Settling Down

We have been here in Rome for some 16 days now, and thought we would let you know how we are settling in.

For starters, the jet lag has ended. Now when we set an alarm we awake just before it goes off – just like the old days.

And we have had a rest – such that the exhaustion of departure has declined, tennis elbows are healing,

bruises disappearing.

We are now recalling which bus goes where and can move around the city at ease again.

Italian words that we had not heard for so many months arise again and we recall them, even surprising ourselves with some modest phrases that just seem to slip out but satisfy waiters.

We have met most of the people we knew when here last time.

But the new experiences have also started. We are discovering delightful little streets that we must have missed before. We are meeting new people and having the privilege of showing them the ropes. We have been facing new challenges. We are finding new things that amuse us or impress us. Take for instance the Sunday morning choir at the Basilica of San Clemente, a rather famous church in Colosseo. Twelve male and female choristers and a conductor – singing in at least four parts, Latin and all a capella – magnificato!!!.

The weather is about to turn. Still hot in the middle of the day, the mornings and evenings are idyllic – and this week rain.

This time for your viewing pleasure, variously, Caterina puts out the garbage in the shadows of the colosseum (well, if it had not been raining), which bank (che banca) is copying which other bank, a graffiti artist expresses “why?”, a centurion trudges home from work (as they have done here for millennia), and a friend’s son is baptised and we are privileged to witness it.

ROME - the Return!!

The Douglas Report risks becoming more of a sequel to the Rocky movie than Homer ever imagined, but after an 11 month sojourn home in Brisbane, this ‘Ulysses’ has again taken flight. Telemachus (#2 & #3), or should that be ‘Telemachi’, remain in Ithaca (actually other nearby suburbs) while Telemachus #1 sits in England awaiting the birth of ‘Telemicollo’ or ‘Telemicolla’ next month.

Anyway, one can only take a metaphor so far. We’re back in Rome!!! Been here for 9 days now – and arriving at Fiumicino was like ‘coming home’.

This time we are here for a two-year contract, so life will be different and we will put more effort into ‘settling’ down.

Departure from Brizvegas was an ordeal. About a month of flat out, hard physical labour to prepare Chezstardust for departure and we did not get it all done. We had to step over major renovations as we left.

Even leaving was a shock. The airline was to send a car for us at 5:00pm – plenty of time to get across the peak hour traffic to the airport for our 8:30pm flight. But at 1:30pm while at Indooroopilly Shoppingtown doing last minute business at the bank, we received a call to say that our flight had been cancelled, we would be delayed for two days but that we could fly QANTAS to Sydney to connect to our planned flight from Dubai to Rome – BUT we had to be picked up at 3:00pm. Fine if we were fully packed but we weren’t.

We made it – QANTAS had no booking for Cathy – we made Sydney and then flew on the new Emirates Airbus A380 to Dubai – very plush. It even has a funky bar down the back.

In Rome, we stayed for six nights in the delightful little Villa San Pio Hotel in Aventino but Cathy found an even better ‘residenzia’ in Colosseo, so we moved on Thursday morning. As you can see from the photo, we are about 100 metres from the Colosseum. A stone’s throw away is tourist central, but our little street is very residential and very quiet. The place is as neat as a pin and air-conditioned – very important right now because it is ‘hot’.

Cathy spends her time apartment hunting – some possibilities are popping up, and Ian works. We are seeing all our old colleagues and friends and it is just great. On Wednesday night we had a big staff dinner on a roof top in Testaccio. The ‘coffee culture’ is still operating.

So this blog is now active again, although we will be only as regular as would people who are in one place for two years. Enjoy – buon pomeriggio!! [And…. Buon pomodoro for those who like tomatoes!!!]