On my afternoon jaunt today, I happened to take a left at an intersection where I normally go straight, and it led me to a place that I've probably passed over a hundred times and never really noticed. I know, I know, I've been encouraging observation and drinking in the moment. It's a good speech, but in practice a distance of only a few meters can make a difference. The thing that I discovered, that's been hiding in plain sight since 1898 is the Neptune Fountain in front of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.
When I saw this fountain, I was immediately struck by how similar it looked compared to the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy. The size and scope of the Neptune Fountain is far less extensive than the Trevi Fountain, but the overall layout and symbolism seemed to fit. I was fortunate enough to see the Trevi Fountain on two separate occasions when work travel took me to Italy. It turns out that the sculptor who built the Neptune Fountain had studied in Europe and readily proclaimed that he had modeled the fountain in part on it's counterpart, the Trevi.
I immediately did a quick pat down of my pocket for coins because the legend associated with the Trevi Fountain holds that a coin tossed over the left shoulder with the right hand of a person facing away from the fountain will ensure a return trip to Rome. There are other legends about two and three coins, but without one you can't even get started. Sadly, I was not able to make a coin materialize in spite of my best efforts, and I left with no promise of return.
 |
| King Neptune, Centerpiece of the Neptune Fountain |
When I saw this fountain, I was immediately struck by how similar it looked compared to the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy. The size and scope of the Neptune Fountain is far less extensive than the Trevi Fountain, but the overall layout and symbolism seemed to fit. I was fortunate enough to see the Trevi Fountain on two separate occasions when work travel took me to Italy. It turns out that the sculptor who built the Neptune Fountain had studied in Europe and readily proclaimed that he had modeled the fountain in part on it's counterpart, the Trevi.
 |
| Neptune, a Triton, and two Nereids (sea nymphs) riding horses |
I immediately did a quick pat down of my pocket for coins because the legend associated with the Trevi Fountain holds that a coin tossed over the left shoulder with the right hand of a person facing away from the fountain will ensure a return trip to Rome. There are other legends about two and three coins, but without one you can't even get started. Sadly, I was not able to make a coin materialize in spite of my best efforts, and I left with no promise of return.
I guess the moral of the story is that one should not be caught without a cent to their name because one never knows when a chance at a very small investment might change the course of your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment