A short stay for an Eternal City. As I had visited in spring, orientation in the City was quite easy. Due to the rain - first since weeks - the approach by transfer bus from Civitaveccia to Rome gave us a taste of Roman Gridlock, with thousands of Smart Cars and some larger ones jockeying for position and inching forward at snail speed. Scooters may have been a wet conveyance, however, they squeezed through the spaces of a few inches between buses and cars, regardless of traffic rules. Price per liter of gas about 1.90 EUROS!!! No wonder, the Italians drive these little things - apart from that they can be parked in the tiniest spots, anywhere, nose into curb.
Drop off point just outside Saint Peter's Square. Being a Thursday, it is Audience Day, it promises a short appearance of His Holiness, Pope Benedict, in the Square to bless the multitudes.
Just in time for the Great Happening, I made it through almost airtight security at progressively narrower circles around the dais erected on the steps to St Peter's Basilica. Pat downs, x-rays, physical inspection of handbags and back packs...
But, one has to visit the facilities before such a momentous event.
One set of public toilets were open for the gathered multitudes within the security cordon luckily located under the giant circle of the rotunda topped with hundreds of carved stone Saints. Unluckily, it rained rather heavily, and the line up rivalled the usually looooong queues to much more interesting attractions. A wondrous multiplication like the miracle of the loaves and fishes would have been useful for today's needs....
In due course, Papal-ly late, the Pope Mobile slowly crawled through the assembled 'audience' of every faith on earth. Everyone jockeying for position to take photos through the forest of umbrellas, the crowd rushing like a human tidal wave from one side of the square to the other (a miracle it did not tip under the shift of weight) to follow the coveted subject - the Pope. The little glass bubble of his quarter ton truck sized vehicle was surrounded by a large number of dark suited body guards, adjusting their walk/run to the speed of the pint sized vehicle, alert to everything and everybody, eyes glued to the crowds.
Finally the Pope stands on the Dais amongst a court of Cardinals and the crowd cheers and the prayers and readings begin.
I thought that an early sneak- off, pre-final blessing, towards the Sistine Chapel to garner entrance would be advantageous. Not so, Several blocks before even getting near the entrance of the coveted attractions the queue, complete with thousands of dripping umbrellas, indicated a wait of a few hours at least. That was the end of my artistic and historic aspirations, Michelangelo's Masterwork has to wait for a future, lengthier stay in Rome.
So off into the rainy avenues and monument rich plazas of Rome, with MY umbrella. Hundreds of (what one tourist called) Bengals, and definitely of East Indian descent, turned every sidewalk, shop entrance and access to anything into a dangerous and annoying obstacle course. Taking advantage of the pouring rain and unprepared tourists, these street vendors blockaded pedestrian progress better than any security cordon could do, selling cheapo umbrellas and garbage type quality rain capes. All of those of a life expectancy of about half an hour of rain, judging by the city's garbage cans, which filled up with abandoned and destroyed umbrellas. 5 Euros per umbrella for the unsuspecting, 2 Euros each for the knowledgeable Roman citizens...
But, Rome remains intriguing despite lousy weather and obnoxious vendors...I slopped along to the Trevi Fountain, almost 'deserted' as compared to high season. The Pantheon, usually crammed with crowds, faced a row of almost empty restaurants. Via Condotti was lined with forests of umbrellas as well as the most expensive shopping opportunities: fans of Gucci, Bulgari, Ferragamo, Armani, Max Mara, and every other high society and high price Italian designer known to man is crowded into this short but ueber-exclusive street leading up to the Spanish Steps. Plaza Navona, the preferred spectacular lunch location for Romans and Countrymen alike was filling up with intrepid patrons, disregarding rain and puddles to enjoy totally overpriced Italian fare. Well, the scenery and food quality is worth every extra Euro over average menu prices elsewhere, as I found out to my dismay. I headed onward to a unpretentious looking local corner cafe for the obligatory Last Pizza in Rome, and was treated to a soggy ketchup topped concoction, with a few lonely mushrooms and dribbles of mozzarella. The Romanesque waitress was less than inquisitive why I left the whole thing almost untouched, and collected the 15 Euros with a rather consumptive look at this obviously ignorant tourist. Well, next time, Plaza Navona it will be high prices notwithstanding.
Although the City appeared relatively less crowded (apart from queues at the Vatican) the universal pick up location for tour buses in the Via Conciliazione in the Vatican was a veritable chaos. Almost shoulder to shoulder, or umbrella spine against umbrella spine, the sidewalks were almost impossible to navigate, and Cafe Pietro - self serve - a crowd scene from a bad movie - not helped much by the alleged 'Bengalis' effectively blocking the entrance.
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| Saint Peter's Square filling up with faithful and others to await the appearance of the Pope |
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| Pope Benedict blessing the crowds from his Popemobil |
Drive back to Civitaveccia under smouldering skies, and through pelting rain, through small lakes covering the super highway, past plowed fields turned into a series of parallel ochre brown rivers of rain and mud, driving winds...the last ankle deep puddle on the ship's dock and back aboard.
We left late, winds by then had increased to 40-50 knots as well as tumultuous seas to go with the gale.
Well, New Jersey and the North East Coast of USA was worse off, aboard life went on as usual if a little more bumpy. With delays and gales a forth of our intended ports will be affected. Alicante may be cut down to a couple of hours, after that - who knows what the weather will bring.
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| The Pope surrounded by his Cardinals - and a host of security guards discreetly in hiding |
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| A latter day napoleon and a present day Government Palace Guard |
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| Not too many tourists venture out to admire architecture in chilly drizzly |
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| Catholic Burka |
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| The Pantheon almost deserted.... |
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| Open Air restaurant definitely deserted |
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| Via Dondotti, where the upper echelon shops, with the Spanish Steps in the background |
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Fate of cheap umbrellas sold by streetvendors, and abandoned into trash cans after half an hour of service. They fall apart at the first breath of wind and after a couple of driblets of rain
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Well, it took about two hours of expensive ship internet to get this posted....I apologize for any typos, as a spell check takes another two hours....
On to the next frustrating blog composition and on to less frustrating but wonderful ports of call.
