Our final day in Rome was kind-of a hodgepodge of activities. As Jason observed to me over lunch, we had been moving slower since arriving in this great city. Rome is marvelous, but it can be grueling. So we took the day at a slower pace and didn't beat ourselves up by trying to see too much --- and Jason is already planning our next trip back. :)
After toast, cereal, juice and some darn strong coffee at the B&B, we made our way to the Capuchin Crypt that sits below one of Rome's many churches. It may sound morbid (and I suppose in a way it is) but the crypt consists of five vaulted rooms decorated in the bones of over 4,000 Franciscan friars. Using only human remains, the men created light fixtures, crucifixes, and oddly beautiful wall "murals". We purchased a little postcard that had explanations in English of each of the rooms and marveled at the ability to use bones in such a manner. The final vaulted room has a little sign that issues a message to visitors: "What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be." Chilling? Not really. Their acceptance of our fate was kind-of affirming. In death, beauty --- and new life --- will be found.
After visiting the vault, we walked to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, only to discover it was closed to visitors due to the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. After getting over our temporary disappointment, we trudged on. Jason stopped to fill up our water bottle at one of Rome's many fountains --- some of these are simple, some of them are quite ornate, all of them offer cooling refreshment from the heat. We decided to eat lunch again at the train station --- the food really was quite good --- and then we headed to our next stop.
The National Museum of Rome showcases this city's history, from its small start to being the most powerful empire on earth, and finally to its sad but inevitable fall. It had a great collection of statues, and we followed Rick's reading tour in our book. To carve what these people did out of marble just floors me. It is really amazing. We also saw some original Greek bronze statues, which are apparently really rare. We toured the upper floors, where we saw remnants of mosaics and frescoes from Roman villas. These places must have been SPECTACULAR in their day. The final visit was the basement, where we saw some examples of Roman jewelry (quite beautiful) and a massive coin collection.
After the museum, we considered visiting the Baths of Diocletian across the street, but after reading that much of it has been turned into a church and other (what we felt were) non-interesting things, we headed home to do some laundry and take a siesta. We knew we had a night walk ahead of us, and wanted to be rested for it.
Rick has a walk you can follow in his Rome book called "A Night Walk Across Rome". Before we started, we stopped at the Largo Argentina ruins, which is now home to a cat hospice. I LOVED it there. The ruins cover about half a football field, and cats are just laying around, sunning themselves on the remains of a great civilization. We got there after the hospice had closed, but it was still fun to watch the action. Jason commented on how I took more pictures there than I had at a lot of other places. I can't help that I love cats. :)
Our walk started at Campo di Fiori. We ate at Ostaria da Giovanni ar Galletto on Piazza Farnese, and besides being delicious Roman food (our waiter was very pleased that Jason ordered the carbonera) it was entertaining, as the owner Angelo (a sweet Italian man) told his waiters what to do, found tables for customers, and sung to the women as he seated them. After our meal, we headed from Campo di Fiori to Piazza Navona, where we saw all the night action. Struggling artists had their work out, vendors hawked their goods, and a man with a Michael Jackson puppet on his hand and a massive crowd around him did the moonwalk to "Beat It". From the piazza, we walked past the gloriously lit Pantheon and took a detour to eat gelato from Rome's most famous gelateria, Giolitti's. As we walked and ate, we made our way to the beautiful-when-lit Trevi fountain (which was packed with people) and each threw in a coin to ensure our return. The last stop of the night was the Spanish Steps.
After some wandering, we took a bus back to the station and walked the rest of the way home, arriving back at 11:30 --- late but worth it, as it was a good farewell to the city.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
The Eternal City, Day Two
Thursday was our first full day in Roma, and despite our best intentions, we didn't head out for the day's sightseeing until around 10:00 AM. We did, however, meet a nice young couple at breakfast from Toronto, and they let us borrow a very cool little book that shows what Rome's ruins looked like when they were brand new.
The first stop of the day was another church, St. Peter-in-Chains. It was very peaceful here, as there were not so many tourists. We saw Michelangelo's statue of Moses and also the chains that held St. Peter at the Mamertime Prison and also under Herod's lock and key. It is said that when the two sets of chains were brought together, they miraculously joined.
After St. Peter-in-Chains, we headed for the Colosseum. When the massive structure came into sight, we both stopped to admire (and gawk) at it. So many times we had seen it, on TV, in the movies, in our school books. Now we were really there. On a tip we got from Rick, we walked to the Palatine Hill ticket office, purchased our Archeologia Cards, and then were able to skip through the lines at the Colosseum straight for the turnstile. I must say, the place is HUGE --- a theme we are noticing more and more in this city. From the Vestal Virgins box (these young women tended the eternal fire of the city), we observed the now-visible floor plan of underground tunnels and passages that were used by the gladiators and the wild animals they fought. You can still see the elevator shafts that brought up surprise rivals for the fighting men to fend off. We hiked up immensely steep stairs (Jason said we were going to watch the fights and give our thumbs up (live) or thumbs down (die)) and got a better view of everything. We stood where the emperors box was located, and pondered the power these men held --- and then snapped some pictures.
After walking around the Arch of Constantine, our next stop was a quick lunch, followed by the massive Forum. This area was the main drag in ancient Rome. Today it is the site of some pretty darn cool ruins. We followed the tour in Rick's Rome 2007 book and saw the spot where Caesar's was burned, the Temple of Saturn, the Temple of the Vestal Virgins, the arch of Titus, and much more. We were going to tour Palatine Hill, but when we got up there we decided that we were tired enough, and had enough left to see, to bypass this chunk of history and leave it for next time.
From the ruins, we walked to the Pantheon. At it's earliest point, this building was a temple dedicated to ALL the gods, not one in particular. It still looks today pretty much as it did in the early years of the first millenium. The reason it has been so well preserved is that, as Rome fell, the Christians converted it to a church and no one messed with it. It is also the longest continually used building in Rome. Before we stepped inside, we were both impressed with it's 40 foot tall solid granite columns (rock brought here from Egypt). Once inside, the only light comes from the massive hole in the top of the dome --- and what a dome! It was the last one built until Brunelleschi's in Florence over 1,000 years later. Shortly after we arrived, mass started (odd to think about mass being said in a building previously used for pagan worship) and we left.
We wandered the streets, looking for a little bar that we read had a good, cheap menu. We found it, ordered a pizza to share, and enjoyed the city's ambiance as we ate. After our meal, our waiter brought us complimentary sparkling wine and we savored the evening some more. Finally we forced ourselves to leave, and headed home.
The first stop of the day was another church, St. Peter-in-Chains. It was very peaceful here, as there were not so many tourists. We saw Michelangelo's statue of Moses and also the chains that held St. Peter at the Mamertime Prison and also under Herod's lock and key. It is said that when the two sets of chains were brought together, they miraculously joined.
After St. Peter-in-Chains, we headed for the Colosseum. When the massive structure came into sight, we both stopped to admire (and gawk) at it. So many times we had seen it, on TV, in the movies, in our school books. Now we were really there. On a tip we got from Rick, we walked to the Palatine Hill ticket office, purchased our Archeologia Cards, and then were able to skip through the lines at the Colosseum straight for the turnstile. I must say, the place is HUGE --- a theme we are noticing more and more in this city. From the Vestal Virgins box (these young women tended the eternal fire of the city), we observed the now-visible floor plan of underground tunnels and passages that were used by the gladiators and the wild animals they fought. You can still see the elevator shafts that brought up surprise rivals for the fighting men to fend off. We hiked up immensely steep stairs (Jason said we were going to watch the fights and give our thumbs up (live) or thumbs down (die)) and got a better view of everything. We stood where the emperors box was located, and pondered the power these men held --- and then snapped some pictures.
After walking around the Arch of Constantine, our next stop was a quick lunch, followed by the massive Forum. This area was the main drag in ancient Rome. Today it is the site of some pretty darn cool ruins. We followed the tour in Rick's Rome 2007 book and saw the spot where Caesar's was burned, the Temple of Saturn, the Temple of the Vestal Virgins, the arch of Titus, and much more. We were going to tour Palatine Hill, but when we got up there we decided that we were tired enough, and had enough left to see, to bypass this chunk of history and leave it for next time.
From the ruins, we walked to the Pantheon. At it's earliest point, this building was a temple dedicated to ALL the gods, not one in particular. It still looks today pretty much as it did in the early years of the first millenium. The reason it has been so well preserved is that, as Rome fell, the Christians converted it to a church and no one messed with it. It is also the longest continually used building in Rome. Before we stepped inside, we were both impressed with it's 40 foot tall solid granite columns (rock brought here from Egypt). Once inside, the only light comes from the massive hole in the top of the dome --- and what a dome! It was the last one built until Brunelleschi's in Florence over 1,000 years later. Shortly after we arrived, mass started (odd to think about mass being said in a building previously used for pagan worship) and we left.
We wandered the streets, looking for a little bar that we read had a good, cheap menu. We found it, ordered a pizza to share, and enjoyed the city's ambiance as we ate. After our meal, our waiter brought us complimentary sparkling wine and we savored the evening some more. Finally we forced ourselves to leave, and headed home.
The Eternal City, Day One
Wednesday was our first day in Rome, and it was a full one. We arrived at the Termini Station at 10:00 AM, found our B&B a short walk away, and were on the Metro headed for Vatican City by 11:00. Remember that Vatican City is its own country --- although nothing really changes physically when you leave Rome and enter this tiny little state (expect perhaps that things seem cleaner).
When we got off the metro, our first stop was the Vatican Museum. The line to enter stretched along a wall and around the corner, and we took our place at the back. It moved surprisingly quickly, and within 15 minutes we were inside --- only to stand in another line to purchase tickets. At least this new line was located in an air-conditioned building. It was basically wall-to-wall people, and the crowds made everything seem like it was taking longer than it really was.
When we arrived in the museum itself, we started in the rooms concerning Mesopotamia and and Egypt. We saw mummies, burial trinkets and lots of statues. Some of the items dated from 2500 B.C. It was amazing. We passed through rooms of Roman art, ornate halls hung with huge tapestries and maps, and slowly made our way to the cherry on top of the sundae --- the Sistine Chapel. Before we entered this amazing room, we passed by some very cool modern Christian art which was quite refreshing after all that Renaissance stuff. :) Right before the chapel we saw rooms decorated by Raphael and his impressive School of Athens painting. Finally, with about a million (give or take) other visitors, we entered the personal chapel of the pope and by craning our necks viewed Michelangelo's story of creation on the ceiling. Behind the altar was his later version of the Last Judgement. The message: Christ will come again, some will go to hell and some to heaven --- so get your brownie points in while you can.
From the Sistine Chapel, we took a little side door, and headed down to the greatest church in Christendom, St. Peter's Basilica. I cannot even describe how impressive this building is. We just stood at the back for awhile and gapped up. The basilica itself covers six acres (and this is NOT including St. Peter's Square outside). We toured the inside, saw Bernini's glorious starburst above St. Peter's throne and his massive, 7-story high bronze canopy over the main altar, and marveled at Michelangelo's dome (if you took a football field and stood it on end, it wouldn't touch the top of the dome). We stopped at a little side chapel for venerating the Eucharist and went in and prayed for awhile, stepped back out into the church, and went outside so that we could climb the dome.
After riding a lift up to the base of the dome, we went inside to peer 70 feet down inside the church. Although there is a fence, neither Jason or I could be near the edge for long before vertigo got the better of us. The letters that make up the base of the dome --- and that declare Peter as the rock of the church --- are themselves SEVEN feet high. From the inside we began the long climb up 320 stairs to the cuppola. The stairs gradually got narrower and narrower, and eventually we had to curve our bodies inward and follow the shape of the dome. Finally we emerged into the light and had views of Rome worth all the claustrophobia in the world. After climbing back down the dizzying spiral staircase, we stopped on the main roof and paid the gift shop a visit. I bought a small icon of the Madonna and Child from a little nun and we were on our way back to the basilica.
At 5:00 we attended mass under St. Peter's Throne. It was a lovely experience, with beautiful music, prayers and incense wafting heavenward. I kept trying to remind myself that we were in ST. PETER'S! After the service, we went outside to view the massive square. We saw the little balcony that the pope uses to speak to and bless the masses, and the windows to his personal living quarters. After marveling some more at the home of our faith, we headed back to the metro for home.
For sheer ease, we ate at the train station and had a surprisingly good meal. Once back to the hotel, I was able to talk to my dad and then we both fell quickly asleep.
When we got off the metro, our first stop was the Vatican Museum. The line to enter stretched along a wall and around the corner, and we took our place at the back. It moved surprisingly quickly, and within 15 minutes we were inside --- only to stand in another line to purchase tickets. At least this new line was located in an air-conditioned building. It was basically wall-to-wall people, and the crowds made everything seem like it was taking longer than it really was.
When we arrived in the museum itself, we started in the rooms concerning Mesopotamia and and Egypt. We saw mummies, burial trinkets and lots of statues. Some of the items dated from 2500 B.C. It was amazing. We passed through rooms of Roman art, ornate halls hung with huge tapestries and maps, and slowly made our way to the cherry on top of the sundae --- the Sistine Chapel. Before we entered this amazing room, we passed by some very cool modern Christian art which was quite refreshing after all that Renaissance stuff. :) Right before the chapel we saw rooms decorated by Raphael and his impressive School of Athens painting. Finally, with about a million (give or take) other visitors, we entered the personal chapel of the pope and by craning our necks viewed Michelangelo's story of creation on the ceiling. Behind the altar was his later version of the Last Judgement. The message: Christ will come again, some will go to hell and some to heaven --- so get your brownie points in while you can.
From the Sistine Chapel, we took a little side door, and headed down to the greatest church in Christendom, St. Peter's Basilica. I cannot even describe how impressive this building is. We just stood at the back for awhile and gapped up. The basilica itself covers six acres (and this is NOT including St. Peter's Square outside). We toured the inside, saw Bernini's glorious starburst above St. Peter's throne and his massive, 7-story high bronze canopy over the main altar, and marveled at Michelangelo's dome (if you took a football field and stood it on end, it wouldn't touch the top of the dome). We stopped at a little side chapel for venerating the Eucharist and went in and prayed for awhile, stepped back out into the church, and went outside so that we could climb the dome.
After riding a lift up to the base of the dome, we went inside to peer 70 feet down inside the church. Although there is a fence, neither Jason or I could be near the edge for long before vertigo got the better of us. The letters that make up the base of the dome --- and that declare Peter as the rock of the church --- are themselves SEVEN feet high. From the inside we began the long climb up 320 stairs to the cuppola. The stairs gradually got narrower and narrower, and eventually we had to curve our bodies inward and follow the shape of the dome. Finally we emerged into the light and had views of Rome worth all the claustrophobia in the world. After climbing back down the dizzying spiral staircase, we stopped on the main roof and paid the gift shop a visit. I bought a small icon of the Madonna and Child from a little nun and we were on our way back to the basilica.
At 5:00 we attended mass under St. Peter's Throne. It was a lovely experience, with beautiful music, prayers and incense wafting heavenward. I kept trying to remind myself that we were in ST. PETER'S! After the service, we went outside to view the massive square. We saw the little balcony that the pope uses to speak to and bless the masses, and the windows to his personal living quarters. After marveling some more at the home of our faith, we headed back to the metro for home.
For sheer ease, we ate at the train station and had a surprisingly good meal. Once back to the hotel, I was able to talk to my dad and then we both fell quickly asleep.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Farewell Florence, Hello Rome!
Our last day in Florence was a busy one. In the morning we had planned to see Santa Croce church, but the San Lorenzo market sucked us in. I purchased a scarf (I had been eyeing them in Venice) and Jason bought himself a great leather (at least we HOPE its leather) bag that he can use to haul his stuff to and from work. He tried to haggle with the vendor, but the two of them ended up joking around and we both got the feeling as we left that the vendor probably came out on top.
Our reservation at the Accademia was for 11:30. We waited a bit and then went inside. We viewed Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners that were originally intended for the tomb of an egomaniacal pope in Rome. And then there before us, in all of his nude glory, was David. We hadn't been sure of what to expect with this statue, and quite frankly we were stunned. It is much larger than I expected, and really quite amazing. From there we viewed some beautiful religious altar pieces and icons and then headed out for lunch.
We ate at the little restaurant at the end of our block. I had a salad with mozzarella and tomatoes and it was delicious. When I say it came with mozzarella, I mean this baseball size ball of it sits in the middle and you eat pieces of it. Beth told me how great these cheese balls are, and I can now say I AGREE! I wish we had them back home.
It was sprinkling at this point (and no hot sun to bake us!) so we whipped out the umbrella again. We quickly viewed the inside of the Duomo (but opted to not climb the dome due to lines) and then headed to Santa Croce, home of the third longest nave in Christendom and the tombs of many important historical figures. The church seemed massive, and we saw where Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli are laid to rest. We also saw Donatellos beautiful Annunciation.
Our next stop was the Uffizi Gallery. We saw room after room after room of Renaissance art. Botticelli's Birth of Venus, da Vinci's The Annunciation, and all of the Raphael's, Michelangelo's and Titian's were amazing. After the museum we hunted down Florence's best known gelateria, Vivoli's. It was a nice break from the damp weather, and a great flavor infusion for our tastebuds.
The remainder of the evening was spent finding dinner, packing and relaxing in our room. In the morning we were on our way to Rome.
Our reservation at the Accademia was for 11:30. We waited a bit and then went inside. We viewed Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners that were originally intended for the tomb of an egomaniacal pope in Rome. And then there before us, in all of his nude glory, was David. We hadn't been sure of what to expect with this statue, and quite frankly we were stunned. It is much larger than I expected, and really quite amazing. From there we viewed some beautiful religious altar pieces and icons and then headed out for lunch.
We ate at the little restaurant at the end of our block. I had a salad with mozzarella and tomatoes and it was delicious. When I say it came with mozzarella, I mean this baseball size ball of it sits in the middle and you eat pieces of it. Beth told me how great these cheese balls are, and I can now say I AGREE! I wish we had them back home.
It was sprinkling at this point (and no hot sun to bake us!) so we whipped out the umbrella again. We quickly viewed the inside of the Duomo (but opted to not climb the dome due to lines) and then headed to Santa Croce, home of the third longest nave in Christendom and the tombs of many important historical figures. The church seemed massive, and we saw where Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli are laid to rest. We also saw Donatellos beautiful Annunciation.
Our next stop was the Uffizi Gallery. We saw room after room after room of Renaissance art. Botticelli's Birth of Venus, da Vinci's The Annunciation, and all of the Raphael's, Michelangelo's and Titian's were amazing. After the museum we hunted down Florence's best known gelateria, Vivoli's. It was a nice break from the damp weather, and a great flavor infusion for our tastebuds.
The remainder of the evening was spent finding dinner, packing and relaxing in our room. In the morning we were on our way to Rome.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
A crazy morning, sleepy afternoon and lovely evening...
When we woke up yesterday morning, we knew we needed to hustle to get ready, pack remaining items, and head for the train station. Unfortunately I woke up with a MASSIVE headache --- a result of too much sun or the mysterious drink from the night before, I do not know. To remedy myself without waking Jason, I grabbed two Excedrin Migraine and drank lots of water. A few short minutes later I was sick in the bathroom sending all that water right back out. It is not fun to be sick at home, and it was certainly not fun to be sick in a hot little bathroom in a foreign country. Jason went and got me a little roll, and that helped to settle my stomach and cure my headache. Praise be! As we walked to our vaporetto stop, I sang, as the gondoliers do at the end of a ride, "Ciao Venezia, Ciao Venezia, Ciao Venzia lalalala" (or something along those lines) and we bid farewell to this hectic, glorious city.
We got to the train station and immediately had some trouble locating our track. The train was scheduled to leave at 8:50 and as the clock ticked away we went to the information desk for help. It was there that we discovered we had made a rookie mistake --- our train departed from Venezia Mestre (on the mainland) and we were at the main station, Venezia Santa Lucia. We caught a train hoping to make it to Mestre in time, but alas we did not. Our seat reservations were no longer valid, and we had to rush around trying to communicate with non-English speakers. Finally we got new reservations for the 9:17 train and after a 20 minute delay (figures!) were on our way. Then we discovered that the train was only taking us to Firenze Campo, not the main station, Firenze Santa Maria Novella. We decided we'd deal with this fact later only to discover a few hours later that the train in fact DID stop at SMN. Again, praise be!
The Florence station was packed to the walls with people --- perhaps trains were delayed --- and we cautiously made our way through the crowds. Once out on the street we had to avoid the kamikaze motorscooters and traffic to get to our hotel. After a 10 minute walk in the midday HEAT, we found Hotel Il Bargellino, went to our room, dropped our bags, laid across the bed, and woke up 3 hours later. :)
After our very restful nap, we decided to nix our plan to visit Siena and instead toured Florence on foot. The heat had receded a bit, and after a delicious and inexpensive meal at the recommended restaurant at the end of our block (Via Guelfa) we strolled through the outdoor stalls at the San Lorenzo street market. Prices are much better here than they were in Venice, but we survived the shopping gauntlet unscathed. From here the beautiful Duomo came into sight and we headed towards it. It is a massive building, and the first dome built since ancient Rome. Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance, and Brunelleschi's dome it's most massive masterpiece. We strolled some more, passed through several piazzas with massive statues, and then found ourselves in the courtyard of the Uffizi. A lone violinist was playing in the empty, shaded courtyard and we sat along the walls listening to the classical strains float upward. It was lovely. From there we walked along the Arno River, saw the Ponte Vecchio, had a photo-op and then purchased some (surprise!) gelato.
We walked home and slept quite soundly.
On the agenda today: view Santa Croce church, visit both the Accademia and the Uffizi galleries, climb the Duomo and walk through the third longest nave in Christendom. Tomorrow we are off to Rome and three nights in the Eternal City. Until later, ciao!
We got to the train station and immediately had some trouble locating our track. The train was scheduled to leave at 8:50 and as the clock ticked away we went to the information desk for help. It was there that we discovered we had made a rookie mistake --- our train departed from Venezia Mestre (on the mainland) and we were at the main station, Venezia Santa Lucia. We caught a train hoping to make it to Mestre in time, but alas we did not. Our seat reservations were no longer valid, and we had to rush around trying to communicate with non-English speakers. Finally we got new reservations for the 9:17 train and after a 20 minute delay (figures!) were on our way. Then we discovered that the train was only taking us to Firenze Campo, not the main station, Firenze Santa Maria Novella. We decided we'd deal with this fact later only to discover a few hours later that the train in fact DID stop at SMN. Again, praise be!
The Florence station was packed to the walls with people --- perhaps trains were delayed --- and we cautiously made our way through the crowds. Once out on the street we had to avoid the kamikaze motorscooters and traffic to get to our hotel. After a 10 minute walk in the midday HEAT, we found Hotel Il Bargellino, went to our room, dropped our bags, laid across the bed, and woke up 3 hours later. :)
After our very restful nap, we decided to nix our plan to visit Siena and instead toured Florence on foot. The heat had receded a bit, and after a delicious and inexpensive meal at the recommended restaurant at the end of our block (Via Guelfa) we strolled through the outdoor stalls at the San Lorenzo street market. Prices are much better here than they were in Venice, but we survived the shopping gauntlet unscathed. From here the beautiful Duomo came into sight and we headed towards it. It is a massive building, and the first dome built since ancient Rome. Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance, and Brunelleschi's dome it's most massive masterpiece. We strolled some more, passed through several piazzas with massive statues, and then found ourselves in the courtyard of the Uffizi. A lone violinist was playing in the empty, shaded courtyard and we sat along the walls listening to the classical strains float upward. It was lovely. From there we walked along the Arno River, saw the Ponte Vecchio, had a photo-op and then purchased some (surprise!) gelato.
We walked home and slept quite soundly.
On the agenda today: view Santa Croce church, visit both the Accademia and the Uffizi galleries, climb the Duomo and walk through the third longest nave in Christendom. Tomorrow we are off to Rome and three nights in the Eternal City. Until later, ciao!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Munich, a restless night and ITALIA!
After locating our hotel in Munich, which was only a 10 minute walk from the main station and yet somehow located on a completely peaceful street, we decided to run some "errands" --- and doing so in a foreign country can be interesting. :) We had some laundry we needed to do, and as we had passed a launderette on our way to the hotel, we went back there. Unfortunately, and obviously, everything was in German. We must have looked befuddled because the lady on duty came and helped us in near perfect English.
After we put our load in we went in search of dinner, and since we had to be back in 25 minutes, we just walked a few doors down to a place called Al Bagdadi. We were both skeptical but our growling stomachs ruled the day. I ordered something called a Schwarma, and Jason wanted a hot dog, but he got another of what I ordered --- which was fine because they were delicious. As the soccer game between Jordan and Lebanon played out on the TV, men smoked out of hookahs behind us. All in all it was a good meal and an interesting experience.
We picked up our laundry and headed back to the hotel where we were finally able to call our families. I must say I had begun to feel down from not speaking to them in so many days. Corny, perhaps. But true.
On Friday we had our "castle day". We took a two hour train ride from Munich to Fussen (where we stored our luggage in lockers) and toured both the castle that King Ludwig grew up in, and also the famous Neuschwanstein (from which Disney modeled his fairytale castle). It was rainy all day, which dampened our spirits a bit (pun intended!) but even with the crummy weather, it was still beautiful. I figured out that Ludwig would have been king when the Seubert family decided to leave Bavaria for America. That made the tours all the more interesting.
We tried to see all of Munich's Marienplatz when we returned that evening (foolish of us!) but mostly we were able to take pictures of the major landmarks (three churches) and we were thankfully able to enter one of them --- which one escapes me as of now. We had hoped to eat at the world's most famous beer hall, the Hofbrahaus, but after getting lost several times we gave up and ate at a lesser and I am sure calmer beer hall.
From dinner we headed back to the central station in Munich and hung out in a Deutsche Bahn lounge until our train left for Venice at 11:40 PM. What a long day! When we got to our compartment we met a girl from Vancouver, BC and later a man from Germany. Since all the couchettes were full, the four of us had to attempt to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Needless to say, we didn't. :) But both of us managed more sleep than when we crossed the Atlantic, and we arrived in Venice mostly alert at 7:36 in the morning.
Well, Venice and the Grand Canal were everything we expected and some of what we didn't. The main mode of transportation are vaporetto, or water buses. Rick suggested taking #1, the slow bus, to follow the reading tour in his book. It would have worked much better if the boat hadn't been packed tighter than a sardine can. We still saw all the sights, it just required more neck craning. We got off the bus at San Marco, and witnessed one of the most famous squares in the world. The basilica and Doge's Palace were breathtaking in the morning light, but we headed straight for our albergo (sort-of a cross between a B&B and a hotel). We found it quite easily, and were pleased to discover it was only a TWO minute walk from San Marco. Perfect.
Once we were free of our bags, we decided to tour the Correr Museum at the far end of the square, where we saw much Venetian art and learned a little of its great history as a trade center. After the museum, we toured the Doge's Palace. (I believe the English word for doge is "duke".) It was amazing and dumbfounding to think of the wealth that built it. Within the walls we saw the world's largest painting on canvas, and many more extravagances.
From the palace we walked the 2 minutes to our hotel to escape the crowds and the heat, slept for a few hours, and headed out to find one of Rick's recommended restaurants. Venice is difficult to navigate even for the locals, so we didn't feel too bad when we didn't find it. We had a mediocre meal in a busy Campo (square) and then fought our way back through the crowds to our hotel, stopping of course for some gelato. :)
The next morning we got up, ate breakfast and headed for the church of San Zulian. We thought it offered an English mass at 9:30 but alas, the service was in Italian. Besides figuring out that St. John the Baptist was being honored, we understood nothing of what was said, and yet everything that was done. Such is the life of being Catholic.
After mass we toured the museum above St. Mark's Basilica because the basilica was not open until 14:00 (or 2:00 PM). When you tour this museum, you are technically in the church and can thus see the jaw-dropping mosaics that cover every inch of the ceiling, but cannot see down into the nave. Mass was going on below us, and we were both irritated that we could not attend that service (never found out how to set that up). The singing was beautiful, and they had the mosaics lit from below. Everything sparkled in gold, Christian glory. I cannot even explain it.
From the basilica we had a quick lunch and did some window shopping. Jason let me have a little splurge and bought me a murano glass bracelet (which I LOVE and am currently wearing) for 35 euro, and later that day I popped into a little glass store and purchased matching earrings for another 8 euro. Besides that, we have avoided the souvenir traps.
Initially we had planned on not taking a gondola ride for 80 euro, but later we decided to take a walking/gondola tour offered by the city Tourist Information office. We met with other English speakers at 3:00 PM at the far end of the piazza and a lovely Italian lady led us through some quiet streets of Venice, telling us the city's story. We then boarded a gondola (with 4 others) and had a 40 minute intimate tour of the canals. It wasn't as romantic as in the movies, but it was peaceful and relaxing. We finished our tour with a trip to the Church of the Frari. It was amazing, and beautiful --- as all the churches have been. But here we were able to witness the art of Donatello, Bellini and Titian in situ (which means in the place it was created for). It was a lovely end to our tour.
Jason and I headed back to more familiar ground by walking to the famous Rialto Bridge and then back to St. Mark's square. We decided to try another of Rick's restaurants and again got lost, only to realize we were "lost" back on the canal of our hotel. We popped in, got a map, and 5 minutes later were seated along a quite canal eating delicious ravioli at Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci. From dinner we went back to our room, cooled down, listened to the gondoliers sing below us, and then headed back to the piazza around 8:00 PM. Surrounding the piazza are many famous cafes that the wealthy used to attend (and I imagine still do). In the summer, dueling orchestras play outside at each of these cafes. Even though you must pay extra to sit outside, we got a table and ordered drinks (more on that in a minute) as the music filled the air, the stars came out, and everything was lit in lantern light. It was a highlight of the trip so far.
We wanted to order wine and believed we had. I ordered a spritz and Jason ordered a glass of Moscato. When our order arrived, from a man in a white tuxedo jacket and black bowtie, we were both excited to relax and enjoy the evening. Except Jason's "wine" was a glass of hard liquor that he had a hard time even sipping, and my spritz was some sort of orange liquor mixed with soda water. We both attempted to sip on these as people cheered for music and danced under the moonlight. As we were leaving, the band was playing a wonderful rendition of New York, New York. It felt good to hear a piece of home.
If Jason's family has access to this, we want to wish Kevin a very happy birthday! We wish we were there to celebrate 50 years with you! :)
More to come of the crazy morning we had today, as we leave you from this little Internet cafe in Florence. Ciao ciao.
After we put our load in we went in search of dinner, and since we had to be back in 25 minutes, we just walked a few doors down to a place called Al Bagdadi. We were both skeptical but our growling stomachs ruled the day. I ordered something called a Schwarma, and Jason wanted a hot dog, but he got another of what I ordered --- which was fine because they were delicious. As the soccer game between Jordan and Lebanon played out on the TV, men smoked out of hookahs behind us. All in all it was a good meal and an interesting experience.
We picked up our laundry and headed back to the hotel where we were finally able to call our families. I must say I had begun to feel down from not speaking to them in so many days. Corny, perhaps. But true.
On Friday we had our "castle day". We took a two hour train ride from Munich to Fussen (where we stored our luggage in lockers) and toured both the castle that King Ludwig grew up in, and also the famous Neuschwanstein (from which Disney modeled his fairytale castle). It was rainy all day, which dampened our spirits a bit (pun intended!) but even with the crummy weather, it was still beautiful. I figured out that Ludwig would have been king when the Seubert family decided to leave Bavaria for America. That made the tours all the more interesting.
We tried to see all of Munich's Marienplatz when we returned that evening (foolish of us!) but mostly we were able to take pictures of the major landmarks (three churches) and we were thankfully able to enter one of them --- which one escapes me as of now. We had hoped to eat at the world's most famous beer hall, the Hofbrahaus, but after getting lost several times we gave up and ate at a lesser and I am sure calmer beer hall.
From dinner we headed back to the central station in Munich and hung out in a Deutsche Bahn lounge until our train left for Venice at 11:40 PM. What a long day! When we got to our compartment we met a girl from Vancouver, BC and later a man from Germany. Since all the couchettes were full, the four of us had to attempt to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Needless to say, we didn't. :) But both of us managed more sleep than when we crossed the Atlantic, and we arrived in Venice mostly alert at 7:36 in the morning.
Well, Venice and the Grand Canal were everything we expected and some of what we didn't. The main mode of transportation are vaporetto, or water buses. Rick suggested taking #1, the slow bus, to follow the reading tour in his book. It would have worked much better if the boat hadn't been packed tighter than a sardine can. We still saw all the sights, it just required more neck craning. We got off the bus at San Marco, and witnessed one of the most famous squares in the world. The basilica and Doge's Palace were breathtaking in the morning light, but we headed straight for our albergo (sort-of a cross between a B&B and a hotel). We found it quite easily, and were pleased to discover it was only a TWO minute walk from San Marco. Perfect.
Once we were free of our bags, we decided to tour the Correr Museum at the far end of the square, where we saw much Venetian art and learned a little of its great history as a trade center. After the museum, we toured the Doge's Palace. (I believe the English word for doge is "duke".) It was amazing and dumbfounding to think of the wealth that built it. Within the walls we saw the world's largest painting on canvas, and many more extravagances.
From the palace we walked the 2 minutes to our hotel to escape the crowds and the heat, slept for a few hours, and headed out to find one of Rick's recommended restaurants. Venice is difficult to navigate even for the locals, so we didn't feel too bad when we didn't find it. We had a mediocre meal in a busy Campo (square) and then fought our way back through the crowds to our hotel, stopping of course for some gelato. :)
The next morning we got up, ate breakfast and headed for the church of San Zulian. We thought it offered an English mass at 9:30 but alas, the service was in Italian. Besides figuring out that St. John the Baptist was being honored, we understood nothing of what was said, and yet everything that was done. Such is the life of being Catholic.
After mass we toured the museum above St. Mark's Basilica because the basilica was not open until 14:00 (or 2:00 PM). When you tour this museum, you are technically in the church and can thus see the jaw-dropping mosaics that cover every inch of the ceiling, but cannot see down into the nave. Mass was going on below us, and we were both irritated that we could not attend that service (never found out how to set that up). The singing was beautiful, and they had the mosaics lit from below. Everything sparkled in gold, Christian glory. I cannot even explain it.
From the basilica we had a quick lunch and did some window shopping. Jason let me have a little splurge and bought me a murano glass bracelet (which I LOVE and am currently wearing) for 35 euro, and later that day I popped into a little glass store and purchased matching earrings for another 8 euro. Besides that, we have avoided the souvenir traps.
Initially we had planned on not taking a gondola ride for 80 euro, but later we decided to take a walking/gondola tour offered by the city Tourist Information office. We met with other English speakers at 3:00 PM at the far end of the piazza and a lovely Italian lady led us through some quiet streets of Venice, telling us the city's story. We then boarded a gondola (with 4 others) and had a 40 minute intimate tour of the canals. It wasn't as romantic as in the movies, but it was peaceful and relaxing. We finished our tour with a trip to the Church of the Frari. It was amazing, and beautiful --- as all the churches have been. But here we were able to witness the art of Donatello, Bellini and Titian in situ (which means in the place it was created for). It was a lovely end to our tour.
Jason and I headed back to more familiar ground by walking to the famous Rialto Bridge and then back to St. Mark's square. We decided to try another of Rick's restaurants and again got lost, only to realize we were "lost" back on the canal of our hotel. We popped in, got a map, and 5 minutes later were seated along a quite canal eating delicious ravioli at Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci. From dinner we went back to our room, cooled down, listened to the gondoliers sing below us, and then headed back to the piazza around 8:00 PM. Surrounding the piazza are many famous cafes that the wealthy used to attend (and I imagine still do). In the summer, dueling orchestras play outside at each of these cafes. Even though you must pay extra to sit outside, we got a table and ordered drinks (more on that in a minute) as the music filled the air, the stars came out, and everything was lit in lantern light. It was a highlight of the trip so far.
We wanted to order wine and believed we had. I ordered a spritz and Jason ordered a glass of Moscato. When our order arrived, from a man in a white tuxedo jacket and black bowtie, we were both excited to relax and enjoy the evening. Except Jason's "wine" was a glass of hard liquor that he had a hard time even sipping, and my spritz was some sort of orange liquor mixed with soda water. We both attempted to sip on these as people cheered for music and danced under the moonlight. As we were leaving, the band was playing a wonderful rendition of New York, New York. It felt good to hear a piece of home.
If Jason's family has access to this, we want to wish Kevin a very happy birthday! We wish we were there to celebrate 50 years with you! :)
More to come of the crazy morning we had today, as we leave you from this little Internet cafe in Florence. Ciao ciao.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Germany, Germany, Germany
We left Amsterdam quite early Monday morning, headed for the Rhine River and the quaint town of Bacharach. After some quick-on-our-feet itinerary planning, we decided to get off the train at St. Goar, climb all over Rheinfels Castle (a ruin, actually), hop on the last Rhine cruise of the day, and check out the scenery from the river for an hour to our stopping point.
Rheinfels was very cool. It was one of, if not the, largest castle along the Rhine. If memory serves me, it withstood a siege of 40,000 enemy soldiers. Now it is a fraction of the original size and in ruin --- but nonetheless amazing. We hiked all over the place and were generally impressed with the fortifications and flat out history of it all. When we had completed our walk, we took the slightly corny Tschu Tschu train back down to town (had to save our aching feet!!).
The cruise we took was very relaxing and allowed us to not only witness several Rhineland castles, but also the vineyards that produce the grapes that make the Rhine's famous white wines. The best grapes are grown on these steep, terraced fields. The slate below the soil keeps them warm all night, while the grapes grown above the river on flat land cool down and are less sweet.
Bacharach was home for two nights. We stayed at the Pension of wonderful Lettie. We met a very nice family from South Carolina and ended up being travel partners for a bit of our trip. On our first night (Monday) we ate at the oldest building in town, and had the BEST salad of our lives. It was incredibly simple but whatever was in the dressing was sehr gut!
On Tuesday we had quite the adventure. We had heard that Burg Eltz was one of the best-preserved medieval castles in all of Europe and that it was within traveling distance of Bacharach. So we took the train back up the Rhine, switched at Cochem, followed a new route along the Mosel River and hopped off at a little town so small that the train station is no longer manned. From the station we hiked for nearly 20 minutes through the sweet town of Moselkern (after wondering with an older couple from Chicago if we were in fact going the right way), and then hiked another 45 minutes through a forest where we expected knights and their ladies fair to appear at any minute. It was truly like being in a fairytale...except, of course, in fairytales the protagonists don't have achy legs from hiking. :)
Finally, Burg Eltz appeared. After a grueling last climb up what seemed like never-ending stairs in the midday sun, we arrived in the castle courtyard. We took the tour and followed along the German explanations with our English reading guide. Our high school German didn't help us much as our guide was explaining away. The rooms of the castle are decorated just as they were in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was so fascinating to see how people really lived back then. One of Jason's favorite rooms was the toilet. :) The castle is still owned and partly inhabited by the Eltz family, and the current countess makes sure all the rooms have fresh flowers weekly.
On our way out, the couple from Chicago offered to share the cab they had called but we declined and enjoyed a more relaxing climb back down.
Wednesday morning we took the early train with the family mentioned above to Rothenburg, an absolute haven of medieval coolness. When we arrived we took our bags to our room, rested a bit and then followed Rick's town walk. After that we toured St. Jakob's church, ate at a delicious little place (where Jason had a beer and decided he still didn't like beer) and where I had traditional bratwurst and sauerkraut. Then we took the entertaining Night Watchman's tour and headed home for bed.
Today we slept in a bit, ate our breakfast at the ancient but delicious Altfrankische Weinstube and toured the Crime and Punishment museum where we learned about medieval torture methods. Cool, huh. After that we did a tiny bit of shopping, the first of our trip. Then we left town right as the rain came in.
We took the train to Munich, arrived around 3:30, spent an hour at the Euraide office where we received some amazing help straightening out some goofed up schedule we received in Koln, and then headed for our hotel. More later as my time is up.
Rheinfels was very cool. It was one of, if not the, largest castle along the Rhine. If memory serves me, it withstood a siege of 40,000 enemy soldiers. Now it is a fraction of the original size and in ruin --- but nonetheless amazing. We hiked all over the place and were generally impressed with the fortifications and flat out history of it all. When we had completed our walk, we took the slightly corny Tschu Tschu train back down to town (had to save our aching feet!!).
The cruise we took was very relaxing and allowed us to not only witness several Rhineland castles, but also the vineyards that produce the grapes that make the Rhine's famous white wines. The best grapes are grown on these steep, terraced fields. The slate below the soil keeps them warm all night, while the grapes grown above the river on flat land cool down and are less sweet.
Bacharach was home for two nights. We stayed at the Pension of wonderful Lettie. We met a very nice family from South Carolina and ended up being travel partners for a bit of our trip. On our first night (Monday) we ate at the oldest building in town, and had the BEST salad of our lives. It was incredibly simple but whatever was in the dressing was sehr gut!
On Tuesday we had quite the adventure. We had heard that Burg Eltz was one of the best-preserved medieval castles in all of Europe and that it was within traveling distance of Bacharach. So we took the train back up the Rhine, switched at Cochem, followed a new route along the Mosel River and hopped off at a little town so small that the train station is no longer manned. From the station we hiked for nearly 20 minutes through the sweet town of Moselkern (after wondering with an older couple from Chicago if we were in fact going the right way), and then hiked another 45 minutes through a forest where we expected knights and their ladies fair to appear at any minute. It was truly like being in a fairytale...except, of course, in fairytales the protagonists don't have achy legs from hiking. :)
Finally, Burg Eltz appeared. After a grueling last climb up what seemed like never-ending stairs in the midday sun, we arrived in the castle courtyard. We took the tour and followed along the German explanations with our English reading guide. Our high school German didn't help us much as our guide was explaining away. The rooms of the castle are decorated just as they were in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was so fascinating to see how people really lived back then. One of Jason's favorite rooms was the toilet. :) The castle is still owned and partly inhabited by the Eltz family, and the current countess makes sure all the rooms have fresh flowers weekly.
On our way out, the couple from Chicago offered to share the cab they had called but we declined and enjoyed a more relaxing climb back down.
Wednesday morning we took the early train with the family mentioned above to Rothenburg, an absolute haven of medieval coolness. When we arrived we took our bags to our room, rested a bit and then followed Rick's town walk. After that we toured St. Jakob's church, ate at a delicious little place (where Jason had a beer and decided he still didn't like beer) and where I had traditional bratwurst and sauerkraut. Then we took the entertaining Night Watchman's tour and headed home for bed.
Today we slept in a bit, ate our breakfast at the ancient but delicious Altfrankische Weinstube and toured the Crime and Punishment museum where we learned about medieval torture methods. Cool, huh. After that we did a tiny bit of shopping, the first of our trip. Then we left town right as the rain came in.
We took the train to Munich, arrived around 3:30, spent an hour at the Euraide office where we received some amazing help straightening out some goofed up schedule we received in Koln, and then headed for our hotel. More later as my time is up.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Amsterdam, the rest of the story
This may be short as we are now in Bacharach, Germany and must catch a 9.26 train. After our last post, we took a tram to visit this amazing little musuem called Our Lord of the Attic. After we got off the tram we had a bit of a walk, and all of a sudden in this window a woman wearing next-to-nothing was looking out at us. I tripped and then nudged Jason to look. We realized that the building was full of these window women, and that we were in the infamous Red Light District. It was quite odd, and I tried not to stare but when we saw several men go proposition these ladies, it was too much.
Back to our original purpose. Catholics were not allowed to practice their faith after the country became Protestant, so this wealthy man built a chapel in the top of his house. It really was quite beautiful. It even had an organ!
From there we went to the Dutch Resistance Museum. We had about 20 minutes to view what should have taken over an hour. We were both very impressed with the Dutch attempts at fighting the Nazis, and as we left we both decided it would be nice to come back to this great city and spend more time learning its history.
Dinner at delicious Cafe Restaurant de Reiger followed, where we met a couple from D.C. with a Rick Steves book in tow. They spend every Christmas in Sun Valley, so we all felt a connection. Before leaving, we gave them our Museum Cards as they are good for a year. The gesture was much appreciated, and we felt good helping out fellow followers of Rick.
Our last official stop was the Anne Frank House. I cannot really put into words how moving of an experience it was, but I am glad we went and would put it on the top of any itinerary.
I must go now, but I must tell family that we have yet to purchase phone cards, and I must tell dear Marissa and Nick that we have yet to figure out how to upload pictures. And for any students out there, I have been thinking of you and plan on sending postcards soon. More later on our German castle adventures!
Back to our original purpose. Catholics were not allowed to practice their faith after the country became Protestant, so this wealthy man built a chapel in the top of his house. It really was quite beautiful. It even had an organ!
From there we went to the Dutch Resistance Museum. We had about 20 minutes to view what should have taken over an hour. We were both very impressed with the Dutch attempts at fighting the Nazis, and as we left we both decided it would be nice to come back to this great city and spend more time learning its history.
Dinner at delicious Cafe Restaurant de Reiger followed, where we met a couple from D.C. with a Rick Steves book in tow. They spend every Christmas in Sun Valley, so we all felt a connection. Before leaving, we gave them our Museum Cards as they are good for a year. The gesture was much appreciated, and we felt good helping out fellow followers of Rick.
Our last official stop was the Anne Frank House. I cannot really put into words how moving of an experience it was, but I am glad we went and would put it on the top of any itinerary.
I must go now, but I must tell family that we have yet to purchase phone cards, and I must tell dear Marissa and Nick that we have yet to figure out how to upload pictures. And for any students out there, I have been thinking of you and plan on sending postcards soon. More later on our German castle adventures!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
June 16 and 17, Amsterdam
After an exhausting day of travel and a rather sleepless trans-Atlantic flight, we landed safely and soundly at Amsterdam's Schipol Airport. After wandering around for nearly an hour, we finally had our railpass validated and took the train into the city. After wandering around some more at Central Station, we purchased 48 hour public transit tickets, took the tram to the Leidesplein, and then walked to our B&B from there.
Needless to say, we were both quite tired --- but after dropping our bags off, we went back to Central and hopped a train for Haarlem. Yesterday was a little rainy, but we made the best of it by visiting St. Bavo church (where we saw a massive organ once played by Mozart) and also taking an abbreviated tour of Corrie Ten Boom's house (if you haven't read The Hiding Place, I strongly suggest it!). We sampled some frittes and decided we should have had them with mayo (like the locals) and not ketchup (like the Yankees back home!). At this point we were both wet and cold and TIRED, so we headed back to the city. We changed into dry clothes, slept-walked to a restaurant around the corner from Boogaards, ate in a dream, went home and fell into bed.
Side note: the streets here are CRAZY for pedestrians. You have to constantly be on the lookout for either trams (silent) or bicyclists (silent until they ring their little bells). We were almost ambushed by a little moped, but Jason saved the day and got us out of the path.
Today has been much more relaxing, as we know the layout of the city and have refreshed our bodies and minds with sleep. We've visited Amsterdam's two great museums --- Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. We were able to send my family a video message from Van Gogh so that was fun. We have more to see, and our time is running out. More to come!
Needless to say, we were both quite tired --- but after dropping our bags off, we went back to Central and hopped a train for Haarlem. Yesterday was a little rainy, but we made the best of it by visiting St. Bavo church (where we saw a massive organ once played by Mozart) and also taking an abbreviated tour of Corrie Ten Boom's house (if you haven't read The Hiding Place, I strongly suggest it!). We sampled some frittes and decided we should have had them with mayo (like the locals) and not ketchup (like the Yankees back home!). At this point we were both wet and cold and TIRED, so we headed back to the city. We changed into dry clothes, slept-walked to a restaurant around the corner from Boogaards, ate in a dream, went home and fell into bed.
Side note: the streets here are CRAZY for pedestrians. You have to constantly be on the lookout for either trams (silent) or bicyclists (silent until they ring their little bells). We were almost ambushed by a little moped, but Jason saved the day and got us out of the path.
Today has been much more relaxing, as we know the layout of the city and have refreshed our bodies and minds with sleep. We've visited Amsterdam's two great museums --- Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. We were able to send my family a video message from Van Gogh so that was fun. We have more to see, and our time is running out. More to come!
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