Dream City

I used to ask my Dad how it could be.  How was there really a city with no streets? Why didn't the buildings sink? Did they go to work in boats? Back when I was a kid, and yes I no longer feel that the description is apt, I was fascinated with the concept of Venice. It was an interest that was further intensified by movies like Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade. Some people want to kiss under the Eiffel Tower, some want to ride a camel and see the Pyramids, I wanted to see the water in Venice for myself.  Unlike a few of the places on this trip, Venice lived up to my expectations.  It was smaller in area then I envisioned, but just as enchanting. I will return with those I love on day to the labyrinth of walkways and bridges under the fresh flowers and painted facades.  For now it was enough to have a great meal with my cousin and sip spritzers in the city of the dreams of my youth.

Like I Thought It Would Be

Best Pic Nominee 6

Max has already cast his vote for this one.  We refused to take a Gondola boat ride - we have to some something romantic in Europe for when we bring girlfriends.  So, the only time we actually were on the water was to cross the Grand Canal to a church on the other side.

Tourist Spot I Think

Alright, so we did one tourist area. We found it simply by coincidence and I couldn't even bring myself to look up what the name of the churches were.

Venice

No museums were visited and I think half of a church was entered. It was complete relaxation - a necessary break from the tourist tour at 100 kph.  I will let the photos do the work, as it may be impossible to take a bad picture in Venice.

Caught Up!

Finally! I am up-to-date on this blog with 9 days remaining in the trip.  Max and I are in Venice for the day and taking an overnight train to Salzburg.  We intend to hit Prague, Berlin, maybe Amsterdam on our way back to Paris.  

Arrivederci Roma

After a day of wandering the streets, as I had not gotten myself properly lost yet, we completed Rome with a good meal in Piazza Navona.  During the meal there was a young aspiring guitar player strumming away for tips.  Problem is, he is still aspiring.  Max realized that the guy was not actually playing the songs, but only moving his fingers in sync with his mp3 accompaniment.  When he stuck his can out for some euros I told him we would hook him up if he played us a song without the music - I was sticking up for those who were duped.  Of course, he wouldn't and he packed his stuff up soon after that.  Max's ability to make certain observations continues to amaze me.  Also, the Prime Minister came out to say good-bye to us.   A moving huddle of people paraded through the plaza not 20 ft from us.  I asked who it was and I was informed it was Silvio Berlusconi.  Waiting for him to come say hello to us, we continued sipping our wine.  It was an eventful finish to our 3rd and final night in Rome.  (View from from the Giancolo)

Piazzas

If you tripped in Rome you would either end up in a shopping district or a piazza.  The latter are ubiquitous.  

The Pantheon

This is not Columbia's Low Library, it is the Pantheon.  Like the Dallas Cowboy's Texas Stadium, there is a hole in the roof.  The dome allows the sun to shine through and can be used to tell time from inside.  

The Not-Coloseeum

Oh yeah, there is some other Roman stuff left around that is not the Colosseum.  Just a few pics for you to see.

Reality Check

Relatively new graffiti on the ancient columns of the Colleseum reminded of the fight that awaits back home - I want to sue whoever engraved this.

Sistine Chapel

From my 2nd favorite movie of all-time, Sean to Will Hunting: "So if I asked you about art, you would probably give me the skinny on ever art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know alot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling." I stood and I looked up.  The ceiling is beautiful but as overwhelming as the hoards of people in the chapel.  My creator did not give me the sense of smell, so I asked  Max, and he told me it smelled like holy water. I've studied it, I have seen it, and I am grateful. How you like them apples?

Rafael's School of Athens

In undergrad you find creative ways to procrastinate.  One such way my Sophomore year was to play Room baseball.  We engaged in the sport in the relatively large upstairs room suite of my townhouse.  Basically, toss a tightly wound sock to the batter, who then swings a miniature louisville slugger attempting to hit said sock hard enough to not get caught by aforementioned pitcher. One scores by hitting the open space between ceiling and the make-shift outfield fence created by the panorama of posters - Pink Floyd's naked women CD cover, several Dali's, and Rafael's School of Athens.  The posters were destroyed, taped, corners cut, and retacked to continue the game.  We absolutely destroyed the replicas.  Over time, this work stuck out as the greatest of them all.  Philosopher's and academics across studies all in one place, all doing their work.  The fresco is vibrant and jaw-dropping.  My connections make it even more special.  For examples, the reddish squared floor was reproduced on Columbia's college walk, the amount of study on this painting in Art Hum, and of course Room Baseball.

Pieta

I should have just brought my Art Humanities syllabus and used it as a checklist.  This is more Michelangelo - protected by bullet proof glass.

Best Pic Nominee 5

I remember that as a kid I used to draw alot with crayons.  No sun was complete without yellow lines emanating from the circle at all degrees.  One rarely sees the rays so clearly defined. Looks like the Creator used his crayons well here.

St. Peter's Basilica

Now this is what i'm talking about.  Unlike the city itself, the basilica is absolutely worthy of St. Peter's descendant.  I felt like I shouldn't even be inside.  As if at any second some guard would be able to read my mind and whisk me away to confinement.  The place just feels holy.  Although its now a bit hazy, I'm pretty sure this church was in The DaVinci Code and that I also constructed it in my mind accurately - I had a case of Deja Vu.

This just isn't right.  These are the camera magnet Swiss guards protecting The Vatican.  Must they be forced to dress this way.  Is this intimidating in the least? If I ever have bodyguards I am going to dress them like the red emperor's guards from Star Wars. The court jester look won't do.

Vatican City Itself

C'mon! I thought The Vatican was going to be flowing with milk and honey.  I envisioned pure white walls, doves instead of pigeons, exotic flowers, priests walking in meditation, and maybe even an orange lamborghini like on Mission Impossible 3.  There was none of this - or open to the public at least without reservation.  Yeah it is still surrounded by walls distinguishing it from Rome, but that might be the only distinguishing characteristic.  Beautiful but not the heaven on earth for which I had hoped.

The Colosseum

Train station.  Hotel. No shower. A quick lamb kebab. Metro stairs down. Metro. Metro stairs up. And then there it was.  I stepped out in the bright sun light from the dirty underground subway station and there was the stadium from antiquity.  A life's goal accomplished in an immediate instant.  I was pretty much silent until inside.  I paid for the only guided tour I will take on this entire trip, for  I didn't want to miss out on one fact or detail.  My mind got away from me. I imagined myself as both spectator and participant below.  Max asked me why if Rome was so great then why did it no longer exist.  Greatness doesn't last I said.  Never has, never will.  It won't, but remnants will remain.  The greatness of what was Rome remains in the form of a half crumbled stadium - the most infamous in all of sport.  And I have now seen it, with my own eyes.

Bye Florence

We saw alot of art.  We walked alot of streets.  And on the last night we enjoyed Florence in both American-in-Italy and Italian style.  We started at a few bars saturated with Americans studying abroad.  24 years of age feels like 24 years of age now.  There are hundreds if not thousands of students away from home, in a foreign country, and loving it here.  There were nothing but Americans in club Twice, so we switched forums.  A short taxi ride away was Central Park.  A 5 level expanse of bass, high fashion, and aspiring rock stars.  I told the door guys we were from the U.S., NY specifically, and were basically something special to let in through the doors.  My nonsense got us free drink cards too.  

A Few of Florence