Europe on a shoestring - Day 9 (Roma) [October 2, 2005]

We arrived at Rome using the express train which was very comfortable by around 22:00 hrs on October 1. The rail system I must say throughout our journey was excellent – with the trains running on time, and pretty comfortable.
The sleeper coaches are similar to that found in the trains in India – with bed/blanket and a simple breakfast thrown in for good measure. Given that you have paid $32 for it I would think it’s a wee bit expensive, but if it gets you across a country through the night – I would not have it any other way.
Rome – first impressions… it is like Bombay railway station, Loud, Noisy, an air of confusion around the same and many surly characters all around. In some way the description provided by other travelers in guide books matched perfectly. Obviously we were accosted by more than one shady individuals regarding accommodation – but given our success in this aspect till now we marched along to find ‘Friendship place’… if only we had known better.
We walked along the road – and couldn’t see any sign of it, no neon sign, info desk – nothing. For some reason this wasn’t too good a sign. We then came upon a Laundromat where we met a sleazy looking character (a Bangladeshi) who for some reason was expecting us – and guided us to a big door – with a small, non-lit, grimy sign indicating ‘Friendship place’. It was on the 4th floor of a building with an elevator that could fit – none… at least not with our backpacks. After trudging up we were met by another Bangladeshi named Joshua who invited us in.
First impressions – horrible. 3 big rooms stuffed with 5-7 bunk beds in each. One small reception desk, with a fridge on one side, and three teeny-weeny toilets nearby. Joshua (I would think he had changed his name from something Muslim to make it more ‘tourist friendly’) seemed to be sickeningly nice in nature and for some reason his mannerism unsettled me. Anyways in a nutshell the place seemed to be a sham.
But we were tired so pretty much decided to hit the bed soon... after taking a bath which involved standing below a shower which dribbled water – felt more like Chinese torture than a bath, and took at least half an hour per person. The only saving grace were decent roommates in the form of a couple of Australians and a Japanese guy who were pretty friendly.
Next day we started a bit late – the breakfast of stale bread and coffee did not appeal to me and we stopped by the local store for a cappuccino.
Well this was Rome – and Rome meant the Catholic Church. We first stopped by Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the biggest basilicas in Rome. Each church had something distinct and in this case it was the gilded ceiling from gold obtained as repayment for Marco Polo’s voyage to India. From there we proceeded to the Vittorio Emmanuel Monument – a gargantuan building built in memory of a monarch who was simple as the building was pompous. It housed the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Vittorio Emmanuel Monument - being the simple man he way... he may have been ashamed at this monument

The building however provided us a birds-eye view of ancient Rome stretching right to the Colosseum on one side and Catholic Rome with St.Peter’s basilica in the distance. That was one of the hallmarks of all of Italy. From atop a high vantage point all you will ever see is a maze of houses and small building with scattered domes of churches sprouting from among them.
From there it was onto Ancient Rome – starting at Trajan’s column.

Temple to Mars - but Augustus Caesar in honor of his uncle Julius Caesar

Now what you can see of the entire place including Caesars Palace, and Trajans’ markets are only ruins but you cannot help but imagine how it must have been during the time of the Roman Empire.

Rumor has it that Nero watched Rome burning from the top of the tower in the background

Moving on to the Forum you come across a vast expanse of ruins with several temples, arches and ruins of halls.

Temple to Augustus and Faustina - the best preserved of all the forums

We could only imagine what it must have been 2000 years ago. Interesting bits were that of Julius Caesar who lived in the temple of the Gods and built another temple for people to worship – him… small wonder the republicans were crying hell and high water.

Caesar's residence

Another is the arches of Septus Severus, Constantine which were used as models for arches down the centuries.

Arch of Septus Severus
and of Titus

After a casual walk through the ruins (with interesting stops at the Meeting hall, the tomb of Julius Caesar and the stupid soldier who threw himself into an abyss in order to ‘protect’ Rome) we picked up tickets for the Colosseum and Palatine Hill before moving on under the triumphant arch of Titus for lunch. By then the sky was pretty overcast and the Bangladesh boys were moving in on the people offering them umbrellas. In someway it was a bit irritating – similar to the beggars back home. In others – I wondering what made scores of them (seemingly illegal given the way they ran when the police were around) come down and settle in Rome. Maybe I was just being prejudiced – but they did seem a bit out of place there. It then began to pour – which was not a good thing since a) we were hungry and b) the great marcus Anilius had not brought along a raincoat. Adding to the misery was the fact that around the Colosseum there did not seem to exist any value-for-money restaurant, and finally the sandwich what we took was cold, stale and did not adequately serve towards filling our stomachs.

The Colosseum

Our passes gave us quick entry to the Colosseum (again would say it was simply kudos to all our research into just these miniscule details) and we wandered around – admiring the piece of architecture – built for the sole purpose of torture – of man and beast. Just served to indicate that man was capable of great things – though he did many of those for destructive purposes.

Photography practice with the Vittorio Emmanuel Monument in the background

Trudging back we climbed towards the Palatine hills which housed the nobility during the Roman era. Augustus et al all lived in pomp and splendor here – in huge houses, with adjoining baths, fountains, and gymnasiums. Although this is all now in ruins – one cannot help but wonder the grandeur that was Rome.

St Peters - as viewed from the Palatine Hills

On our way down we passed alongside Circus Maximus – the racetrack which is pretty much non-existent and under a huge aqueduct spanning a road – meant to carry water for the Roman populace.
Lastly we moved a bit south, fed on a gelato towards the church of St. John the Lateran – a previous papal residence. I guess I can say it is one of the many huge churches – and I think serves as one of the primary churches of my faith too. Walking back home alongside the railway station we snacked on some Italian pasta and pizza from a local store – nothing special about the food, although the bakers and cashier were all – Bangladeshi. Guess one day I just will have to ask as to how they all converged to this country.
Bath was once again a very tedious affair – with the droplet system just serving to get me irritated, but with a little ‘vino’ it was all very good. Had been a tiring day and I promptly fell asleep.