18 October ’05, Tuesday.
We just had to try and get our appointment to visit the Borghese Gallery, so I got on the phone right away this morning. Remember, they told us to call them back on Tuesday, so I got the word from the “boss” that this morning was in fact Tuesday. It was amazing, a short phone call and we were in…5 pm, and check-in by 4:30 or lose your time…(independent aren’t they?). OK, they win, we will be there. We didn’t leave for town as early this morning as we had been the last 3 days, but we were still in town by noon. For the 3rd day in a row, we headed for St Peters to see if we could get our chance to go up into the dome. BINGO, we only had to wait another hour, and they would finally open it. “OK, ladies, what do you want to do for the next hour?” Shopping was the obvious, and it was also right…”OK, I’ll see you in an hour”… I wanted to find a coffee shoppe, so off they went and off I went. Right on time, they met my at the bottom of the stairs to the dome. Unfortunately, so did one hundred million others…it was a crowd !!! That’s alright, we have the time, and we want to see it up close and personal. We bought our tickets, rode the elevator up to the bottom of the dome, and then climbed the narrow passageways of 323 steps that wound around the dome all the way to the top exterior balcony. In winding up the steps, it was interesting that it would make you lean as you went up, because of the shape of the dome…it kept you at an angle more than half way. Once there, it was a major traffic jam with people, but once you found your way to the railings you saw some wonderful views of the Vatican and the city of Rome. Speaking of seeing the views, I just want to let you know that a few days prior to Ann arriving, and still continuing, the sun has been out bright, and it has been a perfect temperature (70-75) to enjoy the days adventures. Getting down to earth again, we had thought we would make it to the catacombs, but time has gotten to late, so we instead headed off for a grocery store, bought some fruit, and other items for lunch, and then headed off the Borghese Gallery. We got there about 4 and settled down for a late lunch. Come 5, and we were in…thank you Lord !!! The Borghese Gallery is a private museum, that is filled with “The” best sculptures I have seen, and a treasure of paintings and frescoes. Not only the sculptures and paintings, but the building itself, is a masterpiece. It all was a private collection in the 17th century of Cardinal Borghese. There are more than a couple of pieces that I wont forget, but one in particular, is Bernini’s Apollo Chasing Daphne. In the mythological story, Apollo races after Daphne, and just as he is about to reach her, she turns into a tree… You have to see this in person to really know just how good it is…my words just can’t do it. Ok, it’s getting dark again, and tomorrows a moving day….to Assisi
We just had to try and get our appointment to visit the Borghese Gallery, so I got on the phone right away this morning. Remember, they told us to call them back on Tuesday, so I got the word from the “boss” that this morning was in fact Tuesday. It was amazing, a short phone call and we were in…5 pm, and check-in by 4:30 or lose your time…(independent aren’t they?). OK, they win, we will be there. We didn’t leave for town as early this morning as we had been the last 3 days, but we were still in town by noon. For the 3rd day in a row, we headed for St Peters to see if we could get our chance to go up into the dome. BINGO, we only had to wait another hour, and they would finally open it. “OK, ladies, what do you want to do for the next hour?” Shopping was the obvious, and it was also right…”OK, I’ll see you in an hour”… I wanted to find a coffee shoppe, so off they went and off I went. Right on time, they met my at the bottom of the stairs to the dome. Unfortunately, so did one hundred million others…it was a crowd !!! That’s alright, we have the time, and we want to see it up close and personal. We bought our tickets, rode the elevator up to the bottom of the dome, and then climbed the narrow passageways of 323 steps that wound around the dome all the way to the top exterior balcony. In winding up the steps, it was interesting that it would make you lean as you went up, because of the shape of the dome…it kept you at an angle more than half way. Once there, it was a major traffic jam with people, but once you found your way to the railings you saw some wonderful views of the Vatican and the city of Rome. Speaking of seeing the views, I just want to let you know that a few days prior to Ann arriving, and still continuing, the sun has been out bright, and it has been a perfect temperature (70-75) to enjoy the days adventures. Getting down to earth again, we had thought we would make it to the catacombs, but time has gotten to late, so we instead headed off for a grocery store, bought some fruit, and other items for lunch, and then headed off the Borghese Gallery. We got there about 4 and settled down for a late lunch. Come 5, and we were in…thank you Lord !!! The Borghese Gallery is a private museum, that is filled with “The” best sculptures I have seen, and a treasure of paintings and frescoes. Not only the sculptures and paintings, but the building itself, is a masterpiece. It all was a private collection in the 17th century of Cardinal Borghese. There are more than a couple of pieces that I wont forget, but one in particular, is Bernini’s Apollo Chasing Daphne. In the mythological story, Apollo races after Daphne, and just as he is about to reach her, she turns into a tree… You have to see this in person to really know just how good it is…my words just can’t do it. Ok, it’s getting dark again, and tomorrows a moving day….to Assisi
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