I was sorry to leave Paris. It is quite an elegant city.
The most common theme that I found in Paris was "pride".
At a neighborhood level it means that they work hard to keep the streets
clean and the gardens tidy. At the municipal level it means that they
have committed to a plan for the city which makes sense from a land use and
transportation standpoint. From a national level, they have all the
monuments and national mementos that you would expect.
They have lots of people that they are proud of. All of
them no doubt deserve a street named after them. However, it seems there
are just not enough streets to honor all of the deserved. So many streets
honor great people for just a block or two and then honor someone else.
Rome has a different charm. The most common theme is
"chaos". In Santa Cruz, the city planners no doubt wear lots of
leather, are skilled with a whip and smile with pleasure when someone wants to
develop in the city. In Paris, it’s probably a conformity hobbyist.
In Rome, I think the city planners are like a group of small children who
badly need a nap.
There is little apparent logic to land use patterns, and yet in
the chaos, there is an intensity of life that invigorates. And if they
cannot achieve grand designs and thematic streetscapes, they will at least do
it in style. Every restaurant and every shop has an attention to style
that makes a statement about how they value appearance.
My hotel in Paris and Rome are approximately the same price.
They are good 2 star hotels. In France the room was plain,
efficient, clean and small. The carpet was not worn and the bed was
comfortable (though small). Here, the hardwood floors, high ceilings,
marble bathroom, textured paint, handsome furniture and the crown molding
suggest a little more attention to style.
I love my little balcony. It looks on onto the
neighborhood square. Its chaotic, of course, in keeping with the basic
theme here. But the balconies are a little insight into the lives of
common Roman people. Some love plants, some dry the laundry for a large
family. Some have lovely painted shutters. Others go with the
weathered look.
After I arrived in Rome, as I waited to claim my luggage, we
were treated to a little dog show. At least 5 dogs came through at
various times, handled by police, sniffing each piece of luggage. I think
that jobs in security can be as dull as dirt, but these dogs seemed extremely
enthusiastic about their work.
After gathering my luggage, I went through customs. It was
a large set of doors with baggage claim on one side and ground transportation
on the other side. Off to the right was a little office in case you had
something to declare. I think the dogs take care of 90% of the problems.
I took a bus into Rome which took about 1 hour 20 minutes (note
to self: don't EVER try driving in Rome) for 6 Euros and then, since I was hot,
hungry, tired and felt a little vulnerable, I decided to take a taxi the 6
blocks from the bus/train station to the hotel. The cost of the taxi was
8 Euros. The last mile is always the most expensive.
After lunch I went to an open air market where they sold mostly
clothes but some fruits and vegetables. It looked a little dodgy, so I
moved on to another restaurant and just drank and read.
About an hour later I returned to the hotel, checked in and fell
into bed. Slept for 3 hours. When I woke up, I decided to walk
around the neighborhood and that is when I could not find my passport. I
don't know where it left me, but I suspect I met a skilled pickpocket at the
open air market.
Thank you for quickly emailing me the copy of my passport.
I have my driver's license, the copy of the passport and some hope that
the Embassy can issue me a new or temporary passport before I leave on Sunday.
Thats it for now. I didn't have dinner, but the lunch was
so huge, I don't think I could eat anything more tonight. More later.
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