Rome
Foreword: This post is also quite long, and like the post about Budapest, more of the deeper reflection happens later. If youād prefer to just skip to that, go to the paragraph that begins with āAs I shopped around a bunch of different storesā.
November break has come and gone, and I got the opportunity to travel to another place, a place that I have visited once before, Rome. I was very excited to go back to Italy, my last trip there was something I will never forget, and with a printed plane ticket, my passport at the ready, I packed my bags and left for Rome.
We arrived later that night (Friday 14/11) and our first night was one of relaxation and some gentle exploration. We went and got some pizza, and relaxed in a nearby square. Just relaxing and eating pizza and talking as we watched people go by was something really enjoyable. I hadn't had true Italian food in two years, and when I sunk into that first bite, it was truly rejoicing. It brought back memories of all the great flavours I had experienced last time when I was in Italy. From hearty pizzas to savoury pastas, I was recalling all the great flavours that I had missed the full effect of. All of them, except one thing, gelato.
After enjoying some delicious pizza in the nearby square we walked a bit and found a nearby gelateria. I couldn't resist getting a flavour that I haven't been able to find outside Italy, nocciola (hazelnut). The flavour of nocciola is something that is so unique, and so rare, that it consummated my nostalgia for luscious confection. After enjoying this tasty frozen treat, we meandered our way back to our hotel, and to bed.
The next morning we got a late start and had lunch at a nearby cafƩ. I had another dish that I hadn't had in a while, Cacio e Pepe. This pasta dish of pepper and Pecorino cheese was my go to whenever I went to the Italian market Eataly in New York City. It was nice to re experience one of the flavours from "back home" per se. After a nourishing lunch we saw what is obligatory to see in Rome, the Colosseum.
It was great seeing the Colosseum again. I remembered a bunch of the little facts that I had been told last time and it was nice to be able to share them with my friends. As we were walking around the Colosseum, a thought popped into my mind, a recurring one that pops up whenever I have seen some place of building of antiquity, and that is what it was 'really' like back when it was first built. The idea of travelling back in time to truly understand the purpose of what is around us has been something that has resonated in my mind and has surfaced from time to time. This was especially true with the Colosseum. Some of the little facts I had been told last time were that the Colosseum used to have a giant cover that could cover the entirety of it, it was possible to fill the Colosseum in five minutes, and that it would be flooded for sea battles. Me being the analytical type has always wondered how such feats would have been possible, and I've been curious to see these things for myself.
Getting away from wistful contemplation and back to realistic reality, after walking around the Colosseum we went to see another famous piece of history right next door, the Roman forum. I experienced similar effects of curiosity for the erstwhile enterprise that has long been gone, trying to visualise what people might have been there, how they might have looked, what they might have traded, and what adventures and atrocities they might have experienced in their lifetime. After exploring two poignant relics from a bygone era, we decided it was time to rest, and to meet up with some friends that coincidentally had set their sights on Rome for November break.
We relaxed in a CafƩ, trying to get a mere morsel of wifi in the vain hope of messaging one of these people, but it's funny how life happens, because as we were about to leave, they walked right by the cafƩ we were sitting in. We all shared mutual desire for gelato, so we had gelato in style. We went to one of the most famous places for gelato in Rome, Giolitti. This quaint little gelateria had a lot of character. Tucked away in a small street, with a bright green sign, hindering its presence yet beckoning those who might pass by. This place had a lot of old world charm. It had wooden panels for a decoration, and a little sitting parlour. It was the type of place you might see in a 1900's drinking parlour. Although this small shoppe expressed old world charm, it had some atypical flavours. One flavour stuck out to me, and that was a flavour called Italian Opera. After getting two generous scoops, we enjoyed our gelato and we made our way to a mall to do some shopping. After a long day of exploring, we decided to head back to a small cafƩ near a hotel, and enjoy some wine and dessert. This was a relaxing conclusion to an adventurous day. Still feeling a bit hungry, I got a slice of pizza nearby, and after ordering in fairly decent Italian, the man slicing the pizza decided to give me twice the pizza for the same price, a thoughtful gesture that really made my day. Feeling quite content, I headed to bed.
After enjoying another late start to the day we went to a cafĆ© and I had probably my favourite Italian dish, mushroom risotto. After another pleasant meal, we went and toured the outside of a building that I had not seen during my first visit to Rome, a large government building. After taking a dozen photos of this colossal structure, we headed up its stairs, where we took an elevator, climbing high into the sky, where atop there was a fabulous 360Ā° view of the whole city. It was truly scenic, our view of the city would have been perfect for a fresco. We stayed there for a while, taking dozens of photos, but also just appreciating the natural beauty of what was all around us. It made me reflect upon the fact that we often donāt get the opportunity to just take a moment to take in everything around us, and observe all the intricate details that make up the large complex system that we call day to day life. After feeling content with the sight that lay before us, we made our way to two other iconic exhibits of Rome, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. The Trevi Fountain was unfortunately under construction and for some reason the Spanish Steps seemed smaller to me this time than they did last time I was there, but regardless of those things we proceeded to find a nearby place for dinner, and enjoyed another gratifying fare. One of the members wanted to go get a souvenir at a specific shop and then go to the hotel, and everyone followed, except me. I decided I wanted to do a bit of shopping, so I went my separate way to see what unique garments of Rome would catch my eye. Ā Ā
As I shopped around a bunch of different stores, I reflected some more on my time in Rome. There was one thought in my mind that really stood out, and it was that I felt so free. This freedom was something I hadnāt quite had in Greece. When I was shopping I felt free to go about my business, and I feel good about that in Rome I was able to ask thoughtful questions to people in Italian and get responses in Italian that I could understand. Just being in Italy again and speaking Italian again made words that I hadnāt even remembered come back to me. It was so liberating, and I felt so good to be independent, not hampered by something like a language barrier. This liberating feeling is something that had started to emerge in the past couple weeks. Rather than necessary going with the flow of groups as much as I was initially and not get to do what I wanted to do, I feel that I have become more of my own person, doing what I want to do more of the time, and accepting that I canāt always be a part of everything. Learning to truly accept this idea and getting past the fear of missing out has been one of my toughest challenges here in Greece, but at the same time learning day by day to get past it has really been rewarding, and has made me feel that I have grown, grown into my own. The time here is growing short, and I am going to make the best of it.
One thing I didnāt really talk about is that it poured for a good deal of the weekend. Though it was unpleasant, for the most part it didnāt hinder our weekend. When I think back on the weekend, avoiding the rain is just a vague detail in my mind. Itās interesting how the brain simply lets go of memories that arenāt so pleasant. The same thing has happened here in Greece. Things here that werenāt pleasant certainly didnāt feel good when I was experiencing them, but bad memories donāt stick in the mind, they simply slip away, and these not so good memories arenāt something I really remember when I write about my time here each week. As I write this post now I am thinking itās funny how life works, how things just keep moving, and we continue to experience these movements in ourselves, as we walk through the ever capricious path of life.
As with all other posts, I am only going to post a few photos here, there are a lot more on Facebook. Here are the highlights:
