Hi !!! Renxkyoko Iglesias here.
Please allow me to luxuriate in the aftermath of Pres. Obama’s reelection.
.Well, excuse me, I did work hard for Pres. Obama.
California is either super liberal or masochists. The Democrats now have super majority of both chambers, and across the state, from south to north, all Propositions and Measures increasing the tax have been approved by Californians. We want you to pay a little more for playgrounds , parks, libraries , new computers for schools. Yeah, sure ! Check. An increase in tax for this and that….. Okay ! Check. We Californians taxed ourselves, ha ha ha ! And to think, we have one of the highest tax rate in the US. Well, we all have decided to share the burden . A shared sacrifice, if you will. I mean, what can my $ 25 do to help others? Nada. But collectively, a lot. That’s good citizenship. It’s not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for the country. Okay, enough of this. I just want to put this out here.
Back to Rome……
After The Forum, we visited the usual places tourists go to.
The Trevi Fountain……. The fountain is unlike modern day fountains that are built merely as decoration. The Trevi Fountain was the terminal point of one of the aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. But the Trevi Fountain itself, as we see it now, impressive and beautiful, was finished in 1762.
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.My 14 year old cousin
.Three coins in the fountain, each one seeking happiness, la di da….. There’s a legend that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you are guaranteed to return to Rome. With your back to the fountain, you should throw the coin over your shoulder. This is how wishers do it. I threw a US penny though, ha ha. I hope that works, too.
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.In case you haven’t noticed, most Europeans drive Smart cars, really small cars. As an American. my eyes are not used to it. But I love it. It’s green. Sadly, Americans love the gas guzzlers, big cars, the bigger, the better.
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Above is the Roman Pantheon. It is a building that is the most completely preserved ancient structure, built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa to commemorate Octavian’s ( later named Emperor Augustus , the first Roman Emperor….. before this , Rome was a republic, headed by Senators ) Battle of Actium victory over Marc Anthomy and Cleopatra. This was a battle between 2 Roman forces. The original building burned down 100 years after, then Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it and dedicated it to ” all the gods ” , meaning “pan theos. “
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.Below is the interior of the Pantheon, courtesy of Wikipedia. We didn’t get to see it. Tsk.
.That’s me below taking a picture .
.Above is the Fountain of Four Rivers, located at Plaza Navona, built by Pope Innocent, and designed by Bernini in 1651. The obelisk in the middle is an earlier structure that was built in AD 81.
.The place is really like an open market where paintings, arts and crafts are sold. I don’t know, but I wasn’t enthusiastic to be there. There were so just many people milling around. Or maybe I had an overload of fountains in one day. . This was the 10th one we visited that day. I guess the Italians love fountains. I love it too. There’s one at our backyard here at home. Well, after seeing those magnificent fountains, ours is a just a water feature, a pathetic teeny one, he he., like a bird bath.
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.Above picture is a structure at Piazza Venezia. You know , at the end of the road from here is the Coloseum. One can also see The Forum from here. We just drove by this structure to go to the Coloseum, but very slowly so we could take some photos of the area. Anyway, that imposing structure was built in honor of Vittorio Emanuel ll, the former King of Sardinia, then later became the first King of united Italy, the title he held until his death in 1878. However, I got the impression the tour guide didn’t really like this structure. She was like, “Eh.” I thought it was pretty though.
.Well, this is it for Rome.
Oh, by the way, a commenter corrected me regarding Cleopatra. He wrote that Cleopatra did speak Egyptian. I’d like to be corrected. I misspoke, nonetheless, what I understood from several articles written about her was , she didn’t speak Egyptian in Egypt, even if she actually knew the language. Here’s my response to his comment.
Thank you for pointing that out to me. I reread that part, and yes, I did write she never spoke Egyptian, but I should have added that though she did speak speak Egyptian, what I understood was that she didn’t speak the language while she ruled Egypt…. so much so that government ” documents” had to be written in 2 languages, Greek and Egyptian. The discovery of such a document in 2 languages , the Rosetta Stone, led to the understanding of the hyroglyphics, because there is now a direct translation of an unknown written language to a known one. Please correct me again if I’m wrong. I appreciate it., after which I’ll edit my post
Oh, my, the politics here in the US… rape, aspirin between your knees, now it’s binders full of Mata Haris. WTF ! I’m like reading a shoujo manga. It’s weird. Two brilliant Generals, one up for position of Supreme Commander of NATO aaaaaand, for crying out loud, the CIA Director !!!!!! taken down by an email inbox. Tom Clancy will never , ever have this as his plotline. So, guys, please, if you are already ” committed” , keep it in your pants, and zip it up. And ladies, we all know nature and time are not kind to us, so try to take good care of your physical appearance, and not let go. Don’t just go off into the sea and sail off.
I know this a shallow thinking, but men , if given the opportunity, will do it with any attactive, willing women . Am I generalizing ? I don’t think so. Such depressing thoughts. ‘Course it takes two to tango.
* deep sigh *
This is all for now. Pisa, Assissi, and Flrence are next. G’day to all and PEACE.
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Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko
renxkyoko's space 
Posted by ylbnoel on November 14, 2012 at 4:51 am
thanks for sharing Renx, not enough pics of you 🙂 but I’ve seen three movies with the Fountain, Sabrina the Witch, the movie 3 Coins in the Fountain, and of course, Da Vinci Code 🙂 thanks for liking my blog by the way, more power to your extremely likeable and popular blog!
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 8:57 pm
That second day, I think I just plodded along, and except for the Pantheon which I thought was so cool, looking at about a dozen fountains didn’t cut it for me. At the Forum ruins, I even took shots of piles of stones on the ground, for goodness sakes. Ahahaha. Or maybe The Vatican Museum and the ruins overwhelmed me so much I became a zombie the next day.
Posted by ylbnoel on November 15, 2012 at 2:40 am
hahaha! i like that. I know what you mean, you can only get so much of a place before it becomes unnervingly boring 🙂 maybe you had a bit too much of Rome your last few days there.
Posted by renxkyoko on November 15, 2012 at 11:51 am
Actually, we stayed 6 days in Italy. I’m sure The vatican Museum/Coliseum/ Roman Forum tour was a hard act to follow. The next day’s city tour kind of paled compared to these places/
Posted by LAND OF FUN on November 14, 2012 at 6:03 am
So beautiful post !
Very much informative and interesting .
A great sharing 😀
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Thank you, Land of Fun ! I feel I wasn’t that enthusiastic on this post. I think I was just overwhelmed by The Vatican and The Coleseum/The Forum the day before. But thank you ! I’ll do better next time.
Posted by ledrakenoir on November 14, 2012 at 8:47 am
Lovely and interesting post with great shots… 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:01 pm
Thanks, ledrakenoir !
Cheers !
Posted by Karmic Diva on November 14, 2012 at 9:37 am
beautiful photos.thanks for sharing your adventure.
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:02 pm
You’re welcome Karmic Diva. Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you last here.
Posted by ResidentPatriot on November 14, 2012 at 11:05 am
wonderful pictures and congratulations for having your choice of president elected 😉
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:07 pm
Thanks ! I was happy he got re – elected, and I hope he does better this time. he’s done well, againts all odds, but I hope he overcomes all the barriers that have been thrown his way during his first term, and start fighting for the 98%.
Posted by simpleek on November 14, 2012 at 12:43 pm
The first time I saw the Trevi Fountain I was blown away. It’s so beautiful and a great work of art on its own. Then again, there’s just so much historical landmarks, buildings, and artifacts in Italy in general.
FYI, I think the coin wishing at the Trevi Fountain works. I’ve been back to Italy at least a third time. 😉
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Eh, really ? Did you throw a Euro coin ( which is more valuable ) or a US penny, which I did? Ahahaha ! I hope the gods were okay with that.
Posted by simpleek on November 15, 2012 at 12:44 am
Euro coin actually, but I don’t think it matters what coin you throw into the fountain I think. XD
Posted by renxkyoko on November 15, 2012 at 6:49 pm
I don’t think it matters, either, lol ! !
Posted by Tatsat on November 14, 2012 at 1:53 pm
Congratulations on Mr O 🙂 He owes you his success 🙂
Your travelogue is as lovely as it can be. I am going to take a printout of your posts when I visit Europe. It is very helpful and will give a holistic picture of places.
Come on ! Men are not that bad. At least, not everyone is bad. Though, I know this is one debate that never gets over 😛
Godspeed you young lady !
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:18 pm
When tears fell from his eyes as he was privately thanking the staff at one Obama headquarters , I think that was one great thank you to me. But he should follow it up by doing good in his second term. We expect no less.
I know men aren’t all that bad. My own dad is the most faithful guy, ever. But, c’mon admit it…. a very attractive girl hitting on you, and very much willing ? I know that even if you have someone you like, and even committed to her, if you think there’s an opportunity such as this, you’ll take it. I mean, I’m not saying YOU…. I’m speaking generally. * sweat*
Posted by Tatsat on November 15, 2012 at 5:04 am
Haha… I know you don’t mean ME, me but in general 🙂
Well… It is difficult to paint the whole picture with the same brush you know. Lot of people are like that, no doubt. And it is not only guys who are like that, even girls… So, more than gender, it is about the person- how he or she handles stuff.
Like they say girls are bad at mathematics but I have come across some supremely talented girls who beat me hands down. So the point is, however irresistible it seems, we should approach people with open mind 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on November 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Well, yes, women are also like that….. but I can say 1 is to 10. So far, I have not heard of a girl in a commited relationship who has cheated, at least those that I know of….. it’s always the guys who have been douchebags in the relationship. I even saw my friend’s BF in the mall with another girl… ah don’t say it didn’t mean anything, but if they were both holding hands, and being lovey dovey….. I didn’t tell my friend. Should I have? And my own guy cousin who was supposed to get married ( both he and his GF have already reserved a church for the wedding, and they actually were living together) got another girl pregnant. The GF almost lost her mind when she found out. Of course they broke up. Man, it makes me livid everytime I remember.
Posted by Tatsat on November 15, 2012 at 12:06 pm
It is sad to know about how things shaped up for your friend and your cousin. Bad things happen, no doubt. Personally I too do not know of any female friend cheating but I do know of guys going that way. So yes, statistically my gender does have a tendency to cheat.
But you are young and I would want someone from your generation to believe in good things too ! There are genuine people ( men as well as women ) and genuine relationships- however rare it may seem to be. From personal experience, I have had more breakups in the last few years than there are states on East coast 😛 But we must try our level best in the goodness that makes the world go round 🙂
Posted by Tatsat on November 15, 2012 at 12:07 pm
I think you should have told her. That might have torched your relationship with your friend maybe but what good is a relationship if it stops you from speaking the right thing ? 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on November 15, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Thinking back, you’re right. I should have told her. But I didn’t know how. She had an ex who cheated on her not too long ago, and her reaction wasn’t so pretty. She looked so vulnerable, and i didn’t have the guts.
Posted by 25pesocupnoodles on November 14, 2012 at 2:34 pm
hala inaabangan ko ang litrato mo sa iyong paskil, hmmm. at wala ata hanggang sa kahulihan. 🙂
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Meron, pero, lahat likod, ahahaha. Sa palagay ko, wala akong gana. kase na – overwhelm yata ako nung napuntahan namin the day before. Kaya parang zombie ako the next day. Tapos, pulos fountains pa yung pinakita sa amin.
Posted by countingducks on November 14, 2012 at 3:34 pm
I’m very pleased about the president as well, and I loved all your photogrphs and commentry. I always do. Your enthusiam is a delight to witness
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Thank you ! Although I do think I’m less enthusiastic here , hahah. Lost steam, methinks. The day before this trip was really over the top for me… The vatican, Coloseum, and the Forum. Then this post is all about fountains. Ha ha …
Posted by topiclessbar on November 14, 2012 at 5:55 pm
You’re killing me Ren! I miss Europe! I miss Italy!
I’m happy you didn’t go in the Pantheon, as I didn’t either. In fact, I only walked by it semi-drunk on my first night there, and then couldn’t find it again. Anyways, I felt a little guilty for not seeing it more fully, but since you didn’t either, I feel better now. : D
And you’re right about guys. Stay away from them, they’re terrible.
Posted by renxkyoko on November 14, 2012 at 9:50 pm
Ahahaha ! Misery does love company ! ! * high five*
Oh, wait ! I thought you wanted me to start dating , Oppa !
Posted by efratadenny on November 15, 2012 at 8:19 am
Again, nice post. You have a nice trip to Rome..
Posted by renxkyoko on November 15, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Thanks, efratadenny. Cheers .
Posted by sakthi5028 on November 15, 2012 at 8:25 am
Fountain of Four Rivers is beautiful!!! I love the sculptures again!!!
Posted by renxkyoko on November 15, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Yeah, it was stunning. Thanks , sakthi !
Posted by sakthi5028 on November 15, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Thank you too 🙂 So when is your next trip?
Posted by renxkyoko on November 15, 2012 at 6:47 pm
My mother is planning to go to the Philippines ( where we came from ) , then from there , go to Japan…. next summer, she promises.
Posted by sakthi5028 on November 16, 2012 at 4:13 am
Wow!!! Japan is a beautiful place… Shirakawa-go(God’s gifted Place)…You can see the below blog to find some of the beautiful places in Japan…. http://lifetoreset.wordpress.com/ …
Posted by renxkyoko on November 16, 2012 at 6:01 am
will visit there. I’ve been sucked into Japanese culture due to my manga and anime fascination. lol
Posted by sakthi5028 on November 16, 2012 at 6:36 am
🙂 So you will be enjoying in Japan because of Manga 🙂
Posted by sameerc19 on November 15, 2012 at 11:18 am
Wow. for a second i felt that I was actually in Rome..
Posted by renxkyoko on November 15, 2012 at 12:03 pm
That’s a great compliment ! I’m happy. Thanks and cheers !
Posted by 35andupcynicismonhold on November 17, 2012 at 9:04 am
hello, Rhenx… Congrats on Obama winning. And best wishes that he does better. His reelection’s a tough act to follow. He’s treading on thin ropes, what with the likes of you expecting a lot, hahaha. Good luck to America, I hope it makes a good turn around… ^^
ahaha, kakatuwa ka pa ring magkwento. naaliw ako sa quip mo about the fountain in your home – bird bath lang… hala, may na-overdose sa scenery ng fountains pero baka kasi ito ang touristy part of the trip, hey? teka, doesn’t that give you an idea that Europeans in the olden times, mahilig sa baths? 😉
gusto ko ang manga series sa unahan ng kwento… happy weekend! 😉
Posted by The Hook on November 17, 2012 at 1:32 pm
You now have the most unique travel blog on WordPress! Good for you!
Posted by Cafe on November 17, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Haha, love the cartoons =P
It was great news to hear about Obama’s win, although sad that still so many voted for Romney.
Great photos! I can see how it could get tiring by the 10th fountain though 🙂 I’m not a fan of walking around and checking out touristy sites too much, I think if I went to Rome I would just want to sit at a cafe and drink coffee all day, hehe =P
Posted by renxkyoko on November 25, 2012 at 6:05 am
That’s one thing I want… just sit down and people watch, drinking an espresso or a cappuccino, and eating some croissant or some italian pastry. But we didn’t have that luxurt… heck, how many times did we go without lunch? We were always told to eat heavy breakfast. That’s hectic it was.
Posted by Cool Berman on November 21, 2012 at 1:43 am
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing! 😀
Posted by renxkyoko on November 25, 2012 at 6:06 am
Thanks, Cool Berman.
Posted by StetotheJ on November 24, 2012 at 5:04 pm
I have just nominated you for not one but two awards, if you go in for that sort of thing. Congratulations. http://bookmust.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/the-tale-of-the-leibster-and-the-gargie/
Posted by ohyesshesabitchbutnotyours on November 27, 2012 at 3:47 pm
I loved to look at those photos! Seems you girls had a good time in Rome ❤ Followed!
xoxo,
Mari
http://ohyesshesabitchbutnotyours.com/
Posted by renxkyoko on November 28, 2012 at 3:24 am
Thanks you. I’m glad that you liked them.
Cheers to you !
Posted by Karollyn's World on November 28, 2012 at 11:22 am
❤ ROME! Did u go to Napoli as well? It's also quite amazing!
Posted by Wendell A. Brown on December 6, 2012 at 5:44 pm
its very nice to see you share more, your posts are very illuminating as your smile is reflected through everything you share from your heart! You illuminate the blog world always, great post Ren!