It is now 2011 - Happy New Year to everyone. Over the last few days I have done quite a bit of walking around, some of it with Elena and some by myself. I have really enjoyed rediscovering some of my favorite sights, like the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, San Giovanni in Laterano and Piazza Di Spagna, while discovering some new sites. Yesterday in particular I got up early (Elena is in London celebrating New Year's with her cousin/girlfriend) and walked around until lunch. Along the way I stopped at various churches, including two spectacular churches I had never seen before: San Clemente and Santi Quattro. Both are very old churches, one of them (San Clemente) built over a pagan structure dating from the first century B.C., both with amazing art and architecture.This morning my brother Franco arrived by train, he took the overnight couchette to come celebrate my father's 80th birthday. I happened to wake up around 5:45, which is about the time he was arriving, so I called him and went to pick him up. I have been feeling a bit off, perhaps the result of last night's celebrations?
I had a lovely time with my long-time friends Pietro and Costanza, along with Costanza's sister Giulia, her husband, and the couple (a different Pietro and his wife Paola) that hosted us. There were a few other people and several kids ranging in age from 10 months to 14 years old. Romans are totally insane about their New Year's fireworks - not really organized fireworks, more a situation in which the entire city goes nuts for a good hour surrounding midnight, throwing all sorts of explosive devices from windows and rooftops. Note to tourists: do not EVER think about walking around Rome between 11:30pm and 1:00am on New Year's, lest you want to be killed by ammunition disguised as fireworks.Anyhow, I am now totally ready to come home. It's been a long, long trip, and I have enjoyed all of it, but it is time to get back to a normal life -- no more living out of a suitcase. I miss my loved ones, and I can't wait to get back into a routine. It's been fun keeping track of my adventures, and I look forward to re-reading some of these stories in the future, once the memories have begun to fade.
Happy happy 2011!!!
