Castel Sant'Angelo, Museum Capitolini and the Pantheon

Today I visited the Castel Sant'Angelo built around 130 AD which was used as a tomb for Roman emperors. It was also used as a military outpost and home for the Pope. It was refered to in the book and movie Angels and Demons. I then visited the Museum Capitolini which houses mostly sculptures such as the horse and rider on the right. I also went to the Pantheon and heard an orchestra rehearsing for a Mozart Concert to be held later in the evening. It is amazing how Rome has the old integrated with the new, the very beautiful and the very tacky.

Vatican Museum and the Coliseum

Sunday evening I joined the tour group. We had a welcome dinner. Monday morning it was off to the Vatican Museum with a local tour guide. The museum is very large and crowded averaging 50,000 visitors per day. The Sistine Chapel was packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder and no photography allowed. In a three hour visit we barely scratched the surface of seeing the contents of the museum. In the afternoon we went to the the Coliseum.

The Vatican

I visited St. Peter's Basilica today. It turns out that the Pope was delivering a mass on the large screens in the square so it was quite crowded. There was also a mass inside the Basilica. There were hundreds of people there. I saw the Pieta (left) for the second time in my life. I saw if first at the New York World's Fair in 1964. At the World's Fair I could get very close. Today it is behind glass in the Basilica because of past vandalism. It is much more powerful when seen up close.

Arrivo di Roma

I arrived in Rome around 9 a.m. Saturday morning (2 a.m. Chicago time) after a grueling nine hour flight. It has been a long time since I have been in a country where English is not the primary language. It took me a few minutes to get acclimated and to find the shuttle company that I had registered with on the Internet. I finally got to the hotel, but the room wasn't ready since I had arrived in the morning. A couple of hours later the room was ready, and I was able to get some much needed sleep.

Art Institute of Chicago

I made the obligatory visit to the Art Institute. It has added a new wing since I was last there. I always enjoy the variety of exhibits at the Art Institute. After three days of risking my life dodging traffic in Chicago--the drivers are more aggressive than in California, I am planning for my Friday evening flight to Rome.

Chicago

I left Chicago to move to California in 1974. This was my first trip back. There have been many changes in the city--it seems cleaner, greener and better organized. The above picture shows the reflection of the city in the Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park which is next to Grant Park. The picture on the left shows the contrast in architectural styles between the Wrigley building in the foreground and Trump Tower in the background.

Madison, Wisconsin

I am visiting my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for the first time in almost 40 years. The University is on an isthmus between two Lakes--Lake Mendota and Lake Minona. The Wisconsin Capitol Building is located at one end of State Street and the University at the other end. State Street has been converted into a pedestrian and transit mall. The University has built many new buildings in the last 40 year, yet Madison retains an almost small town feel despite the additional construction. The Student Union is located on the shores of Lake Mendota. The view from the terrace of the Student Union is shown above