This is livin’

Well at least we now have some of the usual accompaniments to living.

Finally, we moved into a proper apartment, or at least Ian did – last Saturday. Not such an ordeal though as the move was only about 150 metres. A series of strolls along Via Capo D’Africa, trailing suitcases on wheels – four round trips did it.

We had purchased some furniture – two lounges, a dining table, a cute coffee table that converts to a dining table, and a credenza/sideboard that contains a dining table that rolls out of it and unfolds. We are clearly planning to “dine”.

The furniture was ordered to be delivered after 4:00pm on the day of the move and arrived spot on time (actually a little early). The chaps struggled it all up four flights of stairs - we are on the (….. ground, first, second) second storey (or piano) – without a complaint. Even if the streets had to be blocked off for a while with the two vans required!!!

Similarly on Friday morning, four cartons of (chiefly) clothes arrived exactly on time at 7:00am, having been air freighted to us. The rest, is spending some time “before the mast” – eight days into a 45 day voyage to Italy. That shipment contains our cutlery and crockery so we will have to make do for a couple of months maybe.

It wasn’t easy, or pretty, but Ian was persistent and within a week (actually it took a week) he has also purchased, in Italian, a digital TV set, bench-top oven and a toaster. And also, a modem-router, enabling this posting to be conducted with comfort, on the dining room table while watching TV over the red, leather lounge, next to a Vegemite sandwich. So what more could life deliver?

Perhaps the answer is my darling bride, who is awaiting a delivery in England with some increasingly anxious young-uns.

Soon Ian will travel to Paris (for one night and business), to England to rendezvous with Cathy, and maybe to Washington for a few days.

The summer has been a long one here – delightful weather just now when it should be colder.

And Italy in general – well there have been demonstrations here for a range of things, everyone is back from holidays it seems, the grass is getting greener and the leaves on some trees just seem to be browning off. They painted the zebra crossings outside my bedroom window sometime on Thursday night – what a waste – everyone ignores them anyway and they could only paint those parts that no-one was parking on anyway.

And our little neighbourhood ticks on as it has for decades. As a nice example of this, when I found I needed a TV antenna cable this morning, two trips of about twenty metres across the road from home got me the necessary from the local (I’ve got it all in this tiny space) hardware store.

Ah!!! This is livin’!!!

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!!!]

Punctuating the experience and some favourite photos

I promised in Hong Kong airport, en route for Brisbane, that I would post one more blog about our six month Rome adventure.

Now, nearly eight weeks later, I sense that I am in a position to sum up my reactions to this year.

Maybe my re-orientation to Australia and the way Rome has changed some of my outlook on life is typified in my reaction to coffee. I lasted four days drinking 'ordinary' coffee before buying my own expresso machine. Now I drink but one coffee each day but that is my own version of an expresso.

The daily coffee ritual, the late night magnificent pasta dishes, the shopping in small 'bites' at grocery shops and markets, the joy of walking almost everywhere ... all these are the quintessential Roman building blocks for what is a relaxing and perhaps a slightly decadent life. We were fortunate to have had a pleasant and secure apartment with a lovely landlady; to have had an interesting work and social life that provided contacts with delightful and interesting people; and, in some respects, to have had the advantage of the knowledge that we had six months to make the most of it.

When we first left Brisbane in the 70s we went to Cairns, supposedly for a twelve month stint before moving on (we stayed for 15 months in fact). A good friend advised us that whenever we moved we should consider that we would only remain for 12 months. Then you will be, in part, a tourist and do all of the things that you should do when you are fresh. The alternative leads one to always put off things for the ephemeral future. And then you depart after so many years and have yet to do these important things.

Life for an Italian is different of course. It is impertinent of me to suppose that I know what makes an Italian tick after so short a time but I will chance a few observations.

I suspect that most Italians are conservative insofar as if something worked last year, why change it. If I worked successfully as a waiter at this restaurant last year then why do something else. If a shop paid its way last year, decorated and stocked as it was, why move or expand it this year. So the waiter works all his life in the same restaurant, with the same menu and the same tables. The hardware shop sits where it sat 30 years previously. Change is not generally valued in Rome. This is not a city prone to faddishness although fashion is an important industry and mobile phones and computers are at least as popular here as anywhere else.

Some people think that Italians are rude. Indeed, in Rome they have to put up with loads of visitors and I guess the novelty would quickly wear thin. Not that Australians are always paragons of considerateness, but they generally seem to be aware that they may be standing in a doorway that you need to pass through and will step back. Romans do not seem to have that awareness but will obligingly step back once you say “excuse me”. So I think that this is a lack of awareness, an ignorance of the problem. On the contrary, Romans seem to be very welcoming and warm.

The “not-done” items on the bucket list? Well our circumstances did not really allow me much time off to explore the rest of Italy or any of its neighbours. Although not an immediate attraction, driving in Italy seemed a possibility and we survived a three day weekend to Tuscany. So I would now be prepared to drive and explore the roads “less travelled”.

The language and cultural issues are really not an issue for us but on the contrary, something that we really enjoy.

We have been blessed in recent years with some wonderful travels and we have learnt a great deal. This particular odyssey has certainly come to an end but life goes on and we still think of Homer.

Arrivederci – cosi basta (that's enough)

Arrividerci Roma - goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!

It seems once again that my final report comes from an airline gate lounge.  In this case, Hong Kong, almost at the end of a 17 hour transit where we managed to play (very tired) tourists for as long as we could stay awake.  Home in Brisbane in around 11 hours from now, QANTAS willing.

Just right now, we can hardly wait to collapse on the plane.  But on this occasion, I promise that I will put cyber-pen to cyber-paper once more, when I am up to it, and I will try to sum up my impressions over this past six months.

The Fontana de Trevi has scored a couple more coins from us - so who knows??

Note this new record posting for shortness.

Ciao tutti amicis

Things that one brings home with one!!

It is now officially autumn here in Rome – or 'fall' as the northern hemisphere folks tend to call it.  And that seems reasonable because the leaves are starting to gather at the bases of the trees although we are yet to see the autumn tones in the foliage.

Last night it stormed and rained quite heavily for Rome and now we seem to be in for some extended cooler weather.  The ferrogosta is done!!!

The warm weather began this year perhaps at the end of June and never became unbearable.  Just a lot of warm, reasonably humid nights and bright, hot clear days.  

Now all the Romans seem to be back in town – the public transport is crowded, the traffic troublesome again,  the roads harder to cross, and the shops and restaurants are open.

So where did they all go to in the few weeks of summer?

We found out to some degree when Ian tripped to Tunisia for a work meeting involving the five Maghreb States – Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya.  Of these, only Libya is non-French speaking with it sharing English with the universal Arabic.  So this was a great opportunity for Ian to brush up on his French language.

Tunisia is a very popular tourist destination for Italians, Spaniards, the French and eastern Europeans – most of whom fly home via Rome's Fuimacino Airport on one or other of about five flights per day.  Our meeting was organised at very short notice and the four of us coming from Rome found ourselves delayed in Tunis for varying lengths of time.  This was the very end of the summer season and the migration home had begun.

So a two-day meeting became a 6 day trip for Ian.  What to do with a weekend in Tunisia?

Tunis itself hasn't the appeal that, say, Cairo has.  It is fairly urbane with not much conservation of the old or exotic.  We did have a delightful workshop dinner at a wonderfully restored old house (now restaurant) in the medina or old covered market.  A chap with a lantern met us at the entrance and guided us through the winding, narrow streets covered by vaulted ceilings.  Good food, spectacular surroundings and a traditional musician in lieu of the standard 'piano' made for a great night.

So with Ian's party having 'done' Tunis, they moved to the beach resort area of Hammamet, about an hour's drive east.  And there Ian discovered what many Europeans believe is the holiday to have.

The accommodations were very spectacular – a large hotel on the Corniche – in keeping with the white with azure blue trim that is the signature of Tunisia.  But surprisingly, the hotel had a guest-house feel to it with the expectation that every meal would be had in the massive, all you can eat restaurant cum cafeteria.  And as one departed the breakfast mayhem, the 'Red Coats' stood patiently waiting to arrange our day with archery or yoga classes.

Mostly Ian just went to the beach – a beach with reasonable yellowish sand and loads of thatched beach 'umbrellas' that stretch as far as the eye can see in either direction, although to the north, from sea-level the scene was complicated by a huge marina full of huge yachts about 800 metres from our beach club.  That's correct – our beach club.  This is the big, big difference to Surfers Paradise.  All of these beaches are private.  Although one is free to walk along the shore-line which is regarded as everyone's – you just can't sit on the beach.

The water, warm and soft, but effectively still and with a lot of black algae when we were there.  The trick seems to be that you whip across the road before breakfast and put your towel on a lounger so you can come back at leisure and laze about in the sun.  So the novices like us have to take what they can get – mostly right at the back.  So not a great view of the water but a great view of the tourists.

There must be some European Union directive that mandates that if you are a woman, you have to wear a bikini on the beach.  To quote Ian - “Of the thousands of women I saw, only four wore one piece costumes to my recollection (the one pieces that were only bikini bottoms are not included in that number but there must have been another half dozen of those)”.  When Ian says “the thousands of women I saw” he refers to his ability to see however the term “I saw” was often apt.  You see almost all of these bikinis, gracing people of all shapes and sizes, and ages young, mature and old, seemed to have shrunk since they were used last year.

Most tourists, both men and women, who go to such places are clearly well heeled.  Indeed they are certainly well fed.

Personally, Ian found the two days to be pretty dull with not much excitement and pedestrian 'surf'.  I think they might go wild on the Gold Coast.  But I guess the absence of a private beach and beach 'boy' to carry the lounges about, and surf that would probably kill them might be a turn-off for these folks.

So they take back with them a lot of tans and probably the memories that are identical to the memories they had at the last resort they stayed at last summer.

Ian, he brought back a special souvenir in the form of gastro-enteritis – seven days of acute awareness of self, or at least of one's digestive system.  As two in the party shared this ailment, we think it may have been a virus that contaminated some of the food they ate.  But the condition was not terminal and now Ian looks even thinner and fitter.

As this blog is published we are but two weeks away from transiting Hong Kong on our way home to Brisbane.  So sometime in the next two weeks we must decide what we will take home with us.  We have  expanded a little and set up our little home in Rome and will have to jettison much of this.  We have some more clothes and will have to buy another suitcase.

But fortunately, the most important souvenirs – memories – take up little space.  For these continue to grow, even now.  For example, we attended the Italian wedding of a staff member this week.  A beautiful and happy ceremony and a to-die-for post-wedding lunch over-looking the forum.  Very special.

The other compact items to carry home are our digital photographs.  So far in 2008, Cathy and Ian have taken 8 300 photos – mostly in Italy.  So we are so much looking forward to showing everyone of you every photo when we get back to Brisbane.  We're sure you cannot wait!!!!

Arrivederci!!!

A horse, a horse, my (medieval) kingdom for a horse!!!!

(The Grubs always seem to win)

SPECIAL NOTE – For those who like horses, and even for those who would like to hear about a very special Douglas experience – you are going to have to be persistent on this one.  There is good stuff towards the end.  PS – don’t jump to the end now – won’t work!!!

The most recent blog highlighted the value of having visitors in Rome.  And we were certainly blessed there.

After the post-wedding traffic of sons numbers two and three came Julie and Clare, and later the newly-weds themselves, Lachlan and Emily Douglas.

Julie and Clare proved themselves to be enthusiastic “Italophiles” – indeed Clare took herself on what seems to have been an ideal tour of Italy with a small (adventurous) group and spent about a week with us in a couple of stints.

Julie opted for the full-immersion, Cathy & Ian guided tour of Rome and environs, for the full three weeks and graduated as valedictorian, even eventually venturing solo to the neighbouring Testaccio to successfully joust with the marketeers.  In addition to seeing the standard sites, we were able share with them many of the local treasures and we think (hope) that they returned safely to Australia with a certain affection for this fascinating country.

Ian had a premature farewell to the girls (indeed before Clare’s return from her tour) because of a work trip to Turkey.  That trip was both a thrill and a disappointment.  The trip went really well but it was to Ankara.  Ian departed with images of Egypt in his mind but had not done his homework.  Ankara is modern Turkey’s version of Canberra – the seat of government and a purpose built city similar in age and intent to Australia’s national capital.

So expecting the archetypical Muslim country, complete with the sights and smells of the middle east, instead he found a modern, extremely well organised and essentially “European” state, desirous and seemingly readily able to join the European Union – a fate yet to be achieved.  His hotel was the most stunningly designed boutique hotel he had seen – glamour and homeliness combined and with an innovative design feature at every turn.  The Turks, at least in Ankara – essentially no different to modern day Romans.

During the Turkish sojourn, the three girls conquered Naples (Napoli), Sorrento and Pompeii.  And before that, the senior girls stormed Firenze (Florence) and other Tuscan delights (see later and discover about “the horse”).

How wonderful the visit from the newly-weds?  Again, the “Roma 101” tours but mostly just a chance for us to enjoy their company. 

Rome in August is another place!  It empties!  The locals hit the resorts.  It is considered inconceivable to stay in Rome.  Businesses simply close for a week or two or a month.  The traffic quietens; seats can be had on the metro or buses.  All of this great if you like the simple life, but with the whole malaise focused on “ferrogosto” – in one breath that “season” but more specifically, 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption (of the Virgin Mary into heaven), and a public holiday – Ian and Cathy made a late decision to join the evacuation of Rome.

With some embarrassment, we approached the office travel agent on Wednesday 13^th with the question “Where could we go to easily escape Rome this three day weekend?”.  Overcoming the “you crazy Australians” thought, and after us canvassing flights to northern European parts and trains to northern Italy, and suppressing her desires to send us to a beach or mountain resort, we eventually came to a mutually acceptable option for a renta-car trip to Tuscany with two nights accommodation at a forgettable hotel outside of Siena.

Now driving in Italy had seemed to us for five months to be akin to a death wish.  Perhaps considering that we had had good and full lives, we threw all our previous resolutions to the wind and hired a Europcar Volkswagen Golf from “near” Villa Borghese and hit the bitumen on Friday morning.  The greatest challenge of the trip was to find the renta-car office because it was actually in a subterranean car park that we had no idea existed under our beloved Villa Borghese park.

It is not easy to drive on the right (wrong) side of the road and read incomprehensible street signs and dodge maniacal Roman drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, but we persevered and headed north on the A1.  Within three hours we had found our hotel in a small town that mostly comprised of our hotel and an industrial estate, about 10 kms from the much more attractive Siena – erstwhile home of “Catherine” (of Siena).

So we visited the hill-town (hill-city) and found it – damp.  A series of storms broke over Siena, causing us to get a little wet and, when we found the famous “Piazza del Campo”, venue for the world-famous Palio, it was spoiled by stands built all around and sand (slippery sand) all around the track.  It was only then that we realised that the famous race was to occur the next day.  Duh!! Of course, this race is all about competition amongst 17 contrade (plural of contrado) or “districts” of Siena to win a horse race that has been going on since medieval times, to win a silk “flag” that includes an image of the Virgin Mary.  Taking place twice a year only, the first race is in July.  The second, in August, would have to be on the ferrogusto weekend, in Mary’s honour.

<<>   You may take a short intermission now!!!>>

We had found ourselves unexpectedly at the scene of this most famous of all horse events – even surpassing the Melbourne Cup – one of the “tick-off” items on this family’s “bucket list” and something that Ian the vet has long coveted.

We also found ourselves in the main church (cathedral), the Duomo, at the end of the day on Friday where we attended evening mass (messe) next to the Palio itself – the prize flag, while the thunder and lightening raged outside.  This is where the horses are brought into the church to be blest for the race – hence the ancient mosaic floor was covered by plywood.  [Not the same church where the Mass for jockeys and connections is held and televised on race day - we saw this on our little TV set at Hotel Ordinario].

So on race day, as well as supping from the more than generous cup of the quintessential if somewhat commercialised San Gimignano, we returned to Siena itself.  Not that a trip to San Gimignano would not have made the weekend complete in itself.  It is delightful.  It is much like its centuries-old forebears, the modern-day site of artisans and classy shops, but tidy and well arranged.  And it has absolutely brilliant panoramic views of Tuscany.  But our target for the day had become Siena and the Palio.

Not easy to find a park and a long walk but we approached the Piazza del Campo as the contrade marched past us ceremoniously to the church en route to the arena.  All so sternly to solemn drum beats – protected by the contrado’s bevy of bodyguards and groupies – not at least conscious of the contradictions of wearing tights and medi

eval garb for a 21^st century race.  But that denies the fact that history demands that this process is a modern-day link with such an ancient tradition.  It is hard to see this event ever ending.

By 3:30pm we were in the piazza, electing to stand (sit on the cobblestones for a while) about twenty metres from the starting post, with a clear view of the “bad-corner”.  An hour later a military cavalry troop entered the piazza and after a “trot” circuit, executed a thrilling if unnecessary sabre-charge for a full circuit at top speed.  We would not have thought that such could so ignite our adrenalin, but it certainly did, partly because we shared the excitement with so many others.  On the only negative note for the day – one of the horses fell 

near us and after a long period limped from the piazza.  The vet in Ian did not see this injury as likely to be treatable.

On clearance of this unfortunate horse, an explosion occurred (the finish gun) and the Town Hall’s bell commenced to ring for the next two hours, and the parade of horses began.  Each contrado and every horse paraded around the arena to the same ancient tune.  Although 17 contrade exist, only 10 horses race, so the race is, we are told, formed of the 7 that missed last time and a ballot.  This medieval parade takes around two hours to complete, culminating with the Palio prize entering the piazza on a huge wagon drawn by four white oxen with a gaggle of fanfare blowers and three distinguished “dudes” aboard.  The “Palio” is hung by the starting post for the race.

The horses entered at 7:00pm complete with medieval jockeys, bareback and colourful.  But the race took more than 45 minutes to start.  A very Italian experience.  For the first (false) start, the crowd of who knows how many thousands in the confines of the track (at least 60 000 we suspect) and at every vantage point and every balcony/window, made an absolute hush – an extraordinary experience.  But after the third false start and countless attempts to get these “full-o-beans” horses to stand in order behind the starting rope, on a slope, the mob was getting restless.

Finally, they were off.  The first of three dashes around the circuit, saw the lead horse take one of the better corners too fast to fall and dismount his mount, then to ride on and run a good third for most of the race (it is the horse that wins this race – it need not have a rider at the time).  A second (trailing) horse fell on the third circuit but probably did not affect the result.

The caterpillar contrado (“Bruco” – the grub) won and horse and rider were mobbed about 40 metres from the finish by the fans.  People went berserk and the track was a sea of people, the Palio dragged down from its post by the winning contrado and the party began.

We also jumped the fence, away from the crowds and horses, and attempted a quiet exit, but we needed to circumnavigate the piazza to get back to our car and enjoyed an unplanned encounter with the Palio being taken back to the winning contrado.  How the sombre expressions of earlier were transformed into pure joy – pressing, singing, cheering supporters crushed by us on the narrow street.  Only punctuated by the metal “pike” holding the Palio being caught up on electricity wires a few feet from us.  Numerous sparks and a little concern and then, unhooked, this piece of living history moved on.

A late return home, a lengthy drive back to Rome the next day and home safe and sound.

The Palio is witnessed by a lot of tourists, yet it is not a tourist event.  It is archaic yet strangely modern.  It has to be the ultimate in pageantry and reality.  It is definitely a “must experience” event in life.  Our travel agent didn’t realise that it was on – nor did we – but serendipity gave us one of our most inspiring Italian memories.

Lots more happened during this period and we could tell you more – but you’ve been very good to read this far – well done.  We promise a shorter blog next time and less horsing around.

Posting photos to this blog is not easy – so we have only selected a few.  But these and a whole bunch more are on Ian’s Facebook site @  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37087&id=553586403

 But maybe you have to be my Facebook "friend" to do this - the Douglases don't really understand Facebook!!!!!