Final Walk Along the Tiber

I realized when I took my final walk along the Tiber River on Monday evening that this has been a fantastic place for reflection, contemplation, and personal growth. There is just something about how the river rushes by you that makes you feel someone insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But at the same time it is representing your personal life, and how fast it can slip away from you if you don’t hold on to every moment, and even when you do it still moves along at a surprisingly rapid pace. I can’t believe my seven weeks in Rome are coming to an end. It has been such an amazing and challenging adventure full of new lessons learned and the beginning of acceptance and understanding of other places outside of the United States. It was hard for me to imagine what Italy would be like because I’ve never been outside of the US before and the experiences I have had here are so well represented by the fast paced, loud, and choppy river exploding with fun (when the summer festivities began) and sometimes distress (with floods and large objects being stuck in the current) that all ends up being smoothed out with time as the water passes through.

Tiber River

I spent this weekend in Zurich, Switzerland and one of the first things you notice about Zurich (even from the sky as your plane is landing) is the huge lake in the middle of the city and the river flowing through it. As the taxi drove us to our hotel I noticed the river was a large part of the city just as the Tiber is a major part of Rome. The Limmat River flows out of the Zurich Lake and through the city center extending out into the suburbs. The water is clear as crystal and it is swimming hot spot. The fresh water allows for a delightful and free refreshing break on a hot Swiss day. On Lake Zurich there are several places to rent motor boats, paddle boats, and row boats as well as cruises and lake tours. The atmosphere around these two water bodies is exciting and full of family fun. It really gives off the Swiss atmosphere of an accepting, understanding, and happy culture. This was really fun for me to see and I wish Rome was more like this with the Tiber River, it would be great to be able to swim and boat in the river.

Restaurants on the Tiber River

Since the weather has been getting warmer little buildings have been popping up alongside the river. A man told me the other day that these are restaurants that open in the summer so people can enjoy a nice Roman meal by the Tiber. Every day there are a few more buildings than the day before and the river is almost completely lined (as you can see above) by upcoming restaurants that weren't there a week ago. Rome is the only city that I know of that would build restaurants in nice weather and tear them down again at the end of the summer. It seems like a huge step towards catering to the tourists and kudos to them for offering such a unique experience of Roman dining alongside one of it's most famous assets. I personally can't wait until this places are open for business and I can try them out for myself. You can look forward to hearing my experiences in the near future. :)

Tiber River in Movies and Books

When I started my entry for this week it went something like this:

Why don’t we see or hear much about the Tiber River when we learn about Rome through books and movies? In many works like “Roman Fever” or Daisy Miller or Catarina in the Big City, I was surprised that the immensity and importance of the river isn’t ever mentioned. Out of the books and movies that I’ve experience while studying Rome I’ve seen the river’s importance in only one, the movie Bicycle Thieves. I see Roman’s gathering by the river every single day, no matter the time or the weather, so why wouldn’t every piece about Rome have this necessary factor in the text?

Then I watched the White Sheik where the river was mentioned again because Wanda tries to “throw” herself into the river but really only jumps in the mud getting a little wet. Perhaps this portrayal of the river is how some people view it, is it only a place that is equivalent to stepping in mud?

Tiber River Experiencing Rome

Along the Tiber River you will find signs every few hundred feet that tell you all about the river, and in six different languages. I was walking home from dinner last night, along the river and I decided to just listen. Listen to the people. After being in Rome for almost three weeks, I've gotten significantly better at hearing the difference between French, Italian, and Spanish. On my walk I heard at least five different languages and several different English- speaking accents and it just really made me realize that Rome is truly an international city. Just as Eleanor Clark describes the city by saying "In Rome to go out is to go home." Everyone, from any background, seems to feel comfortable and happy in Rome. That can't be said for any city that I know of in the US. I really love that you don't only get Roman culture in Rome, you get a mosaic of cultures through the tourists, the immigrants and the natives. The chaos and uniqueness of Rome is truly a work of art.

Dirty River

As I've mentioned previously, the Tiber River has been pretty dirty since it flooded last week. At the drop in the river near the island bridge trash collects fairly significantly. It's clean sometimes and packed with plastic bottles stuck in the current at other times. Who cleans out the trash? This weekend I saw a huge metal box or cabinet-like thing trapped by the water in the dam and fighting furiously to escape but the river kept it in place. Obviously the current is keeping the trash collected there, so I am starting to think someone cleans it out. Does Rome hire people to fish the litter out of the river? Romans seems to take a lot of pride in their city and if they really have someone that cleans it out like they clean the sidewalks, I find that a very admirable trait of Rome.

Picnics by the Tiber

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Rome and people were enjoying the weather everywhere, especially by the Tiber River. As we walked to the Coliseum and Roman Forum today we crossed over a bridge and saw people having picnics along the banks of the river. I have a feeling they usually sit on the cement walkways right next to the river but they couldn't because it is still flooded. Seeing these people enjoying the river even when the water is too high to get really near it makes me excited for the next few weeks when the river goes back down and we can have picnics next to it or sit on the edge and slip our feet in the cool water.

River is Flooding

After the torrential down pouring we encountered in the last two days the river is really flooded. As you can see in the picture above, the water level is really high. It is really funny how much dirtier the river looks after all of this rain. Usually the river looks pretty clean and beautiful to just sit and watch the current pass by. Now it looks filthy and in some spots, especially at dams, plastic bottles and other pollutants are collecting rapidly. I can only imagine how many inches of rain must have fallen to make the water levels rise so much in just a twenty-four hour period. Here is a picture of the river coming up over the sidewalk next to it.

Activities at the River

So I've been in Rome for a week and I have to admit that one of the best things to see every day is the Tiber River. Fortunately for me I have a beautiful view of the river right out my window which leads to some fantastic people watching. It's very interesting to see how different people view the river and what they use it for. Today, as you can see above, I saw a couple sleeping by the river. It's a beautiful day and I bet it's a romantic and peaceful thing to do here. I might have to try that sometime, it seems like a great place to get a tan. This morning I also saw a man fishing in the river (below- if you look closely to the left of the picture). I wonder what kind of fish are there, how deep the river is, and if he will eat the fish he caught. I love to sit in my windowsill and watch the current of the river and also the people that walk by. Some people stare at the river like it's captivating and mesmerizes them and others hurry by like they don't even notice it. For me, this river is really intriguing, it has so much to offer and it's interesting to see who takes advantage of it and who takes it for granted.

The Tiber River

The Tiber River is the third longest river in Rome and one of the most prominent things you notice and you walk around the city. The River has several bridges connecting the city on either side and flows strong and beautiful through much of Rome. The phrase "swimming in the Tiber" became a Protestant term for converting to Rome Catholicism (Wikipedia). The picture to the right is a view of the river from one of the bridges in Trastevere.