Moon over Rome

My sister Patti and her friend Sherri arrived last week for seven days in Rome. I will say, before mentioning details, we have had a great time together. Both are splendid traveling companions and will eat anything I put in front of them. I hope they've had as much fun as we have had having them with us. Sherri is very generous with everything she's brought - movies, snack food, antibiotics. I can tell she's a good friend to my sister and vice versa. Her interest in the things she is seeing is very gratifying, especially to Tap who loves to tell her all the historical details. Patti and Sherri have both developed a craving for "bignes" (beignets or cream puffs) from our local bakery. I think they will suffer from withdrawals.

Patti, for those who don't know her, is my younger sister (I have another younger sister and an older brother; both of whom are great siblings in their own right). Patti is legendary in our family (and among her friends) as being the life of the party. For example, Sherri and she had no trouble getting the right train into Rome from the airport, something I will not hold against them. We arrived at the Termini to meet them. There was a sea of people wearing the "team colors" of Rome...black on black. Then out of the midst, who shows up in Rome wearing fuchsia and turquoise, but my sister Patti Clo. To say she was easy to spot is an understatement.

We took them back to the apartment, gave them the big bedroom, took them on a short walk to San Giovanni church, and after a nice dinner (carbonara, bread, cheese, and frappe - a fried, sweet delicacy only produced in February), Patti and Sherri were ready for some sleep. As Patti was changing for bed, she bent over to pull up her pajama bottoms and mooned the building next door. Deliberately. Thankfully, I've never seen a human in that building, but even so, that was Patti's christening, if you will, her visit to Rome. I even hesitate to write about it except that that is SO Patti and part of the reason everyone who knows her, loves her. (This is not an endorsement of mooning, by the way, especially in foreign countries.)

We've taken Sherri and Patti on a whirlwind tour of Rome. Besides all the must-sees, we heard the largest organ in Europe (Patti's comment on that: "Of course I want to see the largest organ in Europe!") and took a picnic out to Ostia. As we've wandered around ancient sites, Patti has specifically noted that many marble statues she sees are quite "inadequately endowed". She refers to it as the Gluteus Maximus, not the Circus Maximus. At the Boca di Verita, she wouldn't stick her hand in its mouth (strange, for her). She loves to go underneath any church she can to see spooky, ancient rooms. And I daresay her favorite place so far is the Protestant Cemetery with all its old tombstones, a sort of hobby with her and her friends back home.

Today we turned the two of them loose on the Coloseum and the Roman Forum. Patti wanted to see if she could get them there and back by herself using the metro. I have no doubt she can navigate back to our apartment. I am not to worry unless they aren't back by 6:00pm. She'll show up at 5:59.

Patti isn't shy (obviously), she's quick witted, and sees the humor in any situation. She's very alert and observant; she sees things I fail to see - a matador in a painting that looks like blurred red and white to me. She comes to everyone's rescue - friends, family, people on the street who've dropped things or are getting ready to walk into walls because they aren't looking. She can't read anything without her glasses and for some reason, when she is asked to give coins to pay for something and can't see what denomination they are, this is endearing to the Italian cashiers. Her biggest goal is to bring a "taste of Rome" back to friends and family and those who helped her take this trip. When we stopped into the Elite Store (the name AND the prices), she was willing to make a big "stink" to have the deli-man take back four roasted artichokes that he had already boxed up for me before I found out they cost three euros each. I didn't let her make the stink, but she would have. No really, she would have. She would have done it just so I wouldn't have had to embarrass myself. (We ate them and, while tasty, not worth 12 euros.) She brought me some clothes to wear because I am sick of the ones I've been wearing for eight weeks straight. She's taking home a bunch of stuff for us so our luggage isn't too heavy for our next three flights. Did I mention she brought an entire sack of the best New Mexico tortilla chips with her on the plane and didn't break a chip? She did it so we could have a taste of home. Also in her luggage was $200 worth of table decorations for the wedding of an Italian cousin of ours who couldn't get them shipped to Italy by Amazon and had asked Patti to allow him to have them shipped to her home in Arizona and then he'd pay to have them shipped to Italy. When she decided to visit us in Rome, she told our cousin she'd "schlepp" them to Rome for him. This took up nearly all her luggage space, along with food treats for us and clothes for me. No wonder she arrived with only three pair of panties.

I think you get the picture about Patti. She may inappropriately (but hilariously) comment about statues, relics of dead saints and popes, and moon Rome, but I've learned a lot from watching her on this trip. She's friendly to everyone and they in turn are friendly to her. She's generous with her time and her money. She's not a hypocrite; she is exactly who she is, to everyone. She's daring, confident, demonstrative, and soft-hearted. She is truly the life of the party, but she also puts the party in life. Especially my life.

The favorite thing she's seen is the Angel of Sorrow at the Protestant Cemetery. She comments on it everyday and it has certainly struck a chord with her. That's how it is with travel; you think you are taking one trip, but it turns out you are taking a complete other. And out of the blue, a little alabaster angel speaks to your heart.