Welcome to Rome!
On January 27, we took a short flight, 1.5 hours, from Beauvais airport, which Ryanair uses, about 1 hour north of Paris, and we got off at Ciampino airport outside Rome. The flight cost about 150 Euros round-trip.
Even at midnight, as we exited the plane, we were hit by a wall of much warmer air, so much so that we could instantly appreciate that we had indeed flown to warmer southern climes. The palm trees everywhere also helped reinforce the impression. We had two days of warm dry weather, and one day of warm rainy weather.
Rome is indeed a different city from Paris, in so many ways. Rome feels open and spacious -- ruins abound, giving the place an other-worldly feel. There are beautiful evergreen conifers filling the squares and lining the avenues -- they remind me of the mediterannean coast of France -- they are sculptural and dramatic against the sky. Parisien buildings and roads are colored in various shades of white and gray, the crispness is emphasized in winter when the many trees are leafless. In Rome you get the various shades of the hot mediteranean -- creams, umbers, oranges, yellows -- plastered exteriors with their typical splotchy finishes which make the buildings look old, worn, soft and inviting. The conifers and palms create these wonderful sculptural explosions of deep green on the horizon.
In Rome there is also a feeling of decay all around, which you don't get in Paris at all. Rome clearly does not have the money that Paris has -- sidewalks and roads are replete with buckles and potholes. Graffiti is an absolute epidemic in Rome -- its shocking, in fact -- makes me feel like a fuddy duddy my thoughts of the various punishments that could be meted out upon the people who take a can of spray paint to a timeless ruin -- what the hell are people thinking?
We took a boat trip on the Tiber river, and again were struck by the decay -- mostly highlighted by the trash clinging to the bushes and trees which line the river. There must be dramatic floods in Rome, causing the river to rise to the level of the trees along with its trash, which gets caught up in the branches. When the floods dissipate, all that is left are the shredded plastic bags, etc to give testament to the raging waters.
Rome has an openness, looseness which feels like hot weather living -- people smile, laugh, and gesture in typical Italian style. Quite different than Paris, where people are really reserved, quite closed. Both cities are FULL of tourists tromping around the place at all hours of the day and night.
And of course, we had several delicious Italian meals - my mouth waters just thinking about them.
See the next couple of posts for photos.
The spires of the Chartres cathedral.
