Today we visited the Imperial Roman Forum, Colosseum, and all around the Vatican City. If I thought I was overwhelmed yesterday, today I was absolutely struck dumb by the sheer human effort and skill needed to construct such amazing feats of architecture.
We went to the Colosseum and Forum earlier in the day before the heat set in. We took so many pictures, lots of good ones. It only took eight years to build the Colosseum, which I didn't know. The whole time we were wondering just how amazing it would have looked in its prime, especially when the slaves stretched a waxy canvas across it and turned it into a giant pool! At the Forum, my favourite space was the house of the Vestal Virgins. The sculpture of all the holiest women in the house's garden was especially beautiful.
We started off at the Vatican Museum with our charming old man tour guide in a radio at our ear. I was excited to find the bust of Antinous, Emperor Hadrian's longtime boyfriend, that I'd read about for a school project so long ago. We saw the Vatican's collection of marble statues, giant pink granite Egyptian baths, and huge maps. We also went into the Sistine Chapel which was another "slapped in the face by history" moment. It was so jam packed full of people and we saw some guys getting dragged out for taking photos. I actually can't put my feelings into words about the scale and impact of the ceiling. I am so happy that I've seen it in real life.
When I stepped into St Peter's Basilica, my jaw just dropped. I'm not religious (as everyone knows) but I was struck with awe. As the tour guide said, today we build structures just as high and wide, but with the aid of computers and modern machines. But Michelangelo planned the whole Basilica just with a pencil and paper. And it's so ornate and beautiful, with mosaics so fine that they look like oil paintings.
Tonight we're going to a five course dinner (!!!!) and Roman folklore show, then out to drinks for my roommate's birthday. Shaping up to be a good one.
Update from this morning:
Dinner was beautiful, we were so full by the end. Bruschetta, antipasti, lasagne & pasta, meat, and some form of sugary treat afterwards. Then we went to a club where the drinks were free for two hours. Needless to say, feeling a bit fragile this morning.
Today it's off to Pompeii and Sorrento on the bus!
Showing posts with label rome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rome. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Day one
The rest of today was amazing. In the morning I thought I had to check out of my room, but turns out I didn't have to. So I went straight back to my room, put my stuff back where it was, and then headed out to explore.
I ended up finding Castel Sant'Angelo in record time. The heat was pretty intense at about 30 degrees, so I stopped for a seat in the shade of the gardens that surround it. They're lowered as if it's a moat surrounding the castle. I had a sudden realisation that I was sitting in the place that I'd read about as a kid and done some extensive extra-curricular Wikipedia research about. It was a really strange and significant feeling, like being surrounded by history, and thinking about what might have happened there thousands of years ago. I've been having this feeling all the time here!
So after I'd finished being overwhelmed, I realised I hadn't eaten breakfast so I had a panini and an icy drink on the banks of the Tiber. I went for a walk around the Castel, but didn't go inside because the queue was too long. I basically went for a huge walk all around the ancient bridges and statues, along the Tiber and through winding cobblestoned alleyways, but didn't commit to visiting anything in particular except for the Castel Sant'Angelo.
Then I decided I would make my way to the Vatican City to have a look around the outside before the guided tour that's on for tomorrow. The scale of the place is difficult to express. I just sat and stared at everything for some time. I can't help but think, if I'm this impressed by the outside, how am I going to feel tomorrow? I sent some postcards and had a look at some of the market stalls, and then decided to go home just as the heat was at its worst. I got a bit lost on the way back but I didn't mind it. Got there in the end.
I met everyone for the Contiki tour at 4pm after I got back. Everyone is really nice! We got all our forms together and fixed up all the little housekeeping details of the tour, then we did a walking tour at 7pm.
First we went to see the Spanish Steps, which are only 10 minutes walk from the hotel. A couple of the boys were told to drink from the fountain in front for some reason, and they did so, but I wouldn't have done it! It was so beautiful but very crowded, we got some good photos. Then we went to the Trevi Fountain which blew my mind, I kept thinking about La Dolce Vita by Fellini. I threw some coins into the fountain! I wish I could be more concise about it, but I'm pretty tired at the moment. I had the best time.
Next we went to see the Pantheon which I loved the most. Another moment where history slapped me in the face. I couldn't stop staring at it. The second best part about the walking tour (apart from the attractions) was that it gave everyone on the tour a chane to mingle and get to know each other outside of the hotel.
Lastly we went to Piazza Navona which was the perfect place to get dinner. A big group of us went to a lovely little restaurant which cleared and set up their upstairs section for us, and we had the best meal of bruschetta, salads and spaghetti, pizza and lasagne. So delicious, especially after walking all around the city.
After dinner, we went to get gelato and walk back to the hotel. I had dulce de leche and tiramisu gelato! The best I've ever had.
And now I'm going to bed. My roommate and I are watching Jersey Shore. Tomorrow I'm seeing the Colosseum and Imperial Forum. Then it's off to the Vatican City to see the Vatican Museums, St Peter's Basilica and Sistine Chapel!
I ended up finding Castel Sant'Angelo in record time. The heat was pretty intense at about 30 degrees, so I stopped for a seat in the shade of the gardens that surround it. They're lowered as if it's a moat surrounding the castle. I had a sudden realisation that I was sitting in the place that I'd read about as a kid and done some extensive extra-curricular Wikipedia research about. It was a really strange and significant feeling, like being surrounded by history, and thinking about what might have happened there thousands of years ago. I've been having this feeling all the time here!
So after I'd finished being overwhelmed, I realised I hadn't eaten breakfast so I had a panini and an icy drink on the banks of the Tiber. I went for a walk around the Castel, but didn't go inside because the queue was too long. I basically went for a huge walk all around the ancient bridges and statues, along the Tiber and through winding cobblestoned alleyways, but didn't commit to visiting anything in particular except for the Castel Sant'Angelo.
Then I decided I would make my way to the Vatican City to have a look around the outside before the guided tour that's on for tomorrow. The scale of the place is difficult to express. I just sat and stared at everything for some time. I can't help but think, if I'm this impressed by the outside, how am I going to feel tomorrow? I sent some postcards and had a look at some of the market stalls, and then decided to go home just as the heat was at its worst. I got a bit lost on the way back but I didn't mind it. Got there in the end.
I met everyone for the Contiki tour at 4pm after I got back. Everyone is really nice! We got all our forms together and fixed up all the little housekeeping details of the tour, then we did a walking tour at 7pm.
First we went to see the Spanish Steps, which are only 10 minutes walk from the hotel. A couple of the boys were told to drink from the fountain in front for some reason, and they did so, but I wouldn't have done it! It was so beautiful but very crowded, we got some good photos. Then we went to the Trevi Fountain which blew my mind, I kept thinking about La Dolce Vita by Fellini. I threw some coins into the fountain! I wish I could be more concise about it, but I'm pretty tired at the moment. I had the best time.
Next we went to see the Pantheon which I loved the most. Another moment where history slapped me in the face. I couldn't stop staring at it. The second best part about the walking tour (apart from the attractions) was that it gave everyone on the tour a chane to mingle and get to know each other outside of the hotel.
Lastly we went to Piazza Navona which was the perfect place to get dinner. A big group of us went to a lovely little restaurant which cleared and set up their upstairs section for us, and we had the best meal of bruschetta, salads and spaghetti, pizza and lasagne. So delicious, especially after walking all around the city.
After dinner, we went to get gelato and walk back to the hotel. I had dulce de leche and tiramisu gelato! The best I've ever had.
And now I'm going to bed. My roommate and I are watching Jersey Shore. Tomorrow I'm seeing the Colosseum and Imperial Forum. Then it's off to the Vatican City to see the Vatican Museums, St Peter's Basilica and Sistine Chapel!
Buon giorno!
Hello everyone! This blog will chronicle my (admittedly short) one month odyssey through Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Spain. I named it Ciao Melbourne because I live in Melbourne and "ciao" means both hello and goodbye in Italian (at least I think it does, my Italian is really not that great and has been tested to its limits already). Plus if I name it something ambiguous I can keep it and use it again for future travels! Hopefully.
Firstly I have to apologise for any spelling errors because I'm typing on an iPhone and despite having owned it almost a year I'm still not good at the whole lack of a tactile response thing.
So I got on a 15 hour flight to Doha, Qatar on Monday, then a 6 hour flight from Doha to Rome, Italy on Tuesday morning. I have to say, Qatar Airways has some awesome meals. For dinner, I had spicy fish cakes with sambal sauce, turmeric rice and sauteed broccoli. Then breakfast was vegetable frittata with a croissant, yoghurt and lots of fruit. The good food definitely made up for the screaming children. I think I spent most of my time on the planes sleeping. My advice is, if you want to sleep on a plane, don't listen to the Spirited Away soundtrack on your mp3 player. I thought it would be a relaxing choice but there were way more cymbal crashes than I remembered.
The view into Doha from the plane was amazing. It seemed like thousands of low, flat Middle Eastern style buildings, stark white against the beige sand and rocks. And then a massive, sprawling city skyline off into the distance, coveted by what looked like a dust storm, fog, or maybe pollution. As we landed, we were told it was Ramadan and not to eat or drink in public. Luckily there was a little cafe in the airport cordoned off for non-Muslims, but I don't doubt that some of the employees would have been fasting. I got a bottle of water and had a mildly embarrassing currency moment where I thought the register lady said it cost 60 instead of 6 Qatari riyals. Anyway, it seemed like minutes passed and then I was on a plane again, and that was my first and (as yet) only Middle Eastern experience. Definitely somewhere I want to go in the future. It was 40 degrees Celsius at 8:30 in the morning!
Now I'm in Rome, about to check out of my current hotel room and into another one to start the Contiki tour. I got here at about 3pm yesterday, checked in, put my stuff down in the room, and went outside to wander the streets to get a feel of the place. Then my back started hurting because of my awkward seating position on the plane and I came back for a nap with the intention of going back out for more discovery. My nap turned into a 9 hour sleepathon and I woke up in the middle if the night, alert and ready to look at more stuff, still fully dressed. Then I had the idea (actually Melpo's idea!) to start a blog and here I am, almost 10 in the morning, nerdily excited about everything I see out the window.
I thought I would do an introductory post, and there it is. Next time I update, I might have done some incredibly touristy things. Today I'm going to walk to the Vatican and have a look in there, look at the Castel Sant'Angelo and lots of beautiful bridges, take some pictures. The tour officially starts at 4pm. Exciting!
Firstly I have to apologise for any spelling errors because I'm typing on an iPhone and despite having owned it almost a year I'm still not good at the whole lack of a tactile response thing.
So I got on a 15 hour flight to Doha, Qatar on Monday, then a 6 hour flight from Doha to Rome, Italy on Tuesday morning. I have to say, Qatar Airways has some awesome meals. For dinner, I had spicy fish cakes with sambal sauce, turmeric rice and sauteed broccoli. Then breakfast was vegetable frittata with a croissant, yoghurt and lots of fruit. The good food definitely made up for the screaming children. I think I spent most of my time on the planes sleeping. My advice is, if you want to sleep on a plane, don't listen to the Spirited Away soundtrack on your mp3 player. I thought it would be a relaxing choice but there were way more cymbal crashes than I remembered.
The view into Doha from the plane was amazing. It seemed like thousands of low, flat Middle Eastern style buildings, stark white against the beige sand and rocks. And then a massive, sprawling city skyline off into the distance, coveted by what looked like a dust storm, fog, or maybe pollution. As we landed, we were told it was Ramadan and not to eat or drink in public. Luckily there was a little cafe in the airport cordoned off for non-Muslims, but I don't doubt that some of the employees would have been fasting. I got a bottle of water and had a mildly embarrassing currency moment where I thought the register lady said it cost 60 instead of 6 Qatari riyals. Anyway, it seemed like minutes passed and then I was on a plane again, and that was my first and (as yet) only Middle Eastern experience. Definitely somewhere I want to go in the future. It was 40 degrees Celsius at 8:30 in the morning!
Now I'm in Rome, about to check out of my current hotel room and into another one to start the Contiki tour. I got here at about 3pm yesterday, checked in, put my stuff down in the room, and went outside to wander the streets to get a feel of the place. Then my back started hurting because of my awkward seating position on the plane and I came back for a nap with the intention of going back out for more discovery. My nap turned into a 9 hour sleepathon and I woke up in the middle if the night, alert and ready to look at more stuff, still fully dressed. Then I had the idea (actually Melpo's idea!) to start a blog and here I am, almost 10 in the morning, nerdily excited about everything I see out the window.
I thought I would do an introductory post, and there it is. Next time I update, I might have done some incredibly touristy things. Today I'm going to walk to the Vatican and have a look in there, look at the Castel Sant'Angelo and lots of beautiful bridges, take some pictures. The tour officially starts at 4pm. Exciting!
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