This photo is one of those absolutely unnecessary Rome-shots. You find them all over internet.
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| I have to say it, again: 'notice the clouds? This is Sigma's foveon/Merrill sensor speaking. |
Forget
about the cathedral in the back. This photo is about the lost bicycle
lane, the one you can't see, because it is about 3 feet below the
Tevere, to the left, in the shade, where the seagulls enjoy their bath. You can also
see some
wrecked structures. Here you can see what I am talking about.
The water of the stream probably is much lower during the year, compared to the height it reached during our stay. I guess so, because water was spilling over the bicycle lane in the bank when we were riding our bikes on the bank, heading to the Vatican on a Monday morning. It felt wrong to be in this place, but we wanted to make a good use of one of the rare bicyle lanes in Rome, happy to escape the perforated roads. Some sections of the bicycle lane were covered with mud. Solid mud. Hardened, half a feet high, hard like stone. I started to shake my head. I did not recall a sign at the beginning of the bicycle lane that would have said "closed due to flood" or similar. The bank was open to public.
The water of the stream probably is much lower during the year, compared to the height it reached during our stay. I guess so, because water was spilling over the bicycle lane in the bank when we were riding our bikes on the bank, heading to the Vatican on a Monday morning. It felt wrong to be in this place, but we wanted to make a good use of one of the rare bicyle lanes in Rome, happy to escape the perforated roads. Some sections of the bicycle lane were covered with mud. Solid mud. Hardened, half a feet high, hard like stone. I started to shake my head. I did not recall a sign at the beginning of the bicycle lane that would have said "closed due to flood" or similar. The bank was open to public.
At the same I found it very brave, that we were using the bicycle lane, not letting the harsh environment hinder us. Riding a bike 365/365 in Vienna helps in Rome.
While watching the water swapping over the lane, how it was eating away our path, I started to wonder, if the water could possibly get any closer. Everytime the lane made a turn around one of those pillars underneath a bridge, the ride became even more unpleasant, because that's where the lane shifted down towards the stream. As a consequence the water was only 1-2feet away and when I say water, I mean this huge, massive stream. And there were many bridges on our way. It felt wrong to be there. It did not take long until I found out that it did not just feel wrong, it was wrong to be there. The bicylce lane lead straight into the river. I did not believe my eyes. It seemed like a bad joke, only that it was actually real and we were there. No sign, nothing to warn anyone. I shrieked. "This is insane!" "This is CRAZY!" "This can't be?!!"Well, I assure you: it can be. It is. And it feels insane.
While watching the water swapping over the lane, how it was eating away our path, I started to wonder, if the water could possibly get any closer. Everytime the lane made a turn around one of those pillars underneath a bridge, the ride became even more unpleasant, because that's where the lane shifted down towards the stream. As a consequence the water was only 1-2feet away and when I say water, I mean this huge, massive stream. And there were many bridges on our way. It felt wrong to be there. It did not take long until I found out that it did not just feel wrong, it was wrong to be there. The bicylce lane lead straight into the river. I did not believe my eyes. It seemed like a bad joke, only that it was actually real and we were there. No sign, nothing to warn anyone. I shrieked. "This is insane!" "This is CRAZY!" "This can't be?!!"Well, I assure you: it can be. It is. And it feels insane.
If anyone ever says "Tokyo is sooooh crazy", I will tell you "No. Tokyo is law and order and never crazy. Go to Rome and you will know what is crazy, especially when you ride a bike."And you must believe me, the banks of the Tevere are NOTHING compared to the via Nazionale or Piazza Venezia. So there we are, Mr Paula and I, on the bank of the Tevere, in front of us only water, while I am busy losing my composure and having the best time ever at the same time.
Welcome to Rome!
I hope you understand, that I was not in the mood for taking pictures, down there. In
case you wonder: No, I never went back. The next days I only glanced
down, standing at least 8 metres above the crazy bank. I watched those
brave people down at the banks of the Tevere and having successfully
reestablished my composure, I was able to take photos, like it should
be.
I found all this plastic in the teetrops to be annoying. How can a
city live with trees like this? Don't they care at all? What about some
respect? I condemned them until I found out about
the severe flood, that had hit Rome a few weeks earlier and that the
recent state of the banks was actually more than decent, when you take
in consideration the impact the flood had on the city of Rome. The
background information does not make the plastic
more pleasant but at least understandable. This
'decoration' in the treetops is at least not a standard in Rome.
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Morning light at the Tevere, also known as Tiber.
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Down there, a few metres ahead, where the lane ended or – in other words – continued under water, I did enjoy the craziness of the moment. Retrospectively I would say, I experienced a 9/10 Larry David-Moment. It seems, that my Larry David-Moments get quite intense (intense - isn't that what Larry David-Moments are all about?) when water is involved.
More Rome to come. I feel like going into details next time, picture wise speaking. We might even touch the ground. Something to look forward to!
Paula
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