mns  2006-09-06 22:30   

The heat of London this summer was overpowering. Even working with three fans blowing I felt like I was disintegrating. Well, if hot in London we thought, it can’t be much hotter in Rome. And so to Rome we went.
It wasn’t hotter than London and even the Pope came out to greet us – to our surprise. Yes, he was there in St Peter’s Square, and it was moving. This was something I had not expected, but it is true. As we arrived I heard a voice speaking over the loudspeakers in German and even though I was sure he was away for the summer I knew immediately that it was he. And it was.
Rome was even more magnificent than I had remembered it. The highlight was seeing my cousin Pamela again; wonderful evenings with her on her balcony, talking, drinking and eating, opera music in the background, black and white tiles, beautiful pictures, sun, dusk and night…
In the city we did the tourist things, throwing our coins into the Trevi Fountain, gazing at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, touring the Colosseum. Once again there was the Forum Romana where I once lay under a tree as a student and studied for exams. Rome is beautiful – it is amazing, stunning, and eternal. If I hanker for something now as autumn comes in, it is to sit in the Piazza Navona, drinking espresso and talking and listening. Or maybe it is to sit in the quiet gardens of the Hotel de Russie on the Via del Babuino – a true haven in the heat of a Roman afternoon.
After Rome came Paris, which seems more frenzied now that I look back. Part of this is because we came back at night to a hotel and not to a loving cousin. And we queued in Paris – endless relentless queues; several hours to get up the Eiffel Tower, over a half hour to get back down again, over an hour to get on a Seine Cruise (booked in advance and advertised as ‘romantic’ – we were lucky to get sitting beside each other. In fact if you are thinking of booking a ‘romantic cruise on the Seine’ feel free to email me and I’ll tell you what company NOT to use.)
Push the complaints aside – nothing can diminish our optimism – our visit to Notre Dame was beyond belief. There was a sung mass in progress, and JC (once upon a time a choirboy) and I (once upon a time a churchgoer) sat and listened in joyous unison. Is there anything more beautiful than the human voice singing praise? It was unbelievably moving.
The highlight of Paris was meeting up with our friends Tacchi and Jane in La Liberté (where coincidentally – JC being a philosophy lecturer – Sartre was once a regular); and onwards to La Coupole. If you go to Paris there are two places I recommend to eat – one is La Coupole, and the other is L’Écurie. And if you are looking for dining companions you need Jane, Tacchi and JC (and me).
JC says I should end this piece by saying ‘and they all lived happily ever after.’
Italy and France are both calling. We’ll go back to France in November for, believe it or not, an early New Year’s bash. I can hardly wait.