around with a little Turkish Delight as a treat. If you've never had Turkish Delight, you are missing out. Turkish Delight is a confection made from gel of starch and sugar, with additives such as pistachios, dates, hazelnuts, or walnuts and covered with confectioner's sugar. My favorite is pistachio. Yum, yum, yum! Being a little tired of reading, I decided to watch a movie instead: What If, with Daniel Radcliffe - a predicable, but very sweet romcom, which made me laugh and cry. Lunch was surprisingly good. It was a full hot meal. Not bad for a 2+ hour flight. The landing was a little interesting as the pilot jammed on the breaks the second the plane hit the tarmac. I thought I would get whiplash from the jolt.

My room.

After getting through customs, I boarded my shuttle pickup arranged by my hostel and it was "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride". I thought the drivers in Naples were crazy, but Istanbul has them beat by a mile. There was the jumping from lane to lane to lane, cars driving the wrong way on a one way street, impossibly small roads that don't look big enough for a car, parking wherever they feel like it - including the sidewalk. Wow, it was crazy. But when I finally arrived at the hostel, I was greeted with hot apple tea (delish!) and some sort of spicy yummy appetizer (not really sure what it was). Here in Istanbul, I splurged a little (€20) for a private room with a shared bathroom. Okay, truth be told, I actually had to get a private room because no guest over the age of 45 is allowed in the dorms. Why? I have no idea but I have a double bed and no roommates. I will take full advantage of the roommate break and perhaps get a decent night's sleep, which I haven't had in about 50 days. 

Between 4:30 and 8:00, I attempted to rest my weary body. It sort of happened, but not really. Then tonight, I was treated to a traditional Turkish dinner at my hostel which is something they do every Saturday night at 8pm for anyone who is staying in the hostel. Sweet! It was rice, salad, bread, and a spicy beef stew. After dinner, there was some conversation which eventually led into a mini-dance party to Turkish music. So much fun!! I met some lovely people; both native Turks and foreign nationals. There's a lovely woman from Canada, Frankie, who is on her fourth trip to Turkey this year. She really loves this country. She's planning on doing some reiki or some shit on me tomorrow. Yeah, she's a little new age-y but it comes from the heart. From what I can tell so far the Turkish people are warm, kind, and caring people. It was a brilliant start to my short visit.

A little about Istanbul: Once the capital of Turkey, but no longer, Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey with a population of 14 million. Yow! The city is equally in Europe and Asia with the Bosphorus Strait splitting the two continents. The commercial and historic center is in the European part, while a third of the city lives across the Bosphorus in the Asian section. My hostel is located on the European side and quite close to all the major sites, which is convenient as I prefer to walk in cities like this instead of public transit. It should also be noted that in 2014, it is still not recommended to drink tap water in Istanbul. Some people recommend that you even use bottled water for brushing your teeth. It has less to do with the water treatment in Turkey and more to do with the bad pipes in Turkey. Or so they say, but when in Rome... Fortunately, bottled water is sold everywhere and is redonkulously cheap!

Oh here's a little surprise:

No, I did not lose my head and run off and get married in Italy. But being a little apprehensive as a single woman traveling alone in a Muslim country - even one as progressive as Istanbul - I decided to go out a purchase a wedding band (€18) in order hopefully to thwart any possible negative commentary. It was a suggestion by one of my roomies in Venice. I figured it couldn't hurt. I probably don't actually need to wear it.

There aren't any photos today. Tomorrow's plan is to see the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Underground Cistern - minimally. I may see if I can add Topkapı Palace to this list. I'm planning a cruise up the Bosphorus Strait on Monday morning, along with a visit to the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar before leaving for the airport at 3:00 pm. This is a really quick 2 day visit to Turkey. Stay tuned.

Petrified People and Pooch, Plus a Pretty Promenade (Day 53 - GToE)

The main piazza with
views of Mount Vesuvius

Do you like my alliteration?

Today marks my last day in Italy. I'm discounting tomorrow's travel to Rome and the airport because it's just travel. I will be sad to say "Ciao" to this lovely country filled with its warm, friendly people. It's been a blast spending time here and connecting to my Italian heritage. 

Today was yet another glorious weather day. Bright blue skies and mild temperatures. I started the day traveling from Naples to the ancient Roman town of Pompeii. Pompeii was founded in the sixth or seventh century B.C., but was destroyed in 79 A.D. with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius starting on 23 November and lasting two days. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was mostly destroyed and buried under 13 to 20 feet of ash and pumice in the eruption and killed approximately 11,000 citizens. The site is an interesting place to visit because it is fairly well preserved. (Apparently the less famous town of Herculaneum is even better preserved.) Archaeologists have identified many of the ruins and their purposes. Within the town of Pompeii, there were two amphitheatres, a gymnasium, a complex water system, 30 brothels, hundreds of stores and much, much more. The brothels include frescoes of the various acts that can be purchased within the brothel and is marked with a phallic-like symbol over the door. During the excavation, plaster was used to fill in the voids between the ash layers that once held human bodies. This allowed one to see the exact position the person was in when he or she died. These bodies are on display in the site, including a dog. My tour group spent about 2 hours touring the ruins, but easily we could have tripled that time and still not seen the entire site. 

After switching tour groups (because my tour group was heading back to Naples), I traveled with the new group to Sorrento with the eventual plan to travel the Amalfi Coast. After spending a portion of today in Sorrento, it's easy to see why so many tourists bypass Naples and head straight for Sorrento. It is a beautiful town with the most amazing views. Founded in 600 B.C., Sorrento is a popular tourist destination and has a population of approximately 16,000. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples and has views of Capri Island and Mount Vesuvius. Additionally, the town is famous for the production of lemoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar - and is incredibly yummy. 

After stopping along the way to take photos of the amazing views, the tour stopped for some lunch at a restaurant called "Donna Sophia", which is dedicated to the actress Sophia Loren. There are photos of Sophia all over the restaurant and she has actually dined there a couple of times. The food was amazing. One of the best stuffed cannelloni I've ever had! (That's quite a statement coming from an Italian.) 

After lunch, the tour bus was supposed to travel along the Amalfi Coast which according to what I've heard is one of the prettiest places in Italy. Sadly, the road was closed due repair work from a previous landslide and we could not go. Instead we got some free time to tour a little bit of Sorrento. I was a little disappointed but what can you do. On our way back to Naples, we were serenaded with Torna a Sorriento (Come Back to Sorrento) by our excellent bus driver/tour guide, Riccardo - a favorite song of mine! It was a lovely, lovely day.

When I got back to Naples, I walked back through town to my hostel as my farewell to Naples. Tomorrow, I take a train to Rome's Termini station, then another train to Rome's airport, and finally, a plane to Istanbul. Tomorrow will most likely be a lost travel day but perhaps when I get to Istanbul I can find something to do which will be notable enough to write about. Until tomorrow... 

Day 53 photos can be found on my GToE photo site!

Sunset over the Bay of Naples

Naples: Stuck in the Past (Day 52 - GToE)

First, please give a moment of silence for my ever so trusty Nikon camera which gave so much of itself over the past years, not to mention the past 51 days. Ever since Barcelona and the banana syrup incident, my camera has been on the fritz. The zoom would stick and for the past couple of days, the camera would just shut down at regular intervals despite new batteries. I was hoping to get 9 more days out of her, but alas, 'twas not to be. Goodbye old friend. It's been fun.

Second, say "hello" to my new Fuji Finepix 4400 digital camera, which cost me far more than I should be paying for a replacement camera. I do like my new toy and will make sure that I use it A LOT over the next few months in order to get my money's worth, before it gets willed to my brother for his usage. Tom, grubby mitts off until I'm pushing up daisies! 

Today is my first full day in Naples and while I don't love Naples, I also don't dislike it. I actually feel kind of sorry for Naples. I get the feeling that once upon a time Naples was a shiny jewel in the crown of Italy and underneath all the scratches and dirt, there's a jewel waiting to be rediscovered, if only Naples could figure out how. It seems like Naples is still reeling from World War II and has yet to recover from it...70 years later. Mostly when I was walking around today, checking out the various sites, I felt like I was in NYC circa 1980. Naples is a old lady who has not aged very gracefully, but is undergoing some plastic surgery to help pretty her up.

Today, I did the "Slice of Neapolitan Life" walk from Rick Steves' travel guide, which took me all over the city. Most of the sites were not terribly interesting with one notable exception - Cappella Sansevero (The Sansevero Chapel). Built in the late 16th century, but reimagined by Raimondo di Sango (the seventh Prince of Sansevero) in the mid 1700s, this chapel houses the remains of the Sansevero family. The artwork within this chapel is some of the best artwork that I have ever seen. The central masterpiece in this chapel is the famous Veiled Christ (below) by Giuseppe ("Howdidhedothat") Sanmartino. Carved out of marble, the body of the crucified Christ lies on a 'soft' pillow under an incredibly realistic veil. It's one of the most amazing sculptures I've ever seen. I also was fascinated with the two sculptures which honor Raimondo's parents. Bizarrely, in the basement of the chapel are two skeletons - one male and one pregnant female (left photo). These two anatomical models were created to illustrate how the circulatory system works. Sadly, photography is not allowed in the chapel so I had to search online to find photos to show you.

I visited a few other places today, none of which were all that noteworthy: a museum which has the last painting Caravaggio ever painted, a few churches, a galleria, the port with views of a hazy Mount Vesuvius, and such. I returned to my hostel around 2pm to discover that Giovanni was "experimenting" with a new recipe and invited the few of us that were around to have a meal together. It was spaghetti with anchovies, garlic, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. I'm not certain what was the new experiment but it was delicious. 

It's funny that Giovanni, the hostel owner, insists that you need 5 days in Naples. I barely needed one to see everything. Tomorrow is a bus tour of Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. I'm really looking forward to seeing Pompeii.

Check out my very limited Day 52 photos on my GToE photo site.

Greetings from Insane Naples! (Day 51 - GToE)

I lived for 17 years in New York City and thought I knew what crazy was. Well, I have seen a new level of insanity - Naples, Italy. Seriously, this place is Wackadoodlesville. I've only been here a few hours but I can certainly see why Naples has the reputation it does. It's pandemonium. People walk wherever and whenever they feel they can. Cars and motorbikes ignore things like red lights and pedestrians. It'll be a miracle if I don't get run over by something while I'm here.

I departed my lovely Rome around 9:30 this morning and arrived in Naples around 10:40; reaching my hostel by 11:10am. The hostel I'm staying in is called "Giovanni's House" and it literally is a man named Giovanni who has owned and lived in this 3rd floor apartment all his life. He converted his home into a hostel and now welcomes guests like they are old friends. The funny thing about Giovanni is that he is very proud of being Neapolitan...VERY PROUD! I assume he does this with all his guests, but he sat with me for nearly an hour, explaining the history and features of Naples and exclaiming on how I really need 5 days in Naples to see it; how Naples has so much more history and interesting things to do than Venice, Florence, and Rome; and telling me all the places I need to see while here. Personally, I think the two and a half days that I've allocated for Naples (with one day being a side trip to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast) is more than sufficient. 

After my lecture on the joy that is Naples, I ventured out. It was lunchtime and I was heading to a recommended pizzeria (recommended by Giovanni and my Rick Steves guidebook) as one of the best in the city. When I got to the restaurant, there was a line halfway around the building. I didn't have the patience to wait, so I passed on by and found a different pizzeria. In typical Italian style, lunch of a pizza, beer, dessert, and tea took approximately 2 hours. The Italians do not rush their meals. But I will say that nice thing about Naples is that by comparison to other Italian cities, it's cheap. The meal I had today was about half the price of anywhere else in Italy. 

By the time lunch was over, I decided that today I would tackle one thing on my "Naples to do" list. The site du jour was...

Naples' Archaeological Museum: My hostel is located approximately 3 blocks from this museum, which is convenient. Considered to be one of the finest collections of archaeological finds, this museum was top of my must see list. It offers some of the best art and decorations from Pompeii and Herculaneum, the two ancient cities destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. When Pompeii was excavated in the late 1700s, the best artifacts were brought to Naples at the behest of the Bourbon king. I saw some amazing statues, like the Toro Farnese (left photo), which at 13 feet is the tallest ancient marble group ever found and the largest intact statue from antiquity. Some restoration was needed on this statue and it was restored by none other than Michelangelo. I suppose if you need a statue restored, you can't ask for better than Michelangelo. There was also a 10-foot colossus of Hercules which was amazing. 

After viewing the statues on the ground floor, I made my way up the grand staircase, where I saw some beautiful mosaics which had been discovered in Pompeii and reassembled here. 

Next, it was onto Gabinetta Segreto (The Secret Room), which contains a sizable assortment of erotic frescoes, well-hung pottery, and suggestive statues that once decorated bedrooms, meetings rooms, brothels, and shops in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The first thing that greets a visitor upon entering the Secret Room is a pair of big stone penises. These phalli weren't necessarily sexual symbols but were displayed as amulets to keep away the evil eye. They were also symbols of fertility, happiness, good luck, riches, and such. The Secret Room had a whole host of interesting items, but the one that fascinated me the most was the statue of Pan having sex with a goat. As you can see in the photo, it's pretty graphic and illegal in several countries. Ancient Roman culture had a different sense of sexual morals, and viewed sexually explicit material very differently from most present-day cultures. Thank you!

I then explored some non-erotic frescoes and pottery uncovered in Pompeii and explored some more statues, including one that I really liked of a Drunken Satyr (below). This is one happy satyr! And it made me cackle when I saw it. I really enjoyed my time in the Archaeological Museum. 

After the museum visit, I returned to Giovanni's House in order to settle in. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to venture out into the insanity that is 'evening in Naples'. I still have time to make that decision. Tomorrow, I plan on exploring more of the city.

There aren't many photos today, but feel free to check out Day 51 photos on my GToE photo site.

A Sad Goodbye to Rome (Day 50 - GToE)

Wow, I cannot believe it's day 50 of this trip. Ten more days before I hop on my return plane to Philadelphia. Where has the time gone? 

What a fantastic day in Rome! Third day in a row of gorgeous sunshine and mild temperatures. I spent today touring Rome with some new friends. This morning as I was settling down for breakfast in the hostel kitchen, a couple of gals were chatting about the online ticket to the Vatican and what does it get the ticket holder into, etc. It turns out these two ladies (Joanna from Australia and Louisa from Atlanta) had a 9:00 am entrance time for the Vatican Museum - as did I! We all decided to go together and it turned out to be a spectacular decision as we spent the rest of the day together exploring Rome. Well, Joanna had to leave us around 3:00 to catch her train to Florence. 

9:00 am - Vatican Museum: We started with the Pinacoteca picture gallery which had a few interesting paintings - Da Vinci, Raphael, and others. After the picture gallery, we explored the Egyptian and Mesopotamia artifacts, followed by Roman and Greek statues. Then it was onto the tapestry room and the map room. Next were the Raphael rooms which were incredibly beautiful. Then of course, comes the pièce de résistance: 

Michelangelo's The Sistine Chapel. Words cannot really explain the magnificence of this chapel. "Between 1508 and 1512, under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, a masterpiece without precedent, that was to change the course of Western art. He returned and between 1535 and 1541, painted The Last Judgement on the altar wall for Popes Clement VII and Paul III" (Wikipedia). Photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel but Wikipedia has an excellent link for the ceiling and the altar wall if you would like to get an idea of the magnificence of this chapel. Seriously though, everyone needs to travel to Rome to see it in person. 

12:00 pm - St. Peter's Basilica: We then took a back exit from the Sistine Chapel to make our way into St. Peter's Basilica. Construction of the present basilica, replacing the Old St. Peter's Basilica of the 4th century AD, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626. "Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and remains one of the largest churches in the world" (Wikipedia). In addition to being the largest church I've ever seen, it also houses one of Michelangelo's most impressive sculptures: the Pietà. Sadly, this sculpture has to be located behind bullet proof acrylic glass due to a deranged geologist who took a hammer to the sculpture in 1972, severely damaging it. Even behind glass, it is still one of Michelangelo's most impressive sculptures (after David). I was unaware the tomb of Pope John Paul II was now located in a chapel within the Basilica. It is stated that the main altar sits directly over the tomb of St. Peter.

After leaving Vatican City, the gals and I decided it was time for lunch. Then we went to Castel Saint'Angelo, but decided against actually touring the Castel. The Castel was build as a tomb for the emperor and used through the Middle Ages as a castle, prison, and a place of refuge for popes who are under attack. There's a corridor which runs from Vatican to the Castel. I toured this 8 years ago, but we changed our minds about seeing it today. Then it was time for some gelato. Joanna had to leave us at the point to go to the train station.

Louisa and I decided to catch a few more sites. We went to the Pantheon because Louisa had not yet seen it, then explored a couple of churches nearby for the artwork: a Michelangelo statue in one and some Caravaggio paintings in another. We then decided to check out the Capuchin crypt. You might remember when I went to the Bone Church while in the Czech Republic a few weeks ago. Wellllll, the Capuchin crypt is a similar site. The bones of more than 4,000 friars who died between 1528 and 1870 are in the basement of the Church of Santa Maria della Immacolata Concezione, which have been lined up in a series of six crypts as works of art. Photography was not allowed in the crypt so I cannot shock and appall you with personal photos but did find one online to show the "artwork" that I saw today (see above). There are lots more photos online of this weird crypt. My question is: what is up with these monks creating these weird works of art with the bones of the deceased?

The last thing we did today was take a nice long walk around Rome just to see it in all its glory at night. Ending our day exhausted but exhilarated when we finally reached the hostel around 7:00pm. To tired to even consider dinner, we bid each other farewell and went our separate ways. Then it was time for a shower and to pack up and prepare for tomorrow's trip to Naples. All in all, it was a fabulous way to end my time here in Rome but I will be sad to leave this amazing city behind. 

No surprise: catch all of my Day 50 photos on my GToE photo site.

A Brilliant Second Day in Rome (Day 49 - GToE)

The Roman gods have decided to smile upon me because so far the weather in Rome has been amazing. Sunny and warm with just a bit of a breeze to keep from overheating. Spectacular. Today was also a better day to be visiting the ancient Roman ruins. All of yesterdays crowds went away and I was left with breathable air in which to view the splendors of Rome. When I last visited Rome 8 years ago, I fell in love with this beautiful city. I still feel the same. 

The day started at 9:00am at the Colosseum. Built in 70-80 AD, this amphitheatre was the largest in the Roman Empire and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture. It is estimated that the Colosseum could hold between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building was severely damaged during an earthquake in 1349 which destroyed the south side. When standing in the stadium, it's an amazing spectacle when you realize that this building was completed with any modern conveniences and was built on the backs of 20,000 Jewish slaves. 

Just west of the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, which  is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Some of the nearby ruins are: Temple of Saturn, Temple of Vespasian and Titus, Arch of Septimius Severus, Curia Julia, Rostra, Basilica Aemilia, Forum Main Square, Basilica Iulia, Temple of Caesar, Regia, Temple of Castor and Pollux, Temple of Vesta, Home of the Vestal Virgins, and more. One of my favorite sites is the Temple of Caesar. After Julius Caesar was assassinated (by being stabbed 23 times), his remains were brought to the Forum and were cremated. A few years later, on the site of his cremation the Temple of Caesar was erected. The Temple of Vesta is also an interesting ruin. The Vestal Virgins (who lived next to the Temple of Vesta) were priestesses who were responsible for keeping the sacred fire lit. They were committed to priesthood by the age of 10 and were sworn to celibacy for 30 years. If at the end of their 30 year commitment, they were given a large dowry and were allowed to marry. If any Vestal was guilty of "unchastity", she was strapped to a funeral car, paraded through the streets of the Forum, taken to a crypt, given a loaf of bread and a lamp...and buried alive. Damn! That sucks. 

Looking over the Forum is Palatine Hill, which consists of the ruins of emperors' palaces and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. Archaeologists are still excavating this area and are constantly uncovering new discoveries. In addition to the ruins of the palaces, there is also a stadium. Palatine Hill overlooks the Forum to one side and Circus Maximus (the ancient Roman chariot racing stadium) on the other. 

These were the three places that I explored this morning. It is always interesting walking around these ancient ruins and think about how once upon a time, people in sandals and togas used to gather here on a daily basis. Julius Caesar and Mark Antony once leaned upon these rocks. Incredible.

Not knowing what else to do after visiting the ancient Roman ruins, I headed back toward my hostel where I had a lovely lunch at a nearby restaurant and then went back to my room for a brief respite (aka: nap). Or at least that was the plan. I had planned on perhaps an hour respite, but it turned into an all afternoon respite. Not all of it sleeping - some surfing the web, some reading, some gazing into space. The problem is I didn't know what to do with the afternoon. On Monday, all museums are closed and today being a religious holiday (Dec 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception), I thought perhaps the churches might not have visiting times or that the times would be off. Therefore, I just hung out in my room. It was nice and quiet and relaxing. I'm all for that. Tonight just might be more of the same.

Check out my Day 49 photos on my GToE photo site. Tomorrow, I will visit the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica in the morning. The afternoon is still not planned.

A Disappointing First Day in Rome (Day 48 - GToE)

Greetings from Rome, The City of Seven Hills

This morning, I left behind a sleepy Florence to arrive at a bustling Rome. Which brings me to why my first day in Rome was disappointing. Let's start with the crowds. I suppose I've gotten used to everything being fairly empty as it has been for the past few weeks that when I wandered around Rome, I was shocked and crazed by the crowds of people who are everywhere!!! Maybe because it's a Sunday and it was 60 degrees and sunny that the hoards of people were out and about but if it remains like this for the next 2 days, I will be very unhappy. There is a reason why I prefer to travel in the off season - to avoid the crowds. Think I'm kidding about the crowds? Think again. I seriously thought it was summertime with the throng.

After dropping my bags at my hostel, I went back out figuring with the beautiful weather, I would take advantage of it and go see the Roman Forum and the Colesseum - all of the Roman ancient ruins. There was also a bonus because the Colesseum was free today (first Sunday of the month), so I figured it was a win-win situation - until I got off the metro around 11am and saw a shit ton of people. The line to get into the Colesseum was at least 2 hours long and the Forum was equally bad. I snapped a couple of photos but the crowd was making me insane so I left. I then decided that I would walk through the heart of Rome. There's a lovely walk in Rick Steves' travel guide that takes you through some of the best parts of Rome.

I started in Campo de' Fiori which was in ancient times an open meadow, but is now a bustling open air market selling everything from fruits and vegetables to hats and everything in between. It was just after noon so I stopped for a hearty lunch (bruschetta al pomodoro and a steak with roasted potatoes and a delicious Italian beer) and some people watching. 

I then walked over to the Piazza Navona, which used to be a racetrack in the first century. Now it's another bustling piazza where there were crowds of people hanging around and watching street performers and such. In the center of the square is the Four Rivers Fountain which represent the known four continents when it was constructed. The four river gods are the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube, and the Rio de la Plata (Uruguay). It's a favorite fountain of mine.

I left the Piazza Navona behind in order to walk over to the Pantheon. One of the best-preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings, it was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD) and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria Rotonda". There are a few important people buried in the Pantheon: two kings of Italy - Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, as well as Umberto's Queen, Margherita. Plus, the great artist Raphael is interred here. Raphael's sarcophagus was given by Pope Gregory XVI, and its inscription reads ILLE HIC EST RAPHAEL TIMUIT QUO SOSPITE VINCI / RERUM MAGNA PARENS ET MORIENTE MORI, meaning "Here lies Raphael, by whom the mother of all things (Nature) feared to be overcome while he was living, and while he was dying, herself to die". Nice epigraph.

After battling the crowds in the Pantheon, I decided I was in the mood for some gelato and headed toward one of my favorite (and Rome's most famous) gelateria, Giolitti's, but the line was nine feet long and again I just didn't have it in me to battle through the crowd for gelato. Therefore, I decided to continue my walk by making my way past a couple of obelisks heading toward.... <GASP> ..... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! An empty of water and covered with scaffolding Trevi Fountain! Mother F***er! One of the joys of coming to Rome is sitting by the Trevi Fountain. Apparently, the fountain is undergoing renovations which will take in total a year and half. But does the repair work stop the crowds of tourists? Nope, because you can walk across a temporary bridge to take a closer look at the fountain. It still sucks and I'm pissed!

Finally, I walked over to the Spanish Steps, which are named for the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican located here for the past 300 years, only to find more hoards of people sitting on the steps and gathered around the lovely Sinking Boat Fountain.

All in all, my first day in Rome was not brilliant. While I still think Rome is an amazing city, but if the next two days are anything like this one, I will leave here severely disappointed. I'm going to try to visit the Roman Forum and Colesseum tomorrow - I just prepurchased my tickets so I can skip the ticket line (at an additional 2 euro cost). Hopefully with tomorrow being a Monday, the sites will not be as crowded. I'll be visiting the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday morning also with a prepurchased ticket with appointment time to get into the museum in order to avoid crowds.

Anyway, check out my Day 48 photos on my GToE photo site.