Roman Holiday
16 April 2017
An awful lot has happened since my last blog, nearly a month ago.
We sailed to Rome in order to have the engine mended and for me to fly home for tests. Here are just a few of our many experiences.
My trip back
My consultant was very happy with me and my blood, and we hope and pray that I remain in "watch and wait" for a very long time. I kept the visit very low key, and only saw a few friends and family. My Dad was my taxi service and chauffeured me everywhere for three days, including Nottingham to see my Mom, where we spent a lovely few hours. I took over my sister's lounge with my Amazon orders and was over the moon with two made to measure jewellery boxes my Dad had designed and made. I managed to fit in a curry and coffee with school friends and we reminisced about the good old days of school trips. I had a night with my friend Ness in Stourbridge visiting pubs, which I had not been inside since my underage drinking years. I had a top a Chinese meal with my family, although I regret laughing at my brother's "man flu" as he has ended up going to hospital!! I attended a most moving meditation class and then had lunch at the arboretum with a very special friend. My sister Abi and I enjoyed walking Logi around my old halls of a residence in Birmingham before I met up with Laura for a top giggle at hospital. I loved staying at The Talbot with their delicious breakfasts and huge bath. I even managed to steal a few hours with a friend before she went on holiday and to have breakfast with my father in law (Dad 2). It always humbles me realising how many wonderful friends and family I have, and even at such short notice, or with things going on in their lives, they still all turned up to see me.
Rome.
Rome is a stunning city and we have spent many days exploring. We have enjoyed the main sites such as the Vatican, Forum, Pantheon and Colosseum, but have also loved just sitting in the different piazza's soaking up the atmosphere and watching the street entertainers. My Mom and sister Ruthy joined us for a few days and we had a brilliant time. As they had seen the main sites before we had a couple of beautiful lunchtimes in the Borghese Gardens. I packed a picnic, with a bottle of wine and we listened to live jazz and sat savouring the sunny days. We hired a golf buggy, and had a real hoot as I had never driven an automatic before and it was far from a smooth ride, but extremely memorable. Ruthy, has recently become Hyachinth Bucket, "watch out for the tree over there, mind the lizard" and her navigating was worse than my driving. It was a good job mom took it all in good humour and she could be heard giggling away in the back. Ruthy made up for her poor navigation later in the week with her fantastic rowing on the boating lake, even if she did show her builders bum!!!!! We both hired segways and after a dodgy start we were whizzing round the park. We all wandered down to the Spanish Steps and Trevi fountain, and bought an obligatory rose from the hardworking Indian guys. We stumbled upon the most stunning chocolate shop, with a wall of melted chocolate... Mom and I had a dark chocolates each, whilst Ruthy had the best chocolate and caramel ice cream of her life....topped with whipped cream and hazelnuts. We queued to see St. Peter's church, and Ruthy gave in to the selfie stick fixation, which made the queuing time whizz by. I however, much prefer the smaller churches we visited, some with Carravagio paintings, particularly those of Matthew the tax collector..We walked down to Castile de St Angelo, and admired the magnificent structure that houses the Pope in times of danger and the stunning Angel bridge. mom and Ruthy were delighted to be visiting places they had not seen before, but I have to admit to be flagging by the time Jules gave us his tour guide impression in the Pantheon. It's true that mom and I enjoying the ham and cheese shop just opposite more than the Pantheon !!!!! It was the Jewish Ghetto, that we all so much admired, particularly the Kosher food shops and synagogue which had to have a square dome as the Christians would not allow them to use a dome like their churches. On all the entrances to the ghetto stands a church with an image of Christ on the cross and a Hebrew inscription reminding the Jews of their mistake!!!!! The fountain of the turtles (added by Bernini as he saw the similarity between turtles and Jewish people - always having to move on, with their houses on their back) was stunning. It is the bronze plaques outside those houses where people were deported to Auchwitz that were very moving, and it was a place Mom had always wanted to visit.
The Bull and Bladder in Italy
Since January Jules and I have had several discussions about whether to carry on with this life or to come back to the UK to get work and see all the places in the world I want to visit by weekend breaks and holidays. We worry that if we sail across the Atlantic and I needed to return for treatment, the cost and difficulties of getting us and the dogs back to the UK and to find rented accommodation would be too much. But we know in out heart of hearts that flying holidays are not how we want to see the world. For us, we enjoy seeing the local as well as the tourist attractions, and you only get that when you live amongst the locals for some time.The marina in Rome is a beautiful gated community, but just outside is 'the fishermen's village'. It is a shanty town worse than we have seen in many third world countries. We walk the dogs there, and have made friends with all the local children who love to learn English words from us. There is a local bar with a perfect view of the Mediterranean Sea, if you ignore the overflowing bins and rubbish dump to the left. It reminds us very much of The Bull and Bladder in Brierley Hill - full of hard working folk, who are all a little odd, if not completely mad. The beer and wine is great and extremely cheap and every oddball in the area is there smoking a joint. I had a chat with a local who had a Staffie. Bare in mind this conversation took place in English and Italian, and lots of sign language as neither of us spoke the other's language. The next thing we knew, he called his mates and it was like a scene out of a Mad Max. Leather clad, tattooed, shaven headed men walked shoulder to shoulder down the road all with their staffies in bronze harnesses. These scary men and their dogs who live in the shanty town, were proud and kind, and we are now most definitely part of the pack. We know this as when the joints are passed around we are always invited to take a puff!!!! They showed us the tricks their dogs could do, (mainly this involved being as stubborn and disobedient as Scrappy and chasing their tails). The dogs were all big softies, who loved their tummies to be tickled and their ears to be stroked. The word of our presence spread and the men's daughter's arrived with puppies. I was in heaven.
After they left, we met an Egyptian man who invited us to share his fish, and then a Moroccan guy who insisted on giving us food to take back to the boat for supper. We have become part of the community and are treated with respect and in our own way we are their tourist attraction.
In the local market I am now greeted with, 'Ciao Bella', they advise on what is fresh and help me pack my bike panniers and rucksack as well as giving me free basil, celery and parsley. I have enjoyed cooking with courgette flowers, globe artichoke and their speciality (which the top London Restaurants can not get enough of) Agretti, which grows here like a weed!!!
And finally the engine!
My friend Jill told us that the Italian favourite word is 'domani' (tomorrow) and we thought she was exaggerating slightly. After we sourced the engine parts from the UK, we still have not seen Davide, the Engine man. We ring and he tells us 'domani'. Jules has rang him on several occasions to remind him of our urgency to be out of here within a month, but all he gets is, "Did I ring you ? Then it will be domani". 21 days later we are still waiting, and we were getting more and more frustrated with Davide by the day. Luckily for us, we have found another guy called Mihel and as I type away at a local bar, he is jacking up the engine and taking off various parts including the 100kg gear box. Let's hope by the next blog, we are on our way once more.
Happy Easter to you all or as I should say Here - buona Pasqua!