My trip to Rome, part 1

[Anders Christian Siveb¾k]

Hello
I hope you will find the following mails (or parts thereof) from me
interesting. 
To start with, I don't know if I can say, with my heart in it, that a trip
for me starts at the danish airport, but at least the duck-related trip
started there. By buying a thick danish pocketbook, mammooth book no. 7.
This books contains something rather interesting. A story where the
plotwriter was the winner of a contest. That the contest was held some 3
years ago in the usual pocket, the Jumbo no. 200, makes me wonder if the
editor of that found that the story was not good enough for his book. But
I shouldn't talk much of that before I actually read the story. Anyway
it's drawn by the dane Flemming Andersen. 
We had a one hour break in Frankfurt (I never saw such big an airport!)
were I was lucky to find new german pocketbook, with stories I haven't
read yet in danish, either because the book isn't out here (They're
somewhat parallel/equal/counterparts) or that I just bought it without
reading it. I also found the german brilliant of a publication, namely the
Donald Duck Sonderheft (Sonder means extra or something near). That issue
is a tribute to Carl Barks, and even the drawing on page 3 was something I
had to have. It was once in a danish Barks book, but in b/w, and Marco
Rota drew it. 
Already carrying those treasures we (My mother and I) left for Leonardo da
Vinci airport in Rome. 
I have to say that this trip was much a culture trip to me, I tried to lay
a hand on my "need" to buy comics, so that we would also see some things
you have to see in Rome, instead of some old second-hand shop. 
1½ year ago in Greece the trip was very comic, so to say, but I did get to
see Acropolis and Delphi and such necessary things. But this trip was not
so comic. 
I will tell you first what we saw the days, to the ones that will interest
- in the next mail I think) I will tell about what comics I bought, to
those who that would be of interest.

We din't see much the first day, apart from some restaurants that we
didn't want to go into because of the price. We did find a good one in the
end, right across our hotel! ...
The following day, tuesday we went to the Colloseum and Forum Romanum. I'm
also a big fan of Asterix, having read all the albums at least twice, so
the seeing Collesseum was one of the reasons I could call this a
pilgrimmage. Obelix, Asterix' faithfull friend is shown crashing that part
of Colosseum which isn't there today - but the comic is known to be not
that acuurate in History but extremely fun indead. 
Wednesay we went to see the Vatican. I can tell you, it takes several
hours to get to the sistine chapel when you can't help wanting to see this
and that on the way, so it took us 3 hours to get there. Also that chaptel
was a part of this pilgrimmage even though I am far from catholic. For
Barks trip in Europe 1994, Vicar made a drawing showing Michelangelo or
himself painting not that one with Adam and God with Eve under the arm,
but one with Donald and Barks with Daisy under the arm!
After seeing that we went to actual Peter's square, which is huge! So is
the church, and it took is a long time to walk around inthere. On the way
home we went into the showroom/Bookstore of the Mondadori publisher in
Italy (publisher of duck comics and many many other books) - I may have to
tell you about what I bought there in the next mail or this will get too
long. 
On thursday we must have been on quite a walk to the spanish steps, the
trevi-fontaine and such things, which might not be as famous as those
other things. We also went into a catholic church (The first christian
church, it is said) and took part in the mass on the day of the first
erm... last supper. 
It was very interesting, but of course I didn't understand much. Naturally
the monks told about Peter washing Jesu feet, and Judas and those quotings
from the bible that you may now. One thing which is different from the
protestant church we have where I live, is that the the catholic service
is much more holy and magic IMO - Also catholics don't get a cup with a
little wine (blood of Jesus) but the bread (the body) is dipped into the
wine. In the church people could get this last supper at 4 different
places or so. 

We were told that the pope would take part in the traditonal walk from
Colloseum to Saint Peter's Chruch on the (long) friday, and we thouyght it
was in the morning. It seemed to be in the evening and the pope did walk
some steps with the cross, but he doesn't look like he's feeling well,
though better than at christmas. He has been suffering from Parkinson's
for some time, but still he can speak so many languages, and cares so much
for the world. I feel sorry for him, but I guess he has to stay in the
"job" untill he ... ?
Instead of going to colosseum we saw The Villa Borghese park and one of
the cathacombs that day. We had read that one of them would be very
crowded that day, because of the holyness, so went to another (I seem to
have shamefully forgotten their names). 
On saturday it was pouring down, as the only day. We went to a market, but
it was closed, and we wanted to see some churches, but it was the wrong
time of day. So luckily we had seen the things in Rome that we should see,
and also drove around some times around Colosseum because of a mistake
(wrong busline, or wrong way around...). 
So well, it took some time getting home on sunday, as we started out at
8am, had a break of 5 hours in Frankfurt on a sunday, and returned to our
home at 11pm or so. It was a swell (?) trip, secondly because of the many
interesting comics I bought, and I will tell you about those in the next
posting. 

Hilsen/Yours
Anders Christian Sivebæk
Donaldist