Despite all the intentions of early mornings and making the most of the little time we have here, we ended up firstly sleeping rather late, and then taking our time at re-organising things, and generally just getting a bit more comfortable in our little abode.
And then - we walked. And walked.
It's only the right thing to do to go and see all the touristy places. I have to admit that I've never really been big on art. But looking at some of the art a little closer, I'm just so fascinated. I'm not sure whether Michelangelo and his pals just had a rather wicked sense of humor, or whether people were just generally rather odd in those days. Or perhaps I just have a rather warped eye for art. But tell me that this sheep is not just the most pompous-looking sheep you have ever seen! 
So yes. We've now seen the Pantheon, which I found fascinating (well - with a sheep like this, how could I not be!). And then we saw a rather distressed-looking lion, desperately trying to not get his feet wet on Piazza Novano. This poor lion is part of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the centre of the square, and the lion was situated between two rather large godly figures, although they mostly looked like two squeamish dudes trying to avoid getting wet. So I walked around to see what animal was between the next two gods. Only to find the rear end of the lion! Well at least they made sure that all the bases were covered. :)
And then, of course, the Vatican city. I really don't get why people complain so much about queues here. We had little to no issue with queues. Just lots of tourguides with their groups, trying to keep up, not get lost, and at least look vaguely interested so the poor tourguide at least feels appreciated. Of course Niel kept on following some of these tourguides, and would then come and tell me all the interesting facts. And when he wasn't sure, he would even ask the tourguides.
And my comments about the art? It's empressive. I found the three-dimensionality of some of the works astonishing. Between the various panels on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, Michelangelo painted pillars with little statues. You can almost see the dust that settles in the folds, they look so very real.
By the time we finished with the Sistine Chapel, we could barely walk. So we found the Metro (even though I vowed never to set foot on the wretched thing ever again!), and went back to the Spanish Steps. Here we sat for a long while, Niel reading up on places to see, me taking photo's of people walking by.
At one stage today, I wondered what Rome would look like if someone gave it a good wash. Don't get me wrong. The city is amazingly clean. But buildings with that many statues usually means that the dust settles in every nook and cranny. So what if you gave the building a good wash? I think it just would not have the same romantic atmosphere about it then. It feels like you have taken some elements of the modern world, and transported it back in time. It's just awesome to see how the Italians have ensured that the beauty of their heritage continues to be preserved. And it's awesome to see how well the Italians deal with the fact that their history is such a prominent part of their everyday lives. If you ask me, they are the best possible custodians of the world's fascinating past.
Yup, I was bowled over by the 3D of the Sistine Chapel.
ReplyDeleteFantastic post ... Eagerly awaiting the next.