The Roost of Turkadactyl

Okay, I will admit I was reaching for a good title for this post.  Spicy Meatball is the best I could come up with.  Rome was fantastic.  I will warn you, hoever, if you are arriving by train to the Roma Termini the tourist information is very hard to find.  the map in the station has about eight information booths.  The booths are actually currency converters and hotel lodging reservations.  It took us a half hour at least to find tourist info.  That and Romes public toilets are scary.

Be warned about Rome’s public restrooms.  They are scary.  Shared facilities.  No toilet seat and at some.  No toilet paper at some.  Scary.  People also use public spaces to relieve themselves.  This may be due to the lack of toilets in Rome.  Mrs. Turkadactyl said she saw human feces and toiler paper at one street corner.  She has also seen a couple of men relive their bladders in full daylight.  Scary.

Other than that we loved Rome.  What is great about Rome is all the sites are within walking distance from each other.  Everywhere we walked there was a new site to be seen. Rome has a lot of history.  Growing up in Edmonton where our history is barely 100 hundred years it is a big treat to walk the streets of Rome whose history is over two thousand years.

We visited the Vatican City.  We chose to visit it on a Sunday.  That meant that the Sistine Chapel was closed.  D’oh.  St. Peter’s Basilica is huge.  The amount of time and creativity that went into the structure as well as the statues is huge.  The Catholics put lots of reverence in their popes and saints.  There was a lot of religious fervour in the Vatican City.  Jesus seems to be put to the side though.  There was a statue of him but it was nowhere near the size of any of the statues of popes gone.  What I do appreciate is the respect the Catholics have for their spiritual fathers and mothers.

We have tried a lot of gelato.  The Italians make good ice cream.  The pizza is alright.  If given a choice I would choose an all you can eat lunch buffet at Pizza Hut over the Italian stuff.  Perhaps because I know that Rome’s prices are set at tourist exchange.

We are now staying at a farm two hours southeast of Rome beside a town called Sora.  We are taking it easy.  We have done a lot of walking and travelling over the last seven days.  It has been good to relax.  We will be travelling to Sienna next I believe.  Or somewhere close to Sienna.

Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Rome

Spanish Steps, Rome

Colesseum, Rome

Arch of Constatine

The Palatine, Rome

The Palatine, Rome

Trajan's Column, Rome

A statue I forgot to write the information about. Michaelangelo could be the sculptor of this fine piece of work.

A Gothic cathedral. This was the catherdral that Mrs. Turkadactyl and I enjoyed visiting the most. Strangely, I did not write down its name in my notes. The Inquisition persecuted many so called heretics in a building neighbour to this cathedral.

Piazza della Republicca, Rome

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Statue of Pope Pius IX, Vatican City

Statue of Jesus Christ atop St. Peters Basilica, Vatican City

Michaelangelo's first sculpture at the age of 24.

Tomb of St. Peter.

Snuggles outside St. Peter's Basilica.

St. Peter's Square

The Turkadactyl's at Vatican City