"Is this an elevator" "No it is my room"

Sorry for not blogging sooner.

Caroline arrived on Tuesday which has been great. The Acer computer has been acting up so between trying to charge 5 devices, sightseeing and problems, blogging has slowed down.

Rome is a walkable city. The caveat is that you have to be willing to walk five to ten miles a day. I am reminded that Chicago is also walkable. In Chicago, if you stay downtown, you can walk to Cubs Ballpark, Greek Town, Museums, Zoo etc. Los Angeles and, I presume Tokyo and London are not in the walkable cities category.

In walking Rome, I have decided that the Popes were graffiti artists at heart. If it did not move for an hour, one of the Popes put up a marble plate saying "I was here". Every fountain and other Roman monument has one side the Caesar and on the other a "pope was
here". The most active seems to have been Pope Pius VII.

I walked again to the Vatican area. It was a sunny day so I found my way to St. Peter Square (actually, it is an oval). It is immense. Mickey Mantle could not hit one out of this ballpark. It was Saturday so the crowds were large. The line to get into St. Peter circled the Square. The line did move so the crowd was quiet and expectant.

I am sure that I am not the first to comment about the juxtaposition of the Vatican to its surroundings. It is a metaphor to the issues facing Catholicism. The real world of human problems and existence comes right up to its walls. The walls are formidable - thick and 3 stories high with guards. The offices and residences look down on the streets from heights which make the street sounds as if white noise.

Within the Square, itself,  the human predicament persists. Tours, selfie poles and other souvenirs sellers apply their trades with the unspoken guidance "buyer beware". The big one is "tour the Vatican". I can see why. The size of the complex: a new language and crowds would make anyone seek the safety of a person saying "I will take care of you - for 80 euros (@ $100).

There is an isolation to St. Peter's. You are in awe but I was actually more impressed by the Colosseum as a work of man. I did not think of God as I walked around. I thought more about the history and the crowds of people.

And "Yes,"a Pope put his name and his family name on the door. It is interesting to me that the Pope who first envisioned the St Peter demolished stone from the Colosseum to begin construction.
I know that there are always discussions about the Papacy as the inheritor of the leadership of Catholicism (right now, I bet the American bishops are saying "that is the last Jesuit we ever vote for - could have told them). The conservatives point to the unbroken line of popes. They negate quickly the Avignon Captivity, multi Popes, the children born and a woman pope (more than one?).But when you are in Rome and see the churches etc. all referring not only the Pope but his family, y

ou realize that the papacy was part of the political intrigue of the ages. The papacy was owned not borrowed. I think we are moving away from that.

I got a haircut in  Rome. I needed one and I decided if anyone could cut my hair so that it looked like I had more hair it would be a Roman barber. Okay, no more hair. But, it is a great haircut. It is a true barbershop. When you walk in the door, there is a jovial greeter. There are four barbers. When it is your turn into the chair, Fernando puts the customary sheet around your neck and then puts cotton balls around your neck to be more comfortable. No razor or buzzer, it is all scissors and comb. Thirty minutes later he finishes. It is "thank you, Signor John". It is remarkable how much good nature and hand gestures can make a good conversation. Not inexpensive, thirty euro - about 35 dollars. But, in line with the service.

Yesterday, Saturday, we visited the Rome National Museum. The museum is located near the Piazza de Republica and the Temini train station. It is an excellent museum. Just well thought out. Three floors of statutes and floors and interiors of Roman villas dating from 300 BC to 300 AD.

The museum makes it interesting by explaining each exhibit in ways that you can relate to.. For example, the bust of romans are often dated by their hairs styles (Augustus wife was definitely the trend setter).. The discussion of periods of decorations are discussed in light of the history of Rome so you can see in the art the events of history.

The day before we visited the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. The last work begun by Michelangelo at 86. His design was serious modified by subsequent Popes. A very unassuming entry opens into an impressive Neo-Renaissance Church. A portion of the Baths of Diocletian were incorporated into the church. This particular building survived because it was one of the earliest churches of Rome and far enough from the center of ancient Rome to avoid the  various "Sackings of Rome".

The church only covers a small portion of the Baths area. Roman Baths were huge complexes with multiple buildings, gardens and libraries. This Bath covered an area with now includes the Piazza de Republica (google the Piazza to visualize the size) and beyond. The remains include parts of walls of the major structures which appear in the oddest places. One is now a public garage. We are eating lunch with Caroline and watching cars navigate a very narrow opening into the garage. Slowly, it becomes apparent that it is a ruin.

It must be difficult to decide what ruins to retain and what to demolish. It is only within the last 50 years that Rome has been protected. You realize this when you visit the Forum area and learn that most of what you see and experience is the result of work that began in late 20th century.