PARIS PAPERS VOLUME VIII ~ April 26, 2006

Dear Family and Friends,

Such tales to recount have I!!!! I have just recently returned to Paris from my (and Dominic’s) Great Adventure. So hang on to your hats, we are about to blast through the last three weeks at Warp Speed!

Parc Monceau near my home

I suppose I shall commence with the slightly mundane (in comparison) week prior to the Great Adventure. I spent most of the week proceeding spring break writing papers (to get them out of the way). I completed the rough draft of the History of Chocolate in France, and finished the final draft of my Fascism/Nazism paper the night before I left for England (it was due on the 24^th, but as you will soon read, I had no time for paper-writing during break). I discovered the BEATUIFUL Parc Monceau near my apartment and spent some time there reading for my projects in light of the continued student strike situation (more on that later). In the final cooking class before break we had visitors from the API office in the States, we made Raclette and Tartiflette (both potato and cheese “casseroles”), and sort of invented a dessert comprised of filo dough, poached pears, chocolate, and almond paste, I know it sounds odd, but it was rather delicious! We also watched the movie “Vatel” (in French) which was good. I was mostly intrigued by the representation of Louis XIV, and based on what I have read, the portrayal of the attitudes of the Sun King and his court were well represented, as was the extravagance of the life the King and his court lived. I also DID in fact; stay up all night to listen to the Frozen Four online. I was very sad that we lost, but next year!

And now, without further ado, I bring you the GREAT ADVENTURE:

Hard Hats at the Blackcountry Museum

DAY 1: I arrived in Birmingham on Saturday the 8^th. Dominic met me at the airport, and I was never happier to see him in my life! A friendly face on the other side of the globe! He came with his friend, John, who has a car and drove us back to Dominic’s dorm. I must admit, it was QUITE unnerving to see no one in the “driver’s seat” of moving vehicles, and for everyone to be driving on the WRONG side of the road!!! I was terrified, because every time John turned a corner, I swore we would be turning into oncoming traffic (which of course we were not, but I had never driven in the UK before). I truly wonder what happens in the Chunnel, because the French drive on the “right side” of the road, and the English drive on the “wrong side,” but the two ways of driving meet in the middle of the passageway! Either way, driving in England was QUITE bizarre. Dominic lives in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands (about 4 hours by bus away from London). On our first day we visited the “Black Country Museum.” Apparently there were very rich deposits of coal near Wolverhampton, and we were able to take a tour of the mines! It was rather dark and we had to walk bent over some of time, but it was very informative, and I am very glad that coal mining is not to be my career. I also watched “The Grand National” horse race on the “telly” which is a big event. Forty or fifty horses start the race, and only about ten finish, it is a grueling course of about 4 miles on a circular track with insanely enormous jumps, but apparently this race is very popular in England, so I got a taste of English culture. I also got to try “English Pancakes” which are somewhere between crepes and regular pancakes in terms of thickness and density, but they are not as sweet. I also witnessed a strange British television show called “Little Britain,” and anyone who has ever watched any British Comedy can probably get an idea of the humor. Dominic lives with quite a few international students from Germany, Italy, France, Holland, etc, and they are all very nice and entertaining people.

Shakespeare's birthplace

Shakespeare's Tomb (goosebumps)

DAY 2: Dominic and I headed to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of THE Bard, William Shakespeare. We were able to visit the house he was born in, and his daughter’s house. We also paid a visit to his grave site with the famous inscription: “Good frend for Jesus sake forbeare, to digg the dust encloased heare. Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones, and curst be he yt moves my bones.” The whole town is full of Shakespeare statues, and tours, and tributes, the whole nine yards. It is a bit touristy and cheesy at times, but otherwise, it was very cool to visit the home of the greatest playwright of all time (I am not going to go into the disputed identity bit here).

Tower Bridge, bet you thought it was "London Bridge"

The Tower (Fortress) of London

Having some fun in the Tower of London

Well, the Queen has some serious "bling," I cannot believe I said that, my IQ dropped about 10 points

DAY 3: We traveled to London by “coach” (bus). We stayed at St. Christopher’s Hostel by London Bridge (most people believe that the Tower Bridge is “London Bridge,” but London Bridge is nothing special, merely a regular everyday bridge). We took a stroll on the Thames (pronounced like “tems”) towards the Tower Bridge. We crossed the bridge and headed to the Tower of London, which is not really a tower at all, but is a fortress (Queen Elizabeth I was held here by her sister Mary Queen of Scotts, as was Anne Boleyn before Henry VIII had her head chopped off). It was built by King Edward I (see the movie “Braveheart” for more information, based on what they said in the museum, his portrayal is rather accurate). Within the tower of London there is a large collection of medieval and post-Renaissance weaponry, an exhibit on the instruments of torture, and of course, the crown jewels.

Inside St. Paul's

The Mosaics of St. Paul's

View from the top of the Dome at St. Paul's

After the tower of London we walked to St. Paul’s cathedral (where the Diana and Prince Charles were married). It is a very nice Cathedral, with beautiful mosaics, and a very high dome. You can climb up the dome to the “Whisper Gallery” which is open over the church. Dominic told me that you car hear someone whispering on the other side of the dome (it is a good 50 feet across at least). I did not believe him, and so he showed me. It worked! He went to the other side of the dome and whispered against the wall and I could hear him! It was the strangest thing! Then I climbed to the top of the dome for the view of the city. It was VERY high, and there was not a very large viewing area, and it was a little frightening (not a fan of heights), but once I was back in the safety of the stairwell, I felt exhilarated. Sometimes it can be fun to face one’s fears, emphasis on SOMETIMES!

I cannot imagine standing like this all day, I can imagine that hat is quite heavy, well I suppose it is good for your posture to stand so straight.

The Duck of Buckingham (sorry, I couldn't help myself)

Playing in the Daffodils near Buckingham Palace

Big Ben

Just a bit of fun (not Photoshopped)

The London Eye

Next we headed to Trafalgar Square down the infamous Fleet Street, home to the “demon barber” Sweeny Todd (now a Broadway musical). Unfortunately the Nelson monument was completely covered in scaffolding and so there was not much to see. It was then that I tried my first “pasty” (past-e). For those who have never enjoyed one, a pasty is sort of like a “HotPocket” a pastry filled with meat, cheese, vegetables (almost always potatoes) and sauce. They are served hot, and are very filling. I am definitely a big fan of pasties. We headed towards Buckingham Palace (sadly we missed the changing of the Guard that morning, because there was a lot of traffic on the way to the city). We watched the guards stand there immobile, and then every fifteen minutes march around, not dreadfully exciting, but a MUST when visiting London. We then took a stroll through King James Park which was full of all sorts of aquatic fowl, and DAFFODILS! We walked past White Hall, and turned towards Parliament, Westminster, and of course, Big Ben (which is not, incidentally, the name of the CLOCK, but of the large bell in the clock tower). Of course we took loads of pictures at Big Ben, and then wandered back along the Thames, past the London eye towards our hostel and some well deserved sleep. However, our first Karaoke experience ever may have gotten in the way of sleep (temporarily, hey, you only live once! And it’s not like anyone we knew saw us, so we can always deny it ever happened).

Westminster Cathedral

DAY 4: We got up quite early and headed to Westminster Abbey early to beat the crowds. Westminster, of course, is the burial place of the royalty, and the official church for the coronations of English Monarchs. We beat the line and we straight in and set about wandering around the tombs of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, and others. We saw the famed “Coronation Chair.” We also visited “Poet’s Corner” and Dominic was quite excited to be in close proximity to the final resting place of Geoffrey Chaucer (Canterbury Tales). We wandered around the Abbey a bit more admiring the cathedral.

The reconstructed Globe Theatre

The Stage of the Globe

The seats of the Globe

Yea, um, we actually went, how could we not being devoted followers of Harry Potter

After Westminster we headed to the Globe Theatre. The globe that stands on the Thames today is a recreation of Shakespeare’s globe (which burned down during a performance in the 17^th century). However, though the modern globe was completed in the 1990’s, it was build using all the tools and materials that would have been used in Shakespeare’s time, and is built to the exact specifications of the original theatre. In fact, the modern globe is the only building in London that has been permitted to have a thatched roof since the Great Fire of 1666. The theatre (have to use the English spelling here) looked exactly as I have always imagined it, I wish we could have seen a performance, but unfortunately, performances do not start until May. Even though it is not the original theatre I still felt as though I was walking on some sort of sacred ground, many of you know my love of the theatre, and especially my love of Shakespeare. Truly a highlight of the trip! And, um, we may have made a special trip to King's Cross Station to find a certain Platform.......... (I can hear the groans from here).

"Just a spoon full of sugar..."

That evening we went to the London version of “Broadway” to see Mary Poppins the musical, which differed from the movie greatly, which I did not expect. Of course some changes were obvious, as it would be difficult to have dancing penguins on stage, but there were quite a few new songs. The set was INCREDIBLE, very elaborate, and the cast was great, I thought that the actress playing Mary looked like Julie Andrews, and Bert was great, “Steppin’ Time” was a spectacular tap number! It was a great show and a fun time!

Dominic and the Eiffel Tower, which he said looks like scaffolding :oP

DAY 5: We headed to Paris! It was good to be back in my adopted city. Hearing English all the time was getting a little bit strange, and probably not good for my French skills. The first day we did some general stuff, Mont Martre, where Dominic was seduced by the artists, we walked by Notre Dame, and then we took the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the evening, where we confirmed that it is in fact tourist season, because there was a line (unlike my previous trips). It was very nice to sleep in my own bed for a change. Hostels are nice for low-budget travel, but they do lack some of the amenities of “home.”

The Rose window at Sainte Chapelle

DAY 6: We went to the catacombs and got out dose of being creeped-out, no matter how many times I do, I still find the miles of stacked bones as disconcerting as ever. I took Dominic to Sainte Chapelle (and I think by now, every knows how much I love it there), and he was properly awed out of his skull by the brilliance of the windows. I took him to the Paris Opera house and gave him what I could remember of the tour I took with Andrea (there were no tours in English the days we were there). I took him to the top of Galleries Lafayette for the fabulous (FREE) view of the city from roof-top level. I also took him on a night-time boat cruise on the Seine (a must when visiting Paris!).

Editor’s note: I am not trying to race through Paris, per se, but I have already talked about most of these places in previous entries, and given the expansive amount of material I have to share this time, I am trying to keep this one under a million pages :o).

Good Friday was a particularlyy lovely day for the Rose windows of Notre Dame

Me and the Thinker

Does thinking about the Thinker count as Metacognition?

Napoleon's Corronation by Jacques Louis David (one of my favorite Painters)

DAY 7: We had some GORGEOUS weather, it was actually HOT in Paris, and I was quite happy about that! We attended Good Friday services at Notre Dame, and were present for the annual presentation of the Crown of Thorns. We played in Rodin’s Garden for a while basking in the sunlight and enjoying the statues. We went back to Mont Matre and Dominic’s wallet got a little lighter. I tell you, some of the artwork is just SO spell binding! We benefited from our youth by going to the Louvre on Friday night (free for people under 25) and we saw the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, and the Crown Jewels. We also had to take a stroll through the Jacques Louis David collection, and wandered throughout the Italian galleries. To finish the evening we took a stroll up the Champs Elysses.

The Chapel of Versailles

The Hall of Mirrors

The Queen's "modest" farmhouse

The Fountain of Apollo

Me and the fammed Fountain of Apollo

And 2 seconds after the other photo was taken, the fountain turned off, talk about timing!

The Neptune Basin
Yet another hydro-extravaganza :o)


Aquatic Fireworks

A Promenade at Versailles

Have you guessed which fountain is my favorite yet? :o)

DAY 8: We went to Versailles! I have waited a long time to go back to Louis XIV’s Palace. We chose to go on Saturday because the fountains would be working, and it is said to be a truly spectacular sight, and now, I can without a doubt confirm this statement. The fountains are INCREDIBLE! While they are working (only for a couple of hours at a time because of the required volume of water) beautiful baroque music is played throughout the Sun King’s garden, and if you close your eyes you can almost see the king and his court promenading by the Fountain of Apollo. We also took in the lavishness of the Palace, and the Hall of Mirrors (sadly partially blocked for restoration, not that restoration is saddening, but the lack of being able to see the full hallway is sad). We walked around the expansive grounds and visited the Trianons (smaller palaces built to “escape” from Versailles, rather like having your summer home adjacent to your actual residence). We also amused ourselves in Marie Antoinette’s little Hamlet where she would go and play “peasant girl” playing with perfumed sheep and living in lavishly decorated “peasant housing,” I should note that her little “farm” is larger than my house, and her interpretation of “roughing it” is hardly realistic. We did our best to visit every fountain, but Versailles is SO huge, I believe there are over 40 large fountains. Some are just beyond belief in terms of scale and decadence. I think my favorite is the Apollo fountain, but the Neptune Basin is quite incredible. In order to run the Neptune Basin, all of the other fountains need to be turned off. The only way to describe this “fountain” is aquatic fireworks! And with the period music it is just one of the most majestic things I have ever experienced. Of course, I know the history of Versailles and the French Revolution and such, but just being there makes it all the more real. Viewing Versailles and all its extravagance is a glimpse into the minds of the last Bourbon kings; it seems that the revolution was a foregone conclusion when you contemplate the living conditions of the peasantry.

The Duomo in Florence

Me and the Duomo

DAY 9: Easter was a travel day. We flew into Rome and spent about half an hour feeling hopelessly lost. For a while it looked like we made a huge mistake going to Italy with no real idea what we were doing, we got off the plane and had hardly any idea what to do next, we knew we wanted to get to Florence, but we had no idea how to get to the train station short of a cab. Neither Dominic nor I speak more than a dozen isolated words of Italian between us, and the situation looked dire. Luckily we ran into an Italian woman who spoke perfect French and she told Dominic and me what we needed to do to get to Florence. Thank goodness for nice bilingual people! We took the train from Rome to Florence (not daring to enter the city as Easter in Rome would have been INSANE). The train ride was very scenic through the Italian countryside which is full of rolling hills and small towns. When we arrived in Florence our first order of business was to buy a map. We walked to our hostel, situated right across from The Academia Museum, home to the famous David statue, and from our window we could see the line curling around the building. Our second order of business in Florence was gelato. I have decided that gelato is the most wonderful (edible) substance known to mankind. We liked it so much that we made a rule allowing for no more than one gelato a day, a rule that was somewhat flexible (let’s just say we AVERAGED one a day, some days not having any, and then compensating the next day for our error). We walked around the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) with its dome designed during the Renaissance by Brunelleschi. This cathedral, on the outside was different from all the other churches I have seen because the façade is elaborately decorated with different colors of stone, which of course is very different from the typically Gothic-style churches that I have become accustomed to. The dome also sets it apart from the churches I have seen before. The inside is much brighter, and more ornate than say, Notre Dame. The floor is marble, with different colors intertwining to make different patterns, and the interior of the dome is painted with a heavenly scene, and the ceilings seemed much higher than I am accustomed too, but that may have been a trick of the light.

The Market

Venetian Masks

After orienting ourselves to our new surroundings Dominic and I made an “unfortunate” discovery, a Florentine marketplace offering an array of leather goods, clothing, jewelry, souvenirs, scarves, and other things. This market sprawled for several blocks and was quite a neat little area. The “unfortunate” aspect of our discovery was the lightening of our wallets when we happened to pass through (not due to theft). We wandered in search of dinner, and happened upon a flea market and browsed around without damage to our pockets. We found a nice little restaurant and enjoyed real Italian bruschetta (which was to DIE for), real Italian pasta (also delicious), and homemade tiramisu (HURRAY!).

DAVID!

DAY 10: We decided it would be a good idea to visit the tourism office to find out museum times and what the best sights were to see. On our way to the office we discovered a little Leonardo DaVinci museum that we filed away for later. Feeling more informed that before we left the tourism office and decided to get into the line to see Michelangelo’s David, only when we arrived we found no line, turns out the museum is usually closed on Mondays, but because it was Easter Monday they decided to open but did not change their sign, and so we went straight in to see David. He is, in a word: gorgeous! I know that everyone criticizes that his hands are too large in proportion to the rest of his body, but you can see the VEINS in his hands and arms and legs. You can see his ribs. You can see the definition of his calf and shoulder muscles. His expression is very intriguing, and his posture is very real. And his curly hair is quite lovely, and I love the way his sling is casually slung over his shoulder. He was MUCH bigger than I expected. I expected him to be no more than 8 feet tall, but he is much more like 15 feet tall. He looks incredibly real for something which, at one time, was a solid block of marble.

Ceiling of the Baptisterie
The Lucky Coin-eating Boar

Next we went to the Baptisterie, the octagonal building adjacent to the cathedral. It has three beautiful sculpted doors, and inside on the ceiling is a brilliant mosaic. The interior is also elaborately decorated, but really it is the ceiling that draws your attention away from everything else. We also paid a visit to San Lorenzo church designed by Brunelleschi and decorated by Michelangelo and Donatello. We wandered towards the river, discovered another market place with a bronze statue of a boar that everyone was clustered around rubbing and feeding coins. We found out that it was allegedly lucky to rub the boar’s snout and feed him a coin, so we did. We witnessed some beautiful calk artists drawing on the sidewalk on our way to Piazza della Signora where there stands a copy of David and some other statues including one of Perseus, done in bronze, holding Medusa’s severed head.

Ponte Vehicco

Me and the River

View of Florence

Florentine Sunset

Just a beautiful post-sunset photo

We watched the illegal vendors hiding their knock-off Prada purses from the Police and browsed the local artists before heading to the famous Ponte Vehicco. I will confess, that from far away it just looks like a regular bridge with some rather derelict-looking houses perched on top of it, but when you cross the bridge, you are almost BLINDED by all the gold in the windows. The bridge is lined with extremely expensive and chic jewelry shops. Once we crossed the bridge we began climbing the hill in front of us to the Piazzale Michelangelo. We had a leisurely climb stopping to enjoy the view. Once we reached the top we enjoyed a fantastic view of Florence and the hills beyond, in the center of the plaza there is another copy of David. When we returned to the center of the city Dominic finally gave in and was seduced by an Italian leather briefcase, the price was superb considering the quality, and so it joined the ranks of my leather-bound photo album. After a short break we returned to Ponte Vehicco to watch the sunset over the river and it was lovely. We had pasta and more wonderful Bruschetta for supper. We also were given a drink on the house, a sort of lemon liquor that left both of our heads reeling, apparently (according to the people at our hostel) this is an Italian custom and she thinks that the waiter either liked us especially or thought we were newlyweds. I suppose that here I should note that over the course of our trip Dominic and I were mistaken for siblings, married and engaged. Anyone who knows us is laughing hysterically at this, but for the record we are none of the above, just good friends traveling together.

DAY 11: We spend the day hanging out in the museums of Florence. We went back to the Leonardo DaVinci museum we discovered and found it was quite cool. Basically, the museum consisted of his machines build in the modern era according to DaVinci’s original plans! Some of them we were even allowed to play with. Just for your history lesson, DaVinci’s inventions include the following (some where merely his original idea carried out in modern times): the bicycle, the first life preserver, the parachute, the tank, the first “robot,” the shape of modern bullets, ball bearings, flying machines (with instruments for use while in flight), the machine gun, not to mention his work with pulleys and gears. I have said it before, and will say it again, that man was WAY before his time! It was really neat to see his inventions and to read about if they worked or not, many of them do/did.

After playing with Leonardo’s toys we headed to the Uffizi Gallery to wander amongst the works of DaVinci, Boticelli, Raphael, and Michelangelo to name a few. At the end of the art gallery we enjoyed our second DaVinci exhibit of the day, but we were not allowed to play with any of the things in that portion, but they spent more time exploring his contributions to biology and art, so we had a bit of a DaVinci day for ourselves. After our afternoon in the museum we took a wrong turn and happened to find ourselves back in the market place and I fell in love with a leather decorative mask, in my defense I had been looking at Venetian paper-maché masks since we arrived, and this one was much prettier and much cheaper than the Venetian ones.

St. Peter's Square

St. Peter's Square

DAY 12: ROME!!! We made it to Rome! We took the train back from Florence to Rome and battled the buses to get to our hostel near the Vatican (though when we arrived we did not realize how close we were). We dropped off our belongings and set about exploring the Eternal City. I was BESIDE myself to finally be in Rome. As I student of history I felt like I was on a pilgrimage, I was in the land of Caesar! We had spinach and ricotta calzone for lunch (very yummy). Our meanderings lead us into a gigantic square with a church, and it took us a full minute to realize that we had wandered into the Vatican without even realizing it! Literally just strolled into St. Peter’s square without intending to! It was quite amusing. We took one glance at the line and decided the Vatican Expedition would have to wait for another day when we could arrive early enough to beat the crowds.

The Coliseum at long last!

Lilacs at the Coliseum, the smell of the reminded me of home! The state flower of NH growing in the shadow of a Roman Arena... :o)

Inside the Coliseum

We continued walking and after a while I spotted it. The Coliseum! Needless to say we made a beeline for it. I would have charged through a brick wall if one had gotten in my way. I marched right up to it and laid my hands on the stone. It was incredible! I had to touch it to be sure it was real! I did know exactly what it would look like, as there are pictures of it in every history text on the planet, but it still made me slightly sad to see it partially destroyed. Just knowing how it must have looked at the height of the Roman Empire, and then seeing it falling down is slightly depressing. The experience was sort of like seeing a once brilliant athlete long after his prime as an old man (Ted Williams for example). You wish that you could see it as it was meant to be seen, a monstrous stricture covered in white marble looming before you. Either way I was itching to get inside. So we waited in line only to be turned away after 45 minutes because the COLISEUM does not accept credit cards! I know that this must sound very “American” of me, but, I am going to say it anyways. The Coliseum must be one of the top 5 most visited sights in Europe, and they don’t accept credit cards!? So much for Visa being “everywhere you want to be.” Ack. So we sought an ATM. However this seemingly trivial twist of fate had an odd consequence, when we returned to the Coliseum, we had missed the tour we had wanted to take, and so we signed up for the next available one which left us some time to explore the interior. When we congregated for the tour I thought I recognized a woman in our group. Sure enough, upon asking her, I DID know her! She was from Merrimack, and her daughter is in Rebecca’s (my youngest sister) class at MHS! I almost fell over! So by the Coliseum not accepting credit cards (or my not having any cash on hand), the world was once again proven to be incredibly small! Of all the places! The Coliseum! Unreal!

The Coliseum tour was very good, and quite informative. There were some facts that I did know, such as the existence of a canopy to shield the spectators from the sun, and the use of the Coliseum for mock naval battles. However, the tour guide told us, that contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence to suggest that Christians were ever persecuted in the Coliseum as a spectacle. Some Gladiators may have been Christians, but that would have been merely coincidence. And some of the marble façade of the Coliseum was harvested and reused to build St. Peter’s basilica in Vatican City.

After the Coliseum we marched “efficiently” to Palatine hill (because our Coliseum ticket included free entry to Palatine, but entrance was scheduled to stop 20 minutes after our Coliseum tour). Palatine hill was interesting full of gardens and winding paths among the ruins. Palatine hill was the home of the Kings that ruled Rome until the Republic when it was inhabited by the aristocracy, and finally the Emperors resided on Palatine hill with the Forum at its base. There we stayed until dusk and sort of shadowed an Anglophone tour group listening to the guide talk about the Roman’s contribution to architecture: cement. He explained how most Roman buildings were only bricks and cement (very cost effective), but for aesthetic purposes marble slabs were mounted over the cement presenting the illusion of buildings constructed of solid marble. Quite clever in my opinion, you can still see the holes in many buildings where the hooks for mounting marble were once positioned. We headed back to our hostel by way of a Pizzeria for some real Italian pizza.

Interesting fact about Rome: you can drink the water from all the fountains of Rome free of charge. It is good clean water, and frankly tastes better than most bottled water; it is clean and cool, and best of all FREE! When we were first told this, Dominic and I were skeptical, and actually watched other people drink the water from a fountain before we filled our bottles the first time. Apparently this goes back to ancient times and the city has kept up the tradition. I can’t complain as the standard price for a bottle of water in a touristy area hovers somewhere between 2 and 3 euros. I was very impressed by the water situation. However, the public toilet situation is slightly lacking, there is all this free water, but then no toilets. Go figure. But take my word for it, if you are ever in Rome, benefit from the free water! There are no ill effects, and I have a relatively finicky stomach.

However, in Italy (no where else that I know of) there is no student discount on admissions to anything. Well, I lied, there is a discount for students, but it only applies to students who are citizens of the European Union and they have to present their passports to get the discount. I was a little bit miffed by this. I guess I can sort of understand, but I could not get a discount and I am living and studying in the EU. I just wonder why Italy decided to do this and not England, France, Spain, or Belgium (possibly others, but I am just going based on what I have experienced).

The School at Athens

DAY 13: We got up criminally early to head to the Vatican, and there was a line when we got there an hour before the door opened, but we chatted with some of the other Anglophones in the line (including a family from Michigan) while we waited, and the time passed quickly. We went straight in when the doors opened (There IS a student discount in Vatican City, but then of course, Vatican City is TECHNICALLY an independent country, in fact, the smallest country in the world). The reason one goes to the Vatican Museum is the last room, the Sistine Chapel. The path way to the Sistine Chapel is quite long, and it is a museum with a succession of increasingly elaborate hallways containing artifacts and tapestries and art work from around the world and across the ages. En route to the Chapel are the Raphael Rooms with gorgeous wall paintings including the celebrated “School of Athens” celebrating the great minds of history including DaVinci, Michelangelo, Socrates, and Raphael even hid himself in the painting. I was very excited to see this painting, having studied it in Western Civilization in high school; I even own a print of it. It is one of my favorites from the Renaissance.

Sistine Chapel

Ceiling detail, you can see "The Creation of Man" at the bottom

Finally, at the end of the endless corridors you descent a modest staircase while an announcement in over 10 languages requests your silence as you enter the chapel, and then you walk in, and your head snaps upwards as though pulled by a magnet, I almost gave myself whiplash, and there it is! Probably 50 feet above you, Michelangelo’s greatest creation: the Sistine Chapel ceiling! Even now, a week later, words fail me. And I am not ashamed to admit I may have shed a tear or two. I still cannot believe how beautiful it is! The Chapel itself if dark to preserve the priceless artwork, but the colors leap off of the ceiling and give the air of a three dimensional piece. I can honestly say that it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. To think that a MAN painted that, it is just incredible, truly a masterpiece! There is just so much to look at! I can’t even express it. You are just so drawn to the ceiling that you barely notice the works of the other masters below the ceiling lining the walls. And if the ceiling was not enough, the wall behind the alter is covered with another incredible Michelangelo, The Last Judgment. And IF you can tear your eyes away from the paintings, the floor is an incredible mosaic. You are literally surrounded by works of art wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling. We must have spent 45 minutes absorbing as much as we could of the Chapel (mostly the ceiling). I still cannot believe I have seen Michelangelo’s masterwork with my own eyes! It was so beautiful.

Pieta

After the Sistine Chapel we entered St. Peter’s basilica. It is MASSIVE. When you enter, to the right is Michelangelo’s Pieta: the famed statue of Mary cradling Jesus after the crucifixion. It is a beautiful piece. Mary’s expression is incredible, she is clearly mourning her child, but there is an odd serenity on her features. The statue is so perfect that Mary practically breathes, and you almost forget you are looking at a piece of carved marble. Her robes fall and flow so delicately, and though the statue is carved from solid marble you can see how limp the form of Jesus is in contrast to Mary seeming very alive form. I stared at the statue for a long time.

The rest of the cathedral is very ornate and lavish. St. Peter’s chair is situated at the back of the church and there are incredible statues everywhere. The floor is made up of every color of marble imaginable. The church is awe-inspiring, decorated by the great masters of the Renaissance from the dome of Michelangelo, to the Bernini statues in every corner. The church definitely LOOKS like the Pope’s church and the seat of the Catholic faith. When we left the basilica we passed the Pope’s Swiss guards dressed in their Renaissance uniforms. We exited the Vatican as throngs of people fought their way closer and we were thankful that we arrived early.

The Dome of the Pantheon

From the center of Christendom we headed to the Pantheon, talk about a transition! Actually, in modern times the Pantheon is a Christian church and the burial place of masters such as Raphael. Originally the Pantheon was a temple to all the Gods (a little etymology, “pan” meaning all, and “theo” meaning god). The Pantheon is a perfect circle capped by an incredible dome with a hole in the center. As you walk on the floor you can feel an incredibly faint incline towards the center so that any rain will roll towards the edges and drain out of the temple.

Trevi Fountain

Sunbathing on the Spanish Steps

From the Pantheon we headed to the Trevi fountain. It is said that if you drink from this fountain, or throw a coin into it you will assure your eventual return to Rome. I threw in a coin just incase. :o) This fountain was one of the first sources of public drinking water in Rome! Next we headed to the Spanish steps were we spent an hour just lying in the sun with the other tourists. It was quite nice. (Fear not, earlier in the week I did figure out the Italian word for “Sun Block,” which I have now forgotten, but the point is, I did have sun block). As far as I know, there is no special history to the Spanish Steps, it is just a cool flight of stairs in Piazza di Spagna, basically a tourist trap and a massive market for the illegal vendors to peddle their wares.

Ok, so a little bit like DisneyWorld, but it's funny :o)

After the Spanish Steps we found ourselves back at the Coliseum where we took slightly cheesy pictures with the costumed Roman Soldiers and Caesars. I will be the first to admit that it was corny, but still fun at the same time, well worth a couple of Euros. We walked around the perimeter of the Arena and climbed a near-by hill trying to get a better view, we did not entirely succeed. My perfect pictures were foiled by the trees.

The Forum

The Grave of Julius Caesar

Next we headed to the Forum. Again, a somewhat bittersweet experience, I know what the forum was SUPPOSED to look like, and the skeleton that remains is slightly depressing. The remains of the buildings are labeled, such as the Temple of Vesta, where the sacred virgins once tended the eternal flame, and the Temple of Romulus. The Forum was the center of Roman political life, and it is believed that Julius Caesars ashes are buried at the center at the exact spot where his body was cremated (in traditional Roman fashion) after his murder.

From the Forum we headed to Circus Maximus, the elliptical chariot arena, which today is no more than a grassy depression in the ground. It is roughly the length of two football fields, and though nothing remains, it is easy to imagine chariots speeding around the track before an immense crowd drawn by the program of Bread and Circus designed to keep the populous tranquil.

After Circus Maximus, we made a bit of a dumb choice, we decided we wanted to see the Via Appia (Appian Way) this ancient road was built in the 4^th century BC and was built to connect Rome with all its territories. I thought it would be cool to walk it for a little while, and Dominic agreed. So we followed our trusty map. And we walked, and we walked, and walked and walked following signs for the Ancient Appian Way. Eventually we ended up on some sort of a high way and decided to give up. We found a bus stop where about 15 people were waiting for the bus. There were a few Anglophones, and it turns out they were looking for the Appian Way We eventually found out that we had been walking the Appian Way It is a modern road! I was so frustrated. I had expected an ancient looking road, because I have seen pictures of it in books, and it looks old, well the part we found is not old. It is a modern high way. And to make matters worse, we waited for the bus for a good portion of forever, (an hour and a half) after one blew right past us without a second glance. But while we were stranded we had some nice conversations with our fellow castaways. So my advice, SKIP THE APPIAN WAY! The yellow signs pointing to the Appian way are an Italian joke (in my opinion), the whole time you are following the signs you are ON the Appian Way. too and decided to give up. for about 3 MILES!

Rome by night (St. Peter's in the background)

After our little Appian Way mishap we were late for our rendez-vous with Saul, the guy from Illinois I met at Notre Dame while he was visiting on his Spring break. We managed to arrive back at our hostel just as he was leaving thinking we were not coming. He took us out “Pizza Tasting.” At most pizzerias you can buy pizza based on the weight, so you just order a really small slice at every pizzeria you pass, and you try different ones every time. I tried four different kinds: potato pizza, zucchini pizza, green olive pizza, and artichoke pizza, oddly enough NONE of them had tomato sauce, but all were very good. Then we took a stroll along the Tiber River taking pictures and laughing and joking. It was quite fun. Needless to say, after that long day we passed out as soon as we returned to our hostel.

Vesuvius

DAY 14: Perhaps my favorite day of our trip. We got up very early and caught a train to Naples to go to Pompeii. Most people have at least heard of Pompeii, it was a Roman city that was completely covered by volcanic ash following then eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It is significant because it is one of the most perfect preservations of Roman life that exists, despite the eruption being a terrible tragedy; the volcanic ash preserved the city incredibly well and the people of Pompeii were caught completely off guard and left as quickly as possible (those who made it out) leaving their daily lives to be frozen in time. The eruption also buried Herculaneum another city near the volcano. Herculaneum differs from Pompeii in that this is one of the only places where archaeologist have found Roman skeletons, because the Romans believed in burning their dead rather than burying them, so Pompeii and Herculaneum both have provided historians with incredible evidence and insight into the daily lives of Romans in the first century after the birth of Christ.

Herculaneum


Beautiful Mosaic at Herculaneum


Jars found intact


Marble bar top

We went to Herculaneum first, and it was very interesting, but rather small. I found that it was not as well preserved as Pompeii, but I later found out that it was pillaged after its discovery in the nineteenth century and so many choice pieces disappeared during that time. However we still got a good idea of what life was like in the first century AD from our rented audioguides. We learned about restaurants, and bars, and markets, and public baths.

The Streets of Pompeii

Perfectly preserved pillars

Mosaic of Alexander of Macedonia (also called Alexander the Great)

The ovens at the bakery made from volcanic rock

Me and the ruins

Beautiful Frescoes

The Victims

Pompeii, however, blew Herculaneum out of the water. Pompeii was everything I hoped it would be. It was incredible. Some of the buildings are so well preserved that you half expect to walk into a house and be greeted by a man in a toga speaking Latin! The frescoes are simply incredible, and the mosaics look like they were done weeks ago rather than nearly 2000 YEARS ago. I find the plaster casts of the bodies to be slightly disturbing, they are not as proliferate as I expected, but they are a reminder that this beautiful “Roman Ghost Town” came to be preserved as a result of a terrible disaster. There is also nothing like standing in the shadow of an active volcano, possibly one of the deadliest on Earth (depending on your sources). Somewhat unfortunately at Pompeii, a lot of artifacts (statues, mosaics, tools, etc) have been removed to the Naples Museum to protect them (so tourism tip, go to the Naples Museum, we did not have time, but there appears to be a lot of great stuff there, archaeologically and historically speaking). I just cannot describe how awesome Pompeii was. What an experience, it was worth waiting for (since 6^th grade!)! I could spend pages and pages describing every mosaic and every building, but this Paris Papers is getting quite long! Pompeii is a large sprawling city, and the streets wind and ramble, there is a full scale arena, two theaters, restaurants, temples, baths, and many houses.

Pompeii renewed my lost interest in archaeology. I used to be part of the Archaeology club in Middle School, but then the group leader moved out of town and I lost touch with the hobby, but if anyone at UMaine knows of any archaeology classes/clubs/digs, please let me know! Give me a trowel, brush, and a section of grid, PLEASE! Fear not, I am not changing my major, just I have a renewed interest in an old hobby. :o)

Beach Bum! (And proud of it too!)

Sunset on the Mediterranean

I love my sunsets!

DAY 15: We took a break from our routine from being the uber-tourists and headed to the beach, and once there, our greatest effort of the day was reapplication of sun block and perhaps turning from laying our stomachs to lying on our backs to ensure an even tan. Oh, and I waded in the water for a bit (such an exertion), and I found the Mediterranean to be much warmer than the north Atlantic (big shock, haha), and I also found the sea shells to be much prettier. So I got a lovely tan, and enjoyed a day of doing nothing. We stayed at the shore and took in a gorgeous sunset and some gelato.

The Coliseum by night

Rome from above

DAY 16: Our final full day in Rome we relaxed a little bit. We just wandered around the city and bought our few souvenirs. We visited Piazza Navona and browsed the artists and watched the mimes and people pretending to be statues. We wound our way through a couple of markets with firm vows not to spend anymore money. We said good bye to the Coliseum, and then wandered back to the hostel for a quick rest before we headed up Montmario for a spectacular view of the city. It was quite a climb, but we made it. I know it is very touristy, but I like to see the whole of the cities I visit, which usually means climbing quite high, which is odd given my fear of heights.

DAY 17: The final day of our adventure. We headed out early and to our respective airports to catch our flights back to our respective adopted countries. I returned to Paris by way of Vienna (direct flights were disgustingly expensive). The flight from Vienna to Paris was TERRIBLE, the bumpiest I have ever experienced! I was somewhat glad to be back in Paris, but sad that the Great Adventure was over. I am alone with Mme and M now, Kristen has gone home. Unpacking was NOT fun, but necessary.

Telephone Box, and anyone who has ever been to England, I KNOW you have this EXACT same picture!

I learned a lot of things on my whirlwind tour. The English, though their humor is a bit bizarre, are not as uptight as the rest of the world believes them to be. They do NOT talk at ALL on the “Underground.” I found this to be rather strange. It was sort of uncomfortable being on a completely silent metro. Overall, I found them to be friendly and approachable, but then of course, there was no language barrier. But the driving on the “wrong” side of the road business was unbearable, but I loved the phone boxes. I did not get much of a chance to sample English cuisine, but I did have pasties, and they were very yummy, so perhaps the British reputation for bad cuisine is similar to their notoriety as “stiff” people. England was HORRIFICALLY expensive, the pound is murder! Everything cost the same (number) of pounds as it would dollars, for instance a soda would be say a dollar, and it cost a pound, but while we were there, the ONE pound was equivalent to nearly TWO DOLLARS! I was every so glad to return to the land of the Euro.

Going back to France after several days in an Anglophone country rather threw me for a loop. The language sectors of my brain got all twisted up, but they recovered rather quickly. It was interesting to see France through Dominic’s eyes. I had forgotten how unforgiving the Parisians can be of Anglophones in their city. We got glared at quite harshly on the metro when we spoke in English. Like when Andrea visited, having Dominic in Paris refreshed my views of Paris, I got to see many of my favorite places for the first time again through Dominic’s eyes.

I found Italy to be quite interesting. Unlike my trip to Spain, I had no translator, and Dominic and I had nothing to rely on but a small travel phrase book and the dozen words and phrases we memorized. Mostly the Italians were very jovial and kind. More than once we were helped out by complete strangers out of their own kindness (train confusion and translation issues). But the public transportation system in Rome was a little bleak, they only have two metro lines, but in their defense, every time they try to dig more tunnels, they hit more Roman ruins, and the historical community (myself included) will not let them proceed with construction for the sake of the ruins.

A few words on hostels, they are not as scary as I expected. All three that I stayed in were very nice. Bella Roma hostel in Rome was by far the best; there was a nice community-type feel with all the other people staying there, and we spent some time hanging out with our fellow travelers, something we did not experience anywhere else. Hostels are not the most glamorous form of travel housing, but it is a place to sleep, a place to shower, and a place to lock up your stuff.

The Great Adventure was a really fun trip and I was very lucky to share it with Dominic. It was very fun to see Europe with such a good friend. My experience was very eye-opening, and I saw further evidence that all of Europe is very different. The climate varied greatly from London to Rome, in London I was thankful I had my jacket, but in Rome I was equally thankful to have stuffed my capri shorts and a couple of tank tops (and my bathing suit!) into my luggage at the last moment.

In other news, THE STRIKES ARE OVER!!!!! I AM BACK AT SCHOOL!!!!!! HURRAY! I am very glad that things are returning to normal. For a while things were not looking good in terms of finishing the semester and getting all my credits. So with 16.5 and weeks in the books, I have seven and a half weeks before I return to the states. In my remaining time in Europe I hope to squeeze in a little more traveling depending on what remains of my funding. This weekend I am off to Barcelona for Spain Part II with Rachel from UMaine. In the meantime, I shan’t torment you any further (those of you who made it this far!), and sign off for now. I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying spring back in the states. I will be back with more fun in two weeks, same bat time (well, sort of), same bat channel, so stay tuned!

Until next time, I remain your long-winded world traveler,

Monica :o)

Ok, ok, enough with the fountains already! And a bad hair day to boot!