Saturday May 4: This is our last Journal Post. This trip that started about three and a half months ago now ends with a flight home where our neighbors picked us up. We went out to lunch with them and then back to our house. It was good to go, and now it is good to be home.
Friday May 3: Today we start the long flights home. We left Rome flying on LOT, the Polish Airline, which took us first to Warsaw and then, after a four hour layover, across the Atlantic to New York's JFK. Our next flight isn’t until 10:00AM tomorrow morning so we decided to spend the night at the TWA Hotel which is the old TWA terminal at JFK airport.
Staying at the TWA Hotel is like taking a trip back in time without needing a DeLorean. We found ourselves strolling through the TWA Hotel, feeling like we’ve stepped right into the golden age of air travel...where they've turned the clock back to the swinging '60s faster than you can say "Martini, shaken, not stirred." The place is the epitome of retro-cool, with its sleek lines, vibrant colors, and that iconic TWA logo plastered everywhere like it's going out of style (spoiler: it never will). Music from the sixties was always in the air, and don't even get us started on the Connie, that vintage Lockheed Constellation parked out front like it's waiting to whisk us away to some glamorous destination. So, dreaming of sipping a cocktail at the Sunken Lounge and catching some zzz's in a room straight out of "Mad Men," we buckled up, and enjoyed our ticket to a groovy blast from the past. This was a very fun place to stay. Though I found it a bit disturbing that what the hotel was displaying as historic kitsch, seems like just yesterday to me, and, by God, it wasn’t kitsch, we really were cool!
This is the Connie
Here’s to that earlier version of Elon Musk … Howard Hughes (TWA’s founder). And, here’s to our return to the United States.
Thursday May 2: Today Sandy and I took a group tour leaving from downtown Rome to Pompeii. Located near the modern city of Naples in southern Italy, is an ancient Roman city frozen in time by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Once a bustling commercial hub and resort town for the Roman elite, Pompeii was buried under many feet of volcanic ash and pumice in a matter of mere hours, preserving its streets, buildings, and artifacts for nearly two millennia exactly as they were. Rediscovered in the 18th century, Pompeii has since become one of the world's most significant archaeological sites, offering a remarkable glimpse into daily life in the Roman Empire. We wandered through its remarkably preserved streets, and explored ancient houses, temples, theaters, and public baths, all providing insights into Roman architecture, art, and culture. The site continues to be a source of fascination and study for archaeologists, historians, and tourists like us, offering a vivid window into the daily lives of this past civilization and reminding us of the devastating power of nature.
We also toured the dramatic Amalfi Coast on the way back to Rome. Much of the time it was in a driving rain.
Wednesday May 1: Today Sandy and I have a plane to catch, but since it doesn’t take off until 7:00PM, we had some time to site-see on our way to the Palermo Airport. About halfway between the winery and the airport is the grand cathedral of Monreale, so off we went.
The story of the Monreale Cathedral is a soap opera-like tale as tangled as a plate of spaghetti! Twelfth century Sicily is where two architectural egos clashed like bumper chariots in a Roman circus. The Norman king of Sicily was the flamboyant William II, with a penchant for excess. Walter was a very independent advisor to William II, and at the same time his rival. The seat of Walter’s power was Palermo and he had the support of the nobles. William ruled from Monreale and was backed by the Pope. Now the battle of the Cathedrals began. William, with his royal decree in hand, unveils his grand plans for Monreale's cathedral – a dazzling display of opulence and hubris, and in his pocket a newly minted Bishopric ordained by the Pope. But wait, Walter storms onto the scene like a runaway chariot, proclaiming, "Not so fast, Your Majesty! Palermo deserves a cathedral fit for the gods, too!" And, Palermo is already a bishopric, do we really need two Bishops only six miles apart! And thus, the rivalry was born, with each amazingly large ego vying to outdo the other in a game of ecclesiastical one-upmanship. Just about all agree that William II won the construction contest. As for the Monreale Cathedral? Well, let's just say it's the architectural equivalent of a mic drop – a glittering gem in Sicily's crown, and a testament to the age-old adage: when in doubt, build bigger! Monreale got its bishop and its cathedral. And, William II reaffirmed that it is good to be king.
The Basilica of this cathedral is 335 feet long and 130 feet wide. It is absolutely slathered with over 68,000 square feet of golden mosaics. It is estimated that the cathedral’s walls hold about two tons of gold. The building and its interior is a very Sicilian blend of Classical, Byzantine, Arab and Norman craftsmanship.
From Monreale we drove onto the Palermo Airport and took our relatively short flight to Rome.
It has been rewarding to me to see how our grandchildren have become experts in the streets surrounding the Grand Hotel St. Michell, navigat...
