To Rome With A View - Day 3 - 'How long has the cat been on the table?'

Day 3 - 'How long has the cat been on the table?' (17th September 2014)

Today has been rather wonderful.  I woke up and had my now typical Roman breakfast of croissants, yogurt, orange juice and tea.  Then I went off to the city centre to see the Colosseum, Palatino and the Roman Forum then I journeyed to the Protestant Graveyard and the Pyramid.

My first experiences of the Metro transport system were quite positive.  Even with zero sense of direction, I found my way around.  I enjoyed the eclectic mix of music and the adverts screened on televisions, promoting everything from i-Phone clinics to music schools.  Also it was good to see stair lifts for the disabled (something that could be adopted by other countries including the U.K.)

Then leaving the station near the Colosseum and there it was the ostentatious and truly remarkable monument to power and extravagance.  Of course, it's now being repaired (and/or cleaned), nothing lasts forever.  It was striking how startling it feels to walk around what was essentially an arena for combat and death.  It now has a peaceful quality which attracts even felines.  I saw my first Roman cat in the Colosseum, clearly showing off its prowess to the visitors.

The Colosseum.

Cat in the Colosseum.

The Roman Forum and Palatino were equally startling displays of extravagance.  When you consider that they were originally centres of political power and religious ritual, they are now places of a gentler nature.  Flowers tended with care and love breaking through the stark stone of ages.

The Roman Forum.

The Roman Forum.

The Roman Forum.

Nature restoring order at the Roman Forum.

In the afternoon, I went to the Protestant Cemetery and to the Pyramid,  The Protestant Cemetery contains the graves of Goethe, Shelley and Keats etc.  Those celebrity non-believers of Catholicism.  Lots of cats are visible around the cemetery as well as a diversity of symbols on the gravestones.  Each visit to a graveyard restores my faith in the idea that every culture has its own unique way or ways of remembering its dead.  If you want to become centred and understand the cycle of life, experiencing graveyards is a fundamental lesson whether or not, any religious feeling is tied up in the experience.

The Pyramid.  Nope, I have no idea either.  I need to do some more research as to why it's there.

Keats' grave and Joseph Severn's grave.

Fascinating sculpture on one of the gravestones.

This evening, my gracious host, Donato went out with me for a meal and we sampled good food, beer and company.  It's now past Midnight, so sleep beckons like an amateur photographer urging the subject to say 'Cheese!'

                                                                       Barry Watt - 17th September 2014.

Afterword.

'How long has the cat been on the table?' is an advertising slogan for a language college.  Apparently, one of the first sentences that is taught to the student of English in Italy is the following, 'The cat is on the table'.  So displaying the line, 'How long has the cat been on the table?, juxtaposed on a billboard with a skeletal cat is playing on that knowledge and a gentle push that if you have not achieved all you want or need with another language, maybe now is the time to renew your acquaintance?

Advert in many of the Metro stations in Rome.

The 'How long has the cat been on the table?' advertisement is for the International House Accademia Britannica Roma and is copyright to them and the advertising agency that created it.

iPhone is a product made by Apple.  Again, not to be confused with the fruit or the Beatles' company!

                                                                                                                                            BW