My Top Five Observations in Rome

After reading my son's blog of his observations during his semester in Rome,  I kept my eyes open and made a few observations of my own. 

Here are my top 5 (in no particular order):

1.  Italians love to smoke. 

Or maybe I should say Romans since it might be more predominant in big cities.  Everywhere you went, people were smoking.  Young, old, men, women.  There were cigarette butts littering the ground, and the scent of cigarette smoke in the air.

The warning "Smoke kills" is written on all packages of cigarettes, but it doesn't seem to matter.

2.  Romans don't use leashes on their dogs.

If my dogs were with me in Rome,  I think I would have a hard time walking them ON LEASH.   Outdoor cafes with food dropped on the ground, cats, pigeons, busy streets with motorcycles, fast cars,  alleyways, hordes of tourists - I wouldn't stand a chance of keeping my dogs focused.
If they were off-leash, they'd be dead!

  This little dogs was following its owner (the lady in the coat) as she walked the streets.  The dog would stop to sniff something then run to catch up.  The owner seemed almost oblivious that the dog was there.  She would cross streets and turn corners all without a backwards glance.   One morning I watched a man with 3 greyhounds walking on the Via Veneto.  He stepped into a cafe to get coffee without saying anything to the dogs and they just hung out on the sidewalk until he came back out.  Not a word to the dogs, he just kept walking and they fell in step beside him!  Incredible!
The BIG downside to this easygoing attitude is the owners don't even notice if the dog poops.  Dog poop does NOT get picked up!

3.  Beggars are everywhere.

There are plenty of beggars ALL OVER ROME. 
Outside of churches seem to be popular spots.
Many of them were without hands or feet, and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them.  Thinking back to the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" where acid was poured into the eyes of the children so they could make money begging, could it be possible that these poor men and women had once been whole?

4.  There are probably as many statues in Rome as there are cats!

Everywhere you look there are statues.  On fountains,  on buildings, in parks and churches, and especially in museums.  If you stopped to look at every statue in the Vatican Museums you would never come out.  After a short time, they all start looking alike - except for the truly remarkable ones like Michaelangelo's David in Florence.

5.  There may be more Japanese tourists than Roman statues and cats combined!

Ok, maybe it's because they're easy to recognize but they seem to be everywhere!  Yes, they carried cameras, but I observed a few other traits during my stay in Rome.
-  They dress for the weather.  Not Roman weather, though.  Maybe for the weather back in Japan.

   It was 85 degrees and sunny and we were sitting in the shade eating gelato, and this large Japanese tour group walks by us with hats, coats, pants, socks,  and walking shoes (or sandals with socks). 
-  In the same tour group, many of them had backpacks.  Or I should say frontpacks since they were wearing them backwards and hugging them with their arms - most likely to guard against theft.

Seeing all of these Japanese tourists was also a blessing.  My husband had so much fun and fit right in!  He was so happy!

He even made friends!

I'll zoom in closer...

 
That's him - hugging  the lady with the red hat!  He's such a friendly guy!

OK, HE WAS NOT REALLY IN THIS LAST PICTURE.  BUT I HAD SO MUCH FUN PUTTING HIM IN IT, I JUST HAD TO SHOW IT TO YOU!

The real picture looked like this...

Not nearly as interesting!

Mamma, Ti Voglio Bene

I had a rather unique Mother's Day this year.

It began with a very sweet gift from my son - a cookie and red roses!
The cookie stands for

"Mamma, ti voglio bene" or
                                 
"Mom, I love you".

It was my day and we could go wherever I wanted to go!
And I wanted to see some not so typical tourist sights.

After going to a Farmer's Market and having a nice lunch,
we set out to find a the Knights of Malta keyhole.

 When we found it, there was a line of visitors waiting for their chance to look into the keyhole.

 When my turn came, this is what I saw!

 Through a long tunnel of hedges was the dome of St. Peter's Basilica!

Next, we headed to the Via Appia Antica.

This ancient road, constructed in the 5th century B.C. originally spanned about 330 miles from Rome to a seaport on the Adriatic where boats left for Egypt, Greece, or Africa. 

Much of the Appian Way has been preserved, the stones polished by thousands of years of use. It was thrilling to walk on the same stones as the ancient Romans (although I doubt if Vance and Adam shared my enthusiasm!)

As sunset approached, we made our way to a Aqueduct Park on the outskirts of Rome where remnants of ancient aqueducts still remain. 

The fields around the aqueducts were filled with graceful grasses and beautiful red poppies!

It was absolutely gorgeous at sunset...

The constantly changing light and shadows combined with the majestic arches of stone was like a dream to a photographer!

 

Thank you, Adam, for an unusual, but very wonderful Mother's Day!

Roman Cats

During my recent visit to Rome, there was one place that I wanted to visit above all others.

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary    (click to go to website)

Torre Argentina is the site of ancient ruins where Julius Caesar was killed.
It is also home to hundreds of cats.
And I love cats.

 To enter, you must go down a flight of stairs to an area under the busy road.
We were greeted by this little guy...

but as we looked around, we saw plenty more cats, basking in the sun!

Some looked like cats we see in America,

 but others had a very different look...

When we walked inside, we were welcomed warmly by one of the volunteers who help run the sanctuary and encouraged to look around.

The cats in this section are free to come and go, but prefer interaction with humans.  The skinny cat on the right is about 20 years old.  He is losing his fur and not very pretty, but he would reach out a paw to elicit a head rub!  One of the ladies that volunteers here brings him home-made meals to encourage him to eat more!

Torre Argentina is a no-kill shelter.  Unlike America, in August of 1991, Italy passed a law regarding stray cats saying that, “it is forbidden for anyone to mistreat stray cats.” The law also provided provisions for a No Kill policy stating, “stray cats can be put to sleep only if severely ill or incurable.”

In ancient times,  Romans valued cats for their ability to control rodents in the temples.  There are estimated to be 300,000 feral cats in Rome living in over 2000 colonies. They continue to do the same job today.

There is another room in the shelter for those cats that cannot roam freely due to illness or injuries.

  It is here that most of the visitors stayed.

Many of the cats enjoyed the human touch.

This cat is blind.  It jumped into the lap of a girl also visiting from the United States.  We were told that many kittens are born blind when the mother carries the herpes virus.

In Rome, when litters of kittens are born, they are often thrown into dumpsters or put in plastic bags and thrown into the river.  Young kittens brought to Torre Argentina are fostered outside of the shelter due  to the risk of them catching something at the shelter.  Then they are either adopted or brought to the shelter to live.

Shelters in Italy are NOT funded by the government, so they must rely on donations.  This shelters had a gift shop with t-shirts and lots of over-priced cat trinkets, but nearly everyone who was visiting the day I was there bought something before they left, knowing it would benefit the cats.

The money is used for vet bills for sick cats, but also for sterilization of the cats.  In an effort to reduce the growth of the cat population, they use TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) where cats are trapped, sterilized, and returned to their colonies.

Outside the sanctuary, in the archeological site when Caesar was murdered, lives a colony of cats.
When walking by on the street, it is not immediately evident that so many cats live here.

But as you stand and look more closely,  it's like reading a Waldo book.
Find the cats!

 There are at least 6 cats in the picture above.

Before I left, I made a donation.  I had intended to buy myself a pair of Italian leather shoes for my birthday.  After witnessing the loving care of the volunteers and all the good they do, I decided I didn't need shoes after all.

If you are a cat lover and are interested in learning more and watching some fun videos, please continue.  I especially love the last one about Kenneth and Penelope!

The Plane Stayed Up By Itself

Even though I had let them choose their own socks since babyhood, I was only beginning to learn to trust their adult judgment.. . . I had a sensation very much like the moment in an airplane when you realize that even if you stop holding the plane up by gripping the arms of your seat until your knuckles show white, the plane will stay up by itself. . .

                   ~ Anonymous Parent of Adult Children

Vance and I have spent the past week in Rome.  

My son, Adam, has been studying there this semester.

We brought him to JFK on Valentines Day.

He's been on his own since that day.

On his own in a country very different from our own.

On his own is a city of over 3 million people.

On his own.  Trying to survive the best he can.

We knew it hasn't been easy for Adam.

We were anxious to see him - to make sure he is ok,

to get a glimpse of this life he has made for himself,

and hopefully ease his burdens a little for a short time.

The road to adulthood is different for everyone.

I firmly believe it's impossible to become an adult

                    without hardship.

Hardship has many faces.

Frustration.

Loneliness.

Fear.

Uncertainty.

Separation.

I also believe that you cannot reach adulthood 

                   without accomplishment

and pride in overcoming hardship.

Over the past few month, we've witnessed Adam

travel his road to adulthood.  And we are so proud!

It was a special week for us as parents:

spending this time with Adam,

relying on him to help us,

feeling his love for us on an adult level.

Yet hopefully, at the same time, 

taking some of the burdens of adulthood

off his shoulders for a little while.

Being with my parents, even later in life,

always made me feel safe. 

One day,  Adam came back to our hotel room and

fell asleep on the bed. 

Maybe I was imagining it, but I couldn't help but
think he was feeling safe too.
 

And as I sat in the chair and watched him napping,

I couldn't help but see 

my little boy 

again.