In silence man can most readily preserve his integrity. - M. Eckhart

Hiking the Weedon Island Preserve trails and boardwalks.

Giving pause and reflection.

Thinking of those that lived and served and died for their country and for what they believed was right; from the front-line soldier, to the B-17 bombardiers, to the support staff and the giving families that supported them all.

A solemn Memorial Day appreciation.

Ever notice that even the busiest people are never too busy to tell you just how busy they are?

For Memorial Weekend I've decided to stay home and take care of various projects that need attention. In the past few years I'd spent the time at a campout in Atlanta, however with so many changes and updates, I just wasn't interested in a big trip anymore. I have been attending a lot more local, social events and have been able to meet a lot of new folks and even randomly run into people I hadn't seen in years. I went to most of these events not expecting to know anyone at all, but in each of them I've met someone I either knew or someone that personally knew another friend I had. I went to the Creative Loafing #Summertime party at Fly Bar last week after work and ran into someone I knew several years ago that was apparently working in their HR department and had a nice time catching up. Yesterday I attended an event at the Florida Aquarium and had someone walk up to ask a random question that turned out to be someone I knew in the USF SCUBA Club over 10 years ago. I am always amazed as to how small a world it can be and how small chances and opportunities can become grand adventures. It has been nice to get out and meet new folks and become aware of different activities and organizations in the area from meetup to emerge and even marketing events like the #summertime release party.

Instead of cookouts this weekend, however, I'm working on painting and repair projects on one of the rental homes. I was given the 30 day notice just two days before I left for Italy that 2/3s of the remaining tenants (the 4th having told me they were vacating in May a month ago) would be leaving Tampa after graduation at the end of May. So now I'm having to catch up on maintenance projects, painting, and such and try to market the place. "There ain't no sunshine when she's gone" but apparently when it rains it pours as evidence by the solid rain cover we've had for the last week.

In cyberspace, no one can hear you scream. UNLESS YOU TYPE LIKE THIS!!!

Sometimes I think that if I scream loud enough in my head that you will somehow hear me in yours.

I took the road less traveled and fell in a hole.

I said my silent goodbyes to Rome and headed to the train station for one last trip, this time back to the airport from where the trip began. I had been keeping good track of my cash and by the time I got to the terminal, I had just enough money to purchase a drink and leave a tip before boarding the plane. While I was able to sleep on the way to Italy so I could be fresh, I had to try to stay up for the entire flight in an attempt to reset my clock. I was able to get through pretty much all the movies they had available; Gran Torino, Bride Wars, Underworld 2, Frost/Nixon, and Seven Pounds. Before leaving Italy I picked up a copy of the classic 'Oliver Twist' and was able to get through a good bit as well. Once I get a lot of things in my life a bit more settled, I plan to take the time to try to go through some of the old classics I should have read a long time ago, including interesting works such as one I've always wanted to go through, e.g. On the Origin of Species.

After getting back to La Guardia, I picked up my boarding pass for a 6:10AM flight, had a meal (that finally didn't consist of mostly pasta), and wandered the airport for a while. I finally found an alcove near the admistrative offices in which I could sleep and did my best to get some rest. I was up by 5 o'clock and made my way through security and to my departure gate, however I was very saddened to see that my flight with Airtran had been canceled! There was no reason given, merely that it was no longer going out. I had to then take an 8:30 flight to Atlanta which pushed my schedule quite a fit, however fortunately I was given a voucher for a free one-way flight that I need to use in the next year, so at least something came out of it. I was able to at least borrow a phone in order to call home to rearrange my pickup time.

Pyramid: An organized pile of rocks.

Finally, I've reached my last full day in Rome. It isn't that I disliked Italy, however it had been a tough 'vacation' of a trip due to issues that had been bothering me for a while, so I was glad to finally just about reach the end of the journey. I walked to the Trevi Fountain again for a new daylight perspective and sat for about 90 minutes simply enjoying the roaring water that would hopefully drown out all thoughts and surrounding noise. There was a small television filming crew doing some takes of a couple throwing coins into the fountain in what is presumably stock footage for some travel show, unfortunately it wasn't Samantha Brown or Rick Steves. It was funny to watch them go through the same motions multiple times; walk into frame, point a bit, dig in the pocket for a coin, throw them in, point a bit more, and then walk out of frame once more. I'm beginning to think that some things I see on TV aren't completely candid and real. I made my way over to the Pantheon as one of my last major site visits in Rome. This is a very impressive structure and one of the few that remains from historic times that is completely intact and in a condition it was when constructed. The immensity of the place was a bit outstanding and though not quite as big as St. Peter's, it was still very, very impressive.

As I wandered south a bit I walked into churches at random to take in the size and grandeur and really enjoyed listening to organ music in one as someone was apparently tuning the pipes and playing up a storm. After making my way through Piazza Navona once again, I wandered through Campo de Fiori, a popular Roman marketplace for a bit of lunch and drink. I passed by the Area sacra dell'Argentina, an area of four temples where Julius Caesar was assassinated. I headed over the Tiber once again and simply wandered for a while, stopping at occasional shops as I made my way to the Baths of Caracalla. Along the way I passed an interesting site that seemed very misplaced. It was an Egyptian style pyramid built right on the old wall the protected Rome. The Pyramid of Cestius was definitely an oddity even among a people that seemed to love everything Greek (then again who doesn't) and Egyptian. I wandered the nearby cemetery for a little while before heading to the baths.

It seems my travel luck had finally expired since I was disappointed to find that the Baths of Caracalla closed early on Mondays. This was the last of the large historic sites that I had intended on visiting and would have liked to have walked among the once immense structures. I did take a nap for a while just outside the gates in a spot where I found a constant breeze and just thought of the events of the past few weeks. Once I began to stir again I walked along a park and sought a nearby geocache and ran into another couple that were out caching as well. I made another attempt at a different cache near the Colosseum that I attempted to previously locate, but had no such luck.

After getting back to the hostel, for some reason I felt restless again and actually returned to the Colosseum once again so to just sit and monument gaze for a while. I finally made it back to the hostel for the last time and after checking messages turned in early; utter exhausted after two weeks of non-stop movement, but also under the realization that I was so fortunate to at least be able to experience such a memorable trip in terms of historic sites, people I had met, and things I had witnessed. This trip provided a lot of time to think and reflect, too much maybe and it was a difficult endeavor to address, but I can only hope that I will maintain the appreciation of the past and a hope for a future.

Am I turning into a "whys guy"? The whys of it all.

I've been traveling Italy for 2 weeks and as much as I have learned, I have additional questions.

Why is it always garbage day?
Why are the sirens so loud?
Why do you have to pay to use washrooms?
Why do you have to weigh your own fruit at the supermarkets?
Why are there 5 types of plums on the shelf but only two pictures of them on the scale's chart?
Why does everyone here smoke? (Did they not get the smoking will kill you memo? and they smoke everywhere too: inside, outside, in train stations, around babies, in restaurants...and so on)
Why do I still have to spend 5 minutes haggling down a price that I know the person buying the exact thing just before me got to pay?
Why do you not need a liquor license to sell alcohol here? (Or if you do need one, why are they so easy to get)
Why do art museums sell wine inside near priceless works of art, but not outside to those having to wait in line with nothing to do for 2 hours?
Why am I always hungry?
Why is everyone trying to scam everyone here with counterfeit bags?
Why aren't there any people out there trying to make the honest buck?
Why is my hostel always a converted convent, hospital, or insane asylum?
Why are fries called chips and chips called crisps?
Why were the kiosks near the Colosseum trying to sell me Coke for 4 euro and nearly convince me it was a good deal?
Why are there thousands of people trying to sell umbrellas and other useless stuff like noise makers, light up cubes, and small camera tripods?
Why does the tour at the Colosseum cost more than the entrance fee? Are they fighting lions or where's the money going?
Why am I on the other side of the world and only able to think about one thing?
Why is it then when I see the Colosseum the first question that comes into my head is 'when am I gonna get to see Gladiator again'?
Why am I so angry all the time (answer: see questions above)?
Why are there pigeons all over the place?
Why don't they sell Fanta in Florida?
Why don't they sell Zephyrhills natural spring water in Europe?
Why, when I feel depressed, is it that thinking about taking photographs or editing my shots the only thing that cheers me up?
Why are the scooters so loud?
Seriously, why is it ALWAYS GARBAGE DAY???

Catacomb (n.) - used for brushing cat hair.

I finally had a chance to use the transport option of the Roma Pass I purchased a few weeks ago, which was useful since I have several bus and metro rides to take. I took the Metro this morning to San Giovanni that was one of the first significant Christian establishments in, or just outside of, Rome. Besides the church itself, another famous landmark here are Scala Sancta, Holy Steps. According to the Christian tradition, these are the steps that led up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem upon which Jesus Christ stood during his Passion on his way to trial. They were, reputedly, brought to Rome during the 4th Century. apparently even though they were dissembled and transported thousands of miles away, they still hold religious significance. These steps may only be ascended on one's knees. I took the Metro and a bus to reach the Appian Way, the famous and extremely significant roadway leading to Rome. I had a quick lunch after getting dropped off an then headed out a little bit to seek out a couple of geocaches along the way and stopped by a few of the roadside attractions.

After a few quick finds, I headed to the nearby catacombs. There are a couple very significant catacombs around here that are quite extensive. I went by the catacombs of San Callisto but they were closed for lunch/siesta, so I wandered around a bit and had lunch, a beer, and then visited the nearby Fosse Ardeatine memorial. This was a solemn memorial site where 335 people were executed by the Germans in retaliation for an attack the previous day against German policemen in occupied Rome. Read the Wikipedia entry linked above for the sad, shocking story.

After visiting the memorial, I headed back to the Catacombe di San Callisto. This had significant Christian heritage and was once the burial site for several of Rome's first popes. The catacombs were used at a time when burial was prohibited within the walls of Rome and the Christian poor didn't have the means to own large burial plots. The tour was fairly short and not extensive in length, but informative enough to be interesting at least. They made mention of the history of the Jesus Fish symbol and its Greek (gotta love em) origins and mentioned that these catacombs held 500,000 people. A last stop before waiting at the bus stop was at the Church of Domine Quo Vadis which is supposedly where Peter saw Jesus while fleeing Roman persecution. There is a stone inside the church that is supposed to be a copy of the footprints left by Jesus.

After finishing the hike along the Appian Way, I took the bus back into town and got dropped off at the Circus Maximus metro stop. I headed to the Borghese Gardens, however since it is so popular I wasn't able to get access to the museum. I headed down to the Santa Maria della Concezione to check out the creepy monk crypt. The ossuary contains the remains of 4,000 friars buried during a time when the Roman Catholic Church permitted burial in and under churches. The underground crypt is divided into five chapels which are decorated with the remains of those friars. Some of the skeletons are intact and draped with Franciscan habits, but for the most part, individual bones are used to create elaborate ornamental designs. There is a plaque at the entryway of one of the chapels that reads "What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be." Access is granted on a donation basis and is definitely worth a stop by if one is already a few hundred meters away visiting the Triton's Fountain. I wandered for a little while longer before deciding to take in a movie and saw 'State of Prey' in English (though with Italian subtitles). By the time it let out I was pretty tired and ready to go to bed and end another day in Rome.

When you are at Rome live in the Roman style; when you are elsewhere live as they live elsewhere.

I took the train back into Naples and then switched over to the one heading to Rome. When I excited the train station, I could hear some pounding techno in the distance. I followed the sound which was conveniently on my path to the hostel and ran right into an open rave party. there were numerous sound trucks with some massive speakers all pumping out some music in the Piazza della Repubblica. It was nice to see an open, large party where people were having a good time, able to drink if they wished, and everyone respected each other without issues and I wished many local government policies back home were as liberal.

I checked into the hostel and walked back to the rave party before heading off to other sites. As I had recently reread the book and knew the movie was coming out within the next week, I decided to hit some of the sites mentioned in 'Angels and Demons'. After wandering into a few random churches along the way, I made it to the Santa Maria della Vittoria, the fire pillar of science. This is the location of Bernini's Ecstasy of St Teresa of Avila and is considered one of the best Baroque sculptures in Rome. In it, one of Bernini's best and most well-known works, an angel is about to pierce St Teresa's heart with a dart of divine love, a scene described in her mystical writings. I was able to get in a few shots before a service started and stayed to listen, though it was all in Italian, for a while. After leaving, I stopped by Bernini's Fontana del Tritone and then headed towards the Spanish Steps and listened to the chorus singing during a service inside the La Trinita dei Monti church for nearly an hour.

I then wandered over to the Piazza del Popolo that had a large event highlighting the anniversary of the Roma Police with an extensive driving demonstration and display of all kinds of equipment used by the department, including a Lamborghini. As another prominent site in the book/movie, I also stopped in to check out the Santa Maria del Popolo church, the earth pillar of science, while there however couldn't remember the details of that church in the book and failed to look for or notice the inverted pyramid that I later figured out was to be the highlight. I walked across the Tiber to the Castel Sant'Angelo (again a major site for the book/movie) to get in some sunset shots. Wanting to finish the saga, I headed over to the Piazza Navona which is of course yet another big location in the movie/book with the centerpiece of Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the water pillar of science.

After a long day of travel and walking, I wandered in a restaurant called 'Il Fico' where the language barrier foiled me again. I intended to just ask for a glass of wine, however apparently I was given a half liter of some potent wine. Well, who am I to make a scene and not accept it. At least it was really good and went quite well with the lasagna. I finally hoofed it back to the hostel.

Some guys take a long vacation to throw a ring into a volcano.

After the traveling of yesterday, I was still pretty groggy when I got up, packed, and made ready for breakfast. I thought it very nice to have waffles available and poured a ladle full of battery stuff onto the hot plate and closed it up before going to grab a drink. Imagine my surprise when I came back to check that the batter wasn't getting cooked as I expected and then I looked over to other tables to see people eating the batter out of a bowl. It turns out that this 'batter' was really just yogurt and the hot plate was simply a toaster for things like, you know, bread. Yeah, I was realizing it was not one of my best trip moments as I cleaned the hot plate and resulting mess in the sink. I still swear it looked exactly like the typical waffle stations I'd seen at other hotels when traveling.

I previously had planned to take the train to Pompeii and wasn't looking forward to the long hike back to the station, but in talking to others in the hostel last night I learned that a bus left the nearby port's station just down the road directly for Pompeii, so within a few minutes of leaving the hostel, I had my ticket and was on board. I ended up being the only passenger, but it was nice to relax a bit while getting dropped off right at the doorstep of the ruins for Pompeii.

Pompeii is of course very famous for having been essentially buried when the nearby volcano, Mt. Vesuvius blew its top and buried everything nearby in dirt, pumice, rock, and ash. Until it exploded, apparently no one had any indication that it was a volcano. I bet that dropped property values. I was impressed by the extensiveness of the archaeological site. Most ruins I have ever visited tend to be little more than a pile of rubble with maybe a few structures out of hundreds that may have once stood. though only 75% has been excavated, the whole area really does seem to be a snapshot of a point in time. as the ash fell, most roofs collapsed, however the walls tended to remain standing, thus preserving the very footprint of this once bustling city. I spent about 3.5 hours walking around and taking in the sites. and checking out many of the buildings that were open, though apparently many that were once available have been blocked in order to preserve them as much as possible from all the foot traffic.