It's time to go! For all that I have had an absolute blast... I definitely feel ready to come back home. So, this morning I got up, did the final touchups on my stuff for packing, and checked out of my hostel. From there I took the short walk to the bus stop outside the main train station, where a bus goes directly to the airport.
The bus ride was fine. It actually had 1 stop at some other part of the city where it picked up a few more peeps. But, then we returned to the road en route to the airport. Having been my first experience driving in italy...driving in italy sucks. I feel like all cars, bikes, and people are all always trying to see how close they can cut traffic laws. So cars don't want to stop and people assume they will and bikes just figure they can squeeze anywhere since they're so small. Its a bit terrifying. But, we made it to the airport in about an hour total, and there were no incidents nor accidents on the way.
The airport was simple enough. I got there before the desk for checking in opened, but a short wait was all it took to solve that problem. Check in went smoothly enough, as did security. But, it wasn't until through security that the fact that I only had 1 boarding pass registered as a potential problem. This caused a moment of panic as I didnt want to now leave security. Luckily, I found an information desk and they said that I would get my next pass in Dublin and it was supposed to be this way. Crisis averted! So, a few hours later the plane boarded...and I slept for most of the flight so my details are...lacking.
I landed in Dublin a few minutes early, which is always nice. It was good to pay attention here though as all the airport employees were pretty thoroughly funneling people through emigration. But, I did not want to go that way. So, just before the lines I was able to veer off to where there was a transfer desk. There I was given my new boarding pass and a US customs form. I then passed through a lengthy series of security checks for the US. I thought that this was really annoying because the US was now checking everyone twice. Anyway, I got through with close to perfect timing. I never rushed but before long I was at my gate and they were getting ready to board their first passengers. On I got, and off we went.
This flight I stayed awake. I watched a few movies: Due Date, Wall street: Money Never Sleeps, Wall-E, and the first few minutes of Megamind. Due Date was funny, in that stupid humor sort of way. In a sense it was similar to Planes, Trains and Automobiles... but less.. classic. I really enjoyed Wall Street. I'm not quite sure what about it I liked so much... but I did none the less. Then I saw Wall-E, which I had before and I'd forgotten just how cute it was. As for the first few minutes of Megamind... I saw it on an earlier flight and had just a few minutes left to kill. Great movie though.
We landed in JFK, again a bit early. I was thinking it would be fine... but annoying as I knew my dad might not be there for a while. But, then it turns out that I had picked up my bag and was headed outside. Apparently I did all the customs in Dublin as a replacement to doing it in the states. That I think is sorta cool. So, I gave my dad a call and he was just pulling up out of sheer luck! Sometimes its better to be lucky than good!
It was great to see Mr. Dad! And we made it home without getting lost, despite our fairly constant chatter; something that usually causes us mistakes... Anyway, mom was at bell choir, so we cooked up some food and just as we started to eat in came mother. Much like with Mr. Dad... it was terrific to see mom again too. Now, I have of course omitted the cats here. Please... saying I was happy to see them would be an understatement...
So, we then spent a few hours chatting and telling small stories, both of travels, life and the going ons at home, such as the play. I made a few calls and emails to update various people that I was back home, and called it a night.
For all that traveling is and was a blast, I had a great time and learned a lot; There's no place like home!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sweet Sistine
My last day in Rome had 1 thing on its todo list... visit the Vatican Museum. So, after breakfast I headed out from the hostel to walk, once more to the Vatican. I will say... I think I usually have a pretty good sense of direction... but Rome sucks for navigating. While the walk there went... ok... the walk back was an absolute disaster! But, in the end it all worked out and I am now done being bitter...
Anyway, I arrived at the Vatican, and headed around its outer wall to the northernmost part. This is where the entrance to the museum is, so I did not quite make it that far. Instead I joined the very...very long line for admission. Rumor has it you can book a ticket online for a specific time, and the skip the queue. I was not on the ball with this so cannot confirm, but I recommend checking if you plan to go. It is a very long line. But, luckily for me, I had nothing else planned for the day.
I did not time the wait, but I know it was more than an hour, though I suspect it was less then two. Regardless, I made it to the entrance without issue and proceeded through security. It was then a bit of a maze to find the ticket office, and the entrance to the actual exhibits. But, again... I found my way their without too much trouble.
Before discussing what I saw I will give some overall views. First... the museum has enough sculptures to decorate a moderately sized country. As for the building itself, much like the Louvre, it could belong in a museum itself. While the exhibits were all beautiful, some of my favorite things to do were watch the ceilings and the floors. The ceilings in just about every room were decorated by a series of planners of individual paintings. Meanwhile, the floor in room after room was an intricate mosaic. Really, the building was pretty cool.
However... you need to make sure you have LOTS of energy when you visit, as the entire time in the museum is spent either fighting through crowds to see an exhibit, or hosteling with the crowd as you try to push into the next room. The entire thing (barring a few side rooms) is just a solid flow of people all pushing towards the Sistine Chapel. I think I would have liked to have known just how crowded it was beforehand, as it defiantly was frustrating to deal with and not be aware of.
So yeah... beautiful, but really crowded. So, my first stop was a loop around a courtyard that is in the center(?) of the museum. This courtyard seemed mostly dedicated to where tour guides could talk about the Sistine Chapel before dealing with the crowds and noise inside. So, as I walked around the courtyard there were very few things to see. In the front and center there was a small fountain with a few nice statues around it. My favorites were, of course, the egyptian carved cats. In the center there was a large booze spinning glide-like thing. But, I have no idea what it was about. Around the sides of the courtyard (where all the tour groups were) were a series of pictures on a stand. The pictures were of various different parts of the Sistine Chapel, and the groups were discussing them. I stopped...and listened to different groups for a while, and then moved on inside.
The first exhibit was Ancient Greece and Rome. This was predominantly sculptures of people. The first room was really a hallway that was mostly the sculptures of heads... in a way that was a bit creepy... but if you don't think about that it was pretty fantastic. At the end of the hallway I turned into the next room that had more... completed structures. That said, the next room was I think my favorite room. The room itself had a light blue and white theme in terms of color, and the floor had multiple sections of large white and black mosaics. I thought the room was absolutely amazing. I also noticed in the various greek and roman rooms that snakes continued to appear in the carvings. What the significance of the snake is/was I do not know, but thought it was interesting.
Greek and roman works continued for a few rooms following. Much of this was more sculptures, but the other prominent type of object was baths. There were a lot of tubs. And they were really big... and really fancy. But, for the most part this section continued to be filled with ornately carved pieces of stone.
Next, I went into the Egyptian exhibit. In contrast to the Greeks and the romans, most of the egyptian sculptures were of animals; not people. I will admit, I was a fan of these... and yes... that is very much because of the placement held by cats in Egyptian culture. I do so love cats and I believe the Egyptians did a good job portraying rose feelings. Second to the cats are the scarabs, which I have always thought were cool. I also liked how so many of the egyptian carvings are made of black stone, which I think is very elegant to say the least.
The next gallery was on Etrusian Italic Antiques... I think... but in short, and simpler terms... vases. A lot of vases. And, if you are like me and have always stereotyped ancient greek vases to be black painted clay with pictures in light brown or tan...this was the section for you. There were simply case after case of vases, of more shapes then I ever knew they could come it. It reminded me of the disney movie 'Hercules', where so many of the songs are told by a story on pots... just like these.
The few galleries were all of paintings. The first of these was geographical. This was, in my opinion, the most impressive of the galleries. It was helped by the exceedingly long and straight room, with an ornately carved and painted ceiling... but the room itself was just filled with giant, painted, canvases of maps. Since I like maps... this was cool. The next gallery (galleries) was a progression of art through the ages. This might have been more interesting had I known more about art history... but I don't. I could and did still appreciate their impressive size and intricate work, but that was all I could do. The last gallery was on contemporary art. I don't like contemporary art at all. I didn't before... I still don't. Luckily, I passed through here quickly.
And from there entered into the Sistine Chapel. This is a very impressive room, despite being a bit dark and ridiculously overcrowded. The ceiling and wall...so beautiful. I rarely get more out of a painting than, "this is nice", but this did. For one of the few times in my life I could actually see what was being depicted without that depiction being the actual scene. In this case I could see what sections represented earth, heaven and hell. Aside from the sheer size and wonder at how you paint a ceiling and wall like this, the work all seems flawless to the dot. Its just stunning, and well worth all the hustle, bustle and jostling it took to get there.
And so, the Chapel concluded my time at the, museum. The rest of my day consisted of a bit of a disaster of a walk back (in terms of efficient directions). But, on the way I did pick up a few little trinkets I'd been meaning to. Then, I got back to the hostel and had dinner. Post dinner, I checked up on times and costs for the bus to the airport, and worked on packing up my stuff. That, in fact, I am going to go finish right now, before heading to bed.
Anyway, I arrived at the Vatican, and headed around its outer wall to the northernmost part. This is where the entrance to the museum is, so I did not quite make it that far. Instead I joined the very...very long line for admission. Rumor has it you can book a ticket online for a specific time, and the skip the queue. I was not on the ball with this so cannot confirm, but I recommend checking if you plan to go. It is a very long line. But, luckily for me, I had nothing else planned for the day.
I did not time the wait, but I know it was more than an hour, though I suspect it was less then two. Regardless, I made it to the entrance without issue and proceeded through security. It was then a bit of a maze to find the ticket office, and the entrance to the actual exhibits. But, again... I found my way their without too much trouble.
Before discussing what I saw I will give some overall views. First... the museum has enough sculptures to decorate a moderately sized country. As for the building itself, much like the Louvre, it could belong in a museum itself. While the exhibits were all beautiful, some of my favorite things to do were watch the ceilings and the floors. The ceilings in just about every room were decorated by a series of planners of individual paintings. Meanwhile, the floor in room after room was an intricate mosaic. Really, the building was pretty cool.
However... you need to make sure you have LOTS of energy when you visit, as the entire time in the museum is spent either fighting through crowds to see an exhibit, or hosteling with the crowd as you try to push into the next room. The entire thing (barring a few side rooms) is just a solid flow of people all pushing towards the Sistine Chapel. I think I would have liked to have known just how crowded it was beforehand, as it defiantly was frustrating to deal with and not be aware of.
So yeah... beautiful, but really crowded. So, my first stop was a loop around a courtyard that is in the center(?) of the museum. This courtyard seemed mostly dedicated to where tour guides could talk about the Sistine Chapel before dealing with the crowds and noise inside. So, as I walked around the courtyard there were very few things to see. In the front and center there was a small fountain with a few nice statues around it. My favorites were, of course, the egyptian carved cats. In the center there was a large booze spinning glide-like thing. But, I have no idea what it was about. Around the sides of the courtyard (where all the tour groups were) were a series of pictures on a stand. The pictures were of various different parts of the Sistine Chapel, and the groups were discussing them. I stopped...and listened to different groups for a while, and then moved on inside.
The first exhibit was Ancient Greece and Rome. This was predominantly sculptures of people. The first room was really a hallway that was mostly the sculptures of heads... in a way that was a bit creepy... but if you don't think about that it was pretty fantastic. At the end of the hallway I turned into the next room that had more... completed structures. That said, the next room was I think my favorite room. The room itself had a light blue and white theme in terms of color, and the floor had multiple sections of large white and black mosaics. I thought the room was absolutely amazing. I also noticed in the various greek and roman rooms that snakes continued to appear in the carvings. What the significance of the snake is/was I do not know, but thought it was interesting.
Greek and roman works continued for a few rooms following. Much of this was more sculptures, but the other prominent type of object was baths. There were a lot of tubs. And they were really big... and really fancy. But, for the most part this section continued to be filled with ornately carved pieces of stone.
Next, I went into the Egyptian exhibit. In contrast to the Greeks and the romans, most of the egyptian sculptures were of animals; not people. I will admit, I was a fan of these... and yes... that is very much because of the placement held by cats in Egyptian culture. I do so love cats and I believe the Egyptians did a good job portraying rose feelings. Second to the cats are the scarabs, which I have always thought were cool. I also liked how so many of the egyptian carvings are made of black stone, which I think is very elegant to say the least.
The next gallery was on Etrusian Italic Antiques... I think... but in short, and simpler terms... vases. A lot of vases. And, if you are like me and have always stereotyped ancient greek vases to be black painted clay with pictures in light brown or tan...this was the section for you. There were simply case after case of vases, of more shapes then I ever knew they could come it. It reminded me of the disney movie 'Hercules', where so many of the songs are told by a story on pots... just like these.
The few galleries were all of paintings. The first of these was geographical. This was, in my opinion, the most impressive of the galleries. It was helped by the exceedingly long and straight room, with an ornately carved and painted ceiling... but the room itself was just filled with giant, painted, canvases of maps. Since I like maps... this was cool. The next gallery (galleries) was a progression of art through the ages. This might have been more interesting had I known more about art history... but I don't. I could and did still appreciate their impressive size and intricate work, but that was all I could do. The last gallery was on contemporary art. I don't like contemporary art at all. I didn't before... I still don't. Luckily, I passed through here quickly.
And from there entered into the Sistine Chapel. This is a very impressive room, despite being a bit dark and ridiculously overcrowded. The ceiling and wall...so beautiful. I rarely get more out of a painting than, "this is nice", but this did. For one of the few times in my life I could actually see what was being depicted without that depiction being the actual scene. In this case I could see what sections represented earth, heaven and hell. Aside from the sheer size and wonder at how you paint a ceiling and wall like this, the work all seems flawless to the dot. Its just stunning, and well worth all the hustle, bustle and jostling it took to get there.
And so, the Chapel concluded my time at the, museum. The rest of my day consisted of a bit of a disaster of a walk back (in terms of efficient directions). But, on the way I did pick up a few little trinkets I'd been meaning to. Then, I got back to the hostel and had dinner. Post dinner, I checked up on times and costs for the bus to the airport, and worked on packing up my stuff. That, in fact, I am going to go finish right now, before heading to bed.
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Sunday, March 20, 2011
Stairway to Heaven
I wish I could claim credit for this title. Unfortunately, the idea came from Tom (I know the name is convenient but this is not me in the third person...). Anyway, I met Tom technically last night, as he was in my hostel room, but I had breakfast with him today and would say that that is where/when we met. Neither of us had particularly busy days planned, and we both wanted to see the Vatican, so we decided to travel the day together.
We knew going into the morning that the Vatican Museums were closed today. However, it was his last day, and the weather was beautiful, so we figured we should go see the square and the cathedral while the weather was shining. So, we headed out from the hostel to go west towards the Vatican. Apparently, the Rome Marathon was taking place today (which was sorta cool) and it made for some difficult navigations. First of all, we found ourselves walking straight to the Colosseum (my second time arriving there by accident). So, we corrected our ways and headed north. This took us to the Trevi Fountain, and that was perfect. Due to the Marathon, it was an absolute pain to get there. But, that meant that it was not as crowded as it usually is. Convenient, as I wanted to end up here at some point anyway.
The fountain was spectacular! As the sun shined down over the buildings behind (south), the entire fountain was bathed in light. The water ran down primarily from the massive statue in the center, through multiple layers of falls, before plunging into the blue pool below. Meanwhile, the sides of this main part were flanked by marble carve into fancy curves and valleys, so water flowed from the sides down miniature falls and flows into the pool. Meanwhile, the sculptures consisted of men and horses and fish and serpents, all seemingly interacting together. It was pretty great.
From there we continued west, and had to navigate the streets of the marathon a few more times, but, in the end we made it to the Vatican City. On the way we did briefly stop by the Castle of Saint Angelo. It was quite impressive... very round and right on a bend in the river, but we did no more than that. The Vatican however, was pretty cool. We arrived, and walks down the main strip that is flanked by sculptures and columns. We then entered the main square of the Vatican, in front of the Basilica of Saint Pietro.
So... the Vatican Square was quite nice. At the time it was packed! It was little before noon, and as the marathon ran by, Tom and I figured that this crowd would be a combination of the usual crowd and the marathon crowd. Turns out, the Pope was giving a speech at noon. So... we heard the pope give a speech! What it was about, I've no clue, as it was in Latin... but it was still cool. Also, we wouldn't have had much of a view from anywhere, as he was way up in some window-things that was really far away. But, like I said... still cool.
Meanwhile, we'd found the queue to get through security into The Basilica.I believe this square is all technically part of the basilica, along with its curved walls of columns that surround it. The line was long, but moved fairly quickly. Before too long we were through the queue and on our way to the church (not that it was very far).
The Basilica is very impressive! Apparently the second largest church in the world, though I have trouble imagining one larger. The whole thing was massively spacious. The effect caused not only by the high, vaulted ceilings, numerous massive domes, and wide hallways, but also by the distinct absence of rows of benches. There were a few, when you walked close enough to the front altar, but for the most space...it was space.
The space aside, the cathedral was absolutely beautiful. Most of the building seemed to be made from marble, be it pink or white, or a darker color. The ceiling was very ornate, and much of the trim of sorts was golden. Meanwhile the domes were either vividly painted of colorful mosaics. Every dome had a window top, and every chapel had a window up high, and between all of these the light seemed to be blasting into the cathedral. The front altar (I think) was a towering wooden structure, with 4 pillars that sort of spiraled up to the wooden roof it held. I would probably say that this is the most stunning cathedral interior I've ever seen.
From there we left to climb the 551 steps to the roof of the domed top. It was quite a climb, and I actually recalled some fun trivia facts from St. Paul's in London that explains some things. As we neared the top the path became... crooked. Tom inquired why, and I was able to explain the effect of having an inner and an putter dome on the top of the Cathedral. That said... it was really weird that the walkway became... literally... crooked... But, we emerged at the top and the view was absolutely amazing. We could see out over the entirety of Rome, and even see to what I believe are the Alps to the north, where the rose into the clouds. Made me very pleased I did not try to get views from any other buildings around the city.
After the roof we left the Vatican and made our way back into the main of Rome. by now the marathon was nearly over (at one point we saw the guy we think was the last runner), but it made city walking much easier. We made our way to the Pantheon. It was a building that looked...old... despite being intact. I felt it was a bit underwhelming to see, very pretty with cool columns and paintings inside, but also really simple and straightforward. That said, I really enjoyed the roof, left open for the sun to shine down into the center of the circular room. Apparently they never close it, and during rains it just flows out the slightly sloped floor.
After the Pantheon I did a more local thing. Taking the advice of my friend Carolyn from back home, I worked my way around to find a Bar-Cafe called Sant'Eustachio il Cafe... It's a cafe, as in serves various coffee drinks, but has a bar setup. So, lots of standing and milling and being served at a bar. I ordered a cappuccino, which was absolutely delicious, and it was a lot of fun.
From there we had about another hour to kill. So we walked to a park in the norther part of the city to just sit and rest for a bit. This took us past the Spanish Steps... which are packed and apparently a huge tourist thing... though I don't really know why. The park felt very much like a Roman version of central park or Hyde Park... or any major central park in a big city. But, as the hour ticked later... it got a bit more chilly and we headed back. We went to the train station, where Tom caught a bus to the airport, and I headed back to the hostel for dinner and to call it a day.
We knew going into the morning that the Vatican Museums were closed today. However, it was his last day, and the weather was beautiful, so we figured we should go see the square and the cathedral while the weather was shining. So, we headed out from the hostel to go west towards the Vatican. Apparently, the Rome Marathon was taking place today (which was sorta cool) and it made for some difficult navigations. First of all, we found ourselves walking straight to the Colosseum (my second time arriving there by accident). So, we corrected our ways and headed north. This took us to the Trevi Fountain, and that was perfect. Due to the Marathon, it was an absolute pain to get there. But, that meant that it was not as crowded as it usually is. Convenient, as I wanted to end up here at some point anyway.
The fountain was spectacular! As the sun shined down over the buildings behind (south), the entire fountain was bathed in light. The water ran down primarily from the massive statue in the center, through multiple layers of falls, before plunging into the blue pool below. Meanwhile, the sides of this main part were flanked by marble carve into fancy curves and valleys, so water flowed from the sides down miniature falls and flows into the pool. Meanwhile, the sculptures consisted of men and horses and fish and serpents, all seemingly interacting together. It was pretty great.
From there we continued west, and had to navigate the streets of the marathon a few more times, but, in the end we made it to the Vatican City. On the way we did briefly stop by the Castle of Saint Angelo. It was quite impressive... very round and right on a bend in the river, but we did no more than that. The Vatican however, was pretty cool. We arrived, and walks down the main strip that is flanked by sculptures and columns. We then entered the main square of the Vatican, in front of the Basilica of Saint Pietro.
So... the Vatican Square was quite nice. At the time it was packed! It was little before noon, and as the marathon ran by, Tom and I figured that this crowd would be a combination of the usual crowd and the marathon crowd. Turns out, the Pope was giving a speech at noon. So... we heard the pope give a speech! What it was about, I've no clue, as it was in Latin... but it was still cool. Also, we wouldn't have had much of a view from anywhere, as he was way up in some window-things that was really far away. But, like I said... still cool.
Meanwhile, we'd found the queue to get through security into The Basilica.I believe this square is all technically part of the basilica, along with its curved walls of columns that surround it. The line was long, but moved fairly quickly. Before too long we were through the queue and on our way to the church (not that it was very far).
The Basilica is very impressive! Apparently the second largest church in the world, though I have trouble imagining one larger. The whole thing was massively spacious. The effect caused not only by the high, vaulted ceilings, numerous massive domes, and wide hallways, but also by the distinct absence of rows of benches. There were a few, when you walked close enough to the front altar, but for the most space...it was space.
The space aside, the cathedral was absolutely beautiful. Most of the building seemed to be made from marble, be it pink or white, or a darker color. The ceiling was very ornate, and much of the trim of sorts was golden. Meanwhile the domes were either vividly painted of colorful mosaics. Every dome had a window top, and every chapel had a window up high, and between all of these the light seemed to be blasting into the cathedral. The front altar (I think) was a towering wooden structure, with 4 pillars that sort of spiraled up to the wooden roof it held. I would probably say that this is the most stunning cathedral interior I've ever seen.
From there we left to climb the 551 steps to the roof of the domed top. It was quite a climb, and I actually recalled some fun trivia facts from St. Paul's in London that explains some things. As we neared the top the path became... crooked. Tom inquired why, and I was able to explain the effect of having an inner and an putter dome on the top of the Cathedral. That said... it was really weird that the walkway became... literally... crooked... But, we emerged at the top and the view was absolutely amazing. We could see out over the entirety of Rome, and even see to what I believe are the Alps to the north, where the rose into the clouds. Made me very pleased I did not try to get views from any other buildings around the city.
After the roof we left the Vatican and made our way back into the main of Rome. by now the marathon was nearly over (at one point we saw the guy we think was the last runner), but it made city walking much easier. We made our way to the Pantheon. It was a building that looked...old... despite being intact. I felt it was a bit underwhelming to see, very pretty with cool columns and paintings inside, but also really simple and straightforward. That said, I really enjoyed the roof, left open for the sun to shine down into the center of the circular room. Apparently they never close it, and during rains it just flows out the slightly sloped floor.
After the Pantheon I did a more local thing. Taking the advice of my friend Carolyn from back home, I worked my way around to find a Bar-Cafe called Sant'Eustachio il Cafe... It's a cafe, as in serves various coffee drinks, but has a bar setup. So, lots of standing and milling and being served at a bar. I ordered a cappuccino, which was absolutely delicious, and it was a lot of fun.
From there we had about another hour to kill. So we walked to a park in the norther part of the city to just sit and rest for a bit. This took us past the Spanish Steps... which are packed and apparently a huge tourist thing... though I don't really know why. The park felt very much like a Roman version of central park or Hyde Park... or any major central park in a big city. But, as the hour ticked later... it got a bit more chilly and we headed back. We went to the train station, where Tom caught a bus to the airport, and I headed back to the hostel for dinner and to call it a day.
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Saturday, March 19, 2011
When in Rome...
I have waited 9... 9! weeks to use this title. The number of times I've been unsure of what proper procedure is in different countries... and then thought, "when in Rome..." has been huge. So, the number of times I've wanted it as my title has also been huge. But, at last... when in Rome, one uses the title... "when in Rome." Hurray!
So this morning was nothing different. Breakfast was coffee, cereal and some really hard rolls. Not stale... just hard. The insides were still nice and soft. I have decided that Europe has strangely flavored jellies. This morning my choices were between apricot and plum, and this is not the first time with a similar choice. That said... plum is remarkably similar to grape.
Anyway, I then began day 1 in Rome. I headed southwest of my hostel, and I think its unlikely my route was most direct. I knew generally where to go, so just wandered without my map you. Now, despite the fact that I enjoy the walking... and don't mind the routes not being direct... I do prefer it when I find cities to be laid out in grid fashion. Its just better...
Anyway, about 30 minutes later I arrived at the first, and most important, stop of my day (in my opinion of the whole city... but that's just me); the Colosseum. It is... so... big. So much so, that it is hard to imagine what a monster of a building it had to be in its prime, especially relative to everything else know at the time. The fact that so much of it still stands is simply a marvel of roman engineering. That said, standing out side it, it was a bit fun to imagine the building full and in tact... all the tourists being romans headed for the games... stuff like that. It was/is an impressive building.
So, the first task, which paired well with my walk around the outside of this colossal ring, was to join the queue. Which, itself was about half the diameter. So, I headed around the other way, so that when I was done with the line I'd have completed a full lap. The line in total took probably an hour. Outside it moved deceptively quickly, but inside the masses sort of piled up and slowed down. That said, I thought the staff was terrific at explaining and keeping everybody well informed. Before long, I was at the front and got my ticket (which would also serve as my ticket for the Forum later).
But, before I move inside, the outside was terrific. Unfortunately, the cloud cover was still a bit thick, though the sun was certainly keeping things bright through them. But, the building has layer upon layer of arches, rising up to the upper floors. You can see inside many of them to give you a feeling for the enormity of the building. Sadly, so many of the arches have gates to keep the flow of people orderly, which is reasonable, but hinders the view when close. That said... lovely exterior, and later I got some views as the clouds thinned and they simply improved.
Moving onto the inside of the Colosseum... from the ticket office I walked through one of the many, many sets of arches that led to the inned ring. There, the first thing to catch the eye are the rows of 'seating' that tower above you in literally every direction. On the ground level you can look down into the ruins of labyrinth of rooms that excised below the stadium flood for animals and the like. Then there are I believe 3 stories of seating that rise in a cone-like stadium fashion. It is the stone remains, and at first its a bit unclear where the seats actually are. But then I noticed holes in all of the remaining walls which looked to be where rafters could be run and seats placed. From the ground floor you can spin around and imagine yourself just a little further forward, within the area, and imagine the thousands of people that could sit around you and watch.
I worked by way all the way around the ground floor, and got much the same sensations from all the various angles, and then made my way up to the second (top for tourists) level. The stairs were really steep! Definitely not up to modern code... but I'll fogive them. The second floor was awesome too, though for much different reasons. While the ground made it easy to imagine being in the arena, the upper level made it easy to imagine watching the arena. Just toss a solid covering over the catacombs, a few fighters, fill the stands below you and around you with noise and people, and you've got yourself a match. From above you felt like you were looking straight down onto the events, and the ring was large enough that you even still felt close! I again, worked my way all around the level, taking views of both the inside and looking through the arches into the city around the building, but those views were... less inspired, despite still good.
From the Colosseum I headed down the short bit of street to the entrance of the Forum. Turns out, it might net time to do the Forum first, as you can get the same ticket, and then bypass much of the line at the Colosseum. The ticket line here was practicals non-existent. Anyway, the system here was also much less organized and that was a shame, but that's ok. It didn't take long and I headed through into the Forum.
While not as immediately as impassive as the Colosseum, this was still cool. This large area is seemingly under excavation, though also possibly many of the building are just being repaired. Anyway, there was much work being done. I describe it sort of like, ruined town meets botanic garden. Most of the layout was indeed the ruins of a small town. You could easily find the remains of wells, houses, streets and churches, not to mention numerous other unknown structures. But, then there were lots of trees of many times, ranging from pine, to palm, to fruit (oranges). The trees all seemed to be very... intentionally placed, and that made for much of the garden feeling.
But, this walk too led to some great views. My favorite was from a hill in the Forum that overlooked the street that wan down the center. Looking down the street you see past some arches, over some trees, next to some columns and to the grand Colosseum. I thought it was pretty sweet. Looking out over the rest of the city of Rome, I was able to identify only the Basilica of St. Piero in the Vatican, as a result of its large dome, and two small domes in front of it.
From my vantage point I went down to the center street of the Forum, and walked through away from the Colosseum. This took me through more fun ruins, and eventually out to the foot of the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II. I do not know much about him or the building, but the building was really nice. Completely made of white marble, and it was free to walk up to it's second floor roof. Being that this building already stands on a hill, the vantage point from here was terrific. Again, I spotted the Vatican, though only by its main cathedral again, and then I could look back over the Forum to the Colosseum. I then headed back downstairs and out the front of the building, which had some pretty spectacular statues.
From there I walked back to my hostel for the night. I actually had a few issues with navigation (not much though), but after a small hiccup I was directly on track. With that I had dinner and another quiet evening.
So this morning was nothing different. Breakfast was coffee, cereal and some really hard rolls. Not stale... just hard. The insides were still nice and soft. I have decided that Europe has strangely flavored jellies. This morning my choices were between apricot and plum, and this is not the first time with a similar choice. That said... plum is remarkably similar to grape.
Anyway, I then began day 1 in Rome. I headed southwest of my hostel, and I think its unlikely my route was most direct. I knew generally where to go, so just wandered without my map you. Now, despite the fact that I enjoy the walking... and don't mind the routes not being direct... I do prefer it when I find cities to be laid out in grid fashion. Its just better...
Anyway, about 30 minutes later I arrived at the first, and most important, stop of my day (in my opinion of the whole city... but that's just me); the Colosseum. It is... so... big. So much so, that it is hard to imagine what a monster of a building it had to be in its prime, especially relative to everything else know at the time. The fact that so much of it still stands is simply a marvel of roman engineering. That said, standing out side it, it was a bit fun to imagine the building full and in tact... all the tourists being romans headed for the games... stuff like that. It was/is an impressive building.
So, the first task, which paired well with my walk around the outside of this colossal ring, was to join the queue. Which, itself was about half the diameter. So, I headed around the other way, so that when I was done with the line I'd have completed a full lap. The line in total took probably an hour. Outside it moved deceptively quickly, but inside the masses sort of piled up and slowed down. That said, I thought the staff was terrific at explaining and keeping everybody well informed. Before long, I was at the front and got my ticket (which would also serve as my ticket for the Forum later).
But, before I move inside, the outside was terrific. Unfortunately, the cloud cover was still a bit thick, though the sun was certainly keeping things bright through them. But, the building has layer upon layer of arches, rising up to the upper floors. You can see inside many of them to give you a feeling for the enormity of the building. Sadly, so many of the arches have gates to keep the flow of people orderly, which is reasonable, but hinders the view when close. That said... lovely exterior, and later I got some views as the clouds thinned and they simply improved.
Moving onto the inside of the Colosseum... from the ticket office I walked through one of the many, many sets of arches that led to the inned ring. There, the first thing to catch the eye are the rows of 'seating' that tower above you in literally every direction. On the ground level you can look down into the ruins of labyrinth of rooms that excised below the stadium flood for animals and the like. Then there are I believe 3 stories of seating that rise in a cone-like stadium fashion. It is the stone remains, and at first its a bit unclear where the seats actually are. But then I noticed holes in all of the remaining walls which looked to be where rafters could be run and seats placed. From the ground floor you can spin around and imagine yourself just a little further forward, within the area, and imagine the thousands of people that could sit around you and watch.
I worked by way all the way around the ground floor, and got much the same sensations from all the various angles, and then made my way up to the second (top for tourists) level. The stairs were really steep! Definitely not up to modern code... but I'll fogive them. The second floor was awesome too, though for much different reasons. While the ground made it easy to imagine being in the arena, the upper level made it easy to imagine watching the arena. Just toss a solid covering over the catacombs, a few fighters, fill the stands below you and around you with noise and people, and you've got yourself a match. From above you felt like you were looking straight down onto the events, and the ring was large enough that you even still felt close! I again, worked my way all around the level, taking views of both the inside and looking through the arches into the city around the building, but those views were... less inspired, despite still good.
From the Colosseum I headed down the short bit of street to the entrance of the Forum. Turns out, it might net time to do the Forum first, as you can get the same ticket, and then bypass much of the line at the Colosseum. The ticket line here was practicals non-existent. Anyway, the system here was also much less organized and that was a shame, but that's ok. It didn't take long and I headed through into the Forum.
While not as immediately as impassive as the Colosseum, this was still cool. This large area is seemingly under excavation, though also possibly many of the building are just being repaired. Anyway, there was much work being done. I describe it sort of like, ruined town meets botanic garden. Most of the layout was indeed the ruins of a small town. You could easily find the remains of wells, houses, streets and churches, not to mention numerous other unknown structures. But, then there were lots of trees of many times, ranging from pine, to palm, to fruit (oranges). The trees all seemed to be very... intentionally placed, and that made for much of the garden feeling.
But, this walk too led to some great views. My favorite was from a hill in the Forum that overlooked the street that wan down the center. Looking down the street you see past some arches, over some trees, next to some columns and to the grand Colosseum. I thought it was pretty sweet. Looking out over the rest of the city of Rome, I was able to identify only the Basilica of St. Piero in the Vatican, as a result of its large dome, and two small domes in front of it.
From my vantage point I went down to the center street of the Forum, and walked through away from the Colosseum. This took me through more fun ruins, and eventually out to the foot of the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II. I do not know much about him or the building, but the building was really nice. Completely made of white marble, and it was free to walk up to it's second floor roof. Being that this building already stands on a hill, the vantage point from here was terrific. Again, I spotted the Vatican, though only by its main cathedral again, and then I could look back over the Forum to the Colosseum. I then headed back downstairs and out the front of the building, which had some pretty spectacular statues.
From there I walked back to my hostel for the night. I actually had a few issues with navigation (not much though), but after a small hiccup I was directly on track. With that I had dinner and another quiet evening.
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Friday, March 18, 2011
Eurail Part 3 (Views...)
The day started out nice and early. Rising at 6 I got up for a quick shower and to pack my bag. As 6:30 approached, I sat down for breakfast with Ellen and her kids. Breakfast was yogurt, cereal, coffee and the two remaining pastries, 1 chocolate crescent and the other an almond and cream thing. At 7 I bid my farewells to Anouk and Julien and headed out with Ellen on her way to work and she would drop me off at the station.
I am grateful that Ellen had come with me as this is where my misunderstanding came to be. Yesterday I'd asked if my train left from here (Fribourg), and I was told yes. But, that was actually the 7:04 train to Bern, not the 7:34 train from Bern. Which was confusing because I didn't realize that I had 2 transfers and there was a 7:34 train to Bern so ... it was confusing. But Ellen, speaking french, was able to help me quickly change my tickets for a very small fee. She then walked me to my platform. I bid her farewell with hopes to see her again soon, and she wished me the best and said hi to the family. I then began heading to Rome.
The first train was to Lausanne. The ride was short, but there were still some nice views. It was still as the sun was low, so there were a lot of clouds and the ground was still blanketed in fog in the lower areas. So, I could look out over the Swiss countryside in the morning shadows. There I could see many more small, old towns, each one just coming into view as the fog began lifting out of the hills. A bit later, as we approached Lausanne we passed a lake, with a similar effect. This time though, rather than small towns scattered about the countryside, the view was of dark mountains, rising into the fog and clouds all along the other side of the coast. They had a pretty cool glow about them as they were the only things blocking the sun from spreading across the water.
The transfer at Lausanne went very smoothly. And the following train ride was exactly what I'd been hoping for out of these rides. This first bit was nice, seeing fun views of the countryside through fog. But, this second trip gave me the views of the Alps I'd been waiting for.
The mountains... oh the mountains. The first view I noticed was when the sun had to first crest the peaks to the left of the train. Despite still being hidden behind the whisks of cloud the emanated from the peaks, the rays of light broke the sun seemed to pierce through and illuminate the landscape. The light came from just over the Jagger shoulder of the first snow-crested cone rising above these clouds. With the sun rising higher, the clouds and fog further along the ridge had also thinned, revealing a ridged that spanned the entire horizon. Along the ridge was much the same... bits of cloud providing cover for the mountains, but the towering peaks rising above them to reveal the white snow that lay upon them.
These views continued, as the sun rose higher, and I trains closer. Sometimes, I gazed at these mountains through small towns, or over rolling hills. Once I looked over a hill crowned by a small castle. That was a pleasant sight. Eventually we were just running along the ridge, and the rock faces at the base of the mountains became clear. Meanwhile I could still look up into the clouds, continuing to thin to reveal yet more peaks with more snow. At some point we started cutting through tunnels through the mountains. We'd emerge into the light for brief interludes, sometimes cutting through gorges over rivers, sometimes on level ground where mountains surrounded us, and sometimes with no view... just an opening cut in the mountains over our heads.
On the other side I was in Italy, the final country of my travels (clearly not counting any airports I'll be passing through). We resumed our travels parallel to the mountains, as we headed towards my next station in Milan. Sadly, we soon turned away from the peaks and left them behind. Arriving at Milan, I exited the train, and a short wait later was on another headed to Rome, the final destination. This train ride was less exciting, though there were some cool views of clouds. I found that they were very layered, in a since, and I would gauss their setup was caused by the Mediterranean Sea... though it could also have simply been random. Anyway, as late afternoon approached I pulled into Rome's station.
From there it was only a few minute walk to my hostel. Checking in went smoothly, and for a while I thought I had a room all to myself. Through the evening more people have joined me though. Anyway, I walked around the area directly outside a bit, just to get a feel for the surroundings. The sky seemed ominously like a storm was coming also. So, I headed back to the hostel. Before long, the sky went from clear to downpour, to mild drizzle. But, I was glad to be inside.
Along with the room, the hostel package here includes dinner, which I wont do every night, but tonight it was nice to be easy. So, I headed across the street where I got some pasta, which was fine, and a small amount of wine to go with it. It was petter than I expected, so I was really quite pleased. From there I headed back to my room with a map, and planned out my next and last 3 days of site seeing. Their order will depend on weather, but I'm looking forward to it.
I am grateful that Ellen had come with me as this is where my misunderstanding came to be. Yesterday I'd asked if my train left from here (Fribourg), and I was told yes. But, that was actually the 7:04 train to Bern, not the 7:34 train from Bern. Which was confusing because I didn't realize that I had 2 transfers and there was a 7:34 train to Bern so ... it was confusing. But Ellen, speaking french, was able to help me quickly change my tickets for a very small fee. She then walked me to my platform. I bid her farewell with hopes to see her again soon, and she wished me the best and said hi to the family. I then began heading to Rome.
The first train was to Lausanne. The ride was short, but there were still some nice views. It was still as the sun was low, so there were a lot of clouds and the ground was still blanketed in fog in the lower areas. So, I could look out over the Swiss countryside in the morning shadows. There I could see many more small, old towns, each one just coming into view as the fog began lifting out of the hills. A bit later, as we approached Lausanne we passed a lake, with a similar effect. This time though, rather than small towns scattered about the countryside, the view was of dark mountains, rising into the fog and clouds all along the other side of the coast. They had a pretty cool glow about them as they were the only things blocking the sun from spreading across the water.
The transfer at Lausanne went very smoothly. And the following train ride was exactly what I'd been hoping for out of these rides. This first bit was nice, seeing fun views of the countryside through fog. But, this second trip gave me the views of the Alps I'd been waiting for.
The mountains... oh the mountains. The first view I noticed was when the sun had to first crest the peaks to the left of the train. Despite still being hidden behind the whisks of cloud the emanated from the peaks, the rays of light broke the sun seemed to pierce through and illuminate the landscape. The light came from just over the Jagger shoulder of the first snow-crested cone rising above these clouds. With the sun rising higher, the clouds and fog further along the ridge had also thinned, revealing a ridged that spanned the entire horizon. Along the ridge was much the same... bits of cloud providing cover for the mountains, but the towering peaks rising above them to reveal the white snow that lay upon them.
These views continued, as the sun rose higher, and I trains closer. Sometimes, I gazed at these mountains through small towns, or over rolling hills. Once I looked over a hill crowned by a small castle. That was a pleasant sight. Eventually we were just running along the ridge, and the rock faces at the base of the mountains became clear. Meanwhile I could still look up into the clouds, continuing to thin to reveal yet more peaks with more snow. At some point we started cutting through tunnels through the mountains. We'd emerge into the light for brief interludes, sometimes cutting through gorges over rivers, sometimes on level ground where mountains surrounded us, and sometimes with no view... just an opening cut in the mountains over our heads.
On the other side I was in Italy, the final country of my travels (clearly not counting any airports I'll be passing through). We resumed our travels parallel to the mountains, as we headed towards my next station in Milan. Sadly, we soon turned away from the peaks and left them behind. Arriving at Milan, I exited the train, and a short wait later was on another headed to Rome, the final destination. This train ride was less exciting, though there were some cool views of clouds. I found that they were very layered, in a since, and I would gauss their setup was caused by the Mediterranean Sea... though it could also have simply been random. Anyway, as late afternoon approached I pulled into Rome's station.
From there it was only a few minute walk to my hostel. Checking in went smoothly, and for a while I thought I had a room all to myself. Through the evening more people have joined me though. Anyway, I walked around the area directly outside a bit, just to get a feel for the surroundings. The sky seemed ominously like a storm was coming also. So, I headed back to the hostel. Before long, the sky went from clear to downpour, to mild drizzle. But, I was glad to be inside.
Along with the room, the hostel package here includes dinner, which I wont do every night, but tonight it was nice to be easy. So, I headed across the street where I got some pasta, which was fine, and a small amount of wine to go with it. It was petter than I expected, so I was really quite pleased. From there I headed back to my room with a map, and planned out my next and last 3 days of site seeing. Their order will depend on weather, but I'm looking forward to it.
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A Little Town in Switzerland
Yes... Fribourg is indeed a little town. I got up for breakfast with Ellen. Anouk and Julien had already left for school. I had porridge and coffee, a fine meal to start one's day! Then, Ellen left for work and I spent a bit of time doing what I could to tidy up parts of the house. Before long I headed out for the more chore oriented part of my day.
I left the house, and sadly the weather was grey and misty, but even then, it was not any sort of impending rain. The view was pretty great. Her house is on a steep hill overlooking a gorge that is home to the old part of the city and the river that cuts through. But, I would get there later, so headed up the 200+ steps to the main street level.
Here I headed back to the train station, which was only a few minutes walk. Here I had one of the easier times finding where I needed to be to book my next train ticket. This all went smoothly, (except there was one small misunderstanding...but that wont come until tomorrow...yes...I can see the future).
With ticket in hand... I still had about an hour and a half before noon. Noon was important because Ellen's kids return home for lunch then, and I planned to join them. But, in the meantime, I walked along the street that ran along the edge of the top of the gorge and made my way to the Cathedral of St Nicholas. I could just refer to it as THE cathedral, as its really the only one and its visible from anywhere in the city. That said... I made my way there without too much trouble.
The cathedral was pretty cool. Its front was home to a massively looming tower (which made it visible from anywhere). Its design on the outside was relatively simple, but its sheer size compared to local buildings made it quite impressive. Inside was also nice. I particularly liked the stains glass, which I felt used large pictures of scenes as opposed to some which use many tiny pictures all at once. I thought it made them simpler, and thus easier to 'read'. Each chapel along the sides also housed a small marble altar, each one I though was quite pretty and something I do not usually see in smaller cathedrals. There were a few lamp stands however, that had ... interesting portrays of what I interpreted as 'damned souls'... It was odd and I could be wrong on that, so I'm open to corrections.
Lastly, I had hoped to climb the 368 steps to the top of the tower, but could not find where. So, I attempted to ask but said person spoke no english. I then felt very pleased with what I did. I'd found an english pamphlet that read "climb the 368 steps..." So, I then found a french pamphlet and pointed where I knew the phrase was. This was successful, but to no avail. He led me around a corner to a sign that beheld the word 'closed'. Sadface...
Leaving the cathedral I heads back to the house for lunch with Anouk and Julien. They have a woman (who's name is escaping me) help them in the afternoons and she made lunch. It was quite delicious. Then, I talked with the other two about their school setup and life in general, and it was a fun talk.
After lunch I headed out on my walk to explore the old town. Unfortunately, I know the names of no rivers, buildings or bridges... so details will be somewhat lacking. But, I spent the rest of my afternoon weaving my way back and forth through the different 'levels' of the old town. The old town flanks the main curve of the river that makes the gorge. So, the buildings can be found running down the steer slope on either side of the gorge. At the bottom the ground levels off and buildings can be found leading out on a small peninsula towards the curve. Meanwhile, there were lots of bridges, all at different heights crossing the gorge.
So, my walk took we first along the ridge on the main side of the river. I made my way to one of the high bridges, crossed, and looped back along the ridge at the opposite side. This took me across the largest bridge (that I'm aware of) in the city. From there the roads I was following wound back down into the lower section of the old city, which was a maze of old buildings, back alleys, and cobblestone roads. It was a lot of fun to wander. My favorite part here was the soccer field I walked around. It sat directly at the point of the peninsular, so had river on 3 sides. Awesome location... though I bet a lot of balls go swimming...
I then crossed the river a few more times before finding my way back up the face of the gorge on the other side. All in all, the old town was great, and it was just fun to see all the old architectures and old streets... and it just felt old... in a good way. But, I then changed track and headed to the newer part of the city where I did a bit of shopping (specifically for some pastries). This was successful, to put it in 1 word.
I then returned to the house as afternoon turned to evening. There I was soon joined by both Anouk and Julien. The housekeeper (again, I forget her name) Put a chicken in around 6, which Anouk and I took out at 7 to eat. We then made some spaghetti and I sautèd some veggies, as I'm like to do. Then came the problem of carving the bird... which I had never done and the other two didn't want to. So... I must now give props to my dear brother... as he is very good at that, and I am... not so good, and did not appreciate that its sort of a pain. That said, I think it came out just fine. And dinner was delicious. Afterwards, Anouk and I did some cleaning and put away extra food, including stripping the bird so the bones could make soup.
Ellen got back a bit later, as she had a late class. She had the rest of dinner that we had, and we got out the pastries for dessert. All in all, it was a fun evening to cap a fun day. Off to bed at that point, where I actually found myself remarkably tired and had no trouble falling asleep (not only can I see the future but I can blog in my sleep!).
I left the house, and sadly the weather was grey and misty, but even then, it was not any sort of impending rain. The view was pretty great. Her house is on a steep hill overlooking a gorge that is home to the old part of the city and the river that cuts through. But, I would get there later, so headed up the 200+ steps to the main street level.
Here I headed back to the train station, which was only a few minutes walk. Here I had one of the easier times finding where I needed to be to book my next train ticket. This all went smoothly, (except there was one small misunderstanding...but that wont come until tomorrow...yes...I can see the future).
With ticket in hand... I still had about an hour and a half before noon. Noon was important because Ellen's kids return home for lunch then, and I planned to join them. But, in the meantime, I walked along the street that ran along the edge of the top of the gorge and made my way to the Cathedral of St Nicholas. I could just refer to it as THE cathedral, as its really the only one and its visible from anywhere in the city. That said... I made my way there without too much trouble.
The cathedral was pretty cool. Its front was home to a massively looming tower (which made it visible from anywhere). Its design on the outside was relatively simple, but its sheer size compared to local buildings made it quite impressive. Inside was also nice. I particularly liked the stains glass, which I felt used large pictures of scenes as opposed to some which use many tiny pictures all at once. I thought it made them simpler, and thus easier to 'read'. Each chapel along the sides also housed a small marble altar, each one I though was quite pretty and something I do not usually see in smaller cathedrals. There were a few lamp stands however, that had ... interesting portrays of what I interpreted as 'damned souls'... It was odd and I could be wrong on that, so I'm open to corrections.
Lastly, I had hoped to climb the 368 steps to the top of the tower, but could not find where. So, I attempted to ask but said person spoke no english. I then felt very pleased with what I did. I'd found an english pamphlet that read "climb the 368 steps..." So, I then found a french pamphlet and pointed where I knew the phrase was. This was successful, but to no avail. He led me around a corner to a sign that beheld the word 'closed'. Sadface...
Leaving the cathedral I heads back to the house for lunch with Anouk and Julien. They have a woman (who's name is escaping me) help them in the afternoons and she made lunch. It was quite delicious. Then, I talked with the other two about their school setup and life in general, and it was a fun talk.
After lunch I headed out on my walk to explore the old town. Unfortunately, I know the names of no rivers, buildings or bridges... so details will be somewhat lacking. But, I spent the rest of my afternoon weaving my way back and forth through the different 'levels' of the old town. The old town flanks the main curve of the river that makes the gorge. So, the buildings can be found running down the steer slope on either side of the gorge. At the bottom the ground levels off and buildings can be found leading out on a small peninsula towards the curve. Meanwhile, there were lots of bridges, all at different heights crossing the gorge.
So, my walk took we first along the ridge on the main side of the river. I made my way to one of the high bridges, crossed, and looped back along the ridge at the opposite side. This took me across the largest bridge (that I'm aware of) in the city. From there the roads I was following wound back down into the lower section of the old city, which was a maze of old buildings, back alleys, and cobblestone roads. It was a lot of fun to wander. My favorite part here was the soccer field I walked around. It sat directly at the point of the peninsular, so had river on 3 sides. Awesome location... though I bet a lot of balls go swimming...
I then crossed the river a few more times before finding my way back up the face of the gorge on the other side. All in all, the old town was great, and it was just fun to see all the old architectures and old streets... and it just felt old... in a good way. But, I then changed track and headed to the newer part of the city where I did a bit of shopping (specifically for some pastries). This was successful, to put it in 1 word.
I then returned to the house as afternoon turned to evening. There I was soon joined by both Anouk and Julien. The housekeeper (again, I forget her name) Put a chicken in around 6, which Anouk and I took out at 7 to eat. We then made some spaghetti and I sautèd some veggies, as I'm like to do. Then came the problem of carving the bird... which I had never done and the other two didn't want to. So... I must now give props to my dear brother... as he is very good at that, and I am... not so good, and did not appreciate that its sort of a pain. That said, I think it came out just fine. And dinner was delicious. Afterwards, Anouk and I did some cleaning and put away extra food, including stripping the bird so the bones could make soup.
Ellen got back a bit later, as she had a late class. She had the rest of dinner that we had, and we got out the pastries for dessert. All in all, it was a fun evening to cap a fun day. Off to bed at that point, where I actually found myself remarkably tired and had no trouble falling asleep (not only can I see the future but I can blog in my sleep!).
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Eurail Part 2
Well this morning was particularly slow, and I think with good reason. Today would be the day I actually check out of my hostel. As a result, I would be taking my bag with me wherever I went. With a train leaving at 4, I did not particularly want to do a full day of tourism with a full camping pack. So, I took my time with breakfast, not that it was any more fancy then the last few days, and then went to pack my bag.
I did a bit of organizing of my stuff, filing away the papers I used and throwing out the excess. Done packing, I went downstairs and checked out. But, it was still a bit earlier then I wanted to go, so I took some time to write out some notes for myself, and send a few emails that needed sending, all while I charged my phone... cause I'm awesome at multitasking like that.
Around noon I headed out on the town. I had marked 2 places I wanted to go, where I could just walk around to see them, and so I headed to the first of those. That being, the Pantheon. This visit was suggested to me by Connor's french teacher, and my first reaction was... "isn't the Pantheon supposed to be in Rome?" I felt a bit stupid asking this but felt better when she said yes. She then explained that this is the second one, and that it is modeled after the one in Rome.
So, I walked there (from a nearby metro station) and it looked much like I would expect the Roman one to...perhaps not a huge surprise. So, I didn't go inside, but it was tall, with a lovely dome. The front had a lot of columns, and that triangle that is so common on roman buildings... sitting on the columns with a bunch of carved figures... Either way, cool, but that's about all I got...
From there I took a train to another site recommended by the same person; Hotel Des Invalides. The direct translation... I don't know, but I translate it to Napoleon's Tomb. But its definitely more than that. This place is a combination of a fort, cathedral, museum, and tomb... all in one thing. The building lies at the end of a huge road with lots of grassy strips. There is then a ravine, which at one point may have been a moat. Crossing this I entered the lawn, which had multiple paths branching out straight from the main gate, each one lined with cute little triangles of fir trees.
Down the middle path I approached the large front wall of the fort-like part of the main building. Passing through the wall led to a huge, square courtyard. The ground was lined with cannons, while the rooftop was lined with with gargoyles and carved white horses. Either side of the courtyard (through different doors) were the various museum exhibits, but I could not get to those. Through the door on the opposite end as the entrance was the room of the great golden dome, visible from much of the city. This is the cathedral of the building. Aside from my feelings that it was quite lovely and beautiful, I was surprised by how light it was. Perhaps it was a result of North Dame, but the contrast was amazing. The stone walls and columns, ceilings and floor were all white stones, and the windows weren't stained glass... just white glass, so the whole room was very bright. It was a nice change.
From there, I took a train to the station where I would be boarding my way to Geneva. I had hoped to find a crepe shop here, and have that as a snack while waiting, but I was surprised to find them absent (and disappointed). Instead, I got myself a chocolate crescent and found it... sufficient. I also hoped to inquire about a ticket from Fribourg to Rome, but could not locate the necessary desks. When I decided it time to inquire about where my train was, I found that it was back through some hidden, secret path that I never would have found. There also was the ticket counter I needed, but it was now too late.
So, I boarded my train and started my trip to Switzerland. The train ride was nicer than my previous two (at least the first ride to Geneva), mostly because I had a row to myself, so could sit in the window and watch the French countryside roll by. There are some really cute little towns on the way. That said, I did not find myself with the gorgeous views of the alps I'd built up hoping for in my mind. Sad...
But, I arrived in Geneva right on time, and went to find my second train. This was a small panic because I could not find a train to Fribourg, or the train number anywhere. But, eventually I was able to work out which train it was and board it. Again, I had a row to myself, but it was now dark and the views were...well...dark. So, just over an hour later I arrived in Fribourg, and before I left the station met up with Ellen Hertz (my mothers cousin).
She took me the quick drive to her house, where I had a warm welcome (in addition to the one she gave me herself). Her kids were there and she helped me grab some dinner of ham, potato's, applesauce and an artichoke (I think my second one ever?). Dinner was delicious! Meanwhile, I did a relatively brief recap of my trip, and got some of their travel stories as well. Also, they have 2 cats (big fan) and one of them is a purring machine! That said, I'm looking forward to tomorrow and am happy to be here, and looking forward to sleeping.
I did a bit of organizing of my stuff, filing away the papers I used and throwing out the excess. Done packing, I went downstairs and checked out. But, it was still a bit earlier then I wanted to go, so I took some time to write out some notes for myself, and send a few emails that needed sending, all while I charged my phone... cause I'm awesome at multitasking like that.
Around noon I headed out on the town. I had marked 2 places I wanted to go, where I could just walk around to see them, and so I headed to the first of those. That being, the Pantheon. This visit was suggested to me by Connor's french teacher, and my first reaction was... "isn't the Pantheon supposed to be in Rome?" I felt a bit stupid asking this but felt better when she said yes. She then explained that this is the second one, and that it is modeled after the one in Rome.
So, I walked there (from a nearby metro station) and it looked much like I would expect the Roman one to...perhaps not a huge surprise. So, I didn't go inside, but it was tall, with a lovely dome. The front had a lot of columns, and that triangle that is so common on roman buildings... sitting on the columns with a bunch of carved figures... Either way, cool, but that's about all I got...
From there I took a train to another site recommended by the same person; Hotel Des Invalides. The direct translation... I don't know, but I translate it to Napoleon's Tomb. But its definitely more than that. This place is a combination of a fort, cathedral, museum, and tomb... all in one thing. The building lies at the end of a huge road with lots of grassy strips. There is then a ravine, which at one point may have been a moat. Crossing this I entered the lawn, which had multiple paths branching out straight from the main gate, each one lined with cute little triangles of fir trees.
Down the middle path I approached the large front wall of the fort-like part of the main building. Passing through the wall led to a huge, square courtyard. The ground was lined with cannons, while the rooftop was lined with with gargoyles and carved white horses. Either side of the courtyard (through different doors) were the various museum exhibits, but I could not get to those. Through the door on the opposite end as the entrance was the room of the great golden dome, visible from much of the city. This is the cathedral of the building. Aside from my feelings that it was quite lovely and beautiful, I was surprised by how light it was. Perhaps it was a result of North Dame, but the contrast was amazing. The stone walls and columns, ceilings and floor were all white stones, and the windows weren't stained glass... just white glass, so the whole room was very bright. It was a nice change.
From there, I took a train to the station where I would be boarding my way to Geneva. I had hoped to find a crepe shop here, and have that as a snack while waiting, but I was surprised to find them absent (and disappointed). Instead, I got myself a chocolate crescent and found it... sufficient. I also hoped to inquire about a ticket from Fribourg to Rome, but could not locate the necessary desks. When I decided it time to inquire about where my train was, I found that it was back through some hidden, secret path that I never would have found. There also was the ticket counter I needed, but it was now too late.
So, I boarded my train and started my trip to Switzerland. The train ride was nicer than my previous two (at least the first ride to Geneva), mostly because I had a row to myself, so could sit in the window and watch the French countryside roll by. There are some really cute little towns on the way. That said, I did not find myself with the gorgeous views of the alps I'd built up hoping for in my mind. Sad...
But, I arrived in Geneva right on time, and went to find my second train. This was a small panic because I could not find a train to Fribourg, or the train number anywhere. But, eventually I was able to work out which train it was and board it. Again, I had a row to myself, but it was now dark and the views were...well...dark. So, just over an hour later I arrived in Fribourg, and before I left the station met up with Ellen Hertz (my mothers cousin).
She took me the quick drive to her house, where I had a warm welcome (in addition to the one she gave me herself). Her kids were there and she helped me grab some dinner of ham, potato's, applesauce and an artichoke (I think my second one ever?). Dinner was delicious! Meanwhile, I did a relatively brief recap of my trip, and got some of their travel stories as well. Also, they have 2 cats (big fan) and one of them is a purring machine! That said, I'm looking forward to tomorrow and am happy to be here, and looking forward to sleeping.
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