Last year we spent a couple of weeks in Rome on holiday. We visited the Roman ruins and Vatican city.
We walked a lot, dined well and enjoyed the local bar/restaurant that used the small open space with outdoor tables. There was a market that used the same space once a week selling fruit and vegetables.
Our Airbnb kept us fit, an apartment at the top of a narrow staircase with a rooftop terrace. We were close to the Pantheon and took a tour bus around the city. The fierce wind ripped the roof off our bus and the staff asked us to get off in the middle of heavy traffic as they argued with the bus driver behind them.
It was hard to get a sense of ancient Rome. The ruins helped, but there is still the bustle of a European capital city. A light show on the walls of Hadrian’s villa was interesting, recounting the history of what is now a commercial building.
I suppose Berlin is a bit like that. So much history, but a present that has torn down its walls, and uses Checkpoint Charlie as a photo opportunity.
My current MOOC is about ancient Rome as described by Dr Matthew Nichols of the University of Reading. He has a classics background and has taught himself the skills to draw Rome in 3D. It would have been useful to have studied this MOOC before going on our Roman holiday.
odespinner 