Roamin' Rome

The second half of Kyle’s Christmas visit included a trip to Rome. At the recommendation of a fellow Canadian, we booked rooms at Hotel de Petris, a lovely hotel, very well located near Termini Station

We arrived in Rome early on 27 December. The taxi drive into the city was amazing. I couldn’t get over all the palm trees, or how the evergreens were pruned.

 We dropped our bags off at the hotel and headed out to explore. Our first stop was for coffee and breakfast and to purchase passes on the OpenTours bus line.

This is an option available in all of the cities we have visited thus far, and it is a great way to get an overview of all the sights. The 48 hour passes would give us unlimited access.

The Open Tour takes about two hours. It included the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Square, the Pantheon, Piazza Venezia and the Roman Forum (to name a few).

By this time, it was two in the afternoon and we could get ourselves checked into our rooms. European hotel rooms are notoriously small but this hotel was above average. Both rooms had interesting alley views – bullet holes from World War II.

We were all pretty hungry by this point and there was no shortage of little Italian restaurants in our neighbourhood. We chose a little place that was very busy. It turned out to be an excellent choice.

The pizza Margherita was fantastic and the red wine, even better.
Over pizza, we planned the rest of the day. The Pantheon was within walking distance.

Originally built as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome, it was re-built by Emperor Hadrian in 126AD. It became a Christian church in 609AD and was renamed Sancta Maria ad Martyres. The Pantheon is still used as a church. Masses are celebrated there, in particular on important Catholic days of obligation and weddings.

Stop 2 was the Piazza Navona. The piazza has three fountains - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (the fountain of three rivers – the Nile, Danube, Ganges and the Rio de la Plata), the Fontana del Moro and the Fountain of Neptune. The piazza is featured in Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons.

Another building that figured prominently in Angels & Demons was the Castel Sant’Angelo. Originally a fortress built by Emperor Hadrian, it has also been a prison, a papal residence and hiding place for the Pope in times of danger. There is a covered passageway that connects it to the Vatican.

The bridge that crosses the River Tiber leading to Castel Sant’Angelo is flanked on both sides by 10 angels. Commissioned in the 16^th century, each statue is holding one of the instruments of the Passion.

Walking westerly from the castle, we headed toward St Peter’s Square. Being Christmas, the Square was full of people.

 A large nativity and Christmas tree occupied a large portion.

The lineup for the Basilica was very long and it had been a long day. We caught our OpenTours bus back to our hotel.

 After a stop at British pub, we called it a day.

The following day, Perry was not feeling well enough in the morning to sightsee. This was to be the highlight of Kyle’s trip. The Colosseum. It would be easy enough to find. It was a stop on our OpenTours bus. We hoped our early start would get us ahead of the crowds but at that time of year, there really is no good time.

 We arrived at the Arch of Constantine, which was the entrance to the Colosseum area. It was quickly apparent that the line would be long.

 As we stood in line to purchase admission, we were offered the opportunity to purchase tickets for an English speaking guided tour. It seemed a little suspect at first, but soon we realized there was a large crowd gathering. Our tour was going to provide us with a tour of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Pallatine. And the best part – we went to the front of the line.

The tour guides were most engaging. One was a local Roman, the other was a Scot from Glasgow. Informative and entertaining as well. In total, we spent about 3 hours touring all three sites. It was quite amazing.

Colosseum wall

Roman Forum

 

Originally a marketplace, the Forum was the centre of Roman public life, providing a venue for elections, speeches, criminal trials and gladiatorial matches.

The Palatine

The Palatine sits atop one of the seven hills of Rome. Here, emperors could have a commanding view of the Circus Maximus (on the left) and the Roman Forum.

Kyle and I returned to our hotel to see how Perry was doing. He was feeling much better so we decided to go out and take one more walking tour around and then get some supper. There were lots of options, but unfortunately, we didn’t make the best choice. It was a definite disappointment after the meals we had had the day before. Never trust an empty restaurant!!

One of the last places we saw was the Spanish Steps.

Our short visit was almost over. But I resolve to return. Thanks, Kyle, for preferring Rome to Paris.

A postscript to this blog, picture proof that it is a small world. On a street corner, not far from our hotel, we ran into a friend of Sarah and Tony’s from Halifax, Nova Scotia!!

Belgian History Lesson

Canadian military history is very important to my husband. One of the first places we would visit upon moving here would be Vimy Ridge. And Perry intends upon taking all our visitors there (be forewarned). Kyle would be no exception.

On December 23, they headed off to Arras, France.

View from the road

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corp, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army. The battle, which took place from 9 to 12 April 1917, cost 3,598 Canadian lives, with 7,004 wounded.

Trenches on the front line

The Battle of Vimy Ridge has considerable significance for Canada. Although the battle is not generally considered the greatest achievement of the Canadian Corps in terms of strategic importance or results obtained, it was the first instance in which all four Canadian divisions, made up of troops drawn from all parts of the country, fought as a cohesive formation. The image of national unity and achievement is what initially gave the battle importance for Canada.

No. 2 Canadian Cemetery at Vimy Ridge

On 2 January, we all headed west to Ypres.

The Battle of Passchendaele was one of the greatest campaigns of the First World War, taking place between July and November 1917. In a series of operations, the Allied armies under British command attacked the Imperial German Army The battle was fought for control of the ridge and village of Passchendaele (modern Passendale) near the city of Ypres in West Flanders, Belgium.

Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passchendaele

In October 1917, Canadian troops were called upon bring to enter the Battle and bring about a successful conclusion to this disastrous campaign which had been waged by British and ANZAC forces for some months with few objectives met. Canadian General Curries's predictions of 16,000 casualties would prove to be hauntingly accurate. The final total would be 15,654

Grave of a German Soldier at Tyne Cot Cemetery

With little fanfare and a grudging recognition of their deeds, the Canadian Corps had proven to all that their bravery, planning, training and skill had made them the elite Corps of the allied forces. With this killing ground behind them, the Canadians would take up their positions by Arras / Vimy / Lens and prepare to take on the final German defences of the Siegfried Line and in fact, lead the final assault that would bring the war to a close.

The Menin Gate - contains the names of 54,000 unknown soldiers

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of the WWI and whose graves are unknown. The memorial is located at the eastern exit of the town and marks the starting point for one of the main roads out of the town that led Allied soldiers to the front line.

The Lloyd name on the panel for the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

Side view of Menin Gate

London Calling

Christmas is all about family. We were very happy to have Kyle join us for three weeks in December. Since he had never travelled to Europe before, we wanted to be able to take advantage of this trip to show him around. We left it up to him to decide where he wanted to visit. I was leaning toward London and Paris, both relatively short (2 hour) train rides away. But Kyle wanted to see Rome instead, something about that gladiator thing.

Before Christmas, we took Kyle to London for three days.

The trains are very efficient in Europe and we were in London before noon on 19 December. Once we dropped our bags off at our hotel, we set out for an early lunch. I had fish and chips on my mind. The Brits are known for that.

Union Jack Club

Kyle wanted to see ‘old things’. No better place than London. We started out at the British Museum, spending an entire afternoon visiting all the free exhibits. They have an incredible collection of Egyptology, including sarcophaguses, statues and temple pillars, ancient weaponry. 

                                                      There is a piece of the Rosetta Stone.

                                               The remains of a Bog Man are there as well.

                                          
                                              And Olympic medals from the 2012 Summer Games.

Big Ben

The following day, we set out to tour the Tower of London, Parliament Buildings, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Cathedral.

Parliament Buildings

Buckingham Palace

London Bridge

Kyle really enjoyed the Tower of London, which is actually more than a tower but a series of museum buildings. The Crown jewels are stored here.

Perry tried to take a picture of the Crown Jewels but it is forbidden

Our final day was spent at the Imperial War Museum.

One-man submarine

The Enigma Machine

WWII Tunnel

If you think there doesn’t seem like much girly stuff on this trip, you are right. Although I do enjoy visiting the museums, this trip was more about what Kyle wanted to see. The shopping trip would have to wait for another time.

Let's All Be Bob

One of the more interesting things about moving to a new place is that advertising and commercials are all new. That is also true of the roadside billboards. Almost exclusively, they are road safety related and change frequently.

The Bob campaign originated in Belgium, in 1995, in collaboration between several governmental departments, the police and the Belgian beer brewing industry.

The Bob campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of driving while intoxicated; drivers with high blood alcohol content are at increased risk of car accidents, highway injuries and vehicular deaths. Alongside the general information that is offered during the campaign, there is increased police surveillance, especially during the weeks running up to Christmas and New Year's Eve. But most of all, the campaign focuses on a designated driver approach.

Bob does not go through the back roads

 The campaign appeared to be successful right from the start. In just a few weeks’ time, 4 out of 5 Belgians had heard about Bob. Now, 97% of the Belgian population knows about the campaign, with Bob becoming the symbol against drinking and driving.

Bob doesn't panic when he sees the blue lights

 To date, more than 37% of all drivers in Belgium claim to have offered to be a designated driver. 34% have actually been a designated driver and 46% have been driven home safely by their 'Bob'.

Bob doesn't park at the neighbour's house

 According to official figures, the Bob campaign has triggered a change in mentality. Nowadays 80% of the population considers drinking and driving to be unacceptable.