138 Peaceful Spanish Steps Regarding France In Italy.

Hello my Internet Friends,
This is mostly about friendly stairs.

"34andahalf!" Big Gunnar announced.

Big Gunnar announcing 34 and a half.

"I do not think you can claim half a step?" I said to him. "Shows how little you know." He answered, and then: "All is allowed in war and peace, even if it should not be in war, but this is all regarding peace, so you are of course wrong. 35andahalf!" I sort of agreed with him, and I knew he would continue explaining nevertheless. "Ciao Signore! Questo sicuramente è un buon esercizio?" Big Gunnar said to the young man who passed him. The young man of course understood nothing since he was an American, but when this was sorted out he totally agreed that it was good exercise.

Big Gunnar: 35 and a half.

(I realized that probably all the steps from now on would be claimed at each half step, and was looking forward to how he would do the last one.)

"You know" Big Gunnar said to me. "These steps were to honor the peace treaty between France and Spain. They made 138 steps between the church Trinità dei Monti, under french influence by the Bourbons on the top, and down to the Spanish embassy, or rather to the Holy See by the Palazzo Monaldeschi below."
"I race you to the top old man!" and " I am at least half way there!" He said to me.

Big Gunnar being at least half way to the top.

Big Gunnar is among much else built for speed, at least when it comes to stairs according to himself, so he of course won, and then waited majestically for me at the top, almost without pointing out the fact that he had won so easy.

Big Gunnar majestically at the top of the Spanish Steps.

"It is important to have the correct pose when standing at places of great importance." It is one of Big Gunnars rules of guidance. "How many steps was there?" I asked him. "I stopped counting when you where so far behind you could no longer hear me." He answered. "Anyway, look at that view. Now we should head down again and go have an Italian siesta and rest our feet at the apartment." But before we came down he suddenly stopped again and said: Look at this! How great is this? And everybody just steps on it, it is probably just the water drainage, but it is a work of art."

Big Gunnar finding works of art.

 "You should always look down when visiting Rome." He then sort of pronounced.

We decided after having looked both high and low for a while to go down again, and see the Steps from below, before we went back to the veranda at the apartment to rest our feet a while.

The look from below.

What can one say, sometimes a picture says it all. A somehow strange but beautiful tribute to peace.

Walk the steps wherever you find them, and for as long as you have the possibility, they do not need to be a gift from Spain to France or vice versa in Italy to have a meaning. They can just be good exercise.

Best of today to you all, and have a really nice weekend wherever you are!
F.W.G