Ruminations on Ruination

by Nancy

Over Thanksgiving, my husband and I went to Greece for a week--actually a cruise around some of the islands--and then spent a few days in Venice. It was our reward to ourselves for 30 years of basically happy marriage.  (No parent of teenagers could ever be called truly  happy, could they?) Over the  years, we've taken a few beach vacations with the kids, not to mention a gazillion trips to Disney (not my favorite place on earth, which may tip you off about where I'm going with this today) but this trip was really special. It was an up-close stroll through a part of the world besides our comfy corner.

Here are some thoughts:

>  My husband and I shared the cruise ship with nearly 2000 fellow passengers and 900 crew members. Yet at twilight on our first night aboard, Jeff and I were THE ONLY PEOPLE on the deck as the ship sailed out of Venice. We watched the lights of the city pass by, listened to the bells of San Marco that have been ringing for hundreds--no, thousands of years--and marveled that we had that miraculous experience to ourselves. Unforgettable.

>  Then we spent a few days going ashore on various islands and poking around historic ruins. Let me tell you, the Greeks have no clue how to manage an archaeological site. Or else we Americans are idiots. Picture this: We were touring Olympia--yes, the site of the original Olympics, which were founded by some Greeks who wanted to unite warring cultures by conducting peaceful athletic competitions.

The buildings were destroyed by a couple of earthquakes and a flood or two, but the stones pretty much show where things used to be. The giant, grassy bowl of the first stadium is clearly visible. Amazing. But when our tour guide showed us the altar where the Olympic torch is still ignited, she INVITED US TO SIT ON THE REMAINS OF THE TEMPLE OF ATHENA while she talked. I mean, the actual stone columns of the temple had been tumbled onto the ground, and we SAT ON THE PIECES.

Would this happen in America? No.  In fact, no way in hell.

But if we Americans were allowed to, say, sit on the steps of the White House, would we think differently about our country's past and what it means? I dunno. I got to thinking about the Viet Nam memorial. Remember the controversy when it was first built? People complained that it looked stupid, but the veterans immediately connected with it--touching the wall of granite, making rubbings of the engraved names--and showed the rest of us that their experience and sacrifice was much more meaningful than the rest of us had ever imagined.  (In fact, I believe the current support of our troops during an unpopular war has resulted directly from the reaction to the Viet Nam memorial.) Is the tactile element part of changing people's minds, do you think?

> In Venice, the local bus is . . . a boat. The Vaporetto is a fleet of small ferry boats you can jump onto and ride the canals to wherever you're going in the city. It's very convenient, cheap and charming. Plus necessary, because there aren't any roads for cars. Skip the expensive gondola ride and take the Vaporetto. You can spend a weekend taking in the whole city for about 15 euros apiece.

But the "bus stops" are boat docks, and when you get off at your stop, you must step from the bobbing deck of the boat onto the stationary platform. Which elderly Venetian ladies with canes manage to do without pitching headfirst into the canal. But an American woman ahead of me stumbled as she took the unfamiliar step, and she turned to her husband with some outrage. "The Italians have a serious safety problem here!" Which made me laugh. Have we learned to depend upon our government to protect us from our own human clumsiness? I mean, the city where I live was initially settled hundreds of years after Venice was papering their ceilings with paintings by Tintoretto. But here in the U.S. we're tearing down city playgrounds because kids might scrape their knees. It's nuts.

>  Languages. Our Venice hotel desk clerk spoke halting English when we checked in. It was difficult but not impossible for us to understand her.  She also spoke Spanish to the couple who checked in before  us, and German to the people after us. And I heard her making herself clear to some Asians later the same weekend. Which is really humbling when you think about it. I can barely remember a sentence or two from the French I took for FIVE YEARS in high school and college. Try to imagine a French tourist exhanging euros for dollars at your local bank. Chances are better he'd get arrested for being a terrorist before he'd get his money changed.

>  In Venice, all the locals wear black.  Why? Are they in mourning, or something? For what? Wait, maybe I've already answered that question. Anyway, it looks vey chic. Which is a typically American reaction, I suppose: To us, how they look is more important than the way they think.

>  Last of all, why does anybody buy expensive luggage these days? It must be a status thing, like thousand dollar Prada handbags. Our luggage came off the baggage carousel looking as if it had been abandoned on the tarmac during a monsoon, then run over by a 747 and left in a mud hole---which, come to think of it, might have happened. I saw a lady leaving our cruise ship with a Louis Vuitton suitcase that had come with a clear plastic wrapper, kinda like the plastic slipcover our neighbor, Mrs. Turnbull, used on her sofa years ago. Is preserving the label on the suitcase more important than the trip?

We had a delightful time, really. We saw astonishing historic sights, met some charming---and not-so-charming, but still interesting--people. We didn't visit a sanitized amusement park where you must buckle a seat belt before "shooting the rapids" on a mechanical ride. We ate a few slices of pizza in the shadow of the Rialto bridge, smelled the canal and watched a new world go by. I sang on the steps of La Fenice. ("Don't Cry For Me, Argentina."  Trust me, it was amusing at the time.) The whole trip was a chance to explore and remember why we decided to marry each other 30 years ago. 

Jeff and I are not terribly romantic with each other.--Maybe that's why we've lasted together.  But that twilight sail out of Venice with him holding me close to stay warm?  Now, that was romantic!

Comments

[Kathy Reschini Sweeney]

Sounds like a fantastic trip!

Glad you're back safe, sound and happy.

[Janis]

Wonderful blog, Nancy. I believe that Americans have much to learn from cultures that celebrate their histories and preserve their natural resources for future generations.

I was particularly touched by your reference to the Vietnam Memorial. I hadn't expected to be so moved by the stark and deceptively simple black granite walls, but I emerged from the walk in tears. I think it is the most personal and profound memorial in America. I have yet to talk to anyone who has visited it who hasn't been changed by the experience. The souvenirs left behind by the families and friends of the fallen soldiers is heartbreakingly poignant.

And it's wonderful that you and your husband were able to rekindle the romance. The older I get, the more I'm convinced that love is what you've been through together--even parenting teenagers!

[Joyce]

Sounds like a wonderful trip. Welcome back!

[William Simon]

Absolutely wonderful, Nancy. You really struck a chord with this one; I tell people all the time "Go to DC, sit on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial, go to the base of the Washington Monument and look straight up, stand outside and just *look* at the White House and think about what it represents." Some people get it, some don't, but to me that's the pull of Washington, DC...right or wrong, good, bad, indifferent, this is the city where it all happens....

[Maryann Mercer]

I can only echo what everyone else has said-welcome back! And I echo the thoughts on the VietNam Memorial as well. More moving now I think than ever before. My brother-in-law and his platoon-mates meet there once a year and read the names of those who didn't make it.
I can connect with the feeling of astonishment about "sitting on history". We did that in Edinburgh. To know that someone as long as four hundred years ago walked, fought, loved laughed, and lived where we were walking was awe-inspiring. I can only imagine what you felt. (My sister went to Italy this fall and still can't explain it)
Sounds like a wonderful and romantic time...and a cultural eye-opener too.

[ArkansasCyndi]

It sounds W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L.

Were you ready to come home or could you have stayed longer?

When I was in Belgium and visited a couple of very old city (Ghent and Bruge) some of the buildings were dated 1100, etc. As we toured, it was humbling, to say the least

Glad to have you home safely.

[ArkansasCyndi]

Blog Hijack for Ramona - Daniel Craig is in training for his next Bond Movie.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071129/film_nm/craig_bond_dc

Returning blog control to The Tarts

[Kerry, the Martial Tart]

Wonderful blog, Nancy. I can relate to your experience at the temple of Athena, and think you are on to something. A few years ago, I took a group of college biology and history students on a 2-week study abroad trip to England to trace the career of Charles Darwin (and related folks). I was stunned to discover that, sure, we could TOUCH original manuscript pages hundreds of years old (without even putting on the white cotton gloves). I know with certainty that, as you said, the tactile experience itself profoundly changed the way we all thought about the historical connections we were studying.

And yes, I am constantly humbled when I see people who can communicate in multiple languages, and endlessly frustrated with the "let them speak English" mentality.

Of course, the romance sounds wonderful, too -- happy anniversary!

[Nancy Martin]

How can anyone not be moved by the Viet Nam memorial?

Cyndi, I was ready to come home, although I could have stayed a few more days. It's nice to be back in my own bed! My hipbones were sore from those thin mattresses. I'm such a weenie.

Who was it who suggested I pack a hanging shoe organizer for the cruise ship stateroom? I did, and it worked brilliantly! I hate a tiny, cluttered room, and the organizer really helped.

Upon leaving the ship, I was surprised to see how many people had brought along those eggshell mattress covers & then left them behind instead of carrying them home. It seemed like a lot to carry in your luggage, but my hipbones ached to have one!

[Joyce Tremel]

There is nothing like being in an "old" place and being able to touch/feel/smell it.

When my older son was an undergrad, he did what they called the "Washington Semester," and interned for the National Park Service at Arlington House. One of his favorite things was to arrive early in the morning and dust the items in the house. He said he got chills when he was actually able to touch Robert E. Lee's family Bible.

Arlington Cemetery is another place like the Vietnam Memorial that everyone should visit sometime in their lives. Gettysburg, too.

[jodil]

Nancy, did you wear your Cole Haan ballerina flats? How did they work out in the ruins? In Venice? I bought a pair on your recommendation and only need a trip now to really break them in properly.

[jodil]

No one ever mentions the Korean War Memorial. To me it is very moving. I've seen it with snow on the backs of the soldiers and could almost feel them shivering. All of the memorials in DC have such a powerful impact.

[Joyce Tremel]

I agree with Jodil about the Korean War Memorial. And the World War II Memorial and...

[Abbe]

The FDR memorial is lovely and especially nice in summer.

[William Simon]

Speaking of memorial walls, let us not forget the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial in Washington, DC.

http://www.nleomf.com/TheMemorial/memorial.htm

[ramona]

Thank you, Cyndi! I will begin training to see the next Bond. Have to get those drool muscles toned and ready to go.

Thank you to you, too, William. I was not familiar with that memorial.

[Shannon]

My huaband and I went to DC on our honeymoon, because he'd never been to the Vietnam Memorial and he knew people on the list. He told me he'd never had anyone he wanted to go see with before and it was a powerful experience for both of us. We'd hoped to go again, but it didn't work out.

[Kristine]

Welcome back, Nancy!

Sounds like a beautiful trip.

[Harley]

Nancy, this makes me want to pack that shoe organizer, some old ratty suitcases, and hit the road -- uh, ocean. I want to go to Europe in the worst way. It's been ten years exactly since I've been there.

I agree about the war memorials. Profound.

[Harley]

Uh . . . where exactly is Blond Bond training?

Just asking. Not like I'm going to stalk him or anything (Ramona).

[j renee stuart]

Welcome home, Nancy. Sounds like this trip was just what you and Jeff needed.
I did a three year tour of duty in Germany, stationed in the beautiful Bavarian city of Augsburg that, two thousand years ago, was a walled outpost of the Roman empire. Parts of the original wall are still intact and you can touch, lean, sit on...
I saw a lot of Europe on 'The Uncle Sam Plan' (translation: I peed in the woods in more countries than I ever thought possible), but I also did a great deal of off-duty travel. Italy and Greece are beautiful - Athens and Venice, breathtaking.
As for the multi-lingual desk clerk - one of my Russian teachers used to joke that; "If you speak three languages, you're tri-lingual. If you speak two languages, you're bi-lingual. If you speak one language - you're an American."
Now - I'm off to do some Christmas shopping with my sister. "Veni, vidi, Visa." ("I came, I saw, I charged.")

[bea]

Very interesting, Nancy. I went to Gettysburg when I was eight years old. I distinctly recall touching a structure with a bullet hole, and I had an almost overwhelming sense of....something. I wasn't able to articulate it then, and I still can't, obviously. But I had never really thought about the fact that the actual touching was an integral part of my experience. I think you're right about that. And the Vietnam Memorial supports the idea, too.

Don't forget Philadelphia when you contemplate our country's history--Independence Hall. As I recall, we weren't supposed to touch anything, but just walking the same floors as our forefathers was inspiring. I think the Liberty Bell was also untouchable--seeing it is fine, but I would have liked to run my fingers over it, too.

[Elaine Viets]

Welcome back, Nancy. What a delightful blog. We missed you.

[Nancy Martin]

Renee, we flew back sitting beside the commander of a hospital in Germany. He was so smart----and incredibly young. As for peeing in the woods, I have a story about that, but my husband would kill me.

I love the "if you speak one language you're an American." So true. I know what my new year's resolution's going to be.

We flew over Lake Como, by the way. And I didn't grab a parachute. Seemed the wrong thing to do, considering the whole anniversary thing.

[Suzanne]

Nancy- I'm so glad the shoe organizer helped! ;)
It's one of those tips that sounds really OCD, but actually works. I'll bet your cabin steward loved you for it, too.