Roaming Through Rome - Italy

Finally! Our last and most awaited stop on our Mediterranean cruise. Rome, Italy. 

Rome is a little inland from the ocean so we ported at a town called Civitavecchia. There isn't a whole lot to do in this town. Cruise ships stop here because of its proximity to Rome. So if you book a Western Mediterranean cruise on it and it says Civitavecchia, that is your Rome stop and you should make every effort to make it there.

Why? Because of this shot right here. This is just a bus stop on any old street in Rome. Nothing really stands out and makes it special. Only the 2,000 year old columns from an ancient building next to 500 year old house on the right with a 50 year old street light illuminating the street that has probably been used for traffic in some form for over 2,500 years. This is Rome. Thousands and thousands of years of history and different eras and time periods crowded and mashed together forming this hodgepodge of architectural chaos that is seemingly alive and beautiful. 

Our path in Rome took us by Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. It's also where we get our word for capitol. 

There is evidence, like this ancient oven and brick structure, that Capitoline Hill has been settled for over 4,000 years. This here has been dated to over 3,000 years old and it just is on the street where you walk by on the sidewalk, plain as day.

This monstrosity is the Altare della Patria, a monument completed in 1925 to the first king of Italy after its unification. This building has caused major controversy due to the fact that to make room for it many ancient and medieval buildings were destroyed. It is the biggest structure in Rome and its white marble facade makes it stick out like a sore thumb.

Rome has all its major tourist attractions, but when you wander the streets, off the beaten track, you can find things like this - buildings with your name on it and ancient excavations in the middle of regular Roman neighborhoods.

This is the Pantheon. It is the most well preserved building from ancient Rome. Built between 27 BC and 14 AD, it has been in continuous use since it was constructed 2,000 years ago. 

Here I am with the kidlets inside. It is breathtaking! All the marble and the columns just amaze me. 

Here is the real marvel though. This geometrically perfect semi-circle roof that reaches a point in the center for light to come in. This roof is completely self-supporting. It has no columns at all. I wonder how many of our concrete buildings will be standing in 2,000 years.

Rome is famous for its fountains and the fresh water they bring into the city. While they are no longer the main source of water for drinking and bathing for Rome's citizens, they have come to epitomize Rome and are guarded as national treasures. This is the Fontana die Quattro Fiumi fountain situated in the Piazza Navona. 

It is a pretty nice place to hang out and to have a snack. Obviously.

Next we ran over to the Colosseum, the iconic symbol of Italy and Rome. 

The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world. It is truly amazing. I feel like I say that a lot. That something is truly amazing, but that is really how I feel. These places just blow me away and sometimes all I am left with is, "Amazing!"

The Colosseum was built in 80 AD and had many uses. I am sure you have heard about the gladiators and chariot races and lion fighting, like I have. Ancient Rome seems like a pretty violent place.

The Colosseum was currently being cleaned and stabilized. The south wall collapsed back in 1349 when a great earthquake struck Rome. Scavengers took the fallen stone to build other structures through out Rome.

Across from the Colosseum and built into the side of a hill is the impressive and large Forum. The Forum was the center of Roman life.

The Forum originally started as an open air marketplace, but it quickly outgrew that need as political speeches and government service took up more and more room. It eventually became the center for all political and judicial life in the the city.

The Forum was used from the 7th century BC until the 13th century AD, when the buildings, which had mostly been abandoned, were dismantled for their stone and the site became a dumping place and cattle pen.

Excavation of the Forum began in the late 1700's with the current excavation ending in the 20th century. Ruins from different centuries are shown together due to the Romans tendency to build on former building sites.

We saw the ruins for the Temple of the Vestal Virgins.

And ruins for other temples and court houses.

And the ruins for the Temple of Caesar, a temple built for Julius Caesar after he was murdered nearby on the steps of the senate.

We saw the 2,000 year old Roman Senate building which was largely left intact due to the fact it was turned into a church. 

We saw so much history packed into one area the size of a basic city block. It was mind-blowing to think of all the things that had happened in that area in the last 2,700 years since it was used. 

The sun was beginning to set on an absolutely perfect day. I stood in the middle of the ancient Roman Forum feeling so small. So insignificant. But yet so lucky to have seen this place. To read about the people who lived and worked here. 

And of course, I continued to take pictures.

The golden, winter sun warming the roofs of Rome. I can see why my good friend Rick Steves calls this place Bella Roma, or beautiful Rome.

And in such a beautiful place, what does one do? Take pictures of the ones you love in a beautiful place, of course.

All my peeps.

More people I love. Mr. and Mrs. Point with their kidlets.

I had one last look around the Forum. The fact that the sun was setting right as I took one last glance around the Forum added a kind of finishing effect to the day. I stood quietly in the practically deserted Forum and thought one last time about all the people who had lived here, worked here, and died here. Could I hear them still? Did their voices echo here after all these years? Did they walk the ancient streets? Would people know in 100 years that I stood here once? Probably not. I did not leave a mark on Rome to let people of the future know that "I was here." But Rome left its mark on me. I think it is one of my favorite, if not my favorite city we have visited here in Europe. Make sure you get out and see it.

The Coast Of Portugal

We had just finished up the day in Sintra, Portugal and it was time to head back to the cruise boat. We gave ourselves a little extra time in case we saw some things we wanted to stop and see on the way. It's a good thing we gave ourselves all that time because we saw a lot of cool things. Here are some of them.

Here is where mainland Europe reaches its furthest point out in the sea and the cold Atlantic battles the cliffs of Portugal.

Remains of an old fort built to defend Portugal slowly crumble into the ocean.

It's easy to see why some people call this place "where the land ends and the sea begins." It is the perfect mix of rocks, beach, and waves.

On our way back to Lisbon, we passed through Cascais, a small little sea-side town. Here in the cliffs along the beach is a cavern called Boca do Inferno, Hell's Mouth. So called because the waves beat here so hard that if you were caught down in this cave, I guess it would be like being in hell. Maybe?

The quaint hamlet of Cascais, Portugal. Lighthouse, cliffs, ocean, sky. What more do you need?

Mrs. Albania's husband and Mr. Point looking up at us.

I have always thought the ocean was the perfect backdrop for a picture. Smile Matt!

After leaving Cascais, we drove along the coast back to Lisbon where we passed this Portuguese fortress where people were body surfing in the waves breaking on shore.

We traveled back to the port in Lisbon. By the time we arrived, the sun had begun to set, treating us to this beautiful display of color. A spectacular canvas for the Cristo Rei (Christ the King) statue to look down over all of Lisbon.

We embarked on the ship and went to the back decks to get one last glimpse of Portugal. We were speechless as we silently slipped back into the Atlantic, watching the evening sky awash in flame like brushes of color.

As beautiful as that sunset was, it was not my favorite moment in Portugal. 

I think this one was. Sitting on a rocky coast in the sun, ocean wind whipping our hair, smiling into the camera, surrounded by my favorite people in the world. 

Up next, Valencia, Spain!

Want to read about the first part of our day in Portugal? Click HERE!

Making The Best Of Marrakech - Morocco (Africa, Not Europe!)

Our next stop on the great Western Mediterranean cruise of 2013 was Casablanca, Morocco. We were very excited to go here. After all, it's Africa! Not lions and elephants and safaris, but still, we were on the continent of Africa.

Want to read about where we were before? We were in Barcelona and then Seville.

Our boat docked in Casablanca. We chartered a van to drive us the two hours south to Marrakech so we could shop, eat, and explore. 

Right between those green and pink arrows is a whole lotta desert. Not very exciting. Unless you're a camel or a sheik, I guess.

Right as we got off the boat we were happy and all smiles. We were excited. We had no idea how long of a day lay ahead of us. 

On a happy note, I saw my first stop sign outside of America that actually said STOP in a  language other than English. At least I assume it said stop. It was the right shape and the right color but for all I know it could have said 'free milk' or 'bears ahead.' Yeah, I don't really know any Arabic. 

It was at this point in our trip that things began to head south. We couldn't find the driver and the van who we had prepaid to take us to Marrakech. He had very explicit instructions to meet us at the port gate. No one to be found. Mrs. Point wasn't going to have any of this so she ran down past the port gates with our other travel partner, Mrs. Bulgaria (she really is from Bulgaria). Finally, after two hours we found our driver, Hamid. (No joke. His name really was Hamid.) We all piled in the large van and took off through the crowded streets of Casablanca. 

As we drove, Mrs. Point and Mrs. Bulgaria were very mad that Hamid was nowhere to be found. Mrs. Bulgaria was yelling at him from the back, "Where were you, Hamid?!" in her cute Bulgarian accent. (Actually, she can be pretty scary.) Hamid just smiled and turned up the Arabic music of sitars and women wailing a throaty song. No one was going to bring Hamid down. 

One hour into the drive, the youngest Point family member threw up in the van. One and a half hours into the drive, Mrs. Bulgaria's one year old daughter threw up in the van. And it was the really gross stinky throw up of curdled milk. So there I am, riding in this van in the warm Moroccan desert and sun with crazy music playing and vomit dripping off the windows. I was having so much fun. (In the poor children's defense, the youngest Point was sick and Mrs. Bulgaria's daughter gagged on an apple piece. It all got cleaned up. Well, as good as you can clean up vomit in a moving van in Africa.)

After driving through the desert for what seemed like forever, we started to arrive in Marrakech.

The first thing I noticed was the juxtaposition of the living situation. Wealthy walled off and protected from the poor right next door.

The streets of Marrakech.

This tower is part of the walled section of the medina or the old section of town. A medina is usually walled and contains maze like streets that host vendors.

Within five minutes of our arrival in the shopping area, we were accosted by this gentleman here. Meet Mr. Snake Charmer.

Mr. Snake Charmer saw me and my little boys standing off on the side just watching the snakes. He approached me and said, "You like?" 

I replied, "No, not really."
Mr. Snake Charmer - "Your boys! Your boys! They like!"
Which they did. They are after all, little boys. 

So see if you can follow me through this exchange...
Mr. Snake Charmer - "Take a picture of your boys with the snakes! You come! You do it!"
Me - "No, thank you. I have no money." (Which I didn't. We hadn't even gone to the ATM yet.)
Mr. Snake Charmer - "No! No money! Just come! Take picture!"
I've been around the block with my travels so I knew better. That's what really gets me about this whole situation. I KNEW better. I should have left.
Me - "No. It's okay..." I am walking away. But my little boys are standing by with rapt attention. He starts to put his hat on their heads.
Me - "No. No. No."
Mr. Snake Charmer - "It's okay. No money. It's gift. For you. For you coming to Morocco." And that is where he got me. I didn't want to seem rude and refuse a gift. (Deep down inside, I still knew better.)

Mr. Snake Charmer starts draping snakes all over my boys. "Picture! Picture! Take picture! For you!"

Every time I tried to leave he insisted I take more pictures.

Mr. Snake Charmer even grabbed Matt and shoved a snake in his hands. Finally, I had had enough and told him I was going to leave. Matt had already drifted off and disappeared in a crowd. I gathered Aidan and Andre, who were still being charmed themselves by the snakes, and we started to leave. Mr. Snake Charmer at this point grabbed my arm (very hard, I might add) from behind and yelled, "You pay!"
Me - Totally surprised, "I'm not going to pay." He still is holding my arm.
Mr. Snake Charmer - "You take picture! You pay!"
I scan the crowds for Matt. He is nowhere to be seen. All I can see is the fear in my young son's faces.
Me - "I told you. I have no money. I can't pay!"
At this point he calls over his enforcer. 
Mr. Snake Charmer - "She won't pay!" Mr. Enforcer comes running out of nowhere and grabs my other arm.
Mr. Enforcer - "The rule is if you take picture, you pay!"
Me - "I told him I have no money! I told him that!" Mr. Enforcer then lets go of my arm and grabs my camera which is around my neck and jerks it.
Mr. Enforcer - "Then you must delete pictures!"
Me - "I will delete them! Let me go!" Let me remind you I am in a busy shopping square with people all around. I keep scanning the crowds for my husband or my friends. Nobody.
Mr. Enforcer - "I will watch you delete! Do it!"

At this point, I had had enough. I started to get angry. Like really angry.

I wrenched my arm (very painfully) out of Mr. Snake Charmer's grip. Mr. Enforcer still has my camera strap.

Me - (yelling at the top of my voice) "I told you I had NO MONEY! YOU said it was a gift! You said no money! No money, it's okay!" All the time pointing at Mr. Snake Charmer while getting ready to kick some shins and run.

Mr. Enforcer gets a defeated look on his face and starts yelling at Mr. Snake Charmer in Arabic. He drops my camera and I grab my boys and walk as fast as I can into the crowds. As you can see, I didn't delete any pictures. Ha ha, Mr. Snake Charmer and Mr. Enforcer. 

I find Matt and the first thing out of my mouth is, "You jerk." I went from screaming at some snake charmer men to screaming at my husband. I accused him of abandoning me. I may have been projecting my fear and frustration over the situation on him. But. I vowed not to let the morning's events ruin my whole day. Just part of the day. I rocked an awesome bad mood till lunch.

We got some lunch and I mellowed out a bit. Yes, what happened was unfortunate, but in a way, a little bit my fault. I should have just kept walking. We had some traditional Moroccan tea which is fresh mint tea steeped with mint leaves and sweetened with honey. It was so sweet it actually tasted like hot honey with a little bit of tea. But still good.

Something similar happened to Andre. He was standing by the Point family when they were getting some henna done when one of the henna-weilding ladies grabbed Andre and started decorating his arm all on her own. Mrs. Point informed her she that she didn't ask for it and wasn't going to pay for it. 

I was beginning to see a pattern here. I heard stories from Mr. Point about how vendors would shove toys in the youngest Point's hands and say, "See? He likes it! You buy!" Mr. Point would have to take it out his the child's hands and hand it back. Sometimes they would not take it and he would have to put it down on something and tell them that he was not going to buy it. So, keep your traveler wits about you here.

After a great Moroccan lunch and hot honey tea, we went out to explore. (A funny side note here is that all the Moroccan men that Mr. Point came into contact with kept calling him Ali Baba. We don't know if it was the beard or what, but the name stuck and now we call him that too.)

We wandered around the souks or souqs, depending on your spelling desires. We saw spice markets.

And carts pulled by donkeys and monkeys on leashes. 

The medina was full of tourists. But as touristy as it was, it was also filled with locals doing their daily shopping. Picking up fruits, sweet breads, spices, dried meats, and other various things.

In addition to fruits, breads, spices, and dried meats, you can also pick up spare teeth and denture sets. Yes, it is one stop shopping here.

Ashlenne got some black henna done on her arm.

Here is what it looked like all dry. The darkest spots lasted almost a month. But lighter places started to face in two weeks.

My beautiful sister-in-law, Leslie, got the brown henna. 

It dried and stained her skin this fabulous tangerine shade. Lovely!

Some of the souks were in these tiny, twisting streets. The whole place smelled of leather, dried spices, and a thousand years of history. (Believe it or not, history is kind of stinky. Think a combination of dirt, urine, sweat, and animals.)

We went shopping for rugs. It was all a very stressful experience. Shopping and paying for things is all done with haggling. It's something I don't like. I like to walk into a store, see a price tag, know what I have to pay, and be done with it. I don't like being told, "Oh, best price for you!" I don't like having to refuse to buy something and then walk out then be chased down the street with a new deal when they see you leaving. It's a real pain in the neck. Literally.

My younger brother mastered some haggling and scored himself this wonderful carved cane inlaid with silver. He severely broke his leg when we were kids and all this traveling really wears him down. But at least now, he can be dapper and limp in style.

After the long vomit filled drive, the almost assault by Mr. Snake Charmer, the stressful haggling, I finally really started to enjoy Marrakech. I even bought a beautiful scarf. People have asked me after hearing about our day if I would go back. "In a heartbeat," I answer. Why? Because traveling isn't supposed to be easy. The whole goal of traveling is to see, experience, taste, and do things that are different. Things that take you out of your comfort zone. Things that push the limits of normal for you. Check, check, and check on all those things in Marrakech.

I rode back on the long vomitless drive to Casablanca, tired, but oh so glad I had seen Marrakech.

Until next time.

Stay tuned for my next visit to Morocco. Tangier!!