Rome Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

Arrived in Rome Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

We were met at the train station by Irene, our hostess and one of the Italian sangha organizers, and her 7 year old granddaughter, Gaia.  The monks walked a few blocks and I rode with the luggage, Irene and her granddaughter to her apartment. At first Irene insisted I was to stay in one of her two B & B rooms and the other 4 monks were all crammed into one room. But we finally worked out that I would stay in a hostel down the street, where she arranged a private room with my own bath for E35/night rather than the regular E55. She said she often takes leftover guests from the hostel at a cheaper price and vice versa. So he owed her. Before that, Doug and I had gone to the hostel and I had booked a dorm room, long galley type room with 4 sets of bunk beds and not much air circulation! For E20, so this was a much better deal. And it was just down the street.

 

Irene prepared a wonderful pasta dinner for us – I’ve NEVER eaten so much pasta in one sitting! I normally don’t even like pasta much but this was delightful and delicious! Gaia seemed very comfortable with the Italian monastics and even had Doug playing with her dollhouse with 30 minutes of our arrival! Today before we left she had 3 of them playing a card game with her. Her mom is expecting a baby next month, so she frequently stays with her Nonna. Nonna took her to work with her on Monday.

Irene had arranged for us to have a walking tour of the Colosseum area (we didn’t go in) and the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill area with an archaeologist, Paulo, and Patricia, an art historian. She spoke some English, him not much at all. But Claudio and Lelio (two of the Italian monks) and Phap Vieu, Italian living in Thailand, did a lot of translating. My feet were very tired and dusty by the end, and it was HOT!! But interesting! Saw a lot I hadn’t seen before, 20 years ago when Doug and I (along with Kerry and Geoffrey, ages 14 and 16) were last in Rome.

Arch near Forum

Beautiful gardens!

Stadium used to be filled with water for naval battles

                                                              
                                                                Finding hidden markings

 

 

Roman pine trees

Colosseum

Roma!

Kung Fu with the Gladiator!

Gaia ended up going with us, although I thought it was a bad idea at the start, as I was sure she would get tired and bored, and she did.

I met when I was at Irene's, a young woman also in the sangha who is coordinating the walking meditation on Thursday, Anna Ferretti. She is an English teacher and also runs her family’s motorcycle business. She’s taking a leave this year from teaching as two jobs is a bit much! Turns out she offered for me to stay with her for the next 3 nights, as the monks moved out of Rome to where the retreat will be held. I didn’t want to be so far out, as I’m not going to the retreat, Doug will be busy working setting this up (Thay arrives tomorrow and many of the monastics so they will go to the airport, etc.)

Anna is just delightful and I’m so lucky! It’s in a great location, near a new extension of the metro. So I’ll be able to easily get downtown to the main tourist attractions

When Anna came home tonight (I was just coming in from dinner), we had a delightful conversation while she fixed and ate her dinner and we shared watermelon. The fruit here is extraordinary!

Just Skyped with Jackson and Sarah – it’s so wonderful to see their faces. But they couldn’t see me so they had fun looking at their own faces, and making silly faces, on the computer. It’s very late so sign off for tonight! More on Rome tomorrow!