Last week (10/26-11/2) we had the opportunity to travel to Rome, Italy for fall break.  This is one of the many reasons we decided to teach abroad. The students in my class traveled all over the area too. Here are just a few of the places my six year olds took off to; Hong Kong, China, Israel, and Georgia.

 

Our first full day was spent at the Colosseum, the Forum, and the Palatine Hill. The Colosseum's construction took eight years and was started by Vespasian. Titus inaugurated it in 80 AD. The structure is 3 storeys tall with 80 arches per story. Thousands of blocks of travertine were transported from the quarries at Tivoli for its construction. The Colosseum is 165 ft. high. It's oval and measures 620 ft X 515 ft. It held 50,000 spectators. The lower level had 76 entries to accommodate so many people at once.

 

The Roman Forum was the political, religious, legal, and administrative center of the ancient city. The Forum's disrepair is due to the destruction by man and not by time or natural causes.

 

Terry's favorite spot (most heartbreaking) was the Arch of Titus. This arch was erected after the Emperor's death in 81 AD to celebrate his victory over the Judeans and the conquest of Jerusalem. There are two pictorial reliefs immortalizing his conquest. One of them carrying away the spoils of war, the menorah and silver trumpets. The other depicting his advancing chariot and army. 

 

We visited numerous Catholic Churches throughout the city. Many were very old and had amazing sculptures. One had each of the disciples carved from marble in niches along the main room.

 

Our favorite spot was the Trevi fountain. This fountain has the legend that whoever drinks it or throws a coin in the fountain will assure his return to Rome. It is the facade of a large palace decorated with statues and bas-reliefs on heaps of rocks. The fountain was created by the architect Salvi in 1735. The work had begun in 1641 under the artist Bernini.

 

The only guided tour we took was that of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum. After walking around and looking at Basilicas and such we showed up at our departure destination. We said, "We're here." "Great, come back in an hour." We answered, "But it's time to get on the bus." "No, you're an hour early." We looked at the clock and sure enough it said 1:40...we had lived for nearly two days not knowing Italy had rolled back the clock for day-light-savings. That's why when we went to the Baths of Caracalla we couldn't figure out why they weren't open! The Vatican Museum was filled with marble sculptures, paintings, artifacts, and tapestries.

 

 

Following the museum we neared the entrance of the Sistine Chapel. The sign said no photos and our guide cautioned us to be quiet and not take pictures. But to our amazement as we entered the room of hundreds of people...flash, flash, flash. People everywhere were taking pictures. I had been taking pictures of everything we had seen so far without using my flash, so I took a few too. The guards finally told those using flash to stop. That didn't last for long...flash, flash, flash. 

 

 

On Wednesday we went back to the Vatican to tour the St. Peter's Basilica. It was POURING rain. When we arrived we saw rows and rows of seats set out. Come to find out the Pope was having a special service ...I think for All Saints Day. We decided to sit in the back and take in a little of the service. Much to our surprise here came the Pope in his car moving between the sections of seating. He came within 10 feet of where we were sitting. But of course...his body guard got in the way of my picture.

I took a picture of the monitor to show the service looked. You can see us in the back left section, next to the small opening, with the black umbrella.

 

 The Pope was real close...body guard got in the way of my camera and they were traveling very quickly. Great zoom on my camera...that was one of the reasons I bought it.

While everyone was at the service, and the Basilica was closed due to the service, we traveled over to Castel Sant'Angelo. This fortress was created by the Emperor Hadrian as his tomb. The story of the Mausoleum closely follows that of Rome: the struggles and treachery of the Middle Ages, the Papal Court, and the Renaissance. The Mausoleum transformed into a castle about the 10th century and was occupied by many figures including the Crescenzi family, and Pope Nicholas III who joined the castle to the Vatican by the famous passetto or passageway. The passage allowed the Pope to travel back and forth as needed.

 

 

 

It was still pouring rain when we went back to St. Peter's Basilica. The line was long and we waited for about an hour and 15 minutes to get through the security check. The Vatican has been the residence of the popes since 1377. Michelangelo designed the dome and began the project in 1546. At his death in 1564 only the drum had been completed. The rest of the work was completed between 1588 and 1589 by Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana. The Colonnade is the structure surrounding the square in front of the church. It was designed by Bernini and provides a beautiful entrance into the Vatican area. There are 140 statues of saints which decorate the colonnade.

 

 

 

 

Michalangelo's Pieta is in the first nave inside the chapel. He sculpted the masterpiece between 1498-1499.

 

Time does not permit me to tell you about each of the chapels inside the church. I'll just post a few pictures for you to view. While we were there a service began behind the high alter. Yes, there again was the Pope directing a service and again...a flower in the way!

Our final day in Rome we picked up a few ruins that we missed along the way. We returned to the Baths of Caracalla which we had missed due to the time change. This was an enormous sight. The structure was built in 206-217. The structure is lined with basalt, granite, and alabaster. The enormous baths of hot, warm, and cold water could accommodate 1,600 people at a time. It housed splendid vaults, porticoes, esedrae and gymnasiums were decorated with the most precious marble, beautiful sculptures, and the largest columns imaginable. The ruins were surprisingly intact. Much of the tile flooring is still visible.

 

 

The Temple of Vesta and Fortune is the most ancient building in the city.

 

I hate to admit it but we were lost a few times and uncertain why people were standing in lines in various places in Rome. As we turned around from the before mentioned temple, we saw a long line of people entering a church. A common looking church to us however, it was the Santa Maria in Cosmedin one of the gems of medieval Rome. It stands on the ruins of a Temple to Hercules visible in the crypt inside the church. Just inside the porch area is a marble masked called the Bocca della Verita, the Mouth of Truth. According to legend a liar who puts his hand in the mouth will have it bitten off. In Roman times the masked covered a drain hole nearby. I'm telling the truth!

 

We made a final attempt to visit the Capitol building. Piazza Venezia was built in 1455 by Venetian Pope Paul II. It was the first great Renaissance palace in Rome. The equestrian monument  of the king was worked on for 20 years by sculptor Chiaradia. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies at the feet of the statue and alter underneath. But of course we arrived a little late and they closed the interior after we barely arrived.

 

We had a great time. Mostly good weather. Good food. Friendly people. Leather boots. And we figured out the bus system! Arrivederci Rome!

 

 

Fall in Almaty

October 18

I can't believe I haven't posted on this blog in over a month! I keep putting pictures on Facebook and forget to tell my other friends about what's going on.

In September we spent a lot of time keeping up with new curriculum at school. However, not too far from our apartment is a beautiful park called, First President Park. The park has a magnificent wide semicircular colonnade at its entrance and an illuminated musical fountain just inside. The park is still under construction and will boast of seven fountains and numerous other water features when it is completed. We enjoyed all the beautiful wedding parties taking photos throughout the garden area. The park is 180 acres of various trees, flowers, and paths. At the far end of the park is a knoll with a vantage point of the city.

 

 

                                                 The fountain isn't on until the evening.

 

One Saturday the 15th of September the AIS staff took a trip to Turgen Falls. It took us about 2 hours to get to our destination. It really wasn't that far but the roads are difficult outside of the city. Along the way we stopped at a memorial area for the country's Golden Man and Snow leopard. The Golden Man was found in 1969 in a burial mound just 31 miles from Almaty. The warrior dates back to the 4th century.  

The park area also had a springs with water claiming eternal youth...so far no luck in that area for either of us!

                                    This Terry's buddy Austin...watching for a miracle!

 

The Turgen gorge has hot springs, a trout farm, waterfalls and thick forests. We hiked to one of the waterfalls. The area is rich in coniferous and mixed trees, alpine and sub-alpine meadows, lakes and springs, medicinal herbs and berries. Long ago, caravans from Europe and Asia passed through the "Royal Gates" on their way to China and India.

 

On our way back through the gorge we stopped at a Trout Farm and ate our lunch. People bring their children here to fish in a stocked canal. We also stopped at an ostrich farm but my camera battery went dead. We did see these young men near the entrance practicing to be cyclists. I'm sure they were encouraged by the gold medal win of man from Kazakhstan in this summer's Olympic games.

 

 

 

The US Consulate invited American citizens to join them for a informational night at the Consulate's home. We met Ian Turner, Consulate Section Chief, Micheal Snowden, Consulate General, and the US Chief of Security of Kazakhstan. It was a night of information and registering as American's abroad. Since 911 the US encourages Americans to register with the Embassy in case of emergency notifications or evacuations. I can't stress enough how safe we feel here. Women and children walk alone along the streets without incident. The gypsy cabs pick up women and children traveling alone and deliver them to their destination with care. Well...if you've seen the traffic here you might not agree with the "care" part!

 

In October AIS staff took two more trips. Aren't they great! The Charyn Canyon is often compared to the Grand Canyon on a smaller scale. Charyn Canyon is an 80 km canyon in Kazakhstan on the Charyn River, 120 miles east of Almaty, close to the Chinese border. It is part of the Charyn National Park, which was established February 23, 2004 and located within the territory of the Uyghur and Kegen Districts of Almaty Province. It stretches 96 miles along the Charyn River in the northern Tien Shan mountain range. In parts, it attains a depth of 490–980 ft. One part of it is known as Valley of Castles for its unusual rock formations. The width of it ranges from 66–260 ft and the length is 1.2 miles.

 

 

 

                                        

                                        

Our second trip was this past weekend October 14th to a Russian Orthodox Monastery in the nearby mountains. It was a beautiful day! We even sunburned  our cheeks a little bit. The hike was fairly steep up a trail made with steps, railings, and tree root steps.

                                         

Here is a sign at the entrance to the path nearing the Monastery. No shorts, smoking, tank tops... Up the path a little ways was a burial area for the unknown monk.

 

The Monastery is a beautiful pine structure. It had a basement, some side rooms, and the main interior. We were both able to go inside. Elizabeth, our music teacher, brought along a huge scarf. She knew that women wouldn't be able to enter the Monastery without a skirt on. She was so generous and let us all wear it and visit the interior one by one. I'm glad I was able to see the structure after climbing all that way.

 

We were also blessed to see eagles fly overhead. They really put on a show. They must of known we were captivated because they came from the valley below and flew right over our heads.

 

 

The fall colors were spectacular. The hills were covered with apple orchards. We stopped on the way back and picked up apples one of our friends shook from the tree. I made an apple crisp and shared it over soup with our friends the Browns from Texas.

It's been a beautiful fall in Almaty. The trees have turned colors, the air is crisp in the morning and warm in the afternoon. Today turned rainy and this evening we had our first snow. Our school is hosting a soccer tournament for 15 teams from 6 schools and 3 countries. To say the least they were wet today. There are two more days of games. I hope the snow holds off for the athletes.