Rome ('Cause We Wanted To)

With the state of the world economy being as it is, it only makes sense that I do my part to bring it back up again. And so while my father will want to pretend he didn't read the next sentence, I followed the advice of my economics professor and decided to pump money back into the economy...aka I hopped a plane to Rome for the weekend. 

Now although my Google travels have taken me around the world and back again for the last year and a half, I have never been to Western Europe except for the U.K. I meant to visit my sister Mary in Italy when she studied abroad back in 2006, but the timing didn't work out and I have wanted to go ever since. Let me just say that Rome didn't disappoint. 

From the very moment I stepped off the plane until the time we (finally!!!) made it back to Dublin, I was in love. Around every single corner, it seemed, was another piece of history. I was fascinated by the way a walk down a single street could be a literal time trip through centuries. I spent so much time holding back from saying "wow, this is amazing" every 5 seconds so as to pull off some semblance of maturity and culture :) I was in awe.

My friend Whitney met me in the Dublin airport and, having been to Rome twice before, was the best tour guide anyone could ever ask for. She put up with my not speaking a world of Italian, getting lost and only being oriented when we were next to the Wedding Cake (aka Vittoriano), and basically becoming a mute after walking around for too many hours without having any caffeine. She didn't even bat an eye when I started stressing out big time about not making it back to work and having to answer emails via Blackberry for a good number of hours...but more on that story later. Needless to say, I would have been literally and figuratively lost without her and never would have gotten to see so many sights in such a short visit. 

We hit up all the big stuff, which would take hours upon hours for me to recap here, so I'll just give you some highlights:

Highlight #1: Twenty-nine: That is the number of nuns we saw on Sunday...yes, I counted. Granted, we spent a chunk of our day in and around Vatican City, but the city just seemed to be teeming with religious life everywhere you looked. Having never been a favorite amongst nuns back in high school (I don't understand why Sr. Rosalie didn't like all my questions or my taking notes in the pages of the Bible...), I tried to redeem myself by being on my best behavior and not pointing & shouting too loudly when counting each nun.  Oh, and I don't know where they all went after the weekend, but we only saw 10 on Monday and a single nun in the airport on Tuesday. They must've partied too hard or something? 

Highlight #2: His Holiness: In planning what we wanted to do for the day, we read in one of the guidebooks the Pope appears every Sunday at noon and gives a blessing over the people gathered in St. Peter's Square. Unsure of how many people would show up, etc., we arrived in Vatican City just before 11a.m. and joined the line to tour St. Peter's Basilica. I don't know how they did it, but the Italians have the queue-ing thing figured out. We spent more time walking back along the line trying to find the end than we did in the line weaving our way to the front. While I also noticed that it's no big deal for Italians to not bother with the line at all and just jump in wherever they pleased, everyone was quite pleasant and we were inside in no time. I have never been so impressed by anything in my life as the Basilica, and if you know me at all, that is a pretty big statement (reread above my penchant for pointing and exclaiming "wow" about absolutely everything...I grew up in Iowa, gimme a break). I couldn't help myself from feeling so unbelievably in awe of the detail that went into the design of this church...I had goosebumps the whole time (okay, I always have goosebumps) but I couldn't really talk. I think I finally understand what people say when a piece of art moves them to tears. It was incredible. 

After we were done wandering back and forth amongst the chapels and wings of the Basilica, we went outside and were greeted by a MASS of people in the Square. Where before there had been just a handful of people hanging out that weren't in the queue, it seemed every square inch was covered with life. This turned out to actually be lucky for us since we got to stay in the area reserved for seating in front of the Basilica and had a front row view of the study window. Pope Benedict XVI appeared at noon on the dot and spoke in Italian for 15-20 minutes. I recognized a few words (ciao, Padre, gloria, Spirito Santo) and noted speranza (hope) said with a great deal of frequency. I can only conclude that his words were a religious spin on what I've been hearing from Obama over the past several months :) But then he amazed me, greeting the crowd with a 5 minute blessing in SIX different languages. It was incredible and I felt incredibly humbled by my own lack of linguistics in addition to being in the presence of His Holiness. I guess I should have saved this part for last, but it was the best part of the whole trip! 

Highlight #3: Cutting with confidence: As I mentioned above, it is customary in Italy to ignore the fact that there are lines for things. One of our guidebooks advised us that, when in Rome...cutting with confidence is an art form. So, Whit and I decided to try our hand at it. We had a recommendation for a cafe and after a long day of wandering the city, I was ready for some coffee to get me through the next few hours. We found our way there almost by accident! and stood in the corner for a few moments, utterly perplexed by the scene around us. Two walls of the cafe were ensconced by a massive coffee bar,  another with a register and the fourth hidden amongst piles of coffee beans. And people were everywhere...the logistics made absolutely no sense at all. The lone menu on the wall was in 2pt font, hard enough to read if held in one's own hands, and took us a long while to even find. So...we ignored it, took the recommendation and cut our way (confidently of course) to the front of the cafe counter. After being ignored for several minutes, we finally caught the attention of a barista who informed us we needed to have cut with confidence to the register first. Back at the coffee bar, armed with receipt in hand, we received our miniscule shot of coffee precariously balanced on a plate, and asked if we could sit outside at the tables and chairs scattered out front. No, we were told, that would have cost us more. So...we stood at the countertop, sipping on our very strong coffee, and made it that much more difficult for anyone else trying to cut with confidence to the front. 

Highlight #4: Giuseppe & Giancarlo: Now wired from our shot of coffee, Whitney and I went to one of her favorite places in Rome, Piazza Navona, and people-watched while figuring out where we wanted to go to dinner. Luckily, we were given a GREAT recommendation by two locals who decided to come practice their English with us. Or, with Whit, actually, since once they found out she was an architecture student, they had 101 questions and tips for her.  When they learned I was a super-cool accountant, somehow the reaction wasn't quite the same :) But regardless, we were really excited to actually meet some Italians and after the hour-long conversation about life, love, penthouse apartments and everything in between, considered them our bffs for life...although after walking away, we realized how rude we were in that we didn't even know their names! So, we christened them Giuseppe and Giancarlo and think they'd be pretty okay with that. 

Highlight #5: Vomiting, fornication & bird dance-offs: after trying on Sunday but arriving just after it closed, we went back to the Colosseum on Monday. It is even more fascinating than the pictures and (I hate to say it) its replica in L.A. that I hold near and dear to my Trojan-loving heart. Whitney and I spent a long time staring out across the ruins, trying to remember our own Coliseum and trying to figure out what this one must have been like back in its heyday.  It blows your mind. I kept saying how much I wanted to see "before and after" pictures...why oh why no one invented the camera earlier, I will never understand!

But I also learned that both the word "vomit" and "fornication" come from the Colosseum. Apparently, the building was designed so that it could be filled in 15 minutes and evacuated in less than 5. Its exit routes, known as vomitoria, were also designed so that none of the classes had to see each other until they had been spewed onto the streets :) Apparently, the Colosseum was also a hot prostitute hang-out. These ladies would hang out after hours under the arches (aka fornices) and that is where the word 'fornicate' took its origins. There will be no charge for this history lesson :)

But the #1 thing that took my breath away in Rome was the sight we met when we left the Colosseum. I swear on all 29 nuns that there were a million birds in the sky, performing some sort of complicated dance-off. Weaving in and out, back and forth, all (human) necks were bent at the awkward angle usually reserved for the Sistene Chapel, witnessing whatever it was for 10 minutes or more. You could not tell where the mass of birds began or ended, there were that many. This sight is now my 2nd favorite part of creation, hands down. 

Highlight #6: Gelato: Oh, and how could I forget the gelato...I can't even talk about it, I already miss it so much!

The whole trip was amazing...until we got to the airport.  Apparently a landing jet ran into a flock of birds the morning before, hitting several and trapping others inside one of its engines. It had to make an emergency landing and, although no one was seriously injured, 8 people were sent to the hospital for treatment.  This minor incident shut the airport down for two whole days, so we spent a fair number of hours with the most irritable, frustrated Dubliner and his ex-girlfriend (although they kept kissing...even though her current boyfriend was there...even though he kept talking to us about getting home and going with him to some gay bars...? confused? we were!!!) and then were finally bussed over to another airport, waited for several more hours and made it back by 10pm. So, the rest of this week has been stressful getting caught up with work and sleep but it was worth it for the best Roman Holiday since Audrey Hepburn.

I'm Only Happy When It Rains

When it rains, it pours. Except, of course, when it doesn't...and is instead a torrential downpour, hold on to your britches, this storm is going to blow you over...or into a building. And then it is going to stop 5 seconds later.

I think you get the picture; the Dublin rain and I have not been playing nice. You would think with the utter tragedy I experienced in my pinkie debaucle, that the Good Lord Above would see fit to exempt me from all other woes for at least a week. Well, apparently the Big Guy has other plans (or more important things to worry about???). 

Round One of Anne versus RainStorms went a little something like this: Anne leaves apartment. Anne smiles because it is raining and she was brilliant enough to remember her umbrella. Anne pops the sucker open and turns the corner. Wind blows rain under umbrella and into Anne's face. Anne moves closer to the buildings to avoid the puddles and hide from the Wind. Wind doesn't like this. Wind picks it up a notch. Wind blows Anne into the building. Anne is WET.

Rain 1, Anne 0

Round Two: Anne leaves apartment for Mass dressed in boots, tights, dress and long pea coat (Anne looks very cute...and even did her hair!). Anne looks up and sees that it is starting to sprinkle. Anne runs back up 4 flights of stairs and grabs umbrella. Anne gets 30 steps away from her door, holding on tight (avoiding the buildings), and umbrella gets blown out backwards. Anne stands there stupified for a few seconds, then runs back 30 steps and up 4 flights of stairs and changes her entire outfit to jeans, walking shoes, zip-up jacket with hood. Anne thinks she is quite smart, holds hood over her head, walks about 1/2 a block....and the storm is over, clouds part, sun is shining and, I swear, a snotty little bird or 2 starts singing "na na nana na!"

Rain 2, Anne 0

Anne stays inside the rest of her stay in Dublin.

Okay, so the last statement isn't entirely true, but the weather has put a bit of a damper (pun intended) on the outdoor exploring.  After Round 2 (which occurred last Sunday), I had already sloshed through the rain all the day before, wandering through the city centre searching for a fancy dress for Halloween, and then spent the better part of the afternoon in Ireland's National Gallery. I only made it through the bottom floor which houses entirely Irish and European art and has a huge portrait gallery of famous Irishmen & women who have made significant contributions to the cultural, social & political life of the country. While I definitely beefed up on my Irish history, I learned that "significant" contribution doesn't have to mean you are a revolutionary politician or an tireless worker for Irish social welfare. It more than likely instead means that you have a made a significant monetary contribution, were so pretty that lords from other countries fought to marry you, or that you are Bono.  Or (my favorite) you were so vain that you had an oil portrait made of yourself and then donated it to the gallery. 

But regardless, most of the art was fantastic and I will absolutely be back to explore their Millennium Wing, especially because it is home to works by some of my favorite impressionist artists.  What's more, despite its loose definition of 'significant contribution,' the portrait gallery piqued my interest in Irish history and so I spent the next day, post-rain battle, at the Dublin Writers' Museum.  

Now, I will be honest here and tell you that if you come to Dublin, unless you have 3-4 hours on your hands and are REEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY interested in writing, Irish authors, or looking at old books and writing memorabilia, this can be dropped off your list of things to do. But, seeing as I am pretty much a dork no matter how you spin it, I loved this place. I found it interesting that, being a haven for book-lovers, their 40-some-odd panels of history about each author was in maybe 18pt font and had definite potential to render you blind by the time you left. However, they also had some interesting hand-written notes by some of the authors, giving you insight as to their loyalties to each other, the validity of their "autobiographical" works, and their penchant for alchohol. Brendan Behan, in particular, was an entertaining name-dropper in his letters to his brother while in Hollywood. Apparently he hobnobbed with Groucho Marx, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire...and made some observations of the Hollywood crowd that, after living in L.A. for 7 years, I would have to say still hold true today :)

After all of my indoor activities, I was starting to go a bit nuts and so was beyond delighted to see a few rays of sunshine this weekend. It poured through the night, but today was gorgeous and actually warm. I used the great weather as a chance to inflict a little bit of self-torture and walked about 2 1/2 hours each way to Phoenix Park. This is one of the oldest parks in all of Europe (#5 I think?) and dwarfs NY's Central Park, no contest. They say it's even bigger than all of the parks in London put together. Well, I believe it, and have the blisters on my heels to prove it.  Luckily, the walk was not in vain; the park is incredibly gorgeous, and well it should be since it is home to not only the Irish President but the U.S. Ambassador and Farmleigh (the official Irish State Guest House), which was my main destination.

My friend at work in Mountain View just actually moved to the States from Dublin, and he highly recommended that I visit Farmleigh on the first Sunday of the month, when it holds a farmers market. I absolutely LOVE the SF farmers market and usually trek there every Saturday, so Brian knew I would miss it while I was here. Well...no disrespect, but for all the Irish farmland, there were only about 5 stalls all together, one of which sold coffee and bottled water...the same brand that is sold next door to my apt about 2 1/2 minutes away, rather than hours. Not really what I expected,  but I did make it home with some incredible pear & walnut soda bread which definitely won't last the week. And the sun shone every painful step of the way :)

They say the nice weather won't even last through the night, but I say bring it on. Me versus the rain, no problem...I'm calling a comeback!