Tom and I are sitting in an internet cafe in Dublin, about to head to the airport. Our trip has been a fantastic success, everything we had hoped it would be with a variety of unexpected events that made it all the more worth it.
Rome is a city designed for history nerds. The Colissuem, Parthenon, Trebi's fountain, Constantine's arch, Trajan's column, The Sistine Chapel, St. Peters Basilica, the Palatine Hill, Domus Aurea, and so much more make it a paradise. Even when you read books and watch documentaries on Roman history, until you come here, one cannot grasp the magnitude of these buildings the people who lived in them.
The Palatine Hill was the biggest surprise to me. It is not hailed as a great place to go, and many people do not even visit it despite the joint ticket with the Colissuem. The hill allows you to have panoramic views of Rome, surrounded by the ruins of old, Roman pine trees, fountains, and the Forum at the bottom. Tom and I stayed in their for a couple hours, soaking in the awesome sights.
St. Peters was also particularly special. Peter is one of the great men in history, and this place does justice to his memory. He is buried in the center of the largest interior of any church in the entire world. Michaelangelo's famous Pieta is there, and in addition to his paitings and sculptures, he designed the whole dome. The dome of course is so cool, that St. Pauls in London, Les Invalides in Paris, and of course, the White House are all based on that same design. What a gorgeous place.
The political scientist in me was quite intrigued by the Vaticans political system. It is an absolute monarchy, with the Pope in complete control of legislative, executive, and judical power. There are 450 citizens total, with roughly 800 people living within the walls. Truly seperate from Italy, it has a strange existence, but a really really interesting one nonetheless.
A random note on modern Rome; I am convinced that Italy may have regressed technologically from the Roman days. It seems possibly the city is less safe and is more dirty than it was 2000 years ago. This is perhaps because I would rather have Marcus Aurelius in charge of a country than Silvio Burlesconi. Also the Legionnaires would not have allowed Mafia control of the garbage industry.
Our last day in Dublin was very relaxing, because of our level of comfort with the city. We went to the Dublin writer's musuem and checked out exhibits on Swift, Wilde, Shaw, Yeats, and of course Joyce. What awesome writers, with the sharpest wits the world has ever experienced. I had traditional Irish stew at a pub for dinner (very very delicious) and an old Irish man bought me a Guinness and talked with me for a while about Barack Obama. He was quite happy to learn that I was politically left, and his knowledge of American history was quite strong.
Well... time to go back to America. I have no time left at the cafe, and I am ready to have stable internet, my own bed, and to see all the friends I miss. This trip was exactly what I hoped it would be, and I learned a lot of things that I would not have otherwise encountered. I have had discussions with Swedes, Fins, Australians, Italians, French, Germans, Irish, Dutch, the English, Mexicans, and many more. America seems a lot smaller once you leave it, but its global presence is still somehow felt wherever you go. I will see you all soon, and have no doubt, many many lengthy stories that wont be cut off by expensive internet.
See you all in the States,
Joel
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment