Mark & The Norwegians

Well, it certainly has been a long time since I’ve blogged. No excuses, but I have been busy . . . at least my kids have blogged some since my last. Actually I quite enjoy reading their blogs—it gives me a slightly different view of what’s going on in their lives. What people write down can be very revealing. I keep on reminding myself how blessed we’ve been witht the kids we have. Each is a joy to be around. Not sure what we did to deserve it, but . . . I’m not going to complain.

Am drafting this entry from one of the more boring meetings I’ve been in. Am in the south of Rome at a conference with many nations represented—fortunately in English. I am staying at a hotel in downtown Rome near the central train station, kind of close to the Trevi Fountain. I took the metro to the end of the line at Laurentina, then got on an Italian military bus for movement to the conference site several kilometers away—as a result, am somewhat of a hostage to the meeting. And, no diet cokes to boot.

Rome is very vibrant into the evening, which is to say that there is much traffic and activity throughout the night. Crowded, dirty, noisy, etc. The hotel is conveniently located near the train station. This is important as the train goes from the airport to the main train station (about 35 minutes), thus saving the need for a rental car (for which there is no parking anyway in downtown Rome). Very international populace—heavy on Africans and Middle-Easterners. Rome is known for its street crime, but fortunately so far I haven’t been a victim—but I am wary.

Much less facility in English than I would’ve thought in little shops or restaurants that I go into. But, when you have the Euros and can at least point and hold up how many fingers for quantities, you eventually come out with what you wanted.

The hotel itself is supposed to be a 4-star facility, and at 234 Euro a night, it should be decent, but so far I am under-whelmed by the quality. Kind of rundown, etc., but hey it’s a bed, and it’s in the center of Rome, so guess it could be worse.

It is amazing how you can sit in a meeting for hours and watch absolutely nothing getting done. No one in these international settings actually wants to commit or promise anything. Information gets presented, decisions that need to be made are articulated, but no one actually ever makes a decision. I am beginning to think that these conferences are just excuses for everyone to travel.

Weather here is in the mid-80’s and generally sunny today. A bit sticky and humid, but not too bad so far.