I'll just start by saying that it is sunny and 90 degrees in Florence, I hear it's rainy back home so I'll try to bring some sun back home for everyone. There is most definitely more than enough to go around...
So Thursday we took the Eurostar straight into Roma with my architecture class. We checked into the hotel where me and Kristin immediately booked an extra night to stay ourselves. The man working at the desk, Paolo, really liked my Italian last name. I was hoping for a discount but it didn't end up working out, haha.
What ensued was a whirlwind tour of Rome: the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Roman ruins, the Coliseum, and a few churches. Rome is known for it's Baroque style of architecture, so our professor focused mainly on that. The elements of water and sky are used in much of the architecture around the city, for example there are many open bell towers included in the buildings and there is a fountain at nearly every glance. [Sorry that these posts are getting progressively lazier, I'll have pictures up soon.]
We got dinner in Campo de Fiore, a central part of the city by the river, at an old pizza restaurant. Our professor claims that it has been in business since 1850, and let me tell you it was that delicious. Not only was the pizza good, but the bruschetta complete with olive oil was ridiculously good. Easily the best (and largest) meal I've had in Italy thus far.
The next day we saw St. Peters (words can't describe) and some more of the city. We also visited a museum where there is a preserved Roman altar that is over 2000 years old. Even more interesting is an American architect designed the contemporary building that it is kept in, which is completely soundproof.
The rest of the class left to return to Firenze but Kristin and I got dinner at the Hard Rock (just had to) and then split a bottle of wine at a bar. We stumbled upon it just as we were getting very lost, and it ended up being really awesome; there was live music and there were lots of local students there.
Saturday morning Kristin and I woke up at literally the crack of dawn (5:30am) to take on the Vatican. Italians really aren't morning people, and finding breakfast at 6:30am was quite the task. The Vatican was beautiful, once again words really can't describe it. I think that no matter what you believe, the place most definitely has a certain feeling to it. It's a very soothing place. We took the rest of the day to roam the city, which is a very cool place.
We arrived back in Florence around 7pm and got an early night for Cinque Terre (literally, 5 lands) on Sunday. Yet another early morning, we arrived at the train station for the journey at 7:15am. Three hours later we arrived in Cinque Terre, probably the most beautiful place in the world. We hiked for about four hours total, which was kind of rough in 95 degrees. There are five cities along the coast, each more gorgeous than the next. We stopped for lunch with our tour guide at this tiny restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean, and had some really great pesto and pasta. Back at the apartment by 9:30pm, where we discovered that our street is closed on Sundays so all of the restaurants can set up tables in the street. Seriously cool. What more can you ask for in a weekend?
Pictures soon.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Venice & Paris
This will be a huge update to make up for all that I have missed.
Last Saturday we took the train to Venice, which of course is beautiful. We didn't have much time there but we roamed the city, got lunch, visited Piazza San Marco and took a gondola ride. There is tons of Murano glass there, and not much else. Here is a picture a la gondola:
Sunday Kristin and I went to church in the Duomo which was really cool, it's amazing to be in the heart of the Roman Catholic faith.
Last week flew by, as we were very excited for our trip to Paris. We left on Thursday and arrived in Paris at about 5pm. The plane ride was interesting because we were in row 14, but at the back of the plane...
Took the metro to our hostel (not that bad, had our private room and bathroom) on the edge of the city. Immediately began to roam aimlessly toward the Eiffel Tower, got lost, and jumped into a taxi to get there. It was nice to find taxis all over the city, they are a rare commodity in Florence, but also not needed because it's a much smaller city. We got to the tower right at sunset:
We were starving by this point so we had a very good, but very expensive dinner at a restaurant nearby. The next day we woke up early to do the Louvre and Notre Dame, both beautiful. We didn't
spend a ton of time at the Louvre because it is so overwhelmingly humongous, but we did see the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, "La Joconde." I learned that the artist who created the Venus de Milo is still unknown, and it was found by a Greek peasant in the ancient ruins of the island of Milo in 1820. The statue was originally found in two pieces. Here's me and my girl Mona:
Friday afternoon we took the metro to Disneyland Paris, obviously a necessary trip. It was very similar to Orlando: the castle, Tower of Terror, the teacups, "it's a small world," and the Aerosmith rollercoaster. But, it just didn't compare in overall coolness and size, and none of the rides were as fun.
Saturday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to get to the Eiffel Tower before everyone else in Paris did. I think this was the morning we tried croissants at a patisserie by our hotel, which were delicious even though I really don't like croissants. It was freezing and raining, but there wasn't much of a line and the view was well worth it. Next we grabbed lunch and went to the Musee D'Orsay, which I really loved. Got to see lots of Monet and Van Gogh's work.
Last Saturday we took the train to Venice, which of course is beautiful. We didn't have much time there but we roamed the city, got lunch, visited Piazza San Marco and took a gondola ride. There is tons of Murano glass there, and not much else. Here is a picture a la gondola:
Sunday Kristin and I went to church in the Duomo which was really cool, it's amazing to be in the heart of the Roman Catholic faith.Last week flew by, as we were very excited for our trip to Paris. We left on Thursday and arrived in Paris at about 5pm. The plane ride was interesting because we were in row 14, but at the back of the plane...
Took the metro to our hostel (not that bad, had our private room and bathroom) on the edge of the city. Immediately began to roam aimlessly toward the Eiffel Tower, got lost, and jumped into a taxi to get there. It was nice to find taxis all over the city, they are a rare commodity in Florence, but also not needed because it's a much smaller city. We got to the tower right at sunset:
We were starving by this point so we had a very good, but very expensive dinner at a restaurant nearby. The next day we woke up early to do the Louvre and Notre Dame, both beautiful. We didn't
spend a ton of time at the Louvre because it is so overwhelmingly humongous, but we did see the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, "La Joconde." I learned that the artist who created the Venus de Milo is still unknown, and it was found by a Greek peasant in the ancient ruins of the island of Milo in 1820. The statue was originally found in two pieces. Here's me and my girl Mona:
Friday afternoon we took the metro to Disneyland Paris, obviously a necessary trip. It was very similar to Orlando: the castle, Tower of Terror, the teacups, "it's a small world," and the Aerosmith rollercoaster. But, it just didn't compare in overall coolness and size, and none of the rides were as fun.
Saturday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to get to the Eiffel Tower before everyone else in Paris did. I think this was the morning we tried croissants at a patisserie by our hotel, which were delicious even though I really don't like croissants. It was freezing and raining, but there wasn't much of a line and the view was well worth it. Next we grabbed lunch and went to the Musee D'Orsay, which I really loved. Got to see lots of Monet and Van Gogh's work.
I forgot to mention that we took a "hop on, hop off" bus tour to get to all these places, so it was nice to learn about the city as we travelled around. We also drove by:
Place de la Concorde where a huge Obelisk stands where many were beheaded (including Marie Antoinette).
The Latin Quarter, the student section where many schools are located.
Champs Elysees, a famous street.
Arc de Triomphe, constructed by Napoleon, where his ashes were spread.
We took a quick stop at the Opera house and walked around a small part of the Galleries Lafayette, one of the world's largest department stores.
For our last night in Paris, Kristin and I booked an excursion tour which included dinner at the Eiffel Tower, a sunset cruise on the Seine, and a show at the Moulin Rouge. Well worth the money. Overall, I really loved Paris; it was a lot like Manhattan but with much more history and art, also it really made me recognize how young of a country the U.S. is. Contrary to the sterotype, the French were exceptionally nice, especially in comparison to the natives in Florence.
I'm leaving so much out, but it was a great weekend. Ready for Rome on Thursday!
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