The Rise and Fall of Rome
I went to Pompeii last week, and it's odd, I should've been amazed by it but it's almost too much. This was a huge city and nearly every house and store was uncovered. All I needed was one city block to get the point. It's probably the most amazing archeological dig on the face of the earth, though. Under the watchful eye of Vesuvius, who was responsible for the downfall, Pompeii is quite the tourist's mecca, but honestly, I think the Italians haven't done a great job at helping make sense of the vastness of the place. My audioguide had numbers in places, but oftentimes I couldn't find where there were supposed to be numbers because the map was so screwed up. I would've gone with a regular guide but he was hawking the tour rather than waiting patiently to gather a group. Hawking always makes me a little nervous.
Mt. Vesuvius is gorgeous, Naples (Napoli) a little chaotic and the day a bit hot. It'll be interesting to back and read some of the historical data about pompeii after having been there. I think it'll make much more sense in context now that I've been there.
Back in Rome, I decided to spend another full day there because I didn't feel like I'd been there long enough. Certain places on trips, for whatever reason, feel like a little slice of home. You know how to get around, there are places you'd still like to visit there, you've made friends and acquaintances. I guess you get invested in a place. After Tuesday in Pompeii, I spent Wednesday and a good portion of Thursday in Rome.
I tried going to the Sistine Chapel but I missed the entry by 5 minutes (last entry is about 1 1/2 hours before the actual Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel close). So I saw St. Peter's again and had the most amazing Gelato (seen here below the walls of the Vatican) -- Yogurt and Coffee Gelato with whipped cream. Divine, indeed!
On my way to the Vatican, I crossed a "Bridge of Angels" which had these really amazing Baroque statues but it was the drama of the clouds behind them that made them especially amazing. Here's a sample:
When I tried gathering money for the hotel I'd statyed at for 4 days, one of my main cards I just had money transferred to wouldn't work to get cash out of the cash machine. At least it'd work as a credit card...right? But it didn't, and we tried to call the credit card company, but they wouldn't be open until morning, so I had to wait until after 5 p.m. Rome time to reach this credit card company to get things settled. Very aggravating! But rather than let it bum me out, I decided to make a good day of it in Rome. I went and had my portrait done in the Piazza Navona. All of you reading this have been to my house so you've seen the sketch from my last trip to Europe 16 years ago. I really wanted to get one done this trip, too, and I shopped around for good artists. I'd seen this guy do amazing work during the night crowds several nights earlier.
I didn't want to show the final piece, which is really interesting. I sort of like it, but I can't help but feel like I've been made to look like an Elf. There was a certain youthful, magical glow to the picture. Then I started to think that maybe it did look just like me...it fucked with me a little and how I think I view myself. A very interesting lesson! Perhaps I should get it done one more time this trip and see if I still look like an elf!
That evening, after finally getting my credit card working, I left for Siena and Tuscany. Because it's tucked out of the way, Siena is hard to get to by train, so I took a bus from Rome so I could get to the middle of the city. I walked around for a bit with all my bags because I needed something to eat and there were a lot of people wandering around the midieval city. When there are lots of non-backpacked people around, they always give me a strange look: "Look at that American with all those bags..." It is a good workout, though. I had no idea if there'd be food available out in the country where I was staying, but I assumed not so I got some pizze and then got a taxi out of the city. It was a very expensive taxi ride (60 bucks) but my place cost about half price, so it all worked out.
There's no denying Tuscany is gorgeous. There are just as many vineyards as you'd expect. Lots of Olive Trees, too, and fields upon fields of Sunflowers. Unfortunately, I arrived after the peak of the sunflower season, and for the most part all I saw were the carcasses of dead sunflowers in these vast fields. It was fascinating.
I'm not even sure the point of the sunflowers. Rarely is something grown on such a large scale for visual appeal only. Perhaps they harvest the seeds? Maybe it's to fix nitrates in the soil to give it a break from grape productions? Inquiring minds want to know.
Tuscany should be enjoyed with a car and a companion. I had neither, so it was very difficult to get around, nobody spoke a single word of English (no kidding) and the people that ran the Villa couldn't give me any instruction of what to do out in the country, but instead told me to go to Siena, the city.
I did drink wine one night and had a homemade meal from the proprieter. A couple of times, I snuck into the fields and grabbed a handful of grapes. They were delicious, sweet and plump. Yummy. This is the actual vine I grabbed my grapes off of:
I ended up going back to Rome after Tuscany so I could go out and join the gay boys at the Gay Village. I made many new friends and (no joke) danced for 3 hours or more. I had a fantastic time.
The next morning was the only Sunday this month the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel were open (open the last Sunday of the month, and free to the public), so it was packed out! I have never seen a line like that.
I really wanted to get to see the Sistine Chapel before I left because I hadn't seen it since it was restored. With the throngs of people, the guards yelling "no photos!" and "shhhhh!" in the chapel, and something that had shifted in me, I just wasn't as enthralled as I'd been when I was a kid. That's something I'm finding this trip. I'm getting more out of fun and connecting than I am about seeing things and doing tourist stuff.
I'm in Florence right now and will be leaving for Cinque Terre in a few hours. I plan on staying there several days, getting a little work done and trying to relax and get some sun before I come home. It's now just a little over a week until I return home, and I'm looking forward to it. I need to truly rest for a while. I hope to get some of that in Cinque Terre.
Ciao for now.
Mt. Vesuvius is gorgeous, Naples (Napoli) a little chaotic and the day a bit hot. It'll be interesting to back and read some of the historical data about pompeii after having been there. I think it'll make much more sense in context now that I've been there.
Back in Rome, I decided to spend another full day there because I didn't feel like I'd been there long enough. Certain places on trips, for whatever reason, feel like a little slice of home. You know how to get around, there are places you'd still like to visit there, you've made friends and acquaintances. I guess you get invested in a place. After Tuesday in Pompeii, I spent Wednesday and a good portion of Thursday in Rome.
I tried going to the Sistine Chapel but I missed the entry by 5 minutes (last entry is about 1 1/2 hours before the actual Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel close). So I saw St. Peter's again and had the most amazing Gelato (seen here below the walls of the Vatican) -- Yogurt and Coffee Gelato with whipped cream. Divine, indeed!
On my way to the Vatican, I crossed a "Bridge of Angels" which had these really amazing Baroque statues but it was the drama of the clouds behind them that made them especially amazing. Here's a sample:
When I tried gathering money for the hotel I'd statyed at for 4 days, one of my main cards I just had money transferred to wouldn't work to get cash out of the cash machine. At least it'd work as a credit card...right? But it didn't, and we tried to call the credit card company, but they wouldn't be open until morning, so I had to wait until after 5 p.m. Rome time to reach this credit card company to get things settled. Very aggravating! But rather than let it bum me out, I decided to make a good day of it in Rome. I went and had my portrait done in the Piazza Navona. All of you reading this have been to my house so you've seen the sketch from my last trip to Europe 16 years ago. I really wanted to get one done this trip, too, and I shopped around for good artists. I'd seen this guy do amazing work during the night crowds several nights earlier.
I didn't want to show the final piece, which is really interesting. I sort of like it, but I can't help but feel like I've been made to look like an Elf. There was a certain youthful, magical glow to the picture. Then I started to think that maybe it did look just like me...it fucked with me a little and how I think I view myself. A very interesting lesson! Perhaps I should get it done one more time this trip and see if I still look like an elf!
That evening, after finally getting my credit card working, I left for Siena and Tuscany. Because it's tucked out of the way, Siena is hard to get to by train, so I took a bus from Rome so I could get to the middle of the city. I walked around for a bit with all my bags because I needed something to eat and there were a lot of people wandering around the midieval city. When there are lots of non-backpacked people around, they always give me a strange look: "Look at that American with all those bags..." It is a good workout, though. I had no idea if there'd be food available out in the country where I was staying, but I assumed not so I got some pizze and then got a taxi out of the city. It was a very expensive taxi ride (60 bucks) but my place cost about half price, so it all worked out.
There's no denying Tuscany is gorgeous. There are just as many vineyards as you'd expect. Lots of Olive Trees, too, and fields upon fields of Sunflowers. Unfortunately, I arrived after the peak of the sunflower season, and for the most part all I saw were the carcasses of dead sunflowers in these vast fields. It was fascinating.
I'm not even sure the point of the sunflowers. Rarely is something grown on such a large scale for visual appeal only. Perhaps they harvest the seeds? Maybe it's to fix nitrates in the soil to give it a break from grape productions? Inquiring minds want to know.
Tuscany should be enjoyed with a car and a companion. I had neither, so it was very difficult to get around, nobody spoke a single word of English (no kidding) and the people that ran the Villa couldn't give me any instruction of what to do out in the country, but instead told me to go to Siena, the city.
I did drink wine one night and had a homemade meal from the proprieter. A couple of times, I snuck into the fields and grabbed a handful of grapes. They were delicious, sweet and plump. Yummy. This is the actual vine I grabbed my grapes off of:
I ended up going back to Rome after Tuscany so I could go out and join the gay boys at the Gay Village. I made many new friends and (no joke) danced for 3 hours or more. I had a fantastic time.
The next morning was the only Sunday this month the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel were open (open the last Sunday of the month, and free to the public), so it was packed out! I have never seen a line like that.
I really wanted to get to see the Sistine Chapel before I left because I hadn't seen it since it was restored. With the throngs of people, the guards yelling "no photos!" and "shhhhh!" in the chapel, and something that had shifted in me, I just wasn't as enthralled as I'd been when I was a kid. That's something I'm finding this trip. I'm getting more out of fun and connecting than I am about seeing things and doing tourist stuff.
I'm in Florence right now and will be leaving for Cinque Terre in a few hours. I plan on staying there several days, getting a little work done and trying to relax and get some sun before I come home. It's now just a little over a week until I return home, and I'm looking forward to it. I need to truly rest for a while. I hope to get some of that in Cinque Terre.
Ciao for now.
posted by The Laughing Penguin at 2:15 AM
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