Thursday, December 04, 2003
I don't think I've mentioned how beautiful everybody here is. The women are drop dead gorgeous - dressed smartly and made up appropriately. While we can pick up make up and beauty products at any Target, Walgreen's, Neiman Marcus, etc... Rome (probably all of Italy) has a multitude of stores dedicated to beutifying oneself. The most common and impressive being the profumeria, additionally there are erboristeria, which I didn't actually visit, but the window displays indicated that they sell "natural" based cosmetics and perfumes.
Back to the profumeria, this is not Sephora or Ulta or any other beauty related chain you can think of. These are little (generally tiny) neighborhood stores individually owned and operated that are packed floor to ceiling with beauty products. The ones I went into had one wall dedicated to just fragrances, perfumes, colognes, etc... They also carry various lines of make-up - it was funny to see things that I always see at home in these stores: L'Oreal, Max Factor, etc... They also carried European brands. They had everything from your maintenance products (face creams, toners, etc...) to make-up, bath products, and men's products too.
Of course they also carry the wonderful cleverly Italian made Pupa beauty kits. Now you can get these in the states, and I have a couple that came from Ulta. But of course, they are more expensive and you don't get the full range of choices here. What these are, and it's difficult to see from the linked picture, I couldn't really find and good ones on the web, is smallish items, usually figures, made from plastic and they open up showing various levels and drawers filled with eye, lip and cheek colors. Additionally in a lot of the kits they have sometimes shaped the well holding the cosmetics into something that goes with the overall theme. For instance in a moon shaped kit, some of the little wells may be shaped as stars or clouds. Also they emboss shapes into the tops of the pressed powder shadows and blushes to go with the theme. My dear, sweet husband got me two kits to add to my collection, Red Riding Hood and Pinnocchio. They are both so fun and clever, I can't wait to get home and open all of the little drawers and compartments.
Back to the profumeria, this is not Sephora or Ulta or any other beauty related chain you can think of. These are little (generally tiny) neighborhood stores individually owned and operated that are packed floor to ceiling with beauty products. The ones I went into had one wall dedicated to just fragrances, perfumes, colognes, etc... They also carry various lines of make-up - it was funny to see things that I always see at home in these stores: L'Oreal, Max Factor, etc... They also carried European brands. They had everything from your maintenance products (face creams, toners, etc...) to make-up, bath products, and men's products too.
Of course they also carry the wonderful cleverly Italian made Pupa beauty kits. Now you can get these in the states, and I have a couple that came from Ulta. But of course, they are more expensive and you don't get the full range of choices here. What these are, and it's difficult to see from the linked picture, I couldn't really find and good ones on the web, is smallish items, usually figures, made from plastic and they open up showing various levels and drawers filled with eye, lip and cheek colors. Additionally in a lot of the kits they have sometimes shaped the well holding the cosmetics into something that goes with the overall theme. For instance in a moon shaped kit, some of the little wells may be shaped as stars or clouds. Also they emboss shapes into the tops of the pressed powder shadows and blushes to go with the theme. My dear, sweet husband got me two kits to add to my collection, Red Riding Hood and Pinnocchio. They are both so fun and clever, I can't wait to get home and open all of the little drawers and compartments.
Driving in Rome. This is a topic that seems to divide commentators into two camps: Those who think that Roman drivers are a bunch of undisciplined maniacs, and those who think that they are instead actually somewhat disciplined maniacs. I fall into the latter camp, and further think that the chaotic touch football game of Roman driving illuminates some interesting facets of the people's character.
First off, forget rules. There are no lanes, no dividers, no traffic buttons, nada. While they do ostensibly have traffic lights in the center area of the city, letting them influence your behavior is usually seen as admission that you can't see for yourself that someone is barreling toward you.
They have something here called the "logical stop", which means that if you come to an intersection and no one is about to directly hit you, go for it - regardless of light, stop sign, etc. If it looks like you may actully get smashed into, consider stopping, or possibly going MUCH FASTER, thus avoiding the inconvenience of dealing with another accident. This requires concentration, builds coordination and driving skills in general, and is molto fun to watch from the bus.
But we are seeing very few accidents. Roman drivers appear to go more slowly in general, observe what's going on carefully, and basically buzz merrily about in cars that look like tiny toys, easily permitting each other rights of way when it is obvious who was there first. And that's the key. It looks very much like people walking down a crowded street or hallway. Common consideration rules the day (EDITORIAL COMMENT:unlike here when ego dominance and trying to get over on everybody else is more the norm).
I guess what I am trying to say is that because there are no rules people just act in a civilized manner. In the US we have so many rules for proper traffic behavior (instead of basing what we do on common understanding of human consideration) we feel like we have to disobey, just to feel human. The difference is that with laws dictating what we do we end up being rude and frustrated much more of the time...
Or alternatively it could just be the food and wine here that makes everyone more civilized... over to you, MB.
First off, forget rules. There are no lanes, no dividers, no traffic buttons, nada. While they do ostensibly have traffic lights in the center area of the city, letting them influence your behavior is usually seen as admission that you can't see for yourself that someone is barreling toward you.
They have something here called the "logical stop", which means that if you come to an intersection and no one is about to directly hit you, go for it - regardless of light, stop sign, etc. If it looks like you may actully get smashed into, consider stopping, or possibly going MUCH FASTER, thus avoiding the inconvenience of dealing with another accident. This requires concentration, builds coordination and driving skills in general, and is molto fun to watch from the bus.
But we are seeing very few accidents. Roman drivers appear to go more slowly in general, observe what's going on carefully, and basically buzz merrily about in cars that look like tiny toys, easily permitting each other rights of way when it is obvious who was there first. And that's the key. It looks very much like people walking down a crowded street or hallway. Common consideration rules the day (EDITORIAL COMMENT:unlike here when ego dominance and trying to get over on everybody else is more the norm).
I guess what I am trying to say is that because there are no rules people just act in a civilized manner. In the US we have so many rules for proper traffic behavior (instead of basing what we do on common understanding of human consideration) we feel like we have to disobey, just to feel human. The difference is that with laws dictating what we do we end up being rude and frustrated much more of the time...
Or alternatively it could just be the food and wine here that makes everyone more civilized... over to you, MB.
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
We are beginning to think about coming back (sob), and also the unfortunate lack of gifties and swag to haul home from our visit. I did see a nice $6,000 Zenith watch I wanted, but instead we need to think about stuff we can afford, will fit in a bag, and will survive seventeen hours on various planes. (Aside: we are going to attempt to smuggle some smelly cheese and salami etc, and will see what happens...)
After belatedly learning of the transit strike yesterday (finally noticing no buses on the street, as we patiently waited); we just as belatedly learned they are back on the road today. And so we took ourselves via the winding path of the 280 bus to the neighborhood of Trastevere. It is frequently billed as the "Greenwich Village of Rome", or some such silliness, but it is more down to earth, boho, what have you, than the somewhat toney area we are staying in.
We came to shop and shop we have, with kindereggs on the hoof for the lassooin', and extra virgin this and that all about. Really fun. How will we stuff all this junk into our bags? Maybe just leave behind the clothes. We can find more of them in tejas...
It is a beautiful day, the third one in a row. Really makes up for cloudy drippy stuff for the first part of our visit.
After belatedly learning of the transit strike yesterday (finally noticing no buses on the street, as we patiently waited); we just as belatedly learned they are back on the road today. And so we took ourselves via the winding path of the 280 bus to the neighborhood of Trastevere. It is frequently billed as the "Greenwich Village of Rome", or some such silliness, but it is more down to earth, boho, what have you, than the somewhat toney area we are staying in.
We came to shop and shop we have, with kindereggs on the hoof for the lassooin', and extra virgin this and that all about. Really fun. How will we stuff all this junk into our bags? Maybe just leave behind the clothes. We can find more of them in tejas...
It is a beautiful day, the third one in a row. Really makes up for cloudy drippy stuff for the first part of our visit.
The Colosseum and all of the associated ruins (Roman Forum, Senate Building, etc...) were great. There were also a few kitties running around the ruins making it very picturesque, and making us miss our little gatti a bit.
We are thanking our lucky stars that we've seen decent weather for about the past four days. There's been no rain and some clouds, though generally it has been colder, but that isn't really a problem for us. However, one little problem that we ran into yesterday was a strike by the public transportation workers. It was rather odd, since we had seen on the morning news yesterday that there was a bus strike in Milan which is another city, far from here, then we promptly went out and got on our beloved bus #116 and headed to the internet cafe. After finishing there, we went to try to get the subway to the Colosseum, but it was closed. No problem, being the intrepid city travellers that we've become, we figured we would just catch a bus. None came and we were burning daylight, to we grabbed a cab. After the ruins we waited for a bus, and learned from some other (rather snotty) Americans that the buses were on strike as a measure of solidarity to their Milano brethren. So what, they come to work in the morning and then decide they want the rest of the day off in the guise of a strike? Much to our relief, all the public transportation seems to be working again today. I have no idea if the issue in Milan was solved, or even what it was to begin with.
The food remains fabulous. We've learned that 11:15 a.m. is the time when you want to be at the pizza bars. That is the time when they are getting ready for the lunch rush to come and all of the freshest pizza can be had, right out of the oven, instead of a re-heated slice (which are still pretty damn good). Cappuccino is still a world away from the swill you get at *$ (Starbuck's) - not that I had any problem with theirs until I came here and got spoiled by the real thing. We may have to invest in a proper cappuccino maker and the sweet tiny little espresso cups and spoons. Not to mention the fact that you are expected to have sugar in your cappuccino which is right up my alley.
We are thanking our lucky stars that we've seen decent weather for about the past four days. There's been no rain and some clouds, though generally it has been colder, but that isn't really a problem for us. However, one little problem that we ran into yesterday was a strike by the public transportation workers. It was rather odd, since we had seen on the morning news yesterday that there was a bus strike in Milan which is another city, far from here, then we promptly went out and got on our beloved bus #116 and headed to the internet cafe. After finishing there, we went to try to get the subway to the Colosseum, but it was closed. No problem, being the intrepid city travellers that we've become, we figured we would just catch a bus. None came and we were burning daylight, to we grabbed a cab. After the ruins we waited for a bus, and learned from some other (rather snotty) Americans that the buses were on strike as a measure of solidarity to their Milano brethren. So what, they come to work in the morning and then decide they want the rest of the day off in the guise of a strike? Much to our relief, all the public transportation seems to be working again today. I have no idea if the issue in Milan was solved, or even what it was to begin with.
The food remains fabulous. We've learned that 11:15 a.m. is the time when you want to be at the pizza bars. That is the time when they are getting ready for the lunch rush to come and all of the freshest pizza can be had, right out of the oven, instead of a re-heated slice (which are still pretty damn good). Cappuccino is still a world away from the swill you get at *$ (Starbuck's) - not that I had any problem with theirs until I came here and got spoiled by the real thing. We may have to invest in a proper cappuccino maker and the sweet tiny little espresso cups and spoons. Not to mention the fact that you are expected to have sugar in your cappuccino which is right up my alley.
Monday, December 01, 2003
Just a quick entry before we head off the to the Colosseum to see that awesome site, but why is the subway always closed when we want to take it?
A gentle warning to those who may come to Rome after, especially the ladeez, public restrooms don't always have the civilized invention we like to refer to as a "toilet seat." So just be prepared for this eventuality because it will happen.
I'm still in search of more Kinder Eggs. They had some at the Christmas Fare in Piazza Navona, but not Christmas ones, and not little six packs which is what I would prefer. The Christmas Fare was nice, kind of like a little carnival. There was a merry go round, a few games, and a bunch of booths with candy, stuffed animals and ornaments. Most of the ornaments were pieces for the creche/manger scene you would set up in your home a la those Department 57 villages with little carolers and such that are popular in the US.
We went to Upim the other day. It's an Italian department store, a little like a JC Penney or May Company store. Ya know they just don't seem to do all of the insane Christmas commericalism here that we have back home - and it's better that way. A few decorations, lights, etc... A section of the department store, near the kids stuff, dedicated to Christmas wrapping and cards, but mostly unaffected.
A gentle warning to those who may come to Rome after, especially the ladeez, public restrooms don't always have the civilized invention we like to refer to as a "toilet seat." So just be prepared for this eventuality because it will happen.
I'm still in search of more Kinder Eggs. They had some at the Christmas Fare in Piazza Navona, but not Christmas ones, and not little six packs which is what I would prefer. The Christmas Fare was nice, kind of like a little carnival. There was a merry go round, a few games, and a bunch of booths with candy, stuffed animals and ornaments. Most of the ornaments were pieces for the creche/manger scene you would set up in your home a la those Department 57 villages with little carolers and such that are popular in the US.
We went to Upim the other day. It's an Italian department store, a little like a JC Penney or May Company store. Ya know they just don't seem to do all of the insane Christmas commericalism here that we have back home - and it's better that way. A few decorations, lights, etc... A section of the department store, near the kids stuff, dedicated to Christmas wrapping and cards, but mostly unaffected.
Keys are important. They let you in and keep others out. This undeniable fact was brought home during our stay in Rome. When we paid the rent on our little Via Guilia apartment in the Palazzo Donarelli Ricci, the estimable Dr. Julia (our rep from the agency) gave us two sets of two keys. One of these was fairly average looking, and permitted access to the building's sprawling private courtyard, the kind all fifteenth century palaces enjoyed. The other key, for the apartment itself, was a monstrous looking toothy thing that looked as if it came from the props department for an old horror flick. "Don't lose these" said Dr. Julia, "It would be bad". Amused at the time, repentent later when those keys would loom large, specifically one late evening when MB and I staggered out of the tiny elevator toward our door, and in juggling my coat I dropped the keys. The heavy old key, as if seeking the earth's molten core from whence it sprang in the springtime of our world, slid into a crack and then down the tiny opening in the elevator shaft. I would say it was like a movie but it was more like a dream, not one of the good ones.
For some reason we then rode up and down the elevator, I guess hoping the key chain would leap back up into my pocket. That did not happen. We slinked home and got into our place using the second set of precious keys.
I called Dr. Julia the next morning, forlornly hoping that perhaps some gnome lived under the elevator who could open a trap door to snatch em back. Her reaction was not what I might have wished: "Oh my God. Oh my God. Um, don't worry about it I guess..." Yeah, right. From that point forward my already palpable paranoia re the keys reached new levels of obssession. Not only did I check for them at least three times whenever we left the apartment, but I also found myself clutching at them in my pocket at odd times during the day. No dear friends, I did not fall to calling them "my precious" during this period, but I did look longingly for a medieval-looking key shop to materialize along with the ristorante and tabbachi we passed each day.
Anyhow, on Sunday morning we wandered down to the enormous Porta Portese flea market, dodged pickpockets and shell game practioners (using cool little cups and balls!) when suddenly MB found for sale one of those automotive magnet on a wand kind of things, used by the thieves there for who-knows-what kind of fun. To cut to the chase, we bought it, it worked like the proverbial charm, and Dr. Julia was beyond delighted when I informed her we had recovered the lost goods, without resorting to gnomery.
For some reason we then rode up and down the elevator, I guess hoping the key chain would leap back up into my pocket. That did not happen. We slinked home and got into our place using the second set of precious keys.
I called Dr. Julia the next morning, forlornly hoping that perhaps some gnome lived under the elevator who could open a trap door to snatch em back. Her reaction was not what I might have wished: "Oh my God. Oh my God. Um, don't worry about it I guess..." Yeah, right. From that point forward my already palpable paranoia re the keys reached new levels of obssession. Not only did I check for them at least three times whenever we left the apartment, but I also found myself clutching at them in my pocket at odd times during the day. No dear friends, I did not fall to calling them "my precious" during this period, but I did look longingly for a medieval-looking key shop to materialize along with the ristorante and tabbachi we passed each day.
Anyhow, on Sunday morning we wandered down to the enormous Porta Portese flea market, dodged pickpockets and shell game practioners (using cool little cups and balls!) when suddenly MB found for sale one of those automotive magnet on a wand kind of things, used by the thieves there for who-knows-what kind of fun. To cut to the chase, we bought it, it worked like the proverbial charm, and Dr. Julia was beyond delighted when I informed her we had recovered the lost goods, without resorting to gnomery.
Sunday, November 30, 2003
First I must give a shout out to all of our peeps and thank all of you for leaving comments. It's been fun reading all of them, rather like getting postcards from home while we're out here exploring this big ancient world.
We just came from the big Roman cat sanctuary which is a pile of ruins in the middle of the city where they've set up a cat shelter. We were told that they care for somewhere in the neighborhood of 350-400 gatti. The tend to the sick, those injured from car accidents and also supply food and sterilization services. Additionally, if you choose, you may adopt a cat from the shelter. While we didn't go that far, we did leave a donation. The cats all seemed fairly fat and happy and generally well cared for. It was wonderful to see the kitties roaming free through the ancient ruins, yet still being protected from the potential dangers of big city living.
Not too much additional food news to report as we had more pizza and gelato last night after a rather large lunch from a teeny tiny place we stumbled into near the Trevi Fountain (photo of the fountain) on Scanderbeg. This place had only six tables, luckily one was empty for us. I had tortellini in a luscious tomato cream sauce with brandy and grilled lamb and C had pasta with more delicious tender tiny mussels (traditionally, I haven't been a fan of mussels, a little too strong a flavor for me, but these Roman mussels are delicious) and shrimp gratinee (a bit more like the size of langostines, grilled with a bit of cheese on top).
I can't help but wonder what a native Roman thinks when they go someplace else. All of the buildings we've seen a beautiful and ancient. The only place we saw more modern buildings was when we were on the train to Florence and saw apartment buildings that looked as if they've been constructed in the last 50 years. Between the buildings, the fountains, statuary, churches, ancient monuments and cobbled streets, it is just awe inspiring.
We just came from the big Roman cat sanctuary which is a pile of ruins in the middle of the city where they've set up a cat shelter. We were told that they care for somewhere in the neighborhood of 350-400 gatti. The tend to the sick, those injured from car accidents and also supply food and sterilization services. Additionally, if you choose, you may adopt a cat from the shelter. While we didn't go that far, we did leave a donation. The cats all seemed fairly fat and happy and generally well cared for. It was wonderful to see the kitties roaming free through the ancient ruins, yet still being protected from the potential dangers of big city living.
Not too much additional food news to report as we had more pizza and gelato last night after a rather large lunch from a teeny tiny place we stumbled into near the Trevi Fountain (photo of the fountain) on Scanderbeg. This place had only six tables, luckily one was empty for us. I had tortellini in a luscious tomato cream sauce with brandy and grilled lamb and C had pasta with more delicious tender tiny mussels (traditionally, I haven't been a fan of mussels, a little too strong a flavor for me, but these Roman mussels are delicious) and shrimp gratinee (a bit more like the size of langostines, grilled with a bit of cheese on top).
I can't help but wonder what a native Roman thinks when they go someplace else. All of the buildings we've seen a beautiful and ancient. The only place we saw more modern buildings was when we were on the train to Florence and saw apartment buildings that looked as if they've been constructed in the last 50 years. Between the buildings, the fountains, statuary, churches, ancient monuments and cobbled streets, it is just awe inspiring.
In response to a reader's inquiry about whether we could scare up some turkey for Thanksgiving; Tacchio is the Italian word for turkey, to date not found on any menu we've seen. So let's see, Thanksgiving in Rome... After our fabulous rainy time at the Cul de Sac enoteca on Thursday night we ducked in out of the weather on our way home to a pseudo Irish pub, just to see what that was like. We sat down at the bar and heard the guy next to us declaim that he hailed from Austin, Texas. Uneeded additional proof that you gotta be careful where you sit down in a bar these days... Anyway, seems that this guy works for Vatican Radio and was spending his Tgiving watching the Dallas Cowboys on the bar's satillite TV. The weather kept knocking out the transmission (which considering the British commentary was a blessing), so Tex decided to order everyone a round of Wild Turkey to keep the Thanksgiving feeling going. MB and I put down our Black Bush to join in, and that was as close to the erstwhile national bird of America as we got.
