Homeward Bound December 5, 2006

Today’s the day.

I write this, as it has become my custom on travel days, while we are in route and the outcome of our journey is still uncertain. I will also add to this later if anything of note befalls us before our arrival in the hotel in Richmond this evening.

While today is not as difficult a travel day as some of the days we spent in France hopping from one local train to another we do have the added enjoyment of dealing with airport security, immigration and customs. Our routing is; Rome to Zurich to Chicago to Richmond. Not the most direct but if all connections are made it will get us to Richmond before 10 PM EST. As I write this we are in the air and about two hours from Chicago and on time so far, knock on wood. We do have a concern about weather in Chicago, but we’ve heard no announcements so far so I’ll operate under the “no news is good news” theory. As I said if anything notable happens or we don’t make Richmond tonight I’ll add to this later before publishing.

Without getting too philosophical or emotional about ending the Davis East West Expedition I would like to say that this has been a very liberating experience for me. For the first time in my life for an extended period (6 months) I have not woken up in the morning and thought about work. Before, even on vacation, I would think about work. It took a month or so to reach this state of nirvana but once achieved a veil is pulled back and life looks very different. The down side is that time seems to pass faster.

The traveling itself has been grueling at times with moments of frustration and doubts but I will have to say that I have loved every minute of it. I don’t think I would have believed a few years ago that Holly and I would ever do and see the things we have these last six months. From sleeping in Mongolian gers to standing atop the Eiffel Tower it has all been amazing. The art we have seen, the people we have met and the food we have eaten have all combined to create a sense of how little we have experienced during our lifetime and how much more of the world there is left to explore. Although I doubt we will ever do another trip of this magnitude I certainly have aspirations for additional adventure travel -be it more focused. On the horizon are hiking the Appalachian Trail, cross country bicycling and exploring some wilderness waters by kayak. Also Eastern Europe, Africa and South America are on our TDBWD list (Things to Do Before We Die). I’m not sure which ones will happen but I believe that you have to have these kinds of goals for yourself as well as career and family goals. It helps keep you young of mind and body.

I hope that this blog has brought you some information about faraway places and maybe a laugh or two. I can honestly say that I have not looked forward to sitting down every night to write it but now at the end I’m glad I did. Thank you for sharing our experience.

Note: Upon publication of this final blog all pictures should also be available for viewing in the website. http://community.website.com/user/davishongkong

Hanging Out In Rome December 4, 2006

Holly and I decided to take it easy today. We have seen the major sights that we wanted to see and to be honest we are a little tired after the whirlwind tour of Italy.

Holly did some shopping, we had lunch and visited the Santa Maria Maggiore. The Santa Maria Maggiore is another majestic cathedral just down the street from our hotel. Famous for its mosaics, the original part of the basilica was built in the 5th century but was added to over the next thousand years. The gilded ceiling was a gift from Pope Alexander VI. It is said the gold used was the first brought back from the Americas by Columbus.

A little last minute shopping and it was back to the hotel to start packing for the big day. We have to leave the hotel at 7AM in the morning to catch our flight so we’ll call it an early night.

We Get Out of Town for a Day December 3, 2006

Today we decided to go have a look at the Ostia Antica. Ostia translates into mouth and refers to the mouth of the Tiber River which is about a thirty minute train ride west of Rome. Ostia was the port that serviced Rome during the height of the Roman Empire.

The area dates from around 300 BC although there is speculation that it may date from as far back as 500BC. The earliest finds suggest that initially it was a naval base. Starting in the 2nd century BC it became a commercial port. During the civil wars in 87 BC it was occupied by the Italian forces but returned to Roman rule after the war. It was plundered again by pirates a few years later which led to the building of new town walls. The town and port continued to service the empire until the 6th century AD at times being under a local government and at times being governed by Rome.

Today there has been extensive archeological work in the area and it is easy to spend a day wandering around the ruins and museum that are open to the public. We bought a map of the town and spent most of today looking at grave sites, baths, warehouses and a most impressive amphitheater which is said to hold about 3000 people. The amphitheater is in classic style and is the best preserved one we have seen. When we got there a young lady was sitting high on the wall by herself dressed in a bird costume. We sat for a while taking in the view and the whole time the “bird” never moved. We finally moved down a hundred yards or so in front of the theater to look at a temple. While we were there a troop of Italian “Brownie Scouts” came into the amphitheater. Upon their arrival the “bird” rose and started an eloquent speech with which the Brownies began to interact. Of course this was all in Italian so we have no idea what they were saying, but it seems that they are determined to teach the girls about the ancient theater. We also saw two other troops of scouts around the grounds all involved in activities and they seem to be having a lot of fun. Good for them!

We also stumbled on a “dig” that was down a set of dark cellar like stairs that ran under other ground level ruins. Water had collected in the cellar making it that much more dark and mysterious. There was no plaque explaining what was being done just hoses and gauges leading down into the black watery abyss.

Before coming to Rome I had a picture in my mind of marble structures standing white and gleaming in the sun. Now I find out that most structures were made of a mix of brick, stone and a material called tufa which is a type of rock formed from the evaporation of water with high calcium carbonate content. It forms a soft stone that is easily shaped and was used extensively by the Romans for building. In the more prestigious buildings marble was used as a covering but most common buildings were not so adorned. The point is that my mind’s picture of what Rome looked like has changed dramatically.

After our tour of Ostia we stopped at a local restaurant on the way back to the train for a late lunch. An unusual place with the main dining room under a canopy of draped fabrics and recesses in the floor covered with glass containing human skeletons. Roman armor and weaponry completed the décor. The waitress spoke about two words of English, but the food was great and we had a wonderful time.

Back on the train we encountered two of the scout troops that made the ride back to the city more fun or at least noisier. Back in town we stopped for a coffee and a glass of wine before calling it a day.

One more day in Rome and we’re not sure what we are going to do. Tune in tomorrow for the finale.

Never A Dull Moment December 2, 2006

Hurray, the buses were running this morning! We caught the #64 and rode it to within a few blocks of the Campo del Fiori. Every morning there is an open air market here where the locals buy produce, meat, fish and household items while us touristas buy t-shirts or a few other souvenirs that are offered on the fringes of the market. The fruits and vegetables were fresh as were the meat and fish. The market was doing a good business although we suspect that at other times it is probably packed. Holly found a few things to buy, we took a few pictures and then moved on to the next stop.

The Crypta Balbi has been under excavation and restoration for over twenty years and is a fascinating although a little off beat place to go in Rome. The original structure appears to have been a courtyard and theater built in 13 BC but this exhibit shows in detail the evolution of the sight from that time until the late 20th century. The museum at ground level gives good background information and the technical detail of the structure, but to get to the root of the information you have to go below ground. In the cellar you wind your way through two thousand years of living as the foundation of the building was used over and over for different purposes through the centuries.

After the Crypta we decided we go back to the hotel area and find some lunch. There was a bus stop just down the street and as we approached a bus was pulling away. Twenty minutes later Holly, me and thirty or so other people were still standing at the bus stop. This stop services 8-10 different bus routes but not one bus had come the whole time we had been standing there. At the end of the street we could see trams pass every once in a while so we decided to try to find one which would take us at least closer to the hotel. When we reached the tram stop a tram sat there closed and dark. This didn’t look good. We still hadn’t seen a bus, going on thirty minutes now, and the tram wasn’t running. We walk again.

Starting in Campus Martius where in ancient Rome soldiers trained and citizens voted, we started our long march back to the hotel. If they would have let me vote, I would have voted for someone new to run the transportation services. A day older and wiser we were determined to keep track of our course and not wear out our shoe soles anymore than needed. We were diverted at one point by a Chinese restaurant but after replenishing our supplies we were again on our way.

As we moved along the way we noticed quite a few more poliza and caribiners than we have been seeing. The closer we got to the Piazza Della Republica the more we saw. We finally reached the Piazza where we plan to stop at a cinema to see what was playing. The Piazza was filled with thousands of people that seemed to be in a high state of agitation, carrying flags, shouting, singing and generally having what seemed to be a good ole time. As we were watching a lady spoke to Holly in Italian. “English Only” the phrase that lets them know you are probably American is what Holly replied. The lady then proceeded to tell her the rally was about women in government and ask us if we wanted to join. We declined politely and she moved on to tend to her banner and other potential allies.

We walked on to the hotel. At the desk we asked for our key and what was going on. The clerk handed us the key and said it was a group protesting the government. Holly told him the lady asked us to join. He shook his head gravely and said “you should not do that senora. You should go to your room and stay until this is over”. He also told us that it was scheduled to end at 6 PM. So here we sit listening to the rally grow louder and helicopters hover overhead. Well we were just staring to get bored with all this ancient history so it’s exciting to see some actually being made.

All in a Day's Walk December 1, 2006

After a quick trip to the post office we made our way to the Metro (subway) only to find that the transportation workers had called a strike. We went to the nearest bus stop and Surprise, bus drivers are also part of the transportation workers. We had planned on covering some ground today to see several of the sights around Rome and with our travel clock ticking we did what any marathon tourist would do; we set out on foot.

This was a day of seeing the outside of quite a few of Rome’s famous sights. Thirty minutes or so after leaving the train station we were at the Spanish Steps only to find the column between the church of Trinita dei Monti and the steps covered with scaffolding and the steps partially blocked by security tape as they were being pressure washed. One of the negative aspects of off-season touring. The picture which I will put on the web site is somewhat less appealing than the ones you see in the guide books.

Twenty minutes or so later we were at the Pantheon. The Roman “temple of all the gods” is the most well preserved ancient building in Rome. Erected in AD 118 it is thought to have been designed by Emperor Hadrian, our old buddy of wall building fame. It was given to the Catholic Church in the 7th century when the local Christians complained that they were being plagued by demons as they passed by. It was consecrated and mass is still held there today. This also makes this one of the worlds oldest continuously used buildings. We did go inside as access is free and easy. The “crowning” feature is the dome with its oculus (eye) open at the very top of the dome. It was another amazing stop in a city filled with amazing stops.

After a break for a wonderful lunch in a small café off the Piazza Navona, Holly shopped for some Christmas ornaments after which we were back on the road again.

After blindly wandering the back alleys we finally broke out to find ourselves on the banks of the River Tiber directly across from the Castel Sant’Angelo. This massive (the only kind in Rome) structure was originally built to be the mausoleum of; you guessed it, Emperor Hadrian. Since then it has been a bridgehead in the city wall, a medieval citadel and a place of safety for popes during times of political unrest. We skipped the tour but will attest to it being an impressive sight.

By this time it was after 3 and we had been walking since 9:30 so we decided to head home. This is easier said than done in Rome. As we walked we became distracted with all sorts of stuff to look at most of which we have no idea what we were looking at. So we ended up taking a meandering route which took us back by the Forum before finally finding the Hotel Massimo. My guess is we covered five of the seven hills today.

We’re told the metro and buses will be running again tomorrow. Our feet would like to thank the United Rome Transportation Workers for their co-operation and understanding.

a Vatican Visit November 30, 2006

We booked a guided tour of the Vatican today and met our guide at 11AM at the Vatican Museum. The first part of the tour took us through the museum which is highlighted by Greek and Roman antiquities although there are also Egyptian, Etruscan and Renaissance works also in the numerous galleries and Papal apartments. The works are too numerous to try and name and exciting as it was to be able to view these treasures this tour for me was about the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. This may sound a little shallow but like the Louvre in Paris the overall size and scope of the collection is too overwhelming to take in during a three hour visit.

The Sistine Chapel, highlighted by Michelangelo’s ceiling is worth the price of admission. The amount of work and time required to complete the ceiling is astounding. His interpretation of the Bible is moving when you see the entire ceiling and not just the “Creation of Man” that is the icon of the work. I didn’t know that the walls are also decorated with frescoes from some of the great masters of the time including Botticelli and Signorelli. The most famous of the wall frescoes though is also by Michelangelo and is entitled “The Last Judgment”. A monumental work on its own in which the artist had his revenge on Pope Julius II who had Michelangelo’s ceiling figures covered with water color “underwear” because the Pope Julius was a very conservative man. Michelangelo painted the likeness of his face onto a figure of Satan in the famous wall fresco.

St. Peter’s, Catholicism’s most sacred shrine, is the grandest structure I have ever entered. This is another one that I don’t have words to describe. The size, the design, the art, the detail, the materials used all goes to make an impression that will last a lifetime. I would urge anyone that comes to Italy to make Rome one of your stops and St. Peter’s high on your list of must do’s.

The Roman Tour November 29, 2006

Today we toured the ruins of old Roman capital. We started with a brief metro ride to the Circus Maximus. This racing field situated in the valley between the Palatine Hill and the Aventine Hill. Legend has it that Romulus chose Palatine Hill for the site of the new city while his brother Remus wanted Aventine Hill. The argument ended with Romulus killing his brother and founding the city which turned into an empire that lasted over a thousand years.

The Circus Maximus was the venue for the great chariot races and other events which could be viewed by more than 300,000 spectators including the emperor who would watch from his palace on Palatine Hill. Originally built in the 6th century BC the last race was held in the 6th century AD. As well as races gladiatorial events, wild animal hunts and processions were held here. A full turn around the track was just under a mile long and could be covered in eight to nine minutes. An unusual feature of the circus was that male and female patrons were allowed to sit together which was not the case at temples or the Colosseum. Today the Circus is little more than a large oval depression with the remains of a few buildings located at either end.

The Palatine or Palatine Hill was the address of the movers and shakers of ancient Rome. Even before the emperors came into being the wealthy enjoyed the prestige and convenience of this area with the poor occupying Aventine Hill across the valley. Palatine being located between Circus Maximus, the Colosseum and the Forum was all about location, location, location. There is evidence that man has occupied the Palatine for at least 35,000 years because of the abundance of natural resources in the Tiber River drainage. To early man Palatine offered access to these resources along with an area above the flood plain that was easily defendable. During the time of the Roman Empire the hill became the resident of the emperors and home to many temples and gardens. Today many ruins remain to remind us of its former glory. Excavation has been extensive and reconstructions of the former structures on Palatine give a good idea of the size and scope during the height of its use. Many antiquities have been recovered these being on display in museums here as well as many other cities around the world.

The Forum while impressive if you utilize some imagination and conjure up memories of Cecil B. DeMill movies today is more of a jumble of columns and stone blocks placed around the area. We did not have a written or audio guide of the Forum so it was hard to know all of what we were seeing but it reminded me of a marble recycling yard. The exception would be the Arch of Titus and the Arco di Settimio Severo. The latter although built after the event is adjacent to the spot where Mark Anthony delivered Julius Caesar’s funeral address.

The Flavian Amphitheater commonly called the Colosseum, was the highlight of a memorable day. The grand structure is amazing if for no other reason than it is still standing, but once you are inside and reading about the engineering and events that took place here we were in awe for so many more reasons. The stadium which could hold up to 70,000 people is famous for its gladiatorial games. During its use spectacles of all types were held here with a familiar theme of how you top the last show. Man fighting man, man fighting beast, re-creations of famous battles anything to pacify the masses. It was the football of the day. Systems for channeling and seating spectators (each visitor was given a ticket with an assigned seat), vendor facilities, toilet facilities, the huge wooden floor above the basement area on which the games took place, trap doors for introducing animals or other spectacles to the floor, water drainage all of this go into making this truly a wonder of the ancient world even if it didn’t make the official list.

All Railroads Finally Lead to Rome November 28, 2006

We finally found our way through the maze that stood between us and the Naples railway station this morning. The Gritty City does not easily release its captives.

It’s a short ride to Rome from Naples especially when you are sitting across from two Italian Grandmothers that went on and on talking about who knows what and then pulled out two of the best looking and smelling sandwiches ever. Luckily as my hunger was taking over and I was about to pounce on grandmother number 1’s sandwich we pulled into Rome.

It was a short walk to our hotel and it is one of the nicer we have stayed in. This being the last stop on the Davis East West Expedition we thought to end on a high note. After checking in we had lunch at a restaurant down the street and then backtracked to the train station. The metro also stops here so we bought a seven day metro pass and took our first ride under the streets of Rome. To get acquainted with the city we thought we would go see the Trevi Fountain. Just two stops and a ten minute walk and we were standing in front of the famous water work along with a couple of hundred other people. Ten minutes, a couple of pictures, two coins over the shoulders and we moved on.

We had seen an advertisement about two theaters that show movies in their original language so we started the search. What we have found in Italy is street addresses can be difficult to locate. The street numbering systems are not what we are used to and don’t seem to follow a standard method. We finally found both theaters just to find that no English movies were being shown. Oh well, more of the city covered.

Back at the hotel and surprise of surprises our TV had English movies. Bad ones but this is the first English TV beside CNN and BBC that we have seen in months. So if you’ll excuse me I’m going to watch a movie.

A Blast from the Past November 27, 2006

We booked a tour that included Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius for today. We haven’t taken many guided tours since we left Russia almost three months ago but with one day left in Naples and no good way to get to Vesuvius we decided that this would be a good time to bend our rules of travel.

The guide picked us up at the Duomo a few blocks from the hotel shortly before 11AM. There was another couple from Cambridge, England, who was also on our tour, although they were only doing Pompeii.

We arrived at Pompeii and the jaded tourist that now resides in us smiled and said “I knew it”. The old town is wedged into today’s urban sprawl and from the outside it seems not to be an inviting place. That perspective changed once we were inside. We left the outside modern day world behind and were taken back almost two thousand years as we wandered around this sprawling archeological site.

There is a question about who founded Pompeii. One theory is that it was the Osci in the 8th century BC while more historians are now leaning toward the Etruscans in the 7th century BC. It was visited and settled by the Greeks before the Sannites came down from the mountains of Irpinia to establish themselves along the coast. I had always thought that Pompeii was a Roman colony, but now know that it had a history long before Rome was Rome.

The ruins of Pompeii were rediscovered in the late 16th century during the digging of a canal to divert the Sarno River. Nothing was done with the find until almost 150 years later under the direction of Bourbon Carlos III. The neighboring city of Herculaneum, covered by a layer of solid lava rock, had been excavated years earlier but the fact that Pompeii was covered in a layer of ash made it much easier and the finds were better preserved than in the former site.

During the 18th century the main purpose of the excavations was to locate artifacts and remove them for relocation to museums, public and private. Since the late 19th century the purpose of the excavations has been to preserve the site as much as possible while bringing back the elements of the upper structures to provide a sensation of life and high emotional impact.

If you have seen the human figures on Discovery Channel shows about Pompeii you may be interested to know that these are plaster casts, beginning around 1860 by the then head of excavations Giuseppe Fiorelli. He pioneered the process of locating the hollows left by organic masses, drilling into the hollow and then filling it with plaster. The forms of over 1100 people as well as animals, plants, wooden objects etc have all been saved in this fashion.

If it seems that a lot of time has been spent digging Pompeii out of the ash you are right. The fact is that it was a large town that contained dwellings and business to support 15,000 people, give or take a few thousand, gives us an idea of how large this project was. The town came under direct control of the Romans in 80BC after the “Social Wars” and became a center for wealthy Romans that built villas on the hillsides surrounding the Bay of Naples. Because of this the town had for years undergone civic improvements sponsored by Rome. These improvements were in the form of an aqueduct to supply the town with water and local water system to distribute the water, large ornate public areas such as temples and judicial buildings and roads built to Roman standards.

In 62 AD there was a severe earthquake close to Pompeii that caused appreciable damage. On August 24, 79 AD, with rebuilding still being carried out, Mt. Vesuvius came to life spewing ash and lava down on the surrounding countryside. Many of the residents of Pompeii were able to escape but many lost their lives in the devastation that rained down from the summit of Vesuvius. What took the life of the town almost two thousand years ago also preserved a view into the past that we would otherwise not have.

To walk among the ruins of Pompeii is an amazing experience. Much of the layout of the town has been excavated with the buildings in various states of completeness. Some shops may still have cooking pots or a bakery may still have its oven. Most structures are just a shell but make up the neighborhoods along the stone lined streets. Some houses still have mosaic floors and partial murals on their walls. One brothel we visited still had its catalog of services, in living color, displayed along its walls to entice customers two millennia ago.

You may or may not know that Naples is the origin of Pizza so we had the local version for lunch today. A simple pie that says to you “this is the way it was meant to be”. A very good mozzarella cheese with a tangy tomato sauce on a thin crust with a pinch of basil is the pie of the day. The other classic is made with tomato sauce, garlic and oregano.

Next stop was Vesuvius. We said good-bye to Norman and Jan our new Cambridge friends and with our Italian-only speaking driver we were off to the winding road up the flanks of the infamous volcano. The road runs out for us peasants and tourists about 500-600 feet below the summit but a twenty minute walk later you find yourself looking into the crater that buried two towns and thousands of people. The summit today was covered by clouds so we were not able to see either Naples or Pompeii but the views of the crater and rim were excellent. We walked about a quarter of the way around the rim until the trail ran out and then headed back to the where we had left the driver with a promise to return by 3:30 PM. We made it with 4 minutes to spare. Vesuvius is the only active volcano in continental Europe.

Funniculi, Funnicula November 26, 2006

After consulting with a very nice lady at the hotel front desk Holly and I headed to the Funicolare Central, the funicular railway that’s opening was heralded by the perky Italian song. We took the funicolare up the hill and then stumbled around until we found the bus that was recommended to us. The bus dropped us at Castel Sant’ Elmo which from the base you get a great view of old Naples and Mt. Vesuvius. Today was hazy so we didn’t linger long but hopped back on the bus that would take us to where the route intersected a different bus route. This bus would take us out to the sea wall and road along the Bay of Naples. The views of the bay and Vesuvius were worth the trip.

Once down at the bay we strolled along the walkway watching the sailboats and the people fishing along the rocks. We turned inland after a while as we had spotted a Mexican restaurant that we wanted to try today. As it turned out after walking forty five minutes we found the restaurant was closed on Sundays, which seems to be quite common here. After a fast food lunch, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale was next on the agenda.

The National Archeological Museum has one of the finest collections of Greek and Roman antiquities - a lot of which came from Pompeii and Herculaneum. Near perfect statues and artifacts from everyday life are on display, but my favorite was the collections of mosaics that were recovered as the excavation of the two doomed towns was underway. The museum is a good way to prepare for a visit to Pompeii which we plan to do tomorrow.

Journey to a Gritty City November 25, 2006

We pulled up stakes and moved from Florence to Naples today. It’s a three and a half hour train ride including a half hour stop in Rome. We had our Thanksgiving turkey today in the train’s dining car. It came with pasta Bolognese as a starter and boiled potatoes as a side followed with a piece of cake and coffee. We missed the dressing and other trimmings but at least we got our turkey.

Naples is a different city. In the old section the avenues and streets are a mix of a planned grid and “oh maybe we better stick another road over here”. Street vendors are everywhere which makes navigation more difficult. The feel of the city is old and dirty, like it has not been taken care of. On the other side of the coin this Saturday afternoon was energized with people milling about shopping, visiting with friends, having a snack or drinks in the numerous cafes. The buildings show the long and hard life they have lived but you can still find glimpses of the grace and beauty that once had to be the everyday face of this ancient city.

It was a tense forty minute walk to the hotel as we had been warned by several people that Naples is one of the most dangerous of Italy’s city to visit. The main hazard is pickpockets or snatch and run thieves for the walking tourist. We reached the hotel which on the outside looked like most of the older buildings we had seen but on the inside it’s a three star hotel and a definite step up from the pension in Florence although the people aren’t as friendly. The neighborhood around the hotel looks like a 1930 New York movie set. It will take a little getting used to.

We walked around this afternoon getting acquainted with the area and stopping in to see the Duomo, the main cathedral of the city. We went in after dark which added a different perspective to this 13th century church. The cathedral is grand and has a few interesting features. The first is there are 110 columns taken from pagan buildings that support the immense wooden ceiling. Next the 4th century church of Santa Restituta is attached to the Duomo and is currently the subject of an archeological dig. Lastly this is the resting place of the relics of St. Januarius. Three times a year his dried blood, sealed in two vials, is supposed to liquefy during rites in his honor. The rites are performed on September 19, the Saturday preceding the first Sunday in May and December 16. We’re not staying for the show.