A stroll down memory lane

A few days ago, I met one of my close friends from school and junior college. We had lost touch after he left for US to do his post-graduation. Then out of the blue, about a year or so ago, courtesy Facebook, we got back in touch. Only almost twenty years had passed by.

As we got to talking, I realized that although we had been in the same cities at the same time on more than few occasions in the last twenty years, we never knew it and we certainly never came face-to-face even by chance / luck (as they show so frequently in the movies).

When we filled in the blanks of our respective lives for the benefit of the other, that stroll down our childhood memory lane was truly memorable. I had forgotten some of those moments and even some people until this stroll. Two hours later, there were still so many moments to relive but our schedules were such that we had to put a stop to the reminiscing even though we did not want to.

However that motivated him to plan another trip to Mumbai to go to all those places which had given us those moments of pure unadulterated fun. Something I am really looking forward to….

That night I was still in the euphoria of this meeting and I laughed to myself about  - the pranks we pulled, to the ‘secret crushes’ that our friends had entrusted to us, how we would save up enough money and then share the treats from the local eatery, our studies together, our celebration of different festivals in each other’ houses.

If we were having so much fun, why did we part and not keep in touch and how come I cannot remember some of those people that I had so much fun with?

I think that with everyone changing over time and those changes needing space to grow, maybe at that time, instead of converging… our changes cause us to diverge. Instead of complaints and bitter words (which is just out there and cannot be taken back), it is better to probably take a step back and proceed on your life' journey. 

Maybe we will converge sometime later in life when we see no harm in meeting our earlier estranged friends halfway… well that may take days, weeks, months or in this case, twenty years… But when that time comes, do take that leap to meet and definitely do a time-travel mentally shoulder to shoulder as you used to earlier.  

Fashion Blooper Entry # 2

It was a special occasion; I was meeting my friend from school and junior college after 20 odd years… I wanted that first impression after so many years to be perfect. This is the problem with Facebook; you put some of your best pictures online and many of your friends from school and college have seen you and pictured you in your best, so you have to match up that expectation when you meet personally. At least, that is what I felt.

So, I dressed up in my best ‘comfy’ clothes considering the heat; the only luxury I allowed myself was the ‘almost -new-yet-been-in-the-closet-for-a-year-due-to-lack-of-right-occasion’ sandals (a blue & ivory colored 4-inch wedge heel) that made me look really cool & glam.

So, there I was quite near to the place we were to meet when suddenly…

The heel came unglued…. in the middle of a crowded street.

Now, normally I carry spare shoes (I have so many of them, so why not) but because I wanted to get the ensemble right, I had a bag that did not have space for ‘spare’ anything.

I could see neither a cobbler nor a shoe shop (this was a good reason to add some more shoes to my lay-in-the-closet collectionJ). What to do?

So, I tried to look as cool as a cucumber and proceeded to walk  with a 4 inch heel on 1 foot and almost no heel on the other. Now… I would not recommend that you ever try this. Unless of course you want to take a break from work or something and you are looking for a good excuse like a back sprain.

I cursed myself for the n^th time for not carrying my spare set. But my mistake actually was that I kept my shoes all locked up. Some racks of my shoe collection lie unopened for days even months on end. The result was there for me to see. And I made another realization as well, this was not the first time that my shoe had come apart perfectly at the heel and only needed gluing.

I learnt my lesson. As of today, all my footwear are ‘breathing easy’. 

A smile to remember

While I was on my trip to Israel with my parents, I happened to spend a great deal of time with my parents’ friends who were also doing the trip with us. The group was… well, to be honest a bit loud for my taste. I guessed it was because they had worked hard during the last couple of years to fulfil their responsibilities to their families and now that they were into their fifties or more, they wanted to enjoy and they seemed to enjoy being loud… so why grudge them?

Maybe that is why I noticed her. This lady was probably around 50 considering that her three children had all grown up and flown the nest for further education and jobs. She did not speak too much… just enough in her soft voice (I had to strain my ears to hear her over the din) but what was fascinating was her smile…. no kidding but she always had a smile on her face. Even when there were delays and people were no doubt upset and frustrated but you had to just look at her to feel that yes, !@#@ is happening but it is going to get alright.

About a year or so may have passed; I had traveled to many more places and work was hectic. In between all this, I was at my parents’ house in Kerala for the weekend and I happened to see a photo of our Israel trip and we were reminiscing about their friends when they told me that this aunty had been diagnosed with cancer. I was saddened on hearing this. But my parents were quick to assure me that she had access to the best possible care that money could buy and she would be ok soon.

Another year or two went by after which during one more trip down memory lane, my parents reassured me that all was well because of timely care provided. It had been both a terrifying and expensive ordeal but she was doing much better. By this time, we had heard of several cases of cancer in the circles our family moved in.

The good thing was that because of timely diagnosis and best care, they had been in recovery mode.

Now, how was the diagnosis timely? Because of periodic health check-ups and analysis.

And that ‘best care’ does not come cheap. In fact, it is very expensive. These families had money saved up and those savings were used and it is going to keep on putting a dent there because of the constant check-ups and medicines even after the chemo.

Then I heard of some cases in my company as well as others where after the insurance company pay-out, since the balance was quite high, the respective companies paid for it. That is just awesome!

But, what about people who have no insurance cover?

Even those who do have, be sure to read the fine print whether cancer care is covered in the general health insurance that you do have. Luckily for us, now there are specific plans covering cancer care from various insurance companies… take cover when you can.

My parents read about our Israel trip on my blog and we talked about everyone and that’s when they told that the cancer was back and it was bad… they were not really sure how long she had. After everything they had done… that really made me very sad indeed.

She is gone now… it was the end of her role in this world and the curtain fell on her act. My parents could hardly recognize her when they went to pay their last respects. From her shriveled body to her rather small face, every bit of her had changed in these weeks…

All except for that smile on her face… she seemed to be resting in peace. Adieu Aunty, I will always remember your smile.

My travel diary entry - Vatican city

The Vatican holds a special place in my heart as one of the best places that I have ever been to because – a. like any Catholic, I have always wanted to see the seat of Christianity and b. the Catholic Church has been a patron of arts since its very inception and therefore the real works of art are right there in those churches and its museums; my special interest was in the works of High Renaissance especially from Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Bernini.

If you have to cover everything in a day which is all I had and you want to soak in the history, the best option is to go for a guided tour as I did from Dark Rome tours (www.darkrome.com). The tour starts just outside the Vatican. So I took the Metropolitana A line towards Battistini (note: Be very careful of your belongings; excited and ever-photo-clicking tourists are easiest to spot, distract and rob) and got down at Ottaviano (note: Many people get down at Cipro & walk back; it is almost the same distance).

I was very excited to enter the smallest sovereign state / country in the world – a walled enclave within the city of Rome with an area of little above 100 acres. Still, it is heavily guarded and frisking of person and belongings are to be expected but all that is forgotten as you enter inside.

Vatican City is ruled by the Pope and came into existence only in 1929 as per the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and Italy. The Pope and the catholic clergy from various nationalities holding the functional posts reside here. I was amazed to learn that the economy of this smallest country is supported by the sales to tourists, admissions to the museums and publications. Quite extraordinary!

Piazza S. Pietro / St. Peter’ Square is a large plaza in front of St. Peter’ Basilica and the credit of designing this space goes to Gian Lorenzo Bernini under the direction of Pope Alexander VII. The Egyptian Obelisk in the center of the square had already been brought in 100 years before Bernini was commissioned. This obelisk was originally constructed in Heliopolis, Egypt around 2300 B.C. and then moved by Alexandria by Emperor Augustus and from there to the Circus of Nero and then to this site during the reign of Pope Sixtus V. Another item that Bernini had to work with was a fountain designed by Carlo Maderno and what he did was something very simple – added a matching fountain on the other side. This gives that elliptical area flanked by Tuscan colonnades a graceful symmetry and volume (I am told it is a very Baroque architectural touch).  Once you reach the steps of the Basilica, turn around and look at St. Peter’ Square beyond those barricades, there lies Via Della Conciliazone on which lies Castel S. Angelo which we saw by night during the Rome city tour.

St. Peter’ Basilica had me awed; I cannot explain why. It is one of the four major Papal basilicas in Rome (all of which I was going to visit later that afternoon). Here lies buried the remains of the chief apostle of Jesus – Simon Peter who was also the first Pope and head of the Christian Church and hence the name of this basilica. During the reign of Emperor Nero after the great fire of Rome, many Christians became martyrs and Peter was among them and he requested for himself to be crucified head down. It is believed that the obelisk now in St. Peter’ Square was then at the Circus of Nero and a witness to this crucifixion. 

After Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, he ordered a basilica to be built for housing the tomb of St. Peter. By the 15^th century the basilica was in dire need of repair. But it was Pope Julius II who came up with the idea of creating a basilica so magnificent that he held a competition for the architects and Bramante’ design was the winner. After Bramante’ death, Raphael modified it and subsequent to his death as well, for some time, nothing of note was done. Till Pope Paul III handed over the reins to Michelangelo who was quite old at that time but he still took it up ‘for the love of God and honor of the Apostle’.  Michelangelo did not throw out any of the early designs but modified it to the masterpiece as it stands today with the largest dome in the world that is quite visible in the Roman skyline. However you have to look at it from Castel S. Angelo to see this dome clearly; up close, the nave added by Carlo Maderno. The dome was completed though by Giacomo della Porta (remember Piazza Navona from my Rome tour) and Domenico Fontana (who is credited with moving the obelisk from the Circus of Nero to St. Peter’ Square).

As you enter the basilica, follow the crowds as they make a beeline to see Michelangelo’ famous Pieta (you have to see it to actually feel the pain of our Mother as she took her only son into her arms; no photo can do it justice).

Look around at the embellishments and its Baroque touch and there is no doubt that it can be the work of only Gian Lorenzo Bernini who was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII starting with the baldacchino – the largest bronze pavilion which stands directly beneath the famed dome above the altar to the showcase balconies where one of his sculptures – St. Longinus with the spear that pierced the side of Jesus. We saw the tombs of the various popes ending with the latest one that of Pope John Paul II. Since we had some time to ourselves, I waited in queue for the confessions which was being heard in different languages.

I saw the Holy Door which is opened only on jubilee years, as I exited the basilica.

The Musei Vaticani to the north of St. Peter’ Basilica was founded by Pope Julius II and the works of art collected by the various popes have been stored here ever since. I skipped the queue for tickets (a blessing since that time can be spent admiring the works of the famous sculptors and painters that the Church has patronized since its inception).

Obviously, it is impossible to do justice to all but some are just not-to-be-missed. Before we entered the museum, our guide was kind enough to walk us through the garden in front of the museum where the posters of the various frescoes and paintings have been exhibited. This allows much more detailed explanation of these works of art rather than crowding at the museum itself.

There are sections / galleries within the museum for each of these great artists around 54 or so. Obviously everyone is interested in the Sistine Chapel but since it is at the end, you cannot miss the Gallery of the Statues which houses important statues from old and Gallery of the Busts which has many busts from ancient times. Raphael’s Rooms originally intended as a suite of apartments for Pope Julius II take your breath away… each fresco is an elaborate depiction of a story from the Bible or a moment in the church’ history. The Gallery of Maps contains a series of accurate topological maps of Italy based on based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti. This is 1580 and there were no ‘satellites’, no Google to guide Danti to create such accurate depictions and I found this immensely impressive. The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV who restored it. Many famous Renaissance painters made frescos about the Life of Moses and the Life of Jesus after which the chapel was consecrated to Mother Mary on the Feast of the Assumption. Then Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling and thereon for four years, he created this brilliant masterpiece – each stroke in bright vivid colours which are clearly visible from below from the creation of man to different events in the Holy Bible… it was all up there. My first thought before perusing the paintings was - how could he reach the ceiling and how did he paint in such an odd position for 4 years? Apparently, Michelangelo built his own scaffolding and painted without leaving a scratch from the scaffolding… don’t ask me how he did it. He returned again years later to paint the Last Judgement above the altar. This work of art cannot be appreciated from hearsay or just looking at a picture; it has to be viewed in person to appreciate what extents can be achieved. Simply ammmmazzzzing!

Raphael’s set of 10 tapestries which were to hang in the lower walls, were looted but it was later restored. I was told that some of the cartoons for the tapestries are in Victoria & Albert museum in London; I made a mental note to see them when I was back in London.

The double spiral staircase (a misnomer since it is supposed to be like a ramp with steps), designed by Giuseppe Momo with the ornate balustrade lends grandeur to this museum of exquisite art.

In the afternoon, I visited the other three major papal basilicas - Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Saint John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore (I visited this one again).  

Saint Paul Outside the Walls is a basilica which was founded by Emperor Constantine over the burial place of St. Paul just few miles away from where he was beheaded. His remains excluding his head was transferred to a sarcophagus which was covered with a marble tombstone and placed in the Basilica’ crypt.

St. John Lateran Basilica is the oldest having the Cathedra of the Bishop of Rome - the Pope, and hence ranked above all other churches; it holds the title of ‘Mother Church’ among Roman Catholics. The Lateran Palace which was later converted into this Basilica fell into Emperor Constantine’ hands when he married the sister of Maxentius who he had defeated in that famous battle of Milvian. The gothic baldacchino in the nave has 12 niches for the 12 apostles; Judas Iscariot has been substituted with St. Paul.

The Scala Sancta are a set of 28 white marble steps encased in a protective framework of wooden steps, located within a building that incorporates part of the old Lateran Palace and is an extraterritorial property of the Holy See.The steps lead to the Sancta Sanctorum, the personal chapel of the early Popes - the chapel of St. Lawrence. According to the Catholic tradition, they are the steps leading up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem on which Jesus Christ stepped on his way to the trial during the Passion. The stairs were brought to Rome by St. Helena mother of Constantine the Great in the fourth century.

St. Mary Maggiore was a repetition for me & I have already described it in my Rome tour.

My travel diary entry - Rome city

I flew in from London Heathrow to the Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome. To get to Rome City Center from here by public transport, there are two main ways that you can take –

Leonardo Da Vinci Express from Fiumicino to Stationze Termini which is the central station in Rome; or

Terra Vision shuttle from outside Fiumicino Airport to Rome City Centre / Stationze Termini. This takes about 45 to 55 minutes and a shuttle is available every 20 minutes.

I chose the 2^nd option in the interest of personal safety because I was travelling alone to Rome for the 1^st time and I had read that the Express train stopped at a remote platform.

I stayed in a hostel after my very good experience in other cities of Europe quite close to Stationze Termini. I selected two tours for seeing Rome by day and by night. These were from Dark Rome tours (www.darkrome.com). I would strongly recommend that if you are in Rome for the weekend and you want to not only see all the important places but know their history, then a local guided tour is the best thing to do. I loved both the tours from Dark Rome and I found that Tripadvisor had maximum 4.0 reviews of this tour operator and so, it was not a difficult choice to make.

The first tour was that of the Colosseum and the best of Rome. I could have taken either the bus (No. 175) or the Metropolitana (B line) from Stationze Termini in the direction of Laurentina; Colosseo is the 2^nd station from Termini.

However, since it was a bright morning and I wanted to visit the churches nearby, I decided to walk. Armed with a map of Rome (I recommend this to be your first buy), I went first to S. Maria Della Vittoria, a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Mother Mary built in Boroque style architecture. It is on Via XX Settembre and it is well known for Gian Lorenzo Bernini’ masterpiece – The Ecstasy of St. Theresa which is in the Cornaro Chapel. This is also the final resting place of St. Victoria martyred for her Christian faith. Next up was S. Maria Degli Angeli which is a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Christian martyrs architected in Baroque style by none other than Michelangelo and you have to only see the interior to know his greatness even in simplicity. I crossed the Teatro Dell ‘Opera which is on Piazza B. Gigli on to Via Torino and stopped at the Piazza S. Maria Maggiore which houses the church of S. Maria Maggiore. This is the largest Catholic church in Rome and a Papal major basilica courtesy its size. It is dedicated to Mother Mary and under the high altar is the Crypt of Nativity which contains the holy wood from the crib of Jesus Christ. The buried remains of St. Jerome (from my Travel Diary of Israel is the one who has translated the pages of the Bible into Latin) lies here. There is a large Sistine Chapel on the right, outside which lies the tomb of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Impressed with the architecture and the styles of Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Michelangelo, I walked on to Via Merulano and turned right on to Via Labicana. There it was looming before me – the Colosseum. Repair work was being undertaken but still it cannot mar its beauty. I met the tour group leader not before I took tons of pictures and selfies; skipped the line for tickets and went straight inside (that is the beauty of going with a tour operator… you can skip the huge lines and spend maximum time inside admiring the beauty and splendor of the largest amphitheater in the world). Started by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty, it was completed by his son Titus. It is capable of holding at least 50K people and was chiefly used for entertainment including gladiator contests and drama enactments and even public executions. Pretty barbaric to count for entertainment… still.

The seating arrangements had a social order to it – the socially superior people sat closer to the arena whereas people of inferior rank and women (yes, when the guide said that… I did wince) sat right up on top. However, getting to your seat from the multiple (I think I heard more than 75) gates or even the evacuation in case of an emergency has been designed with such precision that it just makes you go ‘Goshhhh’ / ‘Woweeee’. Much of the structure has been damaged due to natural causes and some of the travertine stones were ‘moved’ to build the churches in Rome.

Beneath the arena (little of which remains), there is the hypogeum which is a maze of underground tunnels to house the animals and slaves who would go by the vertical shafts to fight in the arena. There is also a training ground for gladiators which also provided for entertainment.

The Arco Di Constantino situated between Colosseum and the Palatine Hill was erected to commemorate Constantine’ victory over Maxentius in the Battle of Milvian Bridge which is depicted on this monument. But that is not all, there are depictions of Emperor Hadrian, sacrifices to Hercules, Apollo, Diana and other divine deities from classical Greek / Roman mythology.

Beyond this is Palatine Hill which as per legend gets its name from the ancient city of Pallantium which later merged into ancient Rome and hence the significance in ancient Roman mythology.

We then came to Foro Romano (Roman Forum), a rectangular plaza surrounded by the ruins of ancient buildings of Rome including earliest shrines and temples (e.g. Temples of Vesta, Regia, Saturn etc.) of ancient Rome. It is known to be the center of public life in ancient Rome and has witnessed many a triumphant procession, contests, trials and other aspects of public life and entertainment. At the northwest end lies Arco di Settimio which is a triumphal arch commemorating the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons - Caracalla and Geta; it is only after Caracella assassinated Geta, all references to Geta were removed.

We walked out to the Piazza del Campidoglio – Capitoline Hill; one of the seven hills of Rome. It contains several ruins which have been covered up by a spate of Renaissance palaces which are now the Capitoline Museums all architected by Michelangelo.

Ahead was Piazza Venezia which is like a central hub of Rome and takes its name after Palazzo Venezia built by Pope Paul II. Here lies the Altare della Patria / Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, a monument built in honor of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy. Most interesting is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame, built under the statue of goddess Roma after World War I. It is controversial because the building destroyed some of medieval neighborhood in Capitoline Hill.

We walked down Via Del Corso to reach to reach Piazza Del Spagna. You cannot miss the baroque fountain - Fontana della Barcaccia credited to Pietro Bernini, father of the famous Lorenzo Bernini built after Pope Urban VIII was impressed by a boat brought here by a Tiber river flood. Even harder to miss are the monumental 135 Spanish Steps linking the Palazzo of the Holy See to the Spanish Embassy and the Trinità dei Monti church above.

It was break time, and you have numerous pizzeria and trattorias to choose from to eat. When in doubt, ask your guide who are very friendly and kind. Being a vegetarian, I was recommended Suppli (croquettes with melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella cheese), Gnochhi (semolina dumplings with that tinge of nutmeg), crunchy pizza with cheese and tangy tomato sauce and pasta arrabbiata (with really tangy tomatoes & peppers). One thing that had me wanting for more was the gelatos (to die for at all the places in Italy that I visited… Italians can’t go wrong with gelatos).

We walked down Via Del Corso to reach Fontana Di Trevi, the largest Baroque fountain in this city and certainly one of the most famous in the world. It was designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi but was completed by Pietro after Salvi’ death. This fountain is the terminal point of Aqua Virgo; an aqueduct that supplied water to ancient Rome for over 400 years. As per a legend, a virgin directed thirsty Roman soldiers to a water source outside the city of Rome and Emperor Augustus commissioned Agrippa to build this aqueduct from the source to the ancient city of Rome and name it after this virgin girl. Also interesting to note was the fact that originally Gian Lorenzo Bernini was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII to build the Trevi Fountain but the project was abandoned after the pope died. Yet there are distinct Bernini touches to this fountain and the majority of the stone is travertine from Tivoli which is the same stone present in the outer wall of the Colosseum. Let the guide direct you to the spot from where you can throw coins in (note: it is super crowded, so hang on to yourself and your belongings).

Walk through Piazza Colonna and see Palazzo Montecitorio which is seat of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and originally designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini but was completed later by Carlo Fontana under the aegis of Pope Innocent XII. Go through Piazza Capranico and you will find the Pantheon looming right in front of you. This is also the site of Campus Martius a publicly owned area of ancient Rome and most populous in the Middle Ages dedicated to the Roman God Mars. Although the completion of the present building of the Pantheon is attributed to Emperor Hadrian, it has retained the original inscription from Agrippa who was commissioned by Emperor Augustus during his reign to build it. Since the 7^th century, it has been used as a church dedicated to Mother Mary and the Martyrs informally called Santa Maria Rotonda.

Piazza Navona is the most elaborate piazza that I saw in Rome. Built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian in the 1^st century AD where Romans went to watch games, it was declared a public space in early 15^th century when the markets were moved here. It was only under the reign of Pope Innocent X whose family owned the Palazzo Pamphili* architected by Girolamo Rainaldi which was situated in this piazza that it transformed into an example of Baroque Roman architecture. In the center stands the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, topped by the Obelisk of Domitian the pieces of which are from the Circus of Maxentius*, the church of Sant' Agnese in Agone by Francesco Borromini, Girolamo Rainaldi, and others.

Note: * 1. The Palazzo Pamphili accommodates the long gallery designed by Borromini and frescoed by Pietro da Cortona. 2. The Circus of Maxentius is a complex of buildings by Emperor Maxentius and a seat of games held during his reign. I did not get a chance to visit but you can take the Metropolitana A line from Termini towards Anagnina and get down at Colli Albani and you can take a bus to this place.

Piazza Navona has two other fountains - Fontana del Moro to the south and Fountain of Neptune to the north, both sculpted by Giacomo della Porta; Fontana del Moro has additions by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Fountain of Neptune by Antonio Della Bitta. At the southwest end of the piazza is the ancient 'speaking' statue of Pasquino, where social messaging that was otherwise repugnant could be left anonymously to be then ‘spoken’ by Pasquino.

Next to Piazza Navona, built atop the ruins of the ancient baths of Nero, lies Palazzo Madama which was completed in 1505 for the Medici family and after the unification of Italy, it became the seat of the Senato del Regno.

The markets in Piazza Navona have since moved to Piazza d. Campo Di Fiori which is a rectangular square south of Piazza Navona. It get its name from the Middle Ages when it was a meadow and is famous for its street markets; the various streets around this are named after some trade.

If you are not too tired and if you are into art, you must not forget to visit the Borghese Gallery which is housed in the Villa Borghese. Cardinal Borghese who was the first owner of Villa Borghese was an avid art collector of the works of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (most of his famous sculptures like David, Apollo and Daphne, Rape of Proserpine to the bust of Cardinal Borghese to his self-portrait painting are housed here), Caravaggio (paintings – St. Jerome’ Writing, St. John the Baptist, Madonna Child & Serpent, Boy with a basket of fruit, Young sick Bacchus), Raphael (paintings - The Deposition, Lady with a unicorn) ), Titian (paintings - The Scourging of Christ, St. Dominic) and others. The Borghese Gardens are supposed to be beautiful but I was already running late so I skipped it.

I had booked a night walking tour with the same tour operator (www.darkrome.com); I do admit that I wanted to check for myself how Rome is different by day and night and hence this tour. Note: Please be careful at night and only travel in groups.

We started at Campo Di Fiori and moved on to Piazza Farnese which houses the identical twin fountains - Fontana della Piazza Farnese bearing the emblem of the Farnese family and Pope Paul III who built the Palazzo Farnese. The palazzo is one of the important High Renaissance palaces; its building involved several High Renaissance architects including Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta and others. It has been given to the French Government since 1936 for a period of 99 years and serves as the French embassy.
We came to Ponte Sisto which connects Campo Di Fiori to Trastevere where many a Roman craftsmen go after a hard day’ work to have an aperitivo. Legend about Ponte Sisto has it that sometimes you can see a ghost carriage charging towards you carrying the female Pope fleeing with the Church’ gold. I did not see any ghost or carriage but there were some couples taking photographs or generally a stroll hand-in-hand across to Trastevere which made it seem very romantic. We proceeded through Via Giulia to the Palazzo della Cancelleria. It is the earliest Renaissance palace in Rome again in travertine stone mostly from the nearby ruins of the Theatre of Pompey and the property of the Holy See housing the Papal Chancellery. Moving on to the main road Corso Vittorio Emanuele, we crossed over to Via Gov. Vecchio to the Chiesa Nuova / church of Santa Maria in Vallicella one of the principal churches of the Oratorians a religious congregation formed during the Counter Reformation in the 16th century. We took some in-roads which were deserted but I found comfort in the fact that I was in the company of 21 other people including our guide. Our guide pointed out pictures and photo frames of Mother Mary at all the corners; apparently it deters the robbers who cannot rob while the Holy Mother of God is watching. Finally, we reached the Ponte S. Angelo from where you can see Castel S. Angelo looming beyond in the moonlight. Actually what comes at you are the Baroque statues of angels holding aloft elements of the Passion of Christ. This was originally commissioned by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for him and his family. Legend has it that Michael the Archangel appeared atop the mausoleum, sheathing his sword as a sign of the end of the plague and hence the name and bronze statue of St. Michael atop the castle.

Still marveling at the beauty of this amazing castle and St. Michael looking down upon me, I went to the bus stop where I was advised by my ever-helpful guide that buses no. 40 and 64 would take me to my hotel. I got bus no. 40 and reached my hotel without any event.

Thus ended my Rome city tour by day and night. I could not do some parts of Rome but I got some advice from the girls at my hostel – take the map and go on any route and when you get too tired, either drop into the numerous trattorias or pizzerias or hop onto one of the buses on the route or the Metropolitana. Next time maybe. For now, I was happy with the piazzas, fontanas, palazzos and most of all the people and the food especially gelatos.

Personalized learning can be fun!

Every parent that I know, wants that their child should do well in studies.

When I was a child, the only distraction available was Doordarshan channel on TV with very limited programs and the VC player on which we could play the cassettes containing cartoons like Tom & Jerry and Pink Panther under close supervision of parents. Playing with friends on the building grounds was allowed only if the homework was completed. Questioning your parents was not even considered an option and so when they said ‘Study’, you just did.

Forward 25 years and now you find the distractions are increasing by the day – Gaming on Play Stations and smartphones and tablets, huge stream of channels with cartoons and kids’ programs and then there are reality shows especially for kids. Questioning your parents’ decision is a done thing and parents these days are dealing with it. Then there is the worry of your child’ safety because the newspapers & internet are always swimming with news about children being abducted, assaulted and abused.

I figure that we should convert our superheroes & cartoon characters and even the games to reinforce the subjects taught at school instead of taking the child into the world of make-believe where gadgets or some unbelievable character comes to your rescue every time you are in a tight spot or you get points for shooting targets down.

Hence an idea of a personalized book. Set the context for the book – something that you are training your child to eventually take responsibility of. For e.g. going to the market to buy vegetables and fruits.

1. Identification of the vegetables / fruits can in turn check the spellings in different languages not just limited to English.
2. Toss a bit of information about these like soil, water, sunlight and you got the science of growing these. You can even get your child interested in farming translating to responsibility.
3. Include the places that it grows so that the Social Studies bit is taken care of.
4. Weights and pricing calculations will put fractions and other aspects of mathematics in perspective.
5. Awareness and personal safety do & don’t can be explained far better in this context of a real marketplace setting

Still, why should all this interest your child?

Because, your child is the lead actor in this book and the book revolves around him / her. And, tell me this which child does not love to be the know-it-all superhero? 

Personalize birthday parties & make a memory!

You have thrown a rocking birthday party for your 6-year old. Invited handful of his / her friends, cooked some of their favorite food, played games, managed tantrums and yes of course the noise. The house seems like a tomb compared to the din just a few minutes ago before the children had all gone home.

I imagine this is the experience of most parents every year – putting tons of effort to make your child’ party of few hours extra special. Would you not want that effort to be remembered?

Now, for a 6-year old to form a memory, you need an ‘Attention Grabber’ and once formed, it should be renewed frequently in their minds. Which is a difficult task because most often we are competing with the TV, tablets, smart phones and Play Stations. Besides do you really remember the menu at your friend’ birthday party even though it was in some swanky restaurant filled with so many people.

The one thing that children love and crave for is the attention and focus on them. So, we did a little experiment this year where everything was about our 6-year old.

Décor / Party Decorations: If your child is not partial to any particular colour then one of the best theme for decorations is rainbow preferably in that particular shape with the name of your child peeking out of the rainbow. Another interesting theme would be something that ties with the games.

Games: Select at least five games which help you learn and at the same time it is a lot of fun. 5 because in case, children throw tantrums in the middle of a game, you can stop it and play another. The trick is to select one game in which your child will surely win (hey, it is your child’ birthday party and nothing works better than winning among all your friends, so you can have this ace up your sleeve).

Food: Should be simple and not too much in portions or varieties most of which should be your child’ favorite. There are only 2 or 3 things that will appeal to a child. Smaller portions imply lesser wastage… don’t worry children are very vocal about what they like to eat so if they like something a lot, they are going to ask for a 2^nd or 3^rd helping. In this party, garlic bread was such a hit that all the children asked for at least 3 helpings.

Return Gifts: Now, here is a perfect place to score with your child’ friends – become part of their memories. We personalized the gifts of each of the 10 children – towels painted with the child’ name and monogrammed with their initial, in which we wrapped homemade chocolates (one bore the name of the child and the other bore the name of our 6-year old) and these were put into personalized gift bags for each child. Imagine each of your child’ friends opening their return gifts and seeing their name on the gift… there forms a memory and every time he / she looks at that gift, the memory is renewed.

I encourage you to try this at home. It is manageable and does not cost a bomb and your child and his / her friends will remember how special you made them feel.

And please do share your experience with me.

Memories & Memorabilia

Memorabilia

I love to hoard and I have collected a lot of stuff over the years. All the letters, cards that I have ever received ever since my school days, autograph books from my teachers and fellow students who passed out Std. X with me, our old board games and my book of creation (I call it that because, there are sketches of organs to animals to dress designs, doodling and writing… most of which made sense to me at the point when I created those I guess... now I just don’t know). Why I even have the entry slip to the Parliament House from 1993!

I don’t know why I want to hoard. I mean, I almost never ‘see’ these boxes even though I must have looked at them numerous times over the years. Big price for ‘memories’ in a place like Mumbai where real estate prices are always…. well sky-rocketing. However, I just cannot seem to stop.

I always thought that whenever I would encounter the problem of not being able to store my new acquisitions, I would sort some of what my parents call ‘useless stuff’ from my ‘wonder years’. When I did that a few days ago to make place for the ‘arms’ of my new-found hobby, I was surprised at what I found.

Being a very organized person bordering on OCD, the letters and cards have always been sorted year-wise. There were some letters from unknown senders… I have no clue who they are from today but I figure I did then and I was not at all alarmed by the contents as I was now. I mean a postcard made in France with leopards and a line that I should ‘flock with these leopards in Masamba, Kenya’ signed by UKNOWWHO (this is 1991, way before Harry Potter and Lord Voldermort), should have been a cause for concern but somehow I had not even complained about it.

There were quite a few letters & cards from people who I cannot put a face to right now. I had scores of pictures because of my love for photography but I could not recognize all the people in the photographs. Yet my pose in the pictures seemed to indicate that I was having a splendid time. 

I decided to embark on a small exercise of putting the names to the faces and to the unknown senders… at least for a few of them. Thanks to Google and Facebook, I could come up with a few names out of my list.

Although, I could not remember every bit of the events and the people in those photographs, the events themselves had created some happy memories and that is what I would like to remember and renew.  I made a note to self - I must renew the older memories which have given me moments of happiness, more frequently. So dear friends, if you hear from me after what looks to be a really long time, it is just me on my ‘renewing’ mode. Do share with me how you preserve your memories.