Main Event for the Day--still May 18, our first full day in Rome

Galleria Borghese: per square inch and pound for pound, this is the most powerful, jaw-dropping, eye-popping art assembly I have ever seen in one small container. (I'm no expert, but I've seen a few art museums.) The cost to visit is about the usual--15 euro per head--but you need to obtain reservations for your 2 hour appointment to visit. The 17th Century palace is small considering the quantity and quality of the works. They only allow a few visitors in a one time and they watch you like a hawk!

The original owner of the palace was an early patron of Gian Bernini, whose great talent as a sculptor seemed to free his subjects from the marble they had been trapped in since Creation.

There seems to be about half-a-dozen Bernini sculptures in the Galleria, some are shown in the rooms for which they were designed, in the 1600's.     See? Limiting the visitors means the crowding is low. Everyone can enjoy the experience.

Every inch, nook and cranny is covered in decorative details, painting, et cetera.

Statues and busts of Renaissance and Ancient Romans, left and right.

This Guy!

This old gent was one of my favorites of the entire museum. I'm sure it is no accident that the bust was placed near the stylized lion beside him.  And there's more to see at the Galleria.

Architectural Details of Rome: too many to count them all!

Our first full day in Rome was Saturday, May 18, 2019. We discovered Roman coffee and pastries. I didn't get enough pastries; I'm sorry now that I did not.

There was the stop at the Pantheon in a light rain. It was not over crowded at that time. To meet up with one of our family members (on study trip to Venice), we made the hike to the Termini, or main rail station, to meet her returning train and take the two of them to lunch. (Son and daughter in law).

Restrooms are something new to get used to for strangers here. Men and women use common facilities: a private cubicle right next to one for the opposite sex; a common wash-up area. In the train station, the entrance to the bathroom cost a euro; I nearly followed my son into the men's side, losing a euro in the process. Blush.   Frequently there is no toilet seat on the squar-ish shaped potties! I confess to being a little too old for such novelties.

I could not stop taking photos of every nook and cranny! My son pointed out the purposely designed, semi-finished window sills, above. Details like that are everywhere. The senses are blitzed with delicious detail, especially on your first day in Rome.

Just lying around in random places, usually in bits of older infrastructure, pieces of Ancient Rome. Snaking through the city was the remains of the old Roman walls. Imagine.

Bits and shards of marbles and statuary, used along with toff. No formal presentation, much of it is covered in weeds and even littered with trash and garbage. For the innocent new tourist, it seems a shame and a shock! But the many generations of Romans have lived among the ruins for many centuries.

The wall, a section re-purposed for back wall of homes. So interesting. Below, a turret along the wall; you can often see the old arrow slits built in to help defend when necessary. All that, co-mingled with the modern roads, cars, trolley ways, buses, motor bikes, bikes and people of today.

Finally: Rome. All my life I've wanted to go to Rome. Part One of Many.

Above, the Ocular of the Pantheon in rain. Happily, this was our first "sight seeing" adventure in Rome, on May 18, in a light cool rain. The haze around the Ocular is the impression of the rain.
Perfect.

I planned the entire trip myself and I was happy and satisfied with how it turned out. The air travel, hotel, etc. went perfectly to plan. I was disappointed with Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt: very very cramped seat, broken arm rest, terrible terrible food (not just "airline terrible" but "dog food terrible") Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Rome was much better! United Flights home were much better.

We stayed in Trastevere at Kiara Guesthouse, which I found on Expedia. We had a small apartment for our 2 week stay. It was safe, clean, comfortable and quiet. (Any noises were brief, happy or interesting noises.) The building was old, solid and interesting, with classic court yard.  Kiara is a real person: lovely, gracious, responsive to queries and very nice.

Street art and ads were everywhere in Rome, as was (too much) graffiti! 

Door ways and building entrances were routinely evocative and dignified. I took about 900 photos.

I love this one: typical narrow back street lined with apartment or hotel blocks. People park their cars and motor bikes literally everywhere. As Americans, we have been taught not to Jay-Walk. Well, in Italy, if you don't jay walk, you will stand there forever. You make eye contact with the drivers and just proceed into traffic! (Major intersections have ped traffic signals, of course.) Magically, cars stop for you.    Now that I am back in the 'States, I must unlearn this technique!

New Mexico: Carlsbad Caverns, A Red Mountain in Albuquerque, a Secret Garden and other fine things.

Photographs--at least mine--do no justice for Carlsbad Caverns. If you get a chance, do go visit.

A sunset ritual: step outdoors to see if the sunset turns this mountain side pink in Rio Rancho, NM

Shhhhh. It's a secret. And a special treat. If not for this garden, I would not have recognized some of the special local plants at places like Tent Rocks, etc. I was grateful!

Act of Random Reading

Best-selling Italian detective novelist, Carlo Lucarelli's "The Damned Season", translated to English by Michael Reynolds.

The Damned Season refers to the period in 1944 when multiple armed and furious factions fought tooth and nail in Northern Italy, including retreating Nazi's and Allied Forces, for eventual control of the country. Communists, too.

This book is the second in a trilogy which introduces us to Police Commissar Deluca who is trying to get back to Rome, covertly, when captured by a local thug/policeman who remembers Deluca from some training he had once in Rome. He could kill the detective, since there is no law and order. Instead, he forces him to help him solve a local murder in order to take the credit and get promoted.

Being #2 in the trilogy, we don't know where Deluca came from or  goes from here; I was attracted to the book by a blurb on the cover that said "this is Alan Furst country". Yes, sort of. Not quite. The edition I read was an uncorrected proof, for advanced readers, found in the "magic paperback exchange" at my local public library.

Alan Furst's novels were the "Best" of 2018 for me--all of them. I have left one unread, which I will read sometime later this year, I hope.

And Today it is Snowing Pretty Hard. You Know what Snow Looks like.

Daffodils Bloomed Today

The squill flowers are going strong; along with the crocuses. Junco birds are still at the feeder. Soon they will depart for northern breeding ground.

We had a couple of Pine Siskins at the bird feeder the other day. They are similar to American Goldfinches.