When In Rome...

Once again, I am super sorry to my fans who count on me to post. My computer literally does not work, and I can't blog unless I steal Timothy's computer. I'll just have to do so more often. :)

Also, I am very excited to announce that I have 6000 page views. I don't know who is looking at my blog, but thanks, and I hope it's as enjoyable for you as it is for me to have these experiences. Moving on.



Beautiful

My weekend started on a high-speed train to Florence, Italy. This only took 5 hours, which is about 5 more hours than I can bear on a non-air conditioned vessel. But I digress.

A few words on Italian food: it is all the same in Italy. Just about every restaurant, whether 5 star or just some shack, has the same menu: pasta and pizza. It might have a different sauce, or a different meat, but it's all the same. After four days of straight pasta, I must admit, my belly needed some American food, also known as, Hard Rock Cafe Rome. Moving on.

So we arrive in Florence, and this church is the first thing I see. It really is amazing. We get there about 4, and there's only one thing to do, right? Go to the museums.

So we begin at the Uffizi. This is the huge Florence museum with the Ninja Turtle arists (jay kay) and The Birth of Venus. There is a strict "no photo" policy, but I risked getting thrown out of a world-famous museum to snap pictures for my memories and this blog.

The Birth of Venus. You're Welcome.

After we witness this marvel, I want to read about every sculptured philospher in the museum. That would literally take days, so two hours later, we were on our way to the Accademia.

The Accademia is a very small museum with one main piece: Michelangelo's David. Yes, there are other works, but probably the most looked-over works in the history of art. Why? There's a 20-foot naked man standing next to the other paintings with a huge marble stage.

I also risked getting kicked out of this museum for this picture, but I just had to. Timothy and I spent about 20 minutes looking at this work, wondering how he sculpted it, how much time it took, how does the museum avoid people going cray on it. It really was amazing, and I couldn't believe how lucky we were to see it.

After the two museums and traveling all day, I am exhausted. We take a cab to a hotel and along the way, Timothy talks about how awesome pictures in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa would be. And since I'm a sucker for a good photo shoot, 10 minutes later, we were at the train station, on our way to Pisa.

It was a short train ride, only about 30 minutes. On the way there, we went second class (no airconditioning) and had to spare the extra 20 euros on the way back for a little AC. That's a good suggestion.

Also, if these pictures seem blurry, it's because they are. I have no idea how to work Timothy's computer. When I get my fancy new computer, I'll try to re-upload.

Anyway, after Pisa, I put my foot down: I'm going to bed. Of course, I'm awoken early the next morning with more plans: Horseback riding through a Tuscan vineyard. I can handle that.

Now, I love riding horses. Wherever I go, I try to convince my parents to do some excursion with horseback riding. So when assigning horses to us, I'm not too worried. Timothy gets his; a huge stallion with no warning from the guides. I get mine, and of course, she (Violetina) comes with a warning: "She's feisty and sassy, and you can't go in front of other horses or she'll kick them." ...How did this happen to me?

Anyway, the ride was fine. Violetina only took off running twice because she saw some delicious grass she wanted to eat. She only tried to kick the guide's horse behind me once, which caused her horse to buck. Other than that, Violetina was fine. Of course, TImothy's horse was perfect. I was rolling my eyes the entire time during that trip.

Our horses didn't quite get along, and this picture was a real struggle for them.

After touring the vineyards via horseback, it was time for lunch and our wine tasting. We each got 2 glasses of their wine. We sat next to some awesome Australian girls who hated red wine, so that was 8 glasses for Timothy and myself.

 

After the wine tasting and lunch, it was time to go home. I was pretty tired; ordering around a fussy horse was not the easiest thing in the world.

The next morning was an early 30-minute train ride to Rome. After, we tried out the metro to a stop called "Colosseo." Walking out of the metro, this was my first sight:

It was truly remarkable.

Now let me give you the 411 on Rome. Since we drove the city constantly for a few days, we have a pretty good idea of it. From our hotel (Hotel Apollo, Via de Serpenti), every single monument was within 10 minutes via vespa. And yes, rent a vespa. That little gem got us around Rome so quickly and in style. It will be my first suggestion to anyone ever seeing Rome again.

Anyway, Rome, although a big city, is really not that big. It is SUPER easy to manuever, and all of the streets seem to run together. If you accidentally cross the river, no worries, you'll end up at the Vatican. If you accidentally take the wrong stop on the roundabout, you'll either end up at the Trevi Fountain or the Colosseum. Could be worse.

We rented a vespa, which is basically a mini scooter. I was so Lizzie McGuire up in Rome, it's not even funny. I sang the theme song quite often. The speed on that thing, mixed with the monuments and zooming life of Rome, was exhilirating. Yes, I was sure we'd die a few times, but hey, when in Rome.

Trevi Fountain

On that first day, I had a map of Rome, with 8 things listed for us to visit. Frommers suggested only 6 the first day, but since we're young, I decided on 8. With the vespa, we saw all 8 things, plus 3 more, within 5 hours. Well, Frommers, thanks for nothing.

When you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, you will return to Rome one day.

After doing all the stereotypical touristy things that first day, we booked our tour for Sunday at the Vatican.

Not knowing what to expect, I dressed in comfortable attire, but brought along some capris and a conservative blouse. Thank goodness for that. To enter the Vatican, women cannot show their shoulders, upper arms, or knees. Whew.

Upon arrival, we're given a real treat: after the tour, we can attend mass. I literally swooned. Now, I'm not a Catholic, nor do I speak Italian, but this is seriously one of the most amazing things ever. Mass? At the Vatican? We got our praying knees ready and away we went.

The School of Athens, or, The Philosophers. Raphael.

The tour was super awesome. We saw so many  eautiful works of art, and I couldn't wait to see my man Mike's flagship. I saw works by Francis Bacon, Raphael, Salvador Dali, and others. It truly was amazing.



The Sistine Chapel

Upon entering the Sistine Chapel, I literally lost my breath. The time and effort spent in this room by Michelangelo was obviously apparent, and actually, we felt a tad sad for him. If you don't know much about this, well, you're in for a treat. Michelangelo first refused to paint the Sistine Chapel and fled to Florence. The Pope basically said, "Paint it, or else" and he was forced to come back. Michelangelo once wrote a letter to a friend, discussing his suffering during his time painting it. After the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo sculpted David. The way David stands (see above), his body is facing towards Rome. His eyes are glaring in the direction of Rome, as a warning to the city. Cool, huh?

Sistine Chapel with the marble and iron gates that separated the workers from the wealthy

Judgment Day. Michelangelo. Sistine Chapel.

The Creation of Adam.

When I objected over a guy taking our picture, he said, "How many more times will you be here?" Fair point well made.

After the Sistine Chapel, how could it get any better? I am then reminded we are attending mass. It got better. Mass was...huge. There was a lot of cheering, for what, I don't know because it was all in Italian. It was well rehearsed, like most Catholic masses I've attended. The crowd knows when to speak. We just sat there in awe. It seemed powerful and enlightening, and it is an experience I will never forget.

After mass, we had the option of going to one of the many small altars and praying. We chose St. Joseph's and stayed for about 15 minutes. I prayed at the Vatican. What an aweesome day.

This really was a day I'll never forget. I even got holy water!

Just grabbing some holy water before I go!

Now that mass was done, our day at the Vatican was over.



Family, friends, I hope you enjoyed re-visiting our trip to Rome. It really was such a magical experience. I cannot decide which I love more: Rome or Paris. I'll let you know after this weekend...because I'm going BACK to Paris. Booya.