Column Envy

My new blog heading reminded me there was still one more Blog from Rome I wanted to write.

It seems as if every building in Rome is either marble or has columns on it.

The Pope has some great columns.

The war memorial and museum has lots of columns.

You can climb stairs to the top and look out over the city from here.

All these columns!

This ancient front porch is rather spectacular.

I wanted to take this lovely column home, but didn't think it would go in the carry on (My Sweet Hubby loves me enough to pose for silly photos, just because I asked him too).

When it comes right down to it, I think I like my columns better. I love to travel but their is no place like home.

Cheers,

Kat

More Cats of Rome

This was the first cat to greet us in Rome. This poster is at the airport. I am not sure what it is telling us, (anyone read Italian?) but I like the style.
This little Kitty met us just inside the Capitoline Museum. He seems as if he is ready to move.

This Regal fellow lives on one of the fountains at Quattro Fontane. There is a fountain on each corner of the intersection.

Look at all these cats. I especially like the little black and white who is looking right at us.

These can be found in the Al Sogna Toy Shop in Piazza Navona.

This is a wonderful toy store.

If you ask, they will take you upstairs to show you the posh collectors dolls. Way out of my price range but well worth the climb. My guide book compares this shop to Santa's Workshop fifty years ago. I want to go back already.

This is another resident of Piazza Navona. Who knew lions liked water so much? He adorns one of many Roman fountains by Bernini.

My Sweet hubby is grinning from behind an old Egyptian statue on the Vatican grounds.

Detail from a Sarcophagi in the Vatican collection. This guy is carved from marble yet the detail is like the finest of porcelain.

One thing that amazes me is that, as old as my house is, art like this has been sitting right where it is since before my house was even a dream. Some of these things are at least a thousand years old. This guy was carved without the aid of electricity.

No, this isn't an escapee from the last post. Jaguars are cats too. This is one of my Sweet Hubby's favorites.

A big cat in an ancient mosaic that is on display at the Colosseum.

One of the sweetest kitties of all. This little lady was taking a nap in the sun at the Colosseum.

That's it for Roman cats but I have lots more to share from the trip.

Cheers,

Kat

Inspirational Designs, Transportation in Rome

Cars are one of my many obsessions. I should not just say cars because the obsession caries over to many forms of transportation. The catch is, they have to be appealing or well designed. This bus met our plane at the airport in Rome and carried us to the terminal. It isn't really special in the looks department, but it is a very cool vehicle. It kneels to allow passengers on and off. Why can't our buses do that? You could push a wheel chair right up on it with no problem.
You may have heard me go on about vehicles before. If so, you know that Volkswagens have a special place in my heart (even with their nutty electrical systems) vans most of all. I spotted this little custom model in a shop window. Isn't it adorable?

I still have lots of photos from of cats in Rome and I promise to do another post just for them.
This post is all about things with wheels. A few days before we were to return home, we stumbled upon a Roman Car Show. There was a street fair to encourage "Green Living" and tourism amongst other things. The car show was part of it. Look at the face on this one, it is hard to say who is smiling more the car or the driver. Don't you just expect Sean Connery to jump in and take off?

This tiny little car is smaller than the an old VW Bug. It is cute and the sun roof is well designed, just roll it down, snap it tight and your ready to go.

Spring is the time for "Fashion" and the Romans take it seriously. Many of the cars had models in period fashions as passengers, here are a couple of the more unique ones. The lady in white and black has zippers all over, even the hat is covered! One of the galleries was partially closed off for a few hours for some sort of fashion show. We got to wander among the mannequins when they were done.

Who doesn't love a gleaming red sports car?

Doors open backwards on this one. I can see where that would be helpful in tight parking situations. Parking and driving in Rome looks like a nightmare. We did not even try and as our hotel was wonderfully located, we did not need too.

This is from my teen years. It is one of my favorites. Sleek!

A bit older, but adorable. This one is also on the small side.

You can't talk about Rome and transportation without mentioning the Vespas. Note the side car on one and vintage costumes for both. The design had changed a bit over the years but they still look like fun. (I don't think I want to try to learn to drive one in Rome traffic though, Yikes)

Did I mention that parking in Rome is an art form in itself? These two cars are "Smart" but are their drivers? Notice how they are parked pointing out in a parallel spot. We saw this a lot, neat trick. Somehow I don't think my Tacoma will fit quite the same.

Vroom,

Kat

Cats of Rome # 1

Most of you guessed it, yes, we went to Rome. We had planned a big trip for our twenty fifth wedding anniversary, but between my job and school, we were unable to go. Our twenty sixth anniversary came and went last December, school continued to get in the way. Once I graduated, off we went.

This first picture shows two rather content looking big cats from a painting by W. Peter. The painting is called "Adamo ed Eva nel Paradiso Terrestre".
These lovely lions and the little kitty at Adams feet below are from the same picture. The picture belongs to the Vatican and is located at the "Pinacoteca" in the Vatican Museum. If you go, plan on spending plenty of time. We spent two days at the Vatican and that was not long enough to see everything.

My graduation present from My Sweet Hubby (in addition to the trip) was a new digital camera. I have loved the old one so much, he got me the updated version. It is a Fuji Fine pix Z70 and it is pink. I would not have been able to take a lot of the pictures I did without it. These three are an example, there really was not enough light and flash photos are not allowed for fear of damage.

As you know, I love cats. Apparently, so did the ancient Romans. They are well represented in all types of ancient art. I took so many pictures on this subject alone that I will have to split it into two posts. This regal looking gentleman lives in Vatican City. We met when we stopped for a cup of Cappuccino :)

This little kitty looks hungry, thank goodness he is marble. He and a twin are holding up a giant sarcophagus. I believe it was made for a sister of one of the Emperors (I was so in awe of my surroundings, I did not even think about taking notes).

These lions are not alone, it seems as if everything in Rome is either covered in gold and marble, painted to look like it is covered in gold and marble or it is moving. I have decided that I really like marble, love walking on it barefoot! I could not resist, I had to make marble frames for the Rome pictures.

The Vatican has a separate Egyptian Museum. Whenever the Ancient Romans conquered new territory, they tried to bring the best of it home as trophies. They brought back a lot of Egypt. These two representations of Bast are some of the best. I will show more Egyptian art later.

This little spotted kitty reminds me a bit of our Spontaneous. She got to remain at home with very dear friends who agreed to stay in the house while we were away. She is a sweetie and we sure missed her. The picture is from a Tapestry that the Vatican keeps in a very dark room. I am amazed at how well the new camera uses what light is available.

Last for this post. My Sweet Hubby and me. This Kat really enjoyed her vacation.

More Rome to come, Cats, Columns, Ruins, Paintings, Statues, and Cappuccino.
Cheers,

Kat