We woke up the next morning and hopped on the train from Rome Termini to the Rome airport which apparently has two different names. Our plane left at 1:30pm and we got in to London Heathrow at 3:30. Our plane didn't leave until the next day (since there are only 2 flights to Houston per day) so we planned to stay in Terminal 1 like the lady at the service counter had suggested.
We stayed over in Terminal 1 which was not the best nights sleep, but at least I slept. Our plane was supposed to leave at 1:30pm. We sat on the plane until around 3:30pm when they finally decided to take us off of the plane because power was out somewhere in the cabin. We go off the plane and were given a new departure time of 7:30pm. After our 6 hour delay and our 8.5 hour flight we finally arrived in Houston around midnight. After a quick spin through customs we finally grabbed our bags. Tom met as at the airport (which was a huge lifesaver) and took us back to his house to get some sleep before we had to get back to San Antonio. Thanks Tom!
The next morning we hopped in the car and drove back to San Antonio adding another 2.5 hours to our lengthy travel time.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Roma two: Jordan
The next morning we woke up and headed out to see Piazza Navona, Campo de Fiori, and the synagogue. On the way over to Piazza Navona and Campo de Fiori we stopped into some of the little churches scattered around Rome. This probably wasn't the best idea given that it was Sunday.
Piazza Navona is taken over by an incredible fountain. Behind that is the church of Saint Agnes in Agony which, despite its name, is quite beautiful. I found it odd there are actually multiple churches in one piazza. The piazza is scattered with local artists and tourists looking to buy their works. There are cafes and people scattered around hoping to find refuge from the over hot sun.
After Piazza Navona we went to Campo de Fiori which is a small square that somehow holds both new and old. On the one hand the campo is made of cobblestones and buildings that have obviously been around a while, but on the other hand there is a one room cinema currently playing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (no, I did not go see it).
After Campo de Fiori we headed to the old Jewish ghetto. There are two main synagogues and a museum in the ghetto and the security is surprisingly strict. At the gate entrance to the synagogue our bags were searched and a semi menacing looking guard told us no pictures were allowed on the other side of the gate. We went in and headed down to the museum. First, we took a tour of the two synagogues. One is a small Sephardic synagogue and the other is a large beautifully decorated Italian synagogue that Pope John Paul II once came to. The history of the Jewish community in Rome and the current state of the Rome's Jewish community are really interesting. For example, when the Jews were first ordered into the ghetto they were told they could only have one synagogue. They built only one synagogue building but it held 5 different synagogues. Today there are 13 synagogues in Rome and the system of membership is really unique. You belong to the Jewish Community not to any one synagogue.
After visiting the synagogues we stopped at a Kosher fast food restaurant because, well, it was a kosher fast food restaurant. Then, we went back to the hostel. At the hostel we met our two new roomates Kirsten and Lisa, from Germany. The four us went out to dinner at this little restaurant whose tables spilled out into the cobbled street. We enjoyed, as is normal in Italy, way too much food.
After dinner we decided to find a place to go out. We wandered back to Via del Corso (one of Rome's main drags). We heard loud music and a lot of people up ahead and decided to check out. We ended up at some Irish pub that was packed with people. The music was really good, mostly classic rock and everyone knew all of the songs, even our German roomates.
We found out that all of the people were actually on a Pub Crawl and when they left, the party pretty much left with them. We decided to tail the Pub Crawl and see what was up. When we got to the next club/bar they told us it would be 10 euro to join the pub crawl for the night. Figuring that was where all of the people were, we went ahead and joined. We ended up having a really good time and hanging out until 4:30 am.
The next morning we slept in a little bit then hopped on the metro and headed to Vatican City. The first thing you see of Vatican City is the huge imposing stone walls. You follow those around the corner to get to the museum entrance. We skipped the line (since we had reserved tickets) and went in without any problem. My first stop was to go see the Sistine Chapel. I wandered through all of the incredible rooms, apartments, and chapels that lead to the Sistine Chapel. One of my favorite things about all of these rooms were the ceilings. The design and detail of each ceiling was different ranging from statue to frescoe and my neck was sore by the time I was done. My favorite three rooms were the map room, the Raphel rooms and of course the Sistine Chapel. As you walk towards the Sistine there are signs everywhere saying (and showing) no photos and no flash. I walk into the Chapel, saddened by the fact that I will not get to take any pictures when I see a crowded room of about 300 or more people all taking pictures, both with and without flash. What a relief.
After that I went into some of the different areas of the Vatican Museum. I really liked the paintings collection which ranged from 13th century altar pieces to Renaissance paintings by Carvaggio, Raphael, and other great artists. Sadly the only DaVinci hanging in the Vatican Museum is under restoration. The museum of early christian artifacts was also pretty neat.
From the museum we headed out for St. Peters Square and Basilica. The Basilica is incredible. Richly decorated in gold and marble, it seems to go on forever. The art and architecture of the Basilica are absolutely incredible. Sun pours in from high set windows making the Basilica glow. The floor is tiled marble and the ceiling are all vaulted and domed. The paintings, frescoes, statues and mosaics are all beautiful. Even the tombs are wonderfully done. I honestly think it is impossible to describe. Its much easier to see in pictures (which will be up on facebook soon).
From the Basilica we headed down into the Vatican Grottoes where all of the Popes (and some cardinals) are buried, including Pope John Paul II. Its a little creepy down there with all of the marble tombs and the attempt at quiet by too many tourists. Its interesting though that this is how the Catholic church has chosen to honor its late Popes.
After the Basilica we walked over to Castel Sant Angelo which I only wanted to see because of Angels and Demons (dorky I know). It was just nice to be able to put a real place with the climax of that story.
From there we took the metro back to our hostel to get ready for another night with our German roomates. We went over to the Spanish steps to meet the Pub Crawl and ended up having a great night. It was a fun way to end an incredible trip!
Piazza Navona is taken over by an incredible fountain. Behind that is the church of Saint Agnes in Agony which, despite its name, is quite beautiful. I found it odd there are actually multiple churches in one piazza. The piazza is scattered with local artists and tourists looking to buy their works. There are cafes and people scattered around hoping to find refuge from the over hot sun.
After Piazza Navona we went to Campo de Fiori which is a small square that somehow holds both new and old. On the one hand the campo is made of cobblestones and buildings that have obviously been around a while, but on the other hand there is a one room cinema currently playing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (no, I did not go see it).
After Campo de Fiori we headed to the old Jewish ghetto. There are two main synagogues and a museum in the ghetto and the security is surprisingly strict. At the gate entrance to the synagogue our bags were searched and a semi menacing looking guard told us no pictures were allowed on the other side of the gate. We went in and headed down to the museum. First, we took a tour of the two synagogues. One is a small Sephardic synagogue and the other is a large beautifully decorated Italian synagogue that Pope John Paul II once came to. The history of the Jewish community in Rome and the current state of the Rome's Jewish community are really interesting. For example, when the Jews were first ordered into the ghetto they were told they could only have one synagogue. They built only one synagogue building but it held 5 different synagogues. Today there are 13 synagogues in Rome and the system of membership is really unique. You belong to the Jewish Community not to any one synagogue.
After visiting the synagogues we stopped at a Kosher fast food restaurant because, well, it was a kosher fast food restaurant. Then, we went back to the hostel. At the hostel we met our two new roomates Kirsten and Lisa, from Germany. The four us went out to dinner at this little restaurant whose tables spilled out into the cobbled street. We enjoyed, as is normal in Italy, way too much food.
After dinner we decided to find a place to go out. We wandered back to Via del Corso (one of Rome's main drags). We heard loud music and a lot of people up ahead and decided to check out. We ended up at some Irish pub that was packed with people. The music was really good, mostly classic rock and everyone knew all of the songs, even our German roomates.
We found out that all of the people were actually on a Pub Crawl and when they left, the party pretty much left with them. We decided to tail the Pub Crawl and see what was up. When we got to the next club/bar they told us it would be 10 euro to join the pub crawl for the night. Figuring that was where all of the people were, we went ahead and joined. We ended up having a really good time and hanging out until 4:30 am.
The next morning we slept in a little bit then hopped on the metro and headed to Vatican City. The first thing you see of Vatican City is the huge imposing stone walls. You follow those around the corner to get to the museum entrance. We skipped the line (since we had reserved tickets) and went in without any problem. My first stop was to go see the Sistine Chapel. I wandered through all of the incredible rooms, apartments, and chapels that lead to the Sistine Chapel. One of my favorite things about all of these rooms were the ceilings. The design and detail of each ceiling was different ranging from statue to frescoe and my neck was sore by the time I was done. My favorite three rooms were the map room, the Raphel rooms and of course the Sistine Chapel. As you walk towards the Sistine there are signs everywhere saying (and showing) no photos and no flash. I walk into the Chapel, saddened by the fact that I will not get to take any pictures when I see a crowded room of about 300 or more people all taking pictures, both with and without flash. What a relief.
After that I went into some of the different areas of the Vatican Museum. I really liked the paintings collection which ranged from 13th century altar pieces to Renaissance paintings by Carvaggio, Raphael, and other great artists. Sadly the only DaVinci hanging in the Vatican Museum is under restoration. The museum of early christian artifacts was also pretty neat.
From the museum we headed out for St. Peters Square and Basilica. The Basilica is incredible. Richly decorated in gold and marble, it seems to go on forever. The art and architecture of the Basilica are absolutely incredible. Sun pours in from high set windows making the Basilica glow. The floor is tiled marble and the ceiling are all vaulted and domed. The paintings, frescoes, statues and mosaics are all beautiful. Even the tombs are wonderfully done. I honestly think it is impossible to describe. Its much easier to see in pictures (which will be up on facebook soon).
From the Basilica we headed down into the Vatican Grottoes where all of the Popes (and some cardinals) are buried, including Pope John Paul II. Its a little creepy down there with all of the marble tombs and the attempt at quiet by too many tourists. Its interesting though that this is how the Catholic church has chosen to honor its late Popes.
After the Basilica we walked over to Castel Sant Angelo which I only wanted to see because of Angels and Demons (dorky I know). It was just nice to be able to put a real place with the climax of that story.
From there we took the metro back to our hostel to get ready for another night with our German roomates. We went over to the Spanish steps to meet the Pub Crawl and ended up having a great night. It was a fun way to end an incredible trip!
Firenze Two: Nathan
The goal of the day was getting to the Uffizi Gallery early to avoid the immobile line of the day before. Jordan was a little upset we didn't get up early enough, but we still made it to the gallery in good time and didn't have to wait in the queue very long.
The Uffizi Gallery is a large U shaped structure. It houses many famous works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, and Raphael, among others. There is also a large collection of busts along the outer walls and portraits of famous and powerful contemporaries of the Medici family. Unfortunately, no pictures. Those kinds of museums make me angry.
For some reason, there's a gap in my memory between the Uffizi and the evening. I think we actually siesta-ed that day. Or I did and Jordan swam. So, I'll use this gap to talk about the awesome hostel we were at.
The hostel is called Plus Florence. It was one of the more expensive places we stayed but still only 23 euro per night. It was huge, clean, and had some very unexpected amenities. There was a restaurant on site and a bar on the top floor. They had a pool that was purple, a Turkish bath, and a workout facility. I even saw a flyer for massages, which I needed but couldn't afford.
We got ready to go to services that night and were looking forward to seeing some Jews and getting free food. But before services, we had to go back to the record shop we found. Jordan's copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had sold, but I found an interesting version of Yellow Submarine I hadn't seen before and purchased that. The owner wrapped it up very well for me so that I could get it to Rome and then Houston (via London) safely.
We met some girls doing a study abroad program with a focus on choral music. Not going to lie, they were pretty cute. Unfortunately, they separated the men from the women inside, so I didn't get much time to talk. The service was short and sweet, like any Friday night should be. It was almost entirely in Hebrew without page numbers and in different books, so it was hard for me to follow along. Somehow I managed though. Dinner with Chabad was after and that was jam packed full of visitors from all over. I ran into one of the Chabadniks that I had met in Venice a couple days ago. Across from us were some Americans on a program, to the left some Israelis then Californians, and to the right some Germans.
Dinner was standard Chabad, like 5 courses: appetizers, fish, soup, turkey, and dessert. Of course, quite tasty. The talk was pretty standard - where are you from, what are you doing here, how long, stuff like that. There was ruach at random times and benching afterward. Makes me miss USY.
The Germans next to us were some of the most amazing people ever! Their names were Alex (Sasha) and Daniel. They were traveling and having a good time. We decided to go to a bar that sounded good, but first I had to drop my record off. The bar was cool, cheap drinks and good music, so we stayed and danced for a bit. Eventually, we went back outside to cool off and then I could finally talk to Alex and Daniel, because I hadn't been able to at Chabad. We decided to finally start heading back toward our hostels when it started thundering and began to walk toward the train station. Right across the street, we had to go into hiding because it actually started raining kind of hard.
Eventually it stopped, and Jordan and I had to go because we had an early train for Rome in the morning. In the meantime, Florence had placed itself high on my list of favorite cities we visited.
I'll try and continue posting and hopefully will get through Rome by the end of this week. Maybe Jordan will remember to post a little.
The Uffizi Gallery is a large U shaped structure. It houses many famous works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, and Raphael, among others. There is also a large collection of busts along the outer walls and portraits of famous and powerful contemporaries of the Medici family. Unfortunately, no pictures. Those kinds of museums make me angry.
For some reason, there's a gap in my memory between the Uffizi and the evening. I think we actually siesta-ed that day. Or I did and Jordan swam. So, I'll use this gap to talk about the awesome hostel we were at.
The hostel is called Plus Florence. It was one of the more expensive places we stayed but still only 23 euro per night. It was huge, clean, and had some very unexpected amenities. There was a restaurant on site and a bar on the top floor. They had a pool that was purple, a Turkish bath, and a workout facility. I even saw a flyer for massages, which I needed but couldn't afford.
We got ready to go to services that night and were looking forward to seeing some Jews and getting free food. But before services, we had to go back to the record shop we found. Jordan's copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had sold, but I found an interesting version of Yellow Submarine I hadn't seen before and purchased that. The owner wrapped it up very well for me so that I could get it to Rome and then Houston (via London) safely.
We met some girls doing a study abroad program with a focus on choral music. Not going to lie, they were pretty cute. Unfortunately, they separated the men from the women inside, so I didn't get much time to talk. The service was short and sweet, like any Friday night should be. It was almost entirely in Hebrew without page numbers and in different books, so it was hard for me to follow along. Somehow I managed though. Dinner with Chabad was after and that was jam packed full of visitors from all over. I ran into one of the Chabadniks that I had met in Venice a couple days ago. Across from us were some Americans on a program, to the left some Israelis then Californians, and to the right some Germans.
Dinner was standard Chabad, like 5 courses: appetizers, fish, soup, turkey, and dessert. Of course, quite tasty. The talk was pretty standard - where are you from, what are you doing here, how long, stuff like that. There was ruach at random times and benching afterward. Makes me miss USY.
The Germans next to us were some of the most amazing people ever! Their names were Alex (Sasha) and Daniel. They were traveling and having a good time. We decided to go to a bar that sounded good, but first I had to drop my record off. The bar was cool, cheap drinks and good music, so we stayed and danced for a bit. Eventually, we went back outside to cool off and then I could finally talk to Alex and Daniel, because I hadn't been able to at Chabad. We decided to finally start heading back toward our hostels when it started thundering and began to walk toward the train station. Right across the street, we had to go into hiding because it actually started raining kind of hard.
Eventually it stopped, and Jordan and I had to go because we had an early train for Rome in the morning. In the meantime, Florence had placed itself high on my list of favorite cities we visited.
I'll try and continue posting and hopefully will get through Rome by the end of this week. Maybe Jordan will remember to post a little.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Firenze One: Nathan
So, funny thing. Americans have an amazing capacity to change the names of things. Florence and Firenze are very different names, yet indicate the same place. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Anyway, we left Venezia (another name change) for Firenze early in the day and after dropping our stuff off at the hostel, we went to go look around the city. One of the first things I noticed upon arrival was something any passing Simpsons viewer should know about. I saw a six pack of Duff Beer. Of course, Jordan being who she is, didn't get the reference (not that she understood any Blues Brothers references at other times on the trip either).
After marveling at the Duff, we started walking around Florence. Florence isn't very big compared to many of the other cities we've visited and was very walkable and, unlike Venice, simple in design when it came to having to find things. We set off toward the bigger attractions: Il Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery, but first stopped in a market we passed between the Firenze train station and the hostel.
Firenze is known for its leather and tripe, bad place to be if you're a cow. In the markets, it's easy to find leather anything really cheap (although that's a matter of opinion, 50% of 400 euro is still 200 euro). Personally, I found some wallets as gifts.
The Uffizi Gallery is the more popular of the two stops so, we headed there first. On the way, we stopped at Il Duomo and the Baptistry across the street for some pictures. Of course upon arrival, we noticed just how popular the uffizi Gallery was. The line was long, but worse was that they weren't letting anyone in. We looked into ticket reservations, but they weren't worth the four extra euro that the Uffizi wanted, so we went back to the piazza and took pictures of all the statues, including a David (Florence has the real, 6 euro, and a couple fakes, free, to see). Then we headed back to Il Duomo.
Il Duomo is actually the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Like seemingly every church, cathedral, basilica, whatever, it is very well decorated with some amazing artwork from the Renaissance era. Entrance is free, but to climb up to the dome costs money, something we didn't have with less than a week left.
After Il Duomo, we wanted to go check out the Jewish quarter of Firenze, something highly recommended by the Chabadniks in Venezia. We didn't really want to see the museum, we actually wanted to go to services the next night (being a Friday and all). Much to our surprise, the Firenze Synagogue allows visitors without a lot of the hassle other synagogues require visitors to go through. All we had to do was show up. We also noticed the Firenze Chabad was having a free dinner. Even better! The Jews' favorite word is "free" and the only way to make it better is if you put the word "food" after it (well, "dinner" in this instance).
On the way to the synagogue, we noticed a record shop. We stopped in for a peek and found a sight that's very difficult to find in the states. It was all records! Old ones, new ones, 78's, 45's, wall to wall. Jordan was on the hunt for the Sgt. Pepper's album, so we walked over to the Beatles section and started browsing. Lo and behold, we found like 3 copies ranging from 23 euro to 290 euro. The discrepancy has to do with when and under which label the album was made. The 23 euro one was much more attractive, but we were both indecisive on what to get and how we would get it home, so we decided to think about that and come back Friday before services.
We continued our walking tour of the city and headed for Piazzale Michelangelo across the Arno River. Jordan said the view was just as good as the dome in Il Duomo but 6 euro cheaper (here's that "free" again). After a decent climb up some half ramp half stair hybrid, we were treated to a panoramic view of the city, which is almost entirely north of the Arno River. We could see many cathedrals and even the synagogue, which is much more elaborate than it sounds.
It was staring to get dark and we were wiped from the walking, so we decided to start making our way back to the hostel. Not far up the river from Piazzale Michelangelo is the Ponte Veccio. The bridge is similar to Ponte Rialto in Venezia but it and the street continuing north are lined with jewelry shops. We also browsed the more touristy and expensive Central Market on the way back.
Next is day two in Firenze.
Anyway, we left Venezia (another name change) for Firenze early in the day and after dropping our stuff off at the hostel, we went to go look around the city. One of the first things I noticed upon arrival was something any passing Simpsons viewer should know about. I saw a six pack of Duff Beer. Of course, Jordan being who she is, didn't get the reference (not that she understood any Blues Brothers references at other times on the trip either).
After marveling at the Duff, we started walking around Florence. Florence isn't very big compared to many of the other cities we've visited and was very walkable and, unlike Venice, simple in design when it came to having to find things. We set off toward the bigger attractions: Il Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery, but first stopped in a market we passed between the Firenze train station and the hostel.
Firenze is known for its leather and tripe, bad place to be if you're a cow. In the markets, it's easy to find leather anything really cheap (although that's a matter of opinion, 50% of 400 euro is still 200 euro). Personally, I found some wallets as gifts.
The Uffizi Gallery is the more popular of the two stops so, we headed there first. On the way, we stopped at Il Duomo and the Baptistry across the street for some pictures. Of course upon arrival, we noticed just how popular the uffizi Gallery was. The line was long, but worse was that they weren't letting anyone in. We looked into ticket reservations, but they weren't worth the four extra euro that the Uffizi wanted, so we went back to the piazza and took pictures of all the statues, including a David (Florence has the real, 6 euro, and a couple fakes, free, to see). Then we headed back to Il Duomo.
Il Duomo is actually the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Like seemingly every church, cathedral, basilica, whatever, it is very well decorated with some amazing artwork from the Renaissance era. Entrance is free, but to climb up to the dome costs money, something we didn't have with less than a week left.
After Il Duomo, we wanted to go check out the Jewish quarter of Firenze, something highly recommended by the Chabadniks in Venezia. We didn't really want to see the museum, we actually wanted to go to services the next night (being a Friday and all). Much to our surprise, the Firenze Synagogue allows visitors without a lot of the hassle other synagogues require visitors to go through. All we had to do was show up. We also noticed the Firenze Chabad was having a free dinner. Even better! The Jews' favorite word is "free" and the only way to make it better is if you put the word "food" after it (well, "dinner" in this instance).
On the way to the synagogue, we noticed a record shop. We stopped in for a peek and found a sight that's very difficult to find in the states. It was all records! Old ones, new ones, 78's, 45's, wall to wall. Jordan was on the hunt for the Sgt. Pepper's album, so we walked over to the Beatles section and started browsing. Lo and behold, we found like 3 copies ranging from 23 euro to 290 euro. The discrepancy has to do with when and under which label the album was made. The 23 euro one was much more attractive, but we were both indecisive on what to get and how we would get it home, so we decided to think about that and come back Friday before services.
We continued our walking tour of the city and headed for Piazzale Michelangelo across the Arno River. Jordan said the view was just as good as the dome in Il Duomo but 6 euro cheaper (here's that "free" again). After a decent climb up some half ramp half stair hybrid, we were treated to a panoramic view of the city, which is almost entirely north of the Arno River. We could see many cathedrals and even the synagogue, which is much more elaborate than it sounds.
It was staring to get dark and we were wiped from the walking, so we decided to start making our way back to the hostel. Not far up the river from Piazzale Michelangelo is the Ponte Veccio. The bridge is similar to Ponte Rialto in Venezia but it and the street continuing north are lined with jewelry shops. We also browsed the more touristy and expensive Central Market on the way back.
Next is day two in Firenze.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Roma one: Jordan
We arrived in Rome in the morning and set out to find our hostel. Our hostel was close, a nice 5 min. walk, but when we got there, no one was there, it was just a door to an apartment complex. We stood there confused until a woman camp up to us and asked if we were looking for Pink Floyd. We said yes, she rang the bell, then told us to wait. A man came up to us and walked us up the street a few doors and into a hotel where he checked us in. It was a little bit of a sketchy operation, but not too bad. We dropped off our bags and decided to make today ancient Rome day. We first headed over to the Colosseum where swarms of people lined up to see the ancient stadium. It was massive and imposing and impressive. You could see down into the area where animals would have been held. You could almost make out cages and see where the people used to sit. It was interesting to learn about the history of the Coloseum (eg. did you know the Colosseum floor was once flooded with water to stage naval battles?), and to see where major spectator sports took place for the Roman Empire.
After the Colosseum we decided to head out for lunch. We found this little place about 10 min. walking from the Colosseum. The place was tiny, but buzzing with locals and the food looked good. I ordered Penne with Salmon and, although simple, it was really good.
After lunch we went to the Paltine Hill and Roman Forum. The ancient ruins are amazing. We wandered around and ended up at what used to be a private stadium. I tagged along with an English tour group and found out that the stadium, and most of the buildings, were covered in marble. The marble, it turns out, ended up being used to build Rome including parts of the Vatican. The marble was recycled, which I found amusing.
If you walk around the stadium to Augustus's home you end up in his bedroom where the original marble flooring is still there, in fragments. I really enjoyed wandering the ruins. It is amazing what the ancient Romans were capable of doing. The are of the Palatine Hill and Roman forum also includes the curia, where you can barely see the outlines of anceint frescoes.
We continued our anceint Rome tour by heading over to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is massive and completely crowded with people. Walking in actually takes effort there are so many people. When you get inside, there is light streaming in from the hole in the dome. There are niches in every wall with beautifully done statues. Raphael is buried in the Pantheon, and people crowd around to see the master's tomb.
After the Pantheon we walked over to Fontana di Trevi or the Trevi Fountain. You can tell when you are getting close to the fountain by the combined thunderous sounds of gallons of falling water and hundreds of happy tourists. I made my way down through the crowds to the edge of the fountain and, according to tradition threw three coins into the water: one to return to Rome and two to fall in love there. The fountain is beautifully carved and very imposing. The hundreds of gallons of cascading water do nothing to detract from the imposing feeling.
After the fountain we went out to dinner and then headed back to the hostel.
After the Colosseum we decided to head out for lunch. We found this little place about 10 min. walking from the Colosseum. The place was tiny, but buzzing with locals and the food looked good. I ordered Penne with Salmon and, although simple, it was really good.
After lunch we went to the Paltine Hill and Roman Forum. The ancient ruins are amazing. We wandered around and ended up at what used to be a private stadium. I tagged along with an English tour group and found out that the stadium, and most of the buildings, were covered in marble. The marble, it turns out, ended up being used to build Rome including parts of the Vatican. The marble was recycled, which I found amusing.
If you walk around the stadium to Augustus's home you end up in his bedroom where the original marble flooring is still there, in fragments. I really enjoyed wandering the ruins. It is amazing what the ancient Romans were capable of doing. The are of the Palatine Hill and Roman forum also includes the curia, where you can barely see the outlines of anceint frescoes.
We continued our anceint Rome tour by heading over to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is massive and completely crowded with people. Walking in actually takes effort there are so many people. When you get inside, there is light streaming in from the hole in the dome. There are niches in every wall with beautifully done statues. Raphael is buried in the Pantheon, and people crowd around to see the master's tomb.
After the Pantheon we walked over to Fontana di Trevi or the Trevi Fountain. You can tell when you are getting close to the fountain by the combined thunderous sounds of gallons of falling water and hundreds of happy tourists. I made my way down through the crowds to the edge of the fountain and, according to tradition threw three coins into the water: one to return to Rome and two to fall in love there. The fountain is beautifully carved and very imposing. The hundreds of gallons of cascading water do nothing to detract from the imposing feeling.
After the fountain we went out to dinner and then headed back to the hostel.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
From Heathrow: Nathan
So, we're definitely sleeping in Terminal 1 on some plush red benches. Good night all. Back to Texas and reality in the afternoon.
Venice Followup: Nathan
Of all the cool things I saw in Venice, one of the greatest has to be this shop I found during our wanderings. Yes, the Doge's Palace and Piazza San Marco were amazing and full of history, but things like this shop just kind of take you by surprise.
I found a shop called Popcorner I think. Their website is and it's a great place for Beatles fans and pretty much anyone that likes rock from the 60's to the 80's. They had some a ton of memorabilia I had never seen before. Immediately, I tried calling home to see if the parents wanted anything cool. Unfortunately, the owner closed for siesta soon after stepping outside and realizing phone reception is horrible in Venice.
Jordan is correct about not being able to re-find anything in Venice that's not the Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, Piazza Roma (where the taxis pick up), or Venezia Santa Lucia Station. However, on our walk away from the shop during the siesta, I noticed the address numbers increased for awhile. So, I figured we could use that to get back. After some wandering, it actually worked and we re-found the shop. I think my dad and her dad will like the gifts.
Next - Florence, if I need to say more.
I found a shop called Popcorner I think. Their website is
Jordan is correct about not being able to re-find anything in Venice that's not the Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, Piazza Roma (where the taxis pick up), or Venezia Santa Lucia Station. However, on our walk away from the shop during the siesta, I noticed the address numbers increased for awhile. So, I figured we could use that to get back. After some wandering, it actually worked and we re-found the shop. I think my dad and her dad will like the gifts.
Next - Florence, if I need to say more.
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