.

Ciao

2009-09-07T13:39:00.003-07:00

The time has come.

I thought about continuing to update this blog with things not related to my travel in the spring of 2009, but at this point that would seem a little insensitive on my part. I would rather preserve this moment in time, these transcendent months when my only worry was "where to next?" I learned so much along the way... I came to realize the trials and tribulations of maintaining a blog on limited bandwidth, my love for capturing moments in time through a camera lens, and the joys of being a stranger, on my own, in a strange land. I could write more, continue to get even more sentimental until i become a sobbing heap, but i think ill stop here. If you were following this, or perhaps had a glance every once and a while, thank you. It might seem silly, but having a blog is a really lonely process, and seeing a comment makes it that much easier to continue on. If you want to continue following my sordid affairs, you can find me at my new stomping grounds:

http://helaysinthereins.tumblr.com/

ciao ciao.

Paris: Dernier Jour

2009-07-12T14:38:00.006-07:00

Sadly, this is my last post about Paris. I wish i would have been able to spend atleast two more weeks in France, exploring but my time abroad had finally reached its end. On our final day in Paris, we decided to make our way to Montemarte. As a side note, the movie Montemarte is featured heavily and the film Amelie, which i have only seen thousands of times and is probably one of my most favorite films ever. I was very excited to see this space, as it is portrayed as being achingly romantic, filled with charm and intrigue. We took the metro to the Abbesses stop , and got off, climbing up seven stories to emerge into Montemarte. Right away i was struck by the number of tourists scurrying along the streets. Not a great first impression i guess, but i still had high hopes as we walked towards Sacre Coeur, the white beacon we had seen in the paris skyline days earlier. We arrived at the foot of the hill, making our way towards the top, finally arriving at the crest with the church looming over, only to be surrounded by hundreds of people. It was as if one was wading through water (except the water was actually bodies) Another little surprise was that the church was closed to the public because of a special church event. We were told we could come back the next day... too bad we were leaving. We split from here, i, officially pissed by the entire letdown that was Montemarte in those moments, went with my brother and my mom to explore more of the area away from most of the tourists while my other brother and my dad ventured on to the opera which my mom and i had seen the day before. Our journey through Montemarte led us to some bookstores, and various other destinations, but the most wonderful ( and pretty much why i still have hope for Montemarte when i return) place we visited was this AMAZING bakery. I got some creme brulees which was by far the most extraordinary i have ever had. My mom got a lemon tart which she was also pleased with. We hate our sweet treats in this little park nearby which had a giant wall of love notes. The mural depicted a woman saying, " Love is the disorder... so enjoy!" and below it are various messages to loved ones.

We spent a good portion of the day wondering in Montemarte so late in the afternoon, we decide to go on a boat tour of Paris. It was a beautiful day and the wind was whipping by as we made our way under bridges and through the city on the Seine.

That evening we stayed out relatively late, soaking in the last little bits of Paris, walking along the river in the twilight. Thinking about it, I really enjoyed my time in Paris.. not having experienced it before, i had heard so many people say, "you will love it." I was skeptical, but the moment i arrived i knew.. it was my city. I felt completely comfortable and at home there and there are very few places that i have ever felt that way about. I cant wait to go back, and i know i will, which made leaving just a little bit easier.

Paris: Sixieme Jour

2009-07-10T12:50:00.006-07:00

So on the sixth day in Paris our little family split up, my brothers and my dad went to normandy beach and my mom and i decided to explore more of Paris. We decided to see some things that we both were wanting to see, the Opera and the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. First we had to move luggage from our apartment in the latin quarter to la defense which was quite a trip. We finally made it to the opera after a quick break at the hotel we were staying in the last two nights. The Opera was simply gorgeous and one of my favorite places i visited while abroad. It was so immensely grande and i could feel the history of the place.

After the Opera where we spent a considerable amount of time, we decided to make our way to the Cemetery. On our way we stopped by a gigantic street market right outside the cemetery. It was full of wonderful antiques.. i could have spent days there..ugh it was bliss.

The Pere Lachaise cemetary has a myriad of vital individuals housed inside its walls, including Edith Piaf, Chopin, Proust, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, and Jim Morrison. My mom was really excited to see Jim Morrisons grave, and i was really wanting to see Oscar Wildes. Jims was strewn with various things, bottles of whiskey, kisses, cigarettes etc. Oscars is COVERED in kisses, so much so that there is a plaque on the grave urging people not to do so.

Paris: Cinquieme Jour

2009-07-07T03:08:00.006-07:00

Finally blue skies! On friday we arose a little later so we didnt do as much on this day... mostly eating and wondering. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower which was a marvelous site to behold. The structure itself is so impressive and such an icon and once above the mess that it rests on, one felt they could breathe. Waiting in line for the tower (we walked up) took a while, but the location.. the park around and the plaza directly below was swarming with african swindlers, selling cheap trinkets.. shaking their mini eiffel towers on the metal ring to which they were attached. I also noticed a number of people attempting to pickpocket.. whether they would "find" a ring on the ground or some other feeble attempt to distract you. I had my fair share of this traveling so by this point i was completely sick of it.. because it was so obvious what they were after and all the more disgusting. My brother and my mom ascended the metal behemoth one trembling step at a time. As a person who would prefer to have my feet firmly planted on the ground, this journey was a tedious one.

After climbing to the first lookout point, we stayed momentarily, and then moved onto the second leaving my mother (whose fear of heights is worse than mine) sitting with a bottle of coke (her staple). The second viewing platform was as far as i was wanting to go..my stomach already starting to quiver.. but what a beautiful view of paris! It was blue skies all around, the wind whipping around fluidly and the sun baking the ground below us.

i like to call this "andrew plots." I feel like his inner monologue goes as follows: " hhahah.. must figure out how to make my own eiffel tower.. or perhaps steal this one."

We climbed down after about an hour up on top and continued on, walking towards the siene.. taking a break on the shore for a few minutes. We moved on to a pivotal plaza in Paris.. the name which is escaping me now.. and then onto our dinner at the La Crypte Polska. Having had our share of french food at this point, we decided to try something a little different, Polish. Located in the Crypte of a church, this lovely little restaurant had delicious pierogies and tasty beer! After dinner we decided to walk down the Champs Elysees snacking on a crepe along the way. Thus, our day ended with a relaxing stroll.

Paris: Quatrieme Jour

2009-07-04T17:05:00.012-07:00

Hoping for less cloudy days, we awoke the next morning, only to find just that. We ate some more delicious bakery goods and then headed off to actually go inside of Notre Dame. By this point we had probably walked by it ten times, coming to and from our apartment, but we had yet to go inside. To be honest, at this point in my travels i had seen so many churches, it was hard to be as impressed if i hadnt had my experiences in italy. The inside was gorgeous and domineering... all the qualities a church usually possesses: fear and awe.

After the church, we headed out to see the crypte museum which was something i was interested in.. until we got there. Located in (below) the plaza directly in front of Notre Dame, this museum left ALOT to be desired. I was hoping for.. i dont know.. perhaps a crypte! Needless to say.. we basically sprinted through it, not wanting to waste any of our precious time. We tried to go to S. Chapelle but the line outside was horrendous so we decided to grab lunch in the Marias district. We ate outside at a really lovely place, however dont order sausage if you are wanting actual sausage, because you will get a hot dog (unfortunate). We split from here, each of us going different directions: I headed towards the Musee de Mode (Fashion Museum), My mom, chris and dad went to S. Chapelle, and Andrew went to the Aviation Museum. All of us (except Andrew) ran into a bit of bad luck. I traversed the subways across Paris, finally arriving at my destination, only to behold that the museum was closed. until 2010. I was pissed, but as i learned later, the other three arrived at S. Chapelle only to find it closed to visitors due to a concert. We all met up at the Centre Pompidou which i was very excited to see. The collection there was amazing.. and i could have spent an entire day there, but i was less than impressed with the architecture itself. It was more confusing than i had originally thought.. especially with the idea of simplifying visitor movement. I guess i could say i had higher hopes for it..

After the Centre Pompidou, we made our way to the Arc di Triumph where we ascended the dizzying steps to the top. The view up here was amazing and i would definately recommend climbing the hundreds of steps. My dad didnt make the climb.. so it was just the bros and my mom on top. It was right around the time the eiffel tower turned on and spazzed out, so it was perfect!

crazed andrew vs. docile andrew

This was an extremely lovely day and probably one of my favorites in Paris. We were able to see a lot, and was simply wonderful.

Paris: Troisieme Jour (This is Versailles!)

2009-07-01T16:00:00.015-07:00

On my third day in Paris, the fam and i visited Versaille.. which was an all day ordeal. Fortunately for us, we bought the museum pass and didnt have to wait in the GARGANTUAN line to buy tickets. We all kind of split up and then met for lunch, splitting again to explore the trianons and the hamlet. Basically it was huge overwhelming and gilded. As i was editing these photos, i kept thinking to myself, why do all these pictures have gold in their name... silly versailles! Also, i had a slight fetish for all the chandeliers... which was a lot:

After exploring the interior, it was off to the exterior. Having studied this complex in school i really wasnt prepared for the enormity of the grounds. They were simply gigantic! I kept having flashes of marie antoinette and am now really jealous of the crew of that movie being able to film on set!

grand trianon

petite trianon

marie antoinette's hamlet!

We spent hours at Versaille.. most of the day really.. but the Louvre was open late so we decided to make our second visit there in the evening which was nice because it was not as crowded as it previously was.

Paris: Deuxieme Jour

2009-06-28T19:28:00.008-07:00

The second day in Paris started out with torrential downpours which was not as fun when one individual forgets their umbrella and then you have to share and get rain poured on you. Needless to say, my visit to the Orsay was a little bit damp. Despite that, i really enjoyed the museum as it was full of lovely pieces and it was housed in an abandoned railway station.

We then walked towards lunch and the Ecole Military. It was still stormy outside, but after lunch the sun started to shine just a bit. Adjacent to the Ecole was Napoleons tomb so we also visited that as well.

kelley at lunch.

Our next stop was a short walk to the Rodin Museum where we spent a brief amount of time. My impressions of this museum were less than stellar..It could have been because of the domineering weather, but most of the museum was outside, so it probably wasnt the best day to visit. I did get to see the thinker in person which was nice to see..

After our trip to the Rodin museum we ventured back to the apartment to drop some stuff off and then Andrew and my mom and I went onto explore more of the latin quarter eventually finding a little cafe with a view of the Seine and drinking and eating until the sun was gone and twilight had consumed the sky. We walked past Notre Dame as we did every night...

Paris: Un Jour

2009-06-26T18:25:00.008-07:00

So, i am skipping Amsterdam for right now.. not because i didnt enjoy myself there or loved the city, but rather because i forgot i hadnt uploaded pictures of it yet! So i will be doing that in a few days i suppose. I was so excited about my time in Paris that i just started editing pictures and i forgot about the ones from amsterdam. Anyway! I arrived in Gare du Nord and maneuvered my way through the subway ( which is huge and somewhat confusing for a virgin to their system.. no worries as i quickly picked up most of the lines) We had rented an apartment (we being my family) that was located in the latin quarter.. about a five minute walk away from Notre Dame (which was awesome!) I arrived late in the day to Paris where it was really f'ing hot (having just come from Copenhagen where the lows were in the 50s) I arrived, greeted by my mom and brother, happy to have found the place. I unpacked a bit and took a reprieve from the heat. We ventured out later in the evening, walking towards Notre Dame.. and grabbing some dinner right by the apartment.

The next day we arose and enjoyed some delicious goods from the fresh bakery around the corner. We shared the coconut flan, but i had an apple tart for breakfast. MMH. Our first stop was to head towards the Pantheon..which i knew little about before my trip to Paris, but i was soon to find it outs past history as a funerary complex for members of the Paris elite. including Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, and Louis Braille among a myriad of others.

"with martyrs unaware of death"

So i thought i would explain the picture above. That is my brother Andrew, and he is indeed wearing glasses.. i noticed they were magnifying something.. THE EIFFEL TOWER! so i tried to get a picture of it being magnified but it didnt really work... you can kind of see a faint outline.. but otherwise, it didnt work. Our next stop that day was the Louvre.. which was gargantuan. I am almost positive i could get lost in there and probably be never found.. it could be kind of fun actually.. like that book where the kids slept in the museum... but they were kids, and sundaes cost 5 cents..so things are looking grim for me. Anyway.. this was the first of two visits to the louvre.. i decided to see the two most annoying (touristy) things to get them out of the way.. so i went and saw the venus de milo and the mona lisa... which both left me with the question: WTF? The Mona Lisa is much ado about nothing.. yes its by da vinci, and yes their is intrigue about who it actually is, but come on.. thousands of other paintings have a similar story but they dont have a gaggle of tourists surrounding them blinding all those walking by with their cellphone cameras. WHICH also begs the question.. who the fuck takes a picture on their cell phone? i mean honestly.. that has to be the shittiest camera and you are taking pictures of some really gorgeous things with it. ITS INSULTING. i probably could defecate and that would still be a better camera then a cell phone camera. anyway.. i forgot how much i detested that. The Venus de Milo was much more worthy of praise in my view, but still, i am not sure what all the interest is about.. Just did a little research.. apparently the only reason it is SO famous is because of french propoganda in the 1800s? I thought there were way more interesting things in the Louvre besides these two things so i am glad i got these two gems out of the way: like this first picture.. i loved this sculpture.

After the Louvre we started walking back towards our apartment (we spent a lot of time there) with the intention of getting food along the way. As we did most nights, we stopped by Notre Dame as the sun was setting. There will probably be about 4 or 5 more installments on Paris.. and then Amsterdam.. that will probably be the last thing blogged about on here before i saddle up and move on to another venture.

Copenhagen

2009-06-15T17:51:00.014-07:00

I arrived in copenhagen after my time in Prague, sad to leave friends but glad to move on to another european location! I think besides Paris, Copenhagen was the place i wanted to see the most..having read plenty of tid bits about the inherent style of the Danes, as well as the their great love for bicycles, i was excited to see it with my own eyes. It was also my first time couchsurfing... previous tries had led to squashed plans so i was uneasy about it, but it turned out to be a marvelous experience. I stayed with a very charming gentleman that goes by the name of Martin.. i couldnt have asked for a nicer person to meet or a more welcoming host. He showed me around Copenhagen via bike.. the vehicle of choice with which i quickly become accustomed. I spent the first day getting accustomed with the city via the visitor bikes (WHICH IS AN AWESOME IDEA!!) so i didnt take any pictures. I met a few of martins friends.. rode around Copenhagen.. especially the manmade island which he resides on. The next day Diana arrived so Martin and i went to pick her up at the airport and then i went and did laundry at a very efficient laundry mat down the street (a few blocks further than i thought) We further explored Copenhagen via bikes.. and i found my dream vehicle!

We made a delicious (authentic!) danish meal that evening with Martins help. It was sooo good! The next day, Martin had to work so Diana + I went off to explore Copenhagen (on our feet.. i grew tired, both physically and mentally of the bike... mainly physically... ill have to lose a few more pounds before taking up the bike as my main vehicle.. but the freedom it afforded was fun!) We went to the New Harbor.. looking for a boat tour that Martin had recommended which we found easily. The tour lasted for an hour and took us around most of Copenhagen..it was wonderful when the sun was out, but a little chilly when the clouds came..but enjoyable over all. We found a bakery (O MY GOD SO GOOD!!) near one of the canals and we both got focaccia Hawaiian style and then we decided to split a GIGANTIC danish.. it took us a few hours but we did it over a few sittings.

We then moved onto to the DAC.. the Danish Architecture Center where we went to see the exhibit Yes is More by the firm BIG. It was fantastic and probably one of the best architecture exhibits ive been too.. there were interacive videos, dozens of models.. everything in an architecture students dreams.. We then moved on to the DDC (Dansk Design Center) which had an exhibit on lighting... which was less than exciting.

After our day of exploring.. we decided to trek to one more spot of Copenhagen, the beach! It was only a few blocks away from Martins house so we we walked, snapping photos.. trying to get this damn bird to stay still for a second.. and much to our chagrin it refused.

The next day was my last day in Copenhagen.. as i was leaving later in the afternoon, but that didnt stop Diana and I from trekking into the town for explorations.. Our first stop was food.. we both got delicious danish.. diana's lemon.. mine chocolate! We then moved onto a massive cemetary which was more like a park than anything..let down! We continued to walk around Copenhagen.. i finally had a slushy! I had been craving that and waffles since my arrival in Italy so it the icy concoction was a welcome reprieve.

My time in Copenhagen came to an end, sadly.. but i was moving onto Amsterdam to meet Staci. However, Copenhagen is a city which made a lasting impression.. one not soon to leave my mind. I cant wait for my return to the city.. where i will share a danish with someone.. resting on the canals watching the tour boats go by. i cant hardly wait.

Praha

2009-06-04T12:50:00.006-07:00

The next stop on my adventures was a four day stop in Prague. I was really looking forward to this as i would be able to visit the people studying there. However, the morning i woke up to take the train to Prague i felt ill.. then on the train i felt like i might die basically. I felt seriously ill for the next few two days, so i lost a lot of time in Prague and wasnt able to to see as much as i would have liked. Also, everything seemed to go wrong in prague and i am almost positive it was a cursed visit, but anyway.. onto the pictures.

Vienna

2009-06-03T11:46:00.014-07:00

I took the train from Budapest to Vienna, arriving in vienna in the early afternoon. It took me a while to get to my hostel from the train station, but once i had arrived i was more than pleased. I was staying in an apartment with my own room, which was really nice. I took a little while to check my email and then i was off to explore the city. I must disclose that i was really excited to see Vienna due to the fact that in my second year of school we were given a project to create a house based off the style of a certain architect. We all drew from a hat, some of us receiving architects with more modern styles and some of us (the less fortunate) recieved styles that were.. the opposite of modern. I recieved the architect Otto Wagner, whose works dot the city of Vienna creating its own specific style.

My first stop was to get off at the Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station via the metro. This was my introduction into the city center..albeit a little off , but near to two buildings i was really wanting to see. The first was the station itself shown above, and the second was the Secession Building which you will see below. Let me take this moment to praise the Vienna public transportation system. It was fantastic with metros/trams/buses that could take you through the entire city... even out into the suburban areas.

My next stop after the metro station was to move into the city center, walking along the giant pedestrian street snaking its way through the city. I came upon the the Cathedral, Stephansdom or St. Stephens and took a quick jaunt in. This seemed to be a highly visited tourist spot as i was surrounded on all sides by flashing cameras and peace signs. I snapped a few pictures and quickly exited avoiding the mass of people. I continued to walk around, but when the sun set, i decided to head back and sleep. The next day i awoke only to find the sky grey and dark, brimming with rain and decided it would be a museum day.

Vienna has a giant museum complex, with a host of different museums one could access as well as a myriad of different stores, studios and exhibitions, all hosted in this gigantic complex. The museum that i had my eye on was the MUMOK, the modern art museum in Vienna. Their current exhibition was on an amazing Austrian artist: Maria Lassnig. Google the bitch, her work is wonderful. There was also a really interesting exhibit on architecture in the 70's and the use of inflatable technology into architectural theory. Next door i spotted a sign for an exhibit named The Porn Identity. I couldnt resist. It was all about the way that porn is becoming more mainstream into our everyday lives, whether its through porn copying famous movies (say amelie!.. i had no idea) or pornstars on tv etc. It was very interesting.. they also had various props etc which is what you are seeing above.. i have no idea how it works. The rain stopped for a while so i decided to go see the Secession building.. it was really lovely, i especially enjoyed the owls. I stayed out later that evening, taking in all Vienna in the evening.

above are a few pictures i took of the apartment i was staying in. The next day i was hoping the weather would be a little more pleasant, but alas i was not in store for blue skies. I travelled to the city center again to go to the tourist information spot because i couldnt figure out how to get to a church that was on the outskirts on the city. I had tried to find bus 60A but to no avail, so i was hoping they could help. They sent me in the completely wrong direction and i got lost for 2 hours, but it all worked out because i got to see parliament, university, city gardens and a whole slew of other things. I decided to give up on the church and head back towards the center to catch the metro. My next stop was to head to Otto Wagner's Postsparkasse (Post Office Savings Bank) which is his most well known building. I used this building as a precedent when we did the project in my second year so i was glad to finally be able to see it in person.

My next stop was to cross the Danube and go to a church that i could find: Donaucity Kirche ( Christ the Hope of the World Church) This church was recently built as you can probably tell and has taken a lot of flak. I enjoyed it, but there was too much going on going on inside for my liking.

After this church, i grabbed a quick bite to eat and rejuvinated, decided i would find that f'ing church.. it was my last day in Vienna and i wasnt going to leave without seeing it. So i made my own plan... tourist guide be damned and somehow managed my way out there (metro to bus to bus to bus to walking uphill for a mile) but i did it! Designed by Fritz Wotruba, an Austrian sculptor, the church is made of 152 concrete blocks positioned in different ways. I though it was a gorgeous church, but ive read many negative opinions about it as well. When i was walking around, a man walked up and started spurting off german at me and i told him in spoke english (in german) and instantly he switched saying this building was a waste of materials and a monstrosity. I just shrugged and laughed and said i didnt share his opinion on the building. He shrugged and told me good day. I think the most interesting aspect to the church was just the idea of walking through sculpture.. architecture usually isnt thought of that way.

I walked down the hill, took my buses back and hopped back on the metro.. eventually ending up at the Secession Building once again before switching to the tram back to my hostel. It was a beautiful ending to my time in Vienna... however at that point i started to feel a little weak...little did i know the next day i would be feeling like death warmed up. At that present moment though i couldnt have been happier.

Thus marks the end of my Vienna post.. i should be updating with my time in prague/copenhagen/amsterdam/paris in the next few days so be looking out for those.

Lemon Cake + Amelie

2009-06-03T11:27:00.004-07:00

So i am finally back in the states.. arriving the day before my birthday. I am already missing Italy and all the other european towns that i visited (some more than others, namely paris and copenhagen) Getting accustomed to life here is going to be strange. The drive home was full of endless fields of green, dotted with cows.. the roads covered in HORRENDOUSLY oversized vehicles. I never noticed it as much as i do now.. coming back, but the majority of our vehicles are simply ridiculous. Anyway.. i finally arrived back in wichita late in the afternoon on my birthday and was still pooped from the time change so i ended up doing very little. I did however make a lemon cake with my mom and we both watched amelie, reminiscing on our parisian visit.

It was delish. I realize i havent really updated with my post study travels so that will be occurring within the next week as i finally can breathe.. stop moving/traveling for a few days.

Paris, je t'aime

2009-05-29T14:51:00.006-07:00

it will all come into focus soon enough.

Budapest

2009-05-12T15:34:00.006-07:00

My first stop on my after study travels was budapest.. i am now in vienna and loving it. Budapest had its charms.. especially paprika chicken and the turkish baths.

Ci Vediamo Orvieto

2009-05-08T05:50:00.003-07:00

"until we meet again"

Civita di Banorregio

2009-04-21T11:25:00.006-07:00

A few of us took the bus from Orvieto to a little town of Banoreggio.. the real jewel which is hiding here is Civita di Benoreggio.. a small hilltop town with only 15ish residents. The only way to access it is via a pedestrian bridge=no vehicles=HOT.

We explore what little there was.. ate really delicious bruschetta and basked in the sun. it was a lovely day.

Overrated : Or Pisa

2009-04-19T05:13:00.007-07:00

Last weekend was easter and as such, we had both friday and monday off! Four day weekend! My original intent was to travel to cinque terre, but due to money/time complications, it didnt happen. I did however travel the villa medici with rick and a few others and then some of us decided to make our way to pisa afterwards. The Villa Medici rests high above Florence, with really beautiful views of the city. We took a bus to the top of the hill, walked down to the entrance gate and were let in.

And then we took a train from Florence to Pisa to see the field of miracles and the leaning tower. Needless to say, i felt that most of this was incredibly overrated.. The baptistry was really beautiful but the tower was just a campanile that was leaning... i thought maybe once i was there i would have more appreciation for it. Didnt happen. I did have fun watching other people make asses of themselves... so much that i couldnt resist making an ass of myself!

Brad and Jared were having some couple time on the lawn..

Siena

2009-04-18T06:22:00.006-07:00

We travelled to Siena two weeks ago on a fog filled morning. I was immensely hung over, and the bus was really warm.. which led to a lot of sleeping.. but from the tid bits i can remember we were basically cutting through fog the entire time. It was surreal, especially in my dehydrated state. We arrived in Siena, Marco on the whisper units, filling our head with little tidbits. We walked through the city, stopping at some highlights, and ending in the Piazza del Camp, where the Palio is held every year. The Palio is a horse race between the different neighborhoods of the city.. there are 17 in all but only 10 are able to compete. It is a HUGE ordeal here and occurs twice during the summer. The horses are blessed in the churches, people are packed in the campo.. its supposed to be really ridiculous. A delightful little detail, when the horses are blessed in the church ( each neighborhood or contrada has their own church), if the horse decides to defecate, it is taken as a sign of good luck. This is because if the horse is not even afraid of god, he/she is deemed to be so crazy/bitchy that they will most certainly win.

Notice the stools the old women are sitting on.

We stayed in the campo almost the entire day... just laying in the sun. It was fantastic.. we bought pizza, sat down and just bathed for four hours. We walked back to get on the bus, but apparently it had a tire issue which was fortunate and allowed us to explore the city some more as the sun was setting.

Parchi Verdi!

2009-04-15T12:22:00.009-07:00

So i believe the last thing i left off with was my trip to spain. I safely made it back to italy.. so relieved to be back in Orvieto.. i cant imagine living anywhere else.. ive fallen hard and am not looking forward to the end of my program in just a few short weeks. I havent yet met that reality, so on with the blogging. A few days after my return, our class took a trip to both the Villa Lante and then onto Bomarzo where the Parco dei Mostri rests in a valley. Both of these are famous italian gardens/parks, but with contrasting ideas.

The idea behind this garden is that of a progression from the wildness of nature, to the complete control that man can accomplish over nature. A bit bitchy in my opinion, but still an interesting idea/execution. In modern times however, this is lost on most because you enter the garden from the point where the natural realm is most controlled and move back towards the rugged portion of the garden.

this was a dining table.. how amazing would this be to have a dinner party!?.. probably a little wet, and a little uncomfortable to sit at, but REGARDLESS

After our exploration concluded, many of us found a spot of grass, a meadow if you will, to lay in and sunbathe for an hour or so.. it was splendid.. minus the clouds that started to loom near the end of our time here. From Villa Lante, we traveled to Bomarzo, another small town where the Parc dei Mostri (Park of Monsters) is located.

This park was designed (if i am remembering this correctly.. so you might want to wikipedia if you are interested) as a funeral monument to his late wife.. and its basically an open concept.. with statues (of monsters) strewn throughout the park. It was interesting and kind of funny because there was a watcher in the woods (movie reference) who would whistle at you if you got too close to the statues. We ended the day once again laying in the grass. It was bliss.

Sevilla

2009-04-07T12:31:00.006-07:00

Sevilla was my last stop on the spain trip, and i was hoping for some delicious weather. I arrived late in the afternoon on Monday, just as the sun was starting to set.. and bussed from the exterior of the city into the historical center. Basically, i had high expectations but was significantly let down..my hostel was amazing and located near everything and Seville would probably have been more exciting.. but i was nearing the end of my trip so i was ready to go back to Orvieto. It also rained the day that i was there which put a damper on things. Anyway... i feel it is unfair to pass that quick of a judgement on a city, but ..

the cathedral was beautiful and fully gilded and i wanted to steal something but was afraid. I went then to the alcazar which was really beautiful and full of delicious little details.

Anyway.. i dont have much more to say... but Sevilla was partially tasty... i might need another bite.

Valencia: or a story of where i hope to live sometime.

2009-04-06T00:55:00.013-07:00

So, i left Barcelona on Saturday after spending a week(ish) there. I was sad to leave, but ready to continue my spanish venture, heading towards Valencia via train. The train ride was really comfy.. i was on a nice train as that was the only one heading to Valencia that day. I read (devil wears prada.. and finished that on the train) and watched a movie. Once i arrived in Valencia, i made my way from the train station to the hostel i had booked. After i checked in etc, i made my way towards the center of town, not first before being solicited by some prossies ( it was awkward.. i just stared at them and kept walking) I had a day and a half in Valencia so i resigned that on the first day i would explore the city center and go to some museums, just get a feeling for the city. I did just that, and really took a liking to the town. There is a giant riverbed that once was, obviously, a riverbed but has since dried up, and has been turned into a giant subterranean park circling the entire city. I was confused at first because on my map, it looked like a body of water, but when i arrived there.. it definitely was a garden ( a massive one no less) So basically i just explored for a few hours, went to a few museums and sat in a garden and sketched.. it was lovely.

After the museum, the sun was starting to set, and i was exhausted so i decided to make my way back to the hostel and grab some food, but the people had started to come out of the woodwork and the entire city was full.. which was strange because earlier i had seen very few people. On my walk back i saw that i church that i had earlier tried to get into was now open (with free admission) so i ran inside for a bit, surrounding by spaniards.. who i felt like a giant amongst... everyone seemed shorter. I also saw some really bitchin graffiti along the way until my battery started to get low.. so i decided to stop taking pictures and went and got a kebab (the best i have had in europe so far!)

Time for a little explanation.. once i arrived in spain, i noticed a difference in the electrical outlets.. unlike Italy's who just had the three prongs flat on the wall, spains sockets at a plastic circle covering the outlet.. thus my adapter / converter did not work, and i could not charge a damn thing.. i was hoping my camera battery would last..but two weeks is a little much for that poor thing.. it only lasted a week. So i was super pissed because i couldnt charge anything.. cell phone.. camera.. ipod...etc so i went to a store (Fnac) to try and purchase a converter.. and of course.. there was another store that had it down the street a bit. so i walked there.. got lost, asked for directions.. eventually found it... found that it was CLOSED.. i was getting super pissed now and returned to the hostel and asked if they had any extra converters/chargers and they had one that i thought might work so i tried it and of course it had a piece of extra plastic that prevented me from charging... so at this point i just resigned to trying to finish off valencia with whatever camera battery i had left and try and find something in sevilla. So i bought a bus ticket, made my way over to the Arts and Sciences center (done by calatrava) and turned my camera on to start taking pictures and low and behold it died.. right then. I WAS LIVID... walked around for a bit... exploring... becoming more pissed.. and decided to return to the hostel and try to make that charger work.. so i returned, attempted cutting the piece of plastic off with my pocket knife (obviously, i was getting desperate).. and then in an even more ludicrous attempt, tried crushing the piece of plastic off, and to my surprise... it worked!! i was so relieved.. i went and bought a beer and waited for my camera to charge.. and once again made my way to the arts and sciences center.. with a working camera.

Basically the arts and sciences center decimated me.. it was sunset and the ceramic tile was glittering as the sun died.. with the interior of the buildings starting to become illuminated. I walked around... ruminating on every moment as the light faded.

So all the drama was worth it in the end.. and i really adored Valencia... and would definately live there in a heart beat. There was something which i haven't quite put my finger on which made it so desirable.. but it definitely is in my top ten of places i have visited.. and hope to visit again.

Barcelona

2009-04-04T04:08:00.022-08:00

So, i visited spain for spring break..it was on the top of my list for places to travel to, and the weather wasnt too hot at this moment, so it seemed like the perfect time go: it was.

It was shorts weather, but with a little breeze.. so basically the perfect temperature. I traveled to Barcelona, then on to Valencia, finally stopping at Sevilla. Barcelona, in a few words could be described as the perfect city. It a) has a beach b) is progressive in so many ways c) is sunny all the damn time d) has a ridic mix of architecture.. all lovely f) has so many parks i thought i would explode..

Verona

2009-03-31T11:47:00.004-08:00

Vicenza in an Hour

2009-03-31T11:41:00.003-08:00

um we had 1.5 hours to see this entire city. it was a rather quick trek.. ridiculous.

I Die.

2009-03-31T11:27:00.005-08:00

Brion-Vega. I died.

dead.

2009-03-29T05:45:00.006-08:00

So moving on... Venice.. i havent really wrapped my brain around the fact that i was there. The city is ridiculous , in the fact that it probably shouldnt exist, and that it is immensely, absurdley beautiful. Both regards make it incredibly easy to fall in love with, and fall in love with it i most definitely did. You find yourself inexplicably enamored as you start wondering through the city.. stumbling upon campos, gondoliers, + crumbling villas, all with the water never more than a few meters away.. waiting for your return to it. I cant think of much more to say so on with the images i suppose:

Eric + I went to Santa Maria Maggiore for a quick bit.. most of the exterior was under construction so i couldnt get a good shot of it really, but the interior was beautiful and the windows were letting the dappled light hit the grey stone.

I went up into the Campanile on one of the remaining days we were there and took some bitchin panoramas quickly. The elevator door opened and i was barraged with small childrens screams. An ENTIRE class of italian children were up there.. and they were either on a sugar high or coming down from one.. either way they were fucking rambunctious. The one nun in charge of them was yelling at them in italian and they were screaming back in piccolo italian sentences.. and my ears were bleeding. Needless to stay i didnt stay up in the tower as long as i had planned.

Some of us went to the Biennale where there were dozens of pavilions representing different countries. The United States one was atrocious and i cant even bring myself to post its picture it was so fugly. We did however find some fun things to play with.

That evening we decided to take the ferry over to the recently completed calatrava bridge which was simple and understated and sexy. Venice tends to flood quite a bit, and that evening was no exception as St. Marks square started filling with water. I came to see a bit later in the evening (filled with booze) to see the aftermath of what had happened. It was surreal to be on of the only people in the campo as earlier in the day it was filled to the brim with people.

The rest of the pictures are various sights around Venezia, including the sculpture garden in the Peggy Guggenheim museum...

I was not really looking forward to leaving, but we had to move on. I will be returning here one day though..

Autostrada

2009-03-29T05:11:00.006-08:00

I am back from Spain, with all my personal belongings and my sanity. Spring break was a lot of fun, and it was nice to be in a warmer area for a little while. Anyway... before we can get to the gloriuousness of spain.. i still need to update with some tidbits from our north trip which included Venice, Verona, and Vicenza along with the Church of the Autostrada, and the Brion-Vega Cemetery by Carlos Scarpa. We shall start first with the Church of the Autostrada:

It was nice to experience a church not built ages ago.. not to say that i dont appreciate those... but after dozens, a change was definitely needed. The interior had an elegant movement to it, and i have no idea how that giant curve is held up but i dont care, because its existence is needed. The entire church had a general artistic expression which i can get behind so i really enjoyed it.. and subsequently will be moving into it soon...

Bon Voyage

2009-03-15T11:00:00.004-08:00

So i am now somewhat caught up on all this business. I still have a ton of stuff i need to post about our north trip (venice!)but that will have to wait until i am back from Espana. I am feeling really tired, but sometimes a change is as good as a rest.

Ciao for Now.

a little shot of assisi.. more pictures to follow.

Isle in the Sea

2009-03-15T10:18:00.006-08:00

So i am trying to make catch up quickly before i leave so i will write very little but will have a crap ton of pictures. We went to Naples from Amalfi to go to the archaelogical museum which housed many things which were taken from Pompeii during the restorations: including the erotic art. awesome!

Eight of us travelled from Naples to Sorrento via ferry that evening, but not before we travelled through the city by foot. I couldnt really find much, if any, redeeming qualities to Naples during this quick trek.. it was dirty, congested, and supposedly highly dangerous. As we approached Napoli, i couldnt help but think to myself "this is everything that i dont like about America" so that should give you an inkling. Anwyay! the ferry ride was gorgeous and right at dusk. The light was beautiful that night and we had the entire top deck to ourselves as all the other travelers deemed it too cold to be outside (only slightly chilly)

We arrived in Sorrento in the evening and wandered around for about an hour trying to find our hostel, eventually stumbling upon it. Seven Hostel was amazing.. recently refurbished, modern, with a bar, and with highly pressurized showers! We drank that night, but i went to bed early as i was still recovering from being ill, and i wanted to be up early to get to Capri. Wendy, Jared, Lizzie took the bus from the hostel to the dock, meeting up with the boys #2 and the girls. After docking, Lizzie and i went to explore Villa Jovis and Villa St. Michele

We then hiked around western(ish) tip of the island, noting that the trail wasnt too terrible until we got to the stairs of death, which last for about 20 minutes. Needless to say Eric, Meghan, Lizzie, and I were sweaty and tired by the end of it. By that time, the last ferry was leaving shortly so we bussed back to the dock meeting boys #2, boys#1, and the girls. The ferry ride back was lovely + bittersweet, with the sun setting in the distance, pink and orange slowly subsiding into the darkness. It was a serene way to leave Capri.

On the Precipice

2009-03-15T09:18:00.008-08:00

The next day i awoke, feeling a bit better, my sore throat subsiding and the sun shining brightly. Most of us bused up to the hilltop town of Ravello, situated a few km away from Amalfi. Once at the top we split into our respective social groups and began to explore the city. Most of us took a look at the main church first, a white exterior and interior minus a few choice colors here and there: mostly light pink and teal. It was a simple, understated church that i really enjoyed.

Realizing that we could get a group discount for the first villa we went to, a large group of us strolled through at the same time. the Villa Rufolo is still used for concerts in the summer which i can imagine are very beautiful, especially when the gardens are in full bloom. I ate an orange here, basking in the sunlight, taking in all that was around me.

A few of us walked down a bit, exploring Ravello a bit more before heading to the Villa Cimbrone, discovering a church on the way.

The Villa Cimbrone, located at the far end of Ravello was expansive and i am sure is even more impressive when the lush gardens have blossomed. There were many different "rooms" if you will outside, with various sculptures dotting the landscape. I preferred the terrace of infinity with its sweeping view of the ocean, with busts perched right on the crest of the cliff.

I also really enjoyed "mercury's seat" which was down the trail from the terrace of infinity. Located inside was a statue of mercury with an inscription on the far wall:

"lost in a world which i crave to part,

I sit down and commune with my heart,

pleased with my little corner of earth,

glad that i came, not sorry to part."

After the Villa Cimbrone, i met a few of the girls just as they were about to hike down to Amalfi. There were hiking trails from amalfi to ravello and vice versa which one could take as opposed to the buses. There was no way i was hiking up, but i felt that maybe down would be a more enjoyable experience. There were seven of us, Al, Sam, Stephanie, Wendy, Lizzie, Kyle, and myself. The trail was confusing at times, horrendously steep, and full of attack dogs: in other words, it was splendid. Once we reached the bottom, i grabbed some pizza and sat by the water for an hour.

Return to the Sea

2009-03-15T09:06:00.003-08:00

After Pompeii we traveled to Amalfi via bus, winding through mountains on steep cliffside roads. I dont really have a lot to say about Amalfi, besides the fact that it was achingly beautiful and a little bit nippy. We arrived around dusk, near our hotel which was situated right on the water. I had been feeling ill for some time before, but i was feeling terrible towards the evening that day so a few of us just walked around the city. Mostly everything was closed due to a) the non-tourist season and b) the time of day we arrived. I came back and passed out, looking forward to our trek the next day to the hillside town above Amalfi: Ravello.

also, the view from the hotel room wasnt terribble...

Tiny City Made of Ash

2009-03-15T08:28:00.007-08:00

O M F G. i have not updated this blog for what seems like ages, but probably only 3 weeks.. i donno. Regardless, it has been too long and the posts keep piling up so hopefully i can get a few out before i make my way to Spain. Our south trip was a few weeks ago and the first stop on this jaunt through southern Italy was the ancient city of Pompeii. I had visions of grandeur for the temperature in southern italy (i.e. shorts weather) but much to my horror, on arrival it was snowing/sleeting.

There werent very many people in the town as we first started wondering off, but it filled towards the end of the day. I seperated from most of the group, finding different people along the way, exploring the city on my own. I walked towards the villa of mysteries, through the damp stone streets. One thing i did take notice was the amount of construction that was occuring, scaffolding taking over archaic walls with bright orange plastic wrapped around it (Fugly)

Pompeii was massive and i only got to explore a portion of it. The main sights i had wanted to see were the villa of mysteries (which i saw) the roman theatre (also which i saw) and the brothels. I unfortunately didnt get to the latter, but was fortunate enough to see some examples of what i would have witnessed there later.

I am still unsure about my thoughts about Pompeii. It possessed an eerie feeling, like wandering through an extensive mausoleum at night (even though we were there during the day) The thought of what occurred there (made ever more manifest by mt. vesuvius looming from every street corner) is hard to imagine.. and even harder to imagine is the amount of work that has been put forth to recover this lost city. Strangely enough, it also reminded me of disneyland.. i noted a distinct smell as i was wondering around which reminded me of the theme park: some sort of burning/plasticy smell mixed with nature, with a slight hint of desperation.

Ciao for now.

Someday I'll Be Here With Someone: Part Two

2009-03-01T04:42:00.012-08:00

I apologize for the lack of verbal content of the last post, as i have now realized it is a terrible idea to try and update this when hungover: lesson learned! On the next school visit to Florence, we visited the Uffizi Gallery with Marco once again on the whispers. We travelled through the main halls and the side rooms, housing works by Da Vinci, Boticelli, and Michelangelo. I was especially taken with the gilded alter pieces on display, becoming particularly smitten with the depiction of the annunciation of mary. Once again, as in the vatican museum, i was in psuedo-catholic heaven. In other rooms, there were hundreds of other works, but my two favorites were the Allegory of Spring, by Boticelli, and the Birth of Jesus by Da Vinci. Spring was enchanting, and held my gaze for quite some time, studying every little detail of the work. The latter work was interesting due to the face that it is the only painting which depicts Jesus' birth as something destructive, bringing about the apocalypse. It was a gloomy representation of what is usually depicted as a joyous event, and i took a liking to it. Unfortunately I couldnt take pictures in any of these rooms, so you will just have to visit to see these pieces (or google them)I parted from the group after Marco left and wandered through the remaining galleries listening to "ballerina" by leona ness on repeat, filled with bittersweet sentiments. The rest of the rooms were filled with even more paintings, but none as incredible as the ones previously mentioned. All of this took place on the top level of the Uffizi, so naturally i assumed that there would be floors below which would be showcasing even more works, but to my surprise, this was not the case. Once finished with the top floor you are whisked down a flight of stairs to the bottom floor through a maze of rooms filled with nothing but images of construction (nothing of interest, honestly i dont even understand why they even tried with these) until you reached the large gift shop. I bought a few postcards and made my way out to Piazza della Signoria to meet Josh + Maggie as we were going to climb up to Piazza Michelangelo .

The light was beautiful that day and the sun was shining, creating the perfect temperature for a trek across the Arno and up to San Miniato al Monte. We crossed via the Ponte Vecchio, the jewelry gently sparkling in the afternoon light. We then walked along the Arno, making our way towards Piazza Michelangelo, hiking up steps until we reached the top. Nothing more than a glorified parking lot, the piazza did have stunning views of Florence and the surrounding hills. We stayed here for a bit, catching our breath momentarily before we started towards San Miniato. The hill agreeably inclined towards the church and we arrived at the bottom looking up and seeing dozens of steps which we would have to traverse before finally arriving. We eventually arrived, the sun starting to set, out of breath, but happy to have finally reached our end. I wandered around for a bit, taking the gorgeous view in, and stumbled upon the graves.. UGH

What started out as a few graves turned into a gigantic crypt, AND then to my elation, led to a massive graveyard, with three levels. AMAZING. there were mausoleums and giant crypts surrounding the entire rear of the church. It was gorgeous and as ive said fifteen times, the light was perfect. I finally made my way inside the church, which was gorgeous. There were two small windows where light was filtering in illuminating a few spots in the church. I headed towards the crypt, roaming through the darkness, eventually climbing towards the gilded dome. The church had a quiet power to it. We left, traveling back to the train station, passing by the doumo in the pinkish evening light.

Ciao for Now.

Someday I'll Be Here With Someone

2009-02-24T05:14:00.016-08:00

I think i am still drunk as i am typing this post, so this could be interesting. I feel like i am about fourty weeks behind on this thing and i almost gave up on it. However, i did get a second wind and decided i needed to update, so here we go. We visted Firenze a few weeks ago for the first time, taking one of the quicker trains, only taking two hours (awesome) We arrived there and headed to the San Lorenzo market, which starts near the church, and winds way street by street. I eventually bought some pretty bitchin fakery ray bans, and i almost bought a leather owl, but i resisted. We then headed towards the doumo arriving in the large piazza, filled with asian tourists gawking at the buildings surrounding them. Marco had the whispers on, so we were listening as he described the doumo, when i noticed pigeons strangely following a man (like 40 pigeons) I eventually saw him throw out some grain, the mystery solved. My initial reaction to the doumo, was one of awe, eyes glazed over, viewing the gigantic structure.

We went inside the next day and travelled to the top of doumo, quite a dizzying journey, but well worth it.

Florence at night was beautiful.

My brain hurts too much to type more, but hopefully the pictures give an idea of how beautiful Florence was. I will update with part two of florence sometime soon. O, and the significance of the title of the post: The cupola of the duomo is covered with graffiti, mostly japanese/chinese, but one of them was poetic and lonely and i immediately fell in love.

Walking on a Carpet of Shit: Part Two

2009-02-09T01:21:00.049-08:00

Having left off with our hostel, it would seem appropriate to finish the events of the evening. We visited Santa Maria Maggiore which was gorgeous. We learned here about the tricky thing with lighting in churchs: you have to pay for it. If you want to light the church so you can take some pictures, you have to pay a euro and the lights will stay on for two minutes. Luckily people were doing it so we didnt have to pay.

We had read about some incredible clubs (cages and all) before our trip to Rome so we were planning on going out. Things turned out a little differently than planned however as after dinner we each purchased a bottle of wine to have a few drinks whilst getting ready. This turned out to be a less than a stellar idea as we then woke up at 2 am to italian MTV, our visions of grandeur squashed by exhaustion and vino. We decided it would be best just to sleep and so we rose the next day, rested and ready for our trip to St. Peters.

The interior of St. Peters was magnificent and oppulent and for some reason i wasnt expecting it to be as grandiose as it actually was. Everything was either gilded or made of some sort of seemingly expensive marble. Everything was coffered and light was pouring in, casting different shadows on the ridiculously detailed floor. The baldacchino was roped off much to my dismay so i couldn't get that close but it looked amazing from thirty feet away. The dome didnt look too high from where i was standing, but i soon learned that i was incorrect as i started to approach the top of the coppola.

There were many more steps than i originally thought and halfway up, i pretty much wanted to die. I was out of breath, and sweaty and my legs pretty much were going to give out but the view once we arrived at the cuppola was completely worth it. Also, the walls of the dome as you are walking up start to curve with the curve of the dome and it continues to get smaller, creating quite a claustrophobic experience. (but worth it.) About halfway up you are able to walk along the dome's interior, looking down upon the baldacchino what seemed like a thousand feet below. I am not a fan of heights, nor small spaces and both were prevalent as we walked around the dome. This was all made better by the beautiful mosaics strewn across the wall, the intricate patterns culminating into an angels enveloping hand. After this little break, we still probably had 250 steps to go before reaching the top.

As we emerged from the winding abyss, the cool breeze whipped by and the sun hit my face. As i looked out across the city, i spotted a few architectural icons, the pantheon here, the trevi fountain there. It was actually calming to feel so small, with the city encroaching upon every side.

Our descent was much less exciting, but we were on to our next destination: the Vatican Museum. The collection here was outstanding and should not be missed. It could just be the residual Catholic in me, but the amount of religious art was fantastic. I wasn't expecting as much modern art as was there which was a nice surprise. As you are leaving the museum, you travel down a gorgeous staircase, a double helix winding to the exit.

Our last stop before our departure was the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. I had been wanting to visit this church since before i came to Italy so i was delighted to finally visit this site. My main reason for wanting to visit this site was due to the sculpture by Bernini: The Ecstasy of St. Theresa. Apparently St. Theresa was feeling a little frisky when an angel visited her in her sleep:

"It pleased our Lord that I should see the following vision a number of times. I saw an angel near me, on the left side, in bodily form. This I am not wont to see, save very rarely.... In this vision it pleased the Lord that I should see it thus. He was not tall, but short, marvellously beautiful, with a face which shone as though he were one of the highest of the angels, who seem to be all of fire: they must be those whom we call Seraphim.... I saw in his hands a long golden spear, and at the point of the iron there seemed to be a little fire. This I thought that he thrust several times into my heart, and that it penetrated to my entrails. When he drew out the spear he seemed to be drawing them with it, leaving me all on fire with a wondrous love for God. The pain was so great that it caused me to utter several moans; and yet so exceeding sweet is this greatest of pains that it is impossible to desire to be rid of it, or for the soul to be content with less than God"

Sexy, and a little racy for the Catholic church. The church was beautiful and ridiculously baroque. It was the end of the day, so the light coming in was exquisite, casting a golden glow upon everything.

So that unfortunately was the last stop on my second visit to Rome. I am glad i made a second visit to Rome as i enjoyed it much more this time around. Originally, i felt it was overrated, but after this visit, i would love to visit it again and stumble upon other mysteries of the city. O, i forgot, but some of you may be wondering why i titled these posts walking on a carpet of shit. We learned in class of a german philosopher/writer Getty who when he visited Rome, only commented that he felt like he was walking on a carpet of shit. Initially, i couldn't agree more, but as i learned, you just have to give Rome a chance.

Ciao for now.

Walking on a Carpet of Shit: Part One

2009-02-05T07:17:00.041-08:00

My second visit to Rome was by far a much better experience than the first one. My initial view of Rome was shaped by this initial fleeting exposure: filthy, congested, and dotted with significant sights. On further inspection, i deemed this reaction to be an unfair judgement of Rome, not to say that it isn't dirty, or congested. Rather, my second trip back helped me to understand and appreciate much more the metropolis i was wandering through. We once again went as a class, but this time we had a guide narrating our trek through the city, Marco. He is the professor of our italian art and history class, and is knowledgable, but has a sense of wit.

The first site we visited we visited was the coliseum, near the Roman Forums. This wasnt a high priority on my list of sites to see initially, but once in the presence of this domineering building, i had to admit its power. The area was packed full of people wandering around speaking various languages, a soccer team there, a gaggle of asian schools there... Mix in the veneloso (bitchy) italiano non-tourists and enjoy. There were also horse drawn chariots which took people for rides to an undisclosed location. The horses were presh and tired..We were unable to go inside the coliseum on our first visit, but i am planning to see the interior of it before i leave.

We kept walking, traveled by the forums and then did a loop around to a vista where we could get a better view of the forums. We didnt go inside that either, but got an amazing view of it later near the campidoglio. We continued to walk towards Capitoline Hill making our way through the streets of Roma. Capitoline Hill was a very regal spot and the Piazza Campidoglio was a beautiful area where we sat and rested for a bit. There were pigeons everywhere and i wanted to get some shot of them so Lizzie through out a piece of bread, only to have a pigeon fight (like a cock fight) occur right in front of us, and then twenty more pigeons swoop in to pick up the crumbs. It was pretty traumatic.

We then continued on to the Jewish Ghetto, heading towards the Pantheon. I spotted a few things on the way that caught my interest.

The Pantheon was next on our journey and so far has been my most favorite space that we have been it. There is an intrinsic calm to the space, and once inside, i just felt like sitting down and staring up. It also has a dizzying effect when you are moving throughout it, which is also why i could have wanted to sit down. The light when we arrived there was perfect as well, and people were out enjoying it which led to a precious candid of a father and his child playing at the fountain which i love.

We then did some more walking to another church, and to a few more piazzas before calling it a day. Once we were done, Eric, Lindsay and I headed towards our accommodations for the evening: Hostel Pink Floyd. The name was really ridiculous, which i hoped boded well for our near futures, but in the end we actually stayed in the Hotel Hollywood, located adjacent to Hostel Pink Floyd for the same price. We were on the top floor and had a bitchin roof terrace that overlooked a myriad of antennas lining the roofs of the buildings surrounding us.

My battery is near death and i am about to be kicked out of the study center so i will put a pause on the story for now. I am going to Florence tomorrow so i should have more things to chat about then, along with 599999393993 more pictures. I am falling a little bit behind on this thing, but i might have a little time this weekend to catch up.

Ciao for now.

Sweet Street

2009-02-04T01:54:00.047-08:00

My living situation in Italy was one which caused me great distress before embarking on this journey. First it was the awkward task of deciding upon roommates. If stuck with individuals who you could not get along, the effect would seem to be disastrous. In hindsight, i probably made the details of this process much more ridiculous than they needed to be, but to my delight i was paired with two guys that i get along great with: Eric + Josh. Another point of contention was the apartment itself: would it be ridiculously disgusting, would there be crazy knife wielding homicidal neighbors, would there be a roof...power...a door? Fortunately things turned out rather serendipitously: our apartment is located right next to the study center and the awe-inspiring doumo and is located on Via del Dulci (the Sweet Street). This quaint little street is mainly residential but across the street from our apartment is a jewelry store. We are on the third floor and have views out the window of a garden, the study center, the doumo's spires, and an aged roof filled with moss and excrement.

The apartment has wood floors and 10ft. ceilings throughout. The living room is located on your right as you walk in where there is a large dining table, an orange sofa (sleeper, hells yeah guests!) one window and a tv. The tv gets about 6 channels clearly while the rest of the channels are mainly fuzz. Its all in italian so it stays off most of the time unless we are watching a movie or tv show (most likely arrested development or 30 rock). There is an amazing fabric panel on the wall that i want to steal and have forever. We have a washer, but alas, no dryer which means my jeans are getting really stretched out. You can see in the pictures our relatively slow process of drying clothes, utilizing both sunlight and the radiator, our clothes gently resting on a drying rack.

You can see Josh chilling at the dining room table with the tv and cabinet in the background. The cabinet has these little baby polka dots all over the glass and resting above it is this precious red mug which you can somehow light..its use has yet to be determined.

All the rooms in the apartment, minus the bathroom have sliding doors, but the kitchen has these really interesting folding glass doors which have some sexy glass in them. We have a small oven, piccolo refrigerator, a large sink, a washer, no counters and a crap ton of overhead cabinets. This makes preparing food a little bit of a precarious task. I had previously never used a gas stove/oven combo before so it took me a few nights to get the lighting process down. ( a few partially burnt limbs later) There is also a small table in the kitchen which basically has become a make shift pantry as the cabinets are full of bowls and pots. The lack of a dishwasher is something i've had to get used to as i've become adjusted to using one the past two years. So far i have really enjoyed making food here as the products are insanely fresh (from the market which occurs twice a week!) and just seems all the more worthwile due to my present location.

Next on the tour is the bano, a small but well equipped space. It is a sparce white but has red details dotting the space. We have the luxury of being able to utilize a bidet ( i havent yet worked up the courage to, but am determined to use it before we leave) The bathroom seems to have a tropical theme as little red trees dot the walls, with even smaller red dots dotting everything else. The shower is the size of shoebox, with barely enough room to fit in, but i have adapted and now am confident that i could travel in a circus as an acrobat. Its fun.

There are two bedrooms in the apartment, one larger bedroom which houses Josh in a double bed, and a small room which Eric + I occupy in twin beds. Our room overlooks the garden where a dog resides, along with the unmentionables of the elderly couple that live below us. The room also is strangely shaped so at night when my insomnia kicks in, it gets a bit trippy. Josh's room has a giant wall of wardrobes and a huge bed along with a sillily patched lamp.

So there it is, for those of who you have been wondering where the hell i have been resting my head at night. I have many more stories and images to share, hopefully next will be some highlights of Orvieto and eventually my recent trips to Rome. I leave for Florence on Friday and am planning on spending the weekend there so my brain is about to explode with anticipation. As I sit here in the dimming light, I am just inspired by all that surrounds me. i feel a gravity to my movements and am just immensely grateful for this opportunity.

Ciao for now.