Roma 1

Ciao da Roma! Here are some photos from my first few days here:

This is one of the caretakers at Centro Zen Anshin inside the Zendo. We are staying in a nearby apartment which is run by Gyoetsu and Doryu who also look after the Zen Centre. After morning Zazen yesterday, Gyoetsu took us to a cafe across the road for an Italian breakfast: a capuccino and an enormous cream bun. She also introduced us to a nearby grocery and helped us to purchase cheese, salad vegetables and fruit for our lunch.

The following photos were taken in and around the Colosseum.

Now a couple of photos showing archaeological discoveries at the Pantheon. The first shows clay votive figures  from the temple of Magna Mater, dated from the 3rd to the 2nd centuries BC.

The next photo shows an example of marble inlay decoration dated from 54 - 64 AD

A long wait for the toilets at the Pantheon museum.

In Vatican City I particularly wanted to visit the Pieta in St Peter's Basilica but I was overwhelmed by the crowds and 'official tour operators' keen to provide you with a 'no-wait' entry into the Vatican museums at an unstated price. I left quickly for the relative stability of the surrounding streets. The para-tourism industry is very big here.

And other street (and train) scenes around Rome

This last photo shows something of the relationship between vehicular and pedestrian traffic in Rome. Both drivers and pedestrians have to be super-alert. Ambulance sirens are just part of the general soundscape here.