A few interesting experiences, and the best inscription I've seen yet

Hello everyone!

So, the past few days have been very interesting and fun.  Thankfully, we had a couple of days off on Sunday and Monday, and the relaxation time was much needed.

The first picture I've included is great because it showcases the omnipresence of 'motos.'  I'm not sure what I was actually trying to get a picture of, maybe the booksellers in the background, but this guy on the moto ran right in front of me as I was snapping the shot.  These things are EVERYWHERE in Rome.  And the interesting about Roman driving is that it has its own rules, its own rituals, and its own mechanism of existence that appears wildly chaotic.  It is a type of controlled chaos.  For example, there are rarely lines in the roads here, and even when there are lines they are merely a suggestion, as are the stoplights and other traffic signals that we Americans hold so dear.  Motos are constantly crossing the lines, fitting into tiny spaces, and going between cars - sometimes with each car going the opposite direction.  And the cars are no better.  People here will fit into any space they can.  As a pedestrian, if you want to cross a street, just start walking across.  The traffic here works in such a way that the Romans will, undoubtedly, swerve around you, to the point where it even seems like they actually expect you to cross when you're not supposed to.  Traffic here is definitely its own system.  I would be very hesitant to drive here, if for nothing else then because I am so used to obeying rules.

So do you see those little books in the next picture?  The other day I went to a cool Italian bookstore called Feltrinelli (probably a chain bookstore).  There were two things that I really loved about it: 1) they had an enormous selection, incomparable to any store I've been to in America, of Latin and Greek texts; and 2) those little books in the picture, called 'bignami.'  They essentially are little tiny pocket books full of summarized information on a variety of topics.  How are they used?  For cheating.  I asked a patron at the bookstore what the purpose of the bignami was, and he unabashedly informed me that Italians buy them so that they can hide them under their sleeves and such when taking exams in school.  Surprised?  I wasn't really, at least not at this point in my stay in Italy.

The third picture was taken underground, beneath the building where now the materials for opera sets are made (oddly enough).  This was taken in an ancient sanctuary for the cult of the god Mithras, who commanded quite a numerous following in antiquity up until Christianity became the politically dominant religion.  The whole experience was really crazy.  Imagine it like this.  You enter a modern warehouse type building.  You start walking down a long set of stairs.  As you descend it gets darker, and you finally reach a set of stone/brick stairs that goes down to a dirty/brick floor.  You can't see much at first, because your eyes must first adjust to the dim light.  When they do, you can see a series of arches, really old brickwork, a few inscriptions hanging on the wall, and, at the far end of the room and the focus of your attention, is a plaque depicting the god Mithras slaying a bull.  As you walk toward the plaque, there is a constant and low droning sound coming from the factory work being carried out overhead.  You feel the need to speak in a low voice, and you have the sneaking feeling that something is going to jump out from behind a broken brick wall.  That's how it felt!  Eerie yet awe inspiring at the same time, as though the presence of the countless Roman soldiers who had worshiped and dined in the sanctuary was still, somehow, present.

The next picture is from Tarquinia beach.  I have now realized that I am a pretty bad photographer, since all of my pictures seem not to have anything or anyone recognizable in them.  Anyway, Tarquinia beach was sort of fun.  Honestly, the sand must have been volcanic ash or something because it was so hot I might possibly have 2nd degree burns on my feet.  I don't know how people could stand to walk in it.  The people in my group, including myself, made one marathon run from our umbrellas to the sea and then another marathon run back to the umbrellas.  The sand was just way too hot to walk on!

This last picture I had to include because of the story it tells.  This is the best inscription I have personally seen in Rome so far, even though it is relatively modern.  Oh, and keep in mind that there is a statue of Pope Pius IX on top of this inscription.  Here is basically what it says: "Pius IX, pontifex maximus, in the Christian year 1896, with the planning done by the Vatican, ordered (this statue) to be made and erected out of his own money in place of a column which was struck down by the impact of a wagon."  I bet Pius was pretty PO'd at that little wagon driver.  I'd also like to know more about exactly how the original column was struck down and how much Pius had to pay for it.  A big LOL goes out to that.