Walking with Monsters and Bathing with Michelangelo

Bomarzo from the park

Tricia and I had the most marvelous field trip today: we traveled down to Viterbo via Bomarzo.

So, the first stop was Bomarzo, and its gardens. I first read about this site on Atlas Obscura, and have been dying to go ever since. However, being a bit further afield, it was the type of trip that really needed a pretext and a companion.

Note the height of the railing...this thing was HUGE

The woman is life-sized

Orca

As the article states, it was built in the mid 1500s by a prince who was mourning the death of his wife...a sort of Italian Taj Mahal, if you will. However, rather than being a tomb, it is this wonderful wooded park with the most unsettling sculptures. These include a tortoise carrying a woman that is probably, oh, 15 feet tall?

We saw an elephant crushing a person with its trunk, one giant eating another, sleeping beauty, a house that rivals those in fun fairs: tilted, walking through it is a rather peculiar feeling, a temple, and more! The grounds were spectacular, and the sculptures were really indescribable. While pictures help, you have to imagine these things as HUGE!

Tricia eating in the mouth

Inside the mouth

I wouldn't want to anger THIS Fury!

Our chariot!

After we had seen the park, we drove off to Viterbo to the Terme dei Papi (Papal baths). These are vaunted to have been enjoyed by the popes over the years, Dante, and Michelangelo! It's a huge spa complex, but Tricia and I decided that the open pool was just our speed. We were impressed with the high-tech bracelets that opened and closed your chosen locker, and the changing rooms were very modern and quite clean.

Mineral accretions on the edge of the pool

And the pool! Fed by hot mineral springs, the light sulfur and high mineral combined so nicely with the cool outdoor air. It's a large pool; while there were quite a few people in the pool, it didn't feel crowded! We passed several delightful hours chatting and comparing notes, as well as solving the world's problems.

Refilling the pool!
The water here was nearly scalding

On our way home (it's about a two-hour drive), we had spectacular scenery until dark. And then it happened: a few miles outside of Todi, the car shimmied and made an odd noise. Very sad! Time to call Vincenzo the mechanic. Rolando (the other mechanic) eventually came driving up with this HUGE tow truck! Having light allowed us to see the problem quite easily: a flat tire! Five minutes of work, all changed, and off we went. Rolando was laughing, though, because the tire was flat enough that the inner tube was dangling out!

Love,

Alexandra

Our Son...National Byline

Okay, so he wasn't credited with his name (probably for reasons of privacy and security), but James was published in the national daily paper! He wrote a letter (ostensibly to his grandpa) comparing life and school here to that in the US.

For your reading pleasure, his article is "Caro nonno, ti scrivo..."

Reporting from the field,

Alexandra

Final thoughts on India

We had a remarkable visit to Delhi, resulting in a deeper appreciation of the variety in the world. Here were people who were completely unfazed by things that Westerners would find traumatic: got a heavy load? No problem...pedal rickshaw. Got 20-foot fencing material? Strap it to your motorbike, extending front and back. Large party? Cram in! Something bulky in large crowds? Carry it on your head. People in the direst of circumstances making do and continuing to do the best they could.

Apart from the can-do attitude, there was humor. The kids saw an enraged cop kick the side of their taxi to give vent to his frustration. The use of images of gods to prevent public urination...simple, effective, and funny!

We were unanimous in our appreciation of potable water, clean air, and escape from the never-ending noise! Most of all, we were so, so happy to have had the opportunity to visit this amazing country.

Love,

Alexandra

Street Food and More

The variety of street food available for pennies is astonishing. All manner of fresh and cooked food is there, and the hot food is typically prepared right in front of your eyes.

Gulab Jamun, a sweet

Ice cream truck

Popcorn is made with hot sand
 (in the black basin in the right background)
and then sifted to remove unwanted debris

Freshly cooked shortbread

Breads and more

Flour and grain stall in the Main Bazaar

Masala chai stall...water boils in the large open pot

...tea is added, along with spices and fresh ginger

...then milk

...finally sieved into glasses! Yum!

Omelets and eggy sandwiches

Final product! Delicious!

Samosas...a potato pastry

Nuts!

Fresh veg

Chickpeas

More nuts!

Kebabs

Puri, a poofy bread

Puri and chickpeas

Snacks

Dates, dried fruits, snacks

More nuts and fresh veg

Preparing puri for the hot oil

Food stall

Sit-down restaurant!!

More chickpeas

Chicken for dinner!

Seeing all of these makes me hungry all over again!

Love,

Alexandra

What $35 will get you

Lobby decorations...rose petals in water

In lobby, looking out

Looking up stairwell

Lobby desk, always well staffed

I thought our readers might be interested in seeing our accommodations. Averaged out, the rooms ran to a little less than $35 a night, so we happily took three rooms!

Dining Room

This little man smiled at us whenever we passed,
but we're not sure what he did.

Bathroom...better than in Todi!

I asked if there was a problem with the shower.
They said it was for foot washing.

Corridor from our room

Seating area in our bedroom

Other view

Amenities included a rooftop patio associated with the restaurant for al fresco dining, laundry and dry cleaning (Jeremy's dress shirt cost $0.70 to clean and press), tour arrangements, porters, maid service, room service, and more.

Love,

Alexandra

Small Hotel

We spent much of our time in Delhi in a densely-populated area full of "small".  Thousands and thousands of people each claiming a bit of turf for a food cart, a portable jewelry display, a shop the size of Lucy van Pelt's advice stand, a building supply store the size of its roll-up door.  Every potential shop front had a business, and none of them were big.

Take these three hotels, for example:

I found myself opposite those three while waiting in the Main Bazaar.  Each of them is four floors high and about 12 feet wide.  They each had their own entrance door and reception desk.  Could they possibly have had more than 8 rooms each?

Michael