Tag: travel

Rome History – Part 1

by ginnyinshanghai

Staying in the city center had so many advantages. Walking to historic sites was the main one. Soooooo much history in this city and you never knew when you turned a corner if you were going to find more Roman ruins – we did, a lot.

We were headed towards the Panthenon and came across this church.

In the 8th century there was an oratory on this spot, but it wasn’t until the Dominicans took final possession of the property that a church was built in 1280. It was one of the very few examples of Gothic architecture in Rome. It was in the convent adjacent to this that in 1633 Galileo adjured his scientific thesis to save his life from the condemnation of the Holy Inquisition.

It was quietly beautiful inside. Since this is considered a minor basilica, there were no hordes of tourists.

In 1628 two almost identical organs were placed above the choirs. The one in my photo was looted then set on fire. The other organ was removed and used in a basilica elsewhere in Italy. Eventually both organs were replaced in the 1900s.

Below the table on the high altar is a 15th century sarcophagus of St. Catherine of Siena, minus her skull and a finger found in a basilica in Siena. Eric is in the foreground.

Notice the statue to the left of Eric above? It caught Eric’s attention with the amount of detail.

‘Christ carrying the Cross‘

Totally was not expecting this. There was a bit of rope stanchioning this off, but truly we were within a few feet of the statue.

This ‘find’ was so unexpected, it was a highlight of our time in Rome.

Leaving the church, we were presented with the back side of our next find.

The Pantheon

The date of construction is uncertain and debated. It was built on an earlier temple on private land, fire burnt it down (several times) and the present-day building was ordered by emperor Hadrian 126 AD. In 609 AD it became a Catholic church.

It is one of the best preserved Ancient Roman buildings in large part due to continuous use throughout history. That’s not to say pieces and parts weren’t removed for other purposes or metalwork melted down for armory.

Since the Renaissance it became a fashionable burial place for painters, composers and even two kings.

The dome of course is one of most amazing feats. After 2000 years it is still the largest un-reinforced concrete dome in the world, at 142 feet in height and 142 feet in diameter. The thickness varies from 21 feet at the base to less than four feet around the oculus. Various materials were used as aggregate and could be travertine, terracotta tiles and pumice or tufa (volcanic rock) at the top.

The top of the oculus has never been covered allowing rainfall through the ceiling onto the floor going into floor drains to promote runoff.

The oculus and entry door are the only natural sources of light.

The history of the building pulled me in and I spent way too much time on the web going through links to find more info.

Occasionally you needed a break from history, and we found some great spots to do just that, as you’ll see in my next post.

Ginny

Italy – a new journey begins

by ginnyinshanghai

Ciao! As you might have guessed from the previous post……..we were packing with purpose. Another trip to Europe was planned and the time for departure was upon us.

Several years ago, I started a tradition for myself, if we are at least gone for 2 weeks. Adding an ‘unnatural color’ was not allowed in my workplace and it will eventually fade with continued washings. Just a bit of unexpected whimsy I like to add to my trips. As a fail-safe, I only add the color to the tips – JUST in case it doesn’t wash out quickly enough (oops 2023) and I’ll get my hair trimmed before going back to work.

Okay, let’s get back to the real story………

As with most trips, we stopped at the MCO Lounge for some refreshment.

We’ve been fortunate to grab the same 3 seats at the bar and caught up with the morning bar-tender we had met before.

It wasn’t all about the alcohol, some light refreshments were available. The protein bowl on the right was something new on the menu. LOVED the pretzel – possibly there were several ordered during our time inside. It was the perfect size for one.

There are some areas that are self-serve and they had a great coffee machine – push a button and you had a multitude of options. It was gone. Sadness. Until I found it in another corner of the lounge. Yep, that’s my cappuccino. Okay, now I’m ready to travel.

We started noticing the flight board inside the lounge was being updated with flight delays – but not ours…..yet. And then it was our flight. 😦 The lounge got r.e.a.l.l.y crowded at that time and went on a waitlist. Yikes!

The terminal wing was a total zoo. All were Delta flights and all were delayed due to lightening. Planes couldn’t land, planes couldn’t be serviced, no one could deplane so therefore we couldn’t fly out and everything stacked up.

At least our flight crew was here. That wasn’t the case for other flights.

I think everybody wanted to cheer when the flight arrived – but were too tired. Four+ hours later we headed to Atlanta for our connection.

We were so lucky (not) and got the chance to spend a night at the Atlanta Westin. No surprise, we missed our connecting flight. Crazy lines existed in Atlanta when we arrived due to all the flight delays in the South. I got on my phone trying to reach Delta, Eric got on a house phone to talk with Delta while we went through a (very) long Delta queue line to get a voucher for a hotel. Heavy sigh. Fortuitous that we didn’t check our bags – we normally do. We had our clothes and toiletries to make the stay-over a bit more comfortable. Small miracles do exist.

Good news – they re-booked our flights. Bad news – connecting through JFK New York before heading overseas. Best news – upgraded to first class for the overseas flight.

Finally headed to Europe. Interesting time-lapese video, catching some of the lights of New York before clouds blocked the view.

Eric convinced the gentleman next to me to trade seats. Adrienne was on the other side of the plane – she’s in the photo below. The flight started with a glass of prosecco. Okay – I like that.

The food was better in this section, no surprise there. My chicken was some of the best I’ve tasted. Eric liked his spinach ravioli.

Chicken with a smoked tomato sauce, Parmesan risotto, green beans and potato salad.
Spinach ravoli in white wine butter, roasted butternut squash and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Before landing in Rome, we flew over the European Alps.

Landing at Leonardo de Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (Rome’s Airport) we were still 35KM away from the city center and our apartment. The taxi ride to get there………….something special. So many cars, so many motorcycles combined with skinny streets. Parking is wherever someone finds a piece of pavement, slightly off of the street. Crazy!

Our 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment was along one of the tiny side steets. Our place was on the 4th floor up 5 flights of stairs. Or……….squeeze into the teeny, tiny elevator.

Cute window with a view of the nearby rooftops and courtyards.

Small kitchen, just enough space to store drinks & water in the fridge, bread, cheese and yogurt & fruit for breakfast.

First order of business was lunch. We’ve never gone wrong with suggestions from the owner of our lodging and today was no exception: Enoteca Corsi.

We started (and shared) the fresh buffalo mozzarella and tomato starter – oh my goodness, their mozzarella is so much better here.

My lunch selection was Cacio e Pepe: freshly-made pasta with parmesan cheese, butter and black pepper – one of Rome’s famous dishes.

Adrienne’s selection was an octopus salad.

Eric started with farro soup……….

………before the artichoke – Roman style arrived (braised and stuffed with garlic and herbs) sitting in a pool of olive oil. It looks prettier (only in my opinion) before being cooked.

Way more exciting things are coming, but we all crashed for an afternoon nap so we could keep going.

Ginny

Packing – inches & ounces

by ginnyinshanghai

This was something our first travel partners talked about. It’s a proven fact that the more you lug your suitcase around while are on vacation……….your suitcase continues to get heavier. Ha! Therefore, when packing for a trip, think about ways that you can save inches (smaller items, less things) while also thinking about the weight of said items.

Let’s start with suitcases……..

We have a soft-side suitcase and a hard-side suitcase. Why? ‘Soft’ to have some ‘give’ if you over-stuff or bring home too much. ‘Hard’ if you have something breakable, you’re bringing home. Pick them up when empty – ounces – there really are differences in weight. Inches – airlines are getting tighter with overhead bins and you want to know your bag will fit.

But truly one of the most important things………..select a bag that has color! You know your bag, until it pops up on the luggage carousel with the other hundred+ black bags, navy blue bags or charcoal grey bags. When you’re tired from flying, they all.look.the.same. Trust me.

Clothing:

You need to lay out your clothes to see how many combinations can be worn. If something has only 1-2 combinations – rethink your selection. Here is my packing list for a chilly spring 2-week overseas trip.

3 Pants – wear one and pack two pair.

3 Sweaters – wear one and pack two.

2 pairs of shoes – wear one and pack the other.

4 LS shirts – for layering or wearing alone.

3 SS shirts – wear one and pack the other two.

1 wrinkle-free blouse.

Sleeping clothes

Undergarments for 5 days – we always stay where we have washer & dryer during part of our trip.

3 scarves – because I can 🙂

Before closing your suitcase………be sure you don’t have any extra ‘baggage’.

Speaking of packing………until we get to our overseas destination, we split our clothes between the two suitcases. Our checked luggage has always arrived on time with us – but there is going to be a first time when it does not. Half of my clothes goes into his bag and half of his clothes go into my bag. Once we get to our locale, separate packing begins!

Backpacks or personal bag? I’ve carried several types of bags during our trips, but always go back to a backpack.

Ginny’s (left) Eric’s (right)

We have evolved into our own styles. Mine is water resistant, able to be cinched at the top, then a flap is secured into a clasp. A number of zippered compartments are nice – but not too many. My last backpack had so many zippered sections it took me awhile to have consistent organization. This one………. easy- peasey. Eric’s choice has only one front pocket, a leather cinch and buckle. Great for stuffing jackets, drinks, groceries or other odds & ends. He usually carries his during our sight-seeing excursions.

So that was about function, let’s talk about what to include in your backpack. On the plane, pack anything you never want to lose or can never replace – in your backpack. Otherwise, you know your basics: reading material, electronic devices & cords, jewelry, snacks (no nuts or anything super pungent – think about your fellow passengers) and your medicines. While we’ve always brought along our prescriptions, we have found through the years it’s been easier to bring some basic over-the-counter drugs with you than to go out chasing them once you’ve arrived and need them.

Last few things – a set of undergarments and extra shirt (from the list above). Frequent travelers will eventually have a time(s) when missed flights cause an unexpected overnight stay and those few things makes that a bit more comfortable. One of the last things I pack, extra pair of glasses. Again, you can get glasses replaced (most) anywhere in the world but I throw in my last pair worn for ease of mind.

One last piece of advice………….keep your spouse away from the actual packing. They see the ‘extra’ room and want to add another shirt, another pair of pants, another whatever they ‘might’ just need – but really they don’t.

Ginny