Hi everyone
To be honest its a pretty big miracel that anyone in our party of 4 (ana, Tienen and tim) made it to Venice given how unbelievably wasted we were to begin with the night before. We went to a place called fish pub on fri night where there were 5 shots for 5 euro and given it was Tim's birthday and we had had only cake and wine for dinner it didnt take long for the night to get completely crazy...but all well that ends well and we were actually able to stagger onto a train at 9:27am the next morning
But given everyones state it wasnt suprising that we found much comfort in just sitting on the ferries cruising along the grand canal. so much easier to do that then anything else. And although the weather was somber it atleast kept the hords of tourists at bay. Plus being the freak that i am i quite sometimes enoy the omenous weather (though i must admit that we have been gettting random wet and gloomy weather for italy in summer).
Anyway, we walked to San Marcoàs basilica. and i hate that i say this everytime i go to a new city but it was unbeliveably beautiful and might be a favorite! Venice was a point where the east and west met so the church has reminance of eastern vibe. And all the ceiling has gold mosaics which was stolen from Constantenopel! St markàs tomb was there and we climbed the basilicca for the view. But its a shame that we didnt go into the palace but there is always next time cos i am so going back to venice!
We made our way around the city and then headed back to our camp site. me and ana decided that perhaps our livers deserved a chill out session. so we sat around and chatted and somehow it got to 1:30 am when tienen came stumbling in quite drunk and tim...who knows when time got back. im impressed with people who get back on that horse so fast. i always feel like the world is against me and like scum of the earth needing only sleep and cuddles and greasy food
The next day we went to Murano island and saw some actually glass blowing. its amazing and i have never seen it from that close. i was v impressed. apparently the island was created for glass making because the glass factories kept catching fire and they didnt want venice to be catching on fire! And then we went shopping...good times!
After that we had lunch by the canal and then trained our way home. If i went again to venice i would love to see the lace making, go inside the palace and go for a gondola ride which i am saving to do with a special someone....
We left at a ridiculously early hour of 6am for our train and went straight to the Collesum ( I am quite proud of my light weight packing - its definately the lightest compared to the other girls and Mel was horrified wen i told her that i woudl take only one set of pants for the 3 days - she is firm believer that you need a matching outfit for each day :S) Its pretty amazing to be walkind down a regular highway and then bang out of nowhere °Collusum° ...and its pretty bizarre to think that its been there for over 2000 years! we went inside and had a look arounnd and got a tour. Learnt so much that i didnt know. its so strange to think that the place i was standing was a stadium where thousands of people died for the entertainment of others. Strange morality these romans had but in ways they were so developed and maybe they were just more raw and earthy then we are ...or we pretend we are...
Then we went to the Roman forums and this was my favorite place in rome. Its so amazign because we saw the remains of the oldest temple in Rome (dedicated to the dark gods of war in honour of the military) and the temple of the Vestal Virgins ( this is where 6 girls of nobel family kept the flame of Vestal alive. And they were choosen b-w the age of 6 and 10 and although they had high status and prestig if they were found to be not virgins they were burried alive and wipped if the flame died. after 30 years of service they were let out but most did not marry - such a great little piece of history. makes you ponder ponder away). I would love to go back there because i feel like i missed things...i prob didnt but it just a feeling you get from rome. Then we went to the paletine and it was sweltering hot, sweaty and the map made no sense so it wasnt the best exp (i gues people dont talk about this part of their holiday - wen its hot and humid and stressful and boring - they just like to tell you abotu the best parts and definately not the logistics!)
Then we met up with the other girls (mel and gen came in late cos they have arleady been to rome) and we saw Trevi fountain and spanish steps and bloody oath it was crowded!! couldnt belive ti was like that in May cant imagine wat it will be like in july! From there we went to the Pantheon - its been there for so long and Gen used to do architecture so she was explaining how there is not mortar in teh foundation - it just stays up due to the mathematical genius!! Thats pretty amazing. it used to be a pagan temple and then suddenly in 600 Ad they diecided it was going to be christian. Majority rules i guess. The beauty of rome is you can be walking and you turn a corner and bang there is an amazing monument!!
The next day we decided not to brave the crowds for the Vatican musuem cos it was the last sunday of the month so the vatican musuem was free ...so lines were 3 hours long. we went straught to here the popes service (thats right i have tiny photo of the popes head out of the balcony) and then we went underground to see the late popes tomb. people had left notes near it. It was really sweet and sad. After that we climbed to the capola 530 steps baby! (now we know where all that gilati is going) it was a pretty crazy climb cos the stairs are narrow and the walls curve in. We saw people passing out half way. pretty scary stuff! But when you make it up their its worth it. you can see the whole vatican city and its crazy to think its actually a city of its own! But again the huge number of tourists really detracts from it a little. We then went insde St peters and the ceiling mosaics are unreal. you would never pick that they were mosaincs they look like paintings! But perhaps the most beautiful thing in there is Michael Angelos Paete - the sculpture of Mary and Jesus after his crusification. The expression on both of their faces is magical and profound. I cant belive he was only 23 when he did it
After this we went to the amazzing gellati place but i think i have spoken enough about it...suffice to say i still think about it with a little tingle!!
I didnt end up getting to Pompei cos of logistic difficulties the next day so i had a bit more time to explore and i came across the Villa Borguess and Piazza popello ...all very amaxing. and then out of nowhere there was a massive down poar and i was at the Fountain di Triton and fountain di quattre and i was so excited!! I guess being in melbourne you dont really see massive down poars so i had to soak it up literally! but then my cotton pants were drenched al through and the 2 euro umbrella i had bought broke so i decided it was a sign to head back to my lovely sexy apartment in Florence!
Thats all fokes
love
Oendrila
I have to back track a little because i have been naughty and not really updated you guys on whats been happeneing in my hemisphere
Not last weekened but the one before me and the gals (my hosemates) left class, got on a bus to Sienna (i make this sound easy breasy but it really involved some mad and confused runing around and some rather pathetic pronouciation of italian). But thats the beauty of the Prato program you can just leave class and head on over to the tuscan country side!
Sienna was beautiful. Everywhere you looked there was scenery like you wouldnt believe and you just wanted to keep taking photos! And shop! THe shops were so cute and to be really honest we were rather bad because between taking photos and stopping at pretty shops we kinda only went inside one tourist place - a church. but it was a pretty funky church cos it had the relics (actual human head and thumb) of St Catherina! I dont know what the politically correct thing to say might be but it was creepy and cool! Later at night we had Gillatie and sat at one of the most beautiful piazza the world has probably seen
The next day we headed of to San Giminianco. Its another little town with a town hall tower that we climbed. The stairs were pretty scary and we took some amazing shots. its really hard to capture on camera the beauty of places like that. We also went to the ruins and took some more photos and scampered back to Sienna for some shopping. very bad - but i would like to take this moment to say that i didnt do any actual shopping i was there for moral support!! This was followed by more gillatie and piazza (square) chilling!
THe next day we went to Assisi and it had the most beautiful church i have ever seen. The Church held the remains of St Augustine and it was elumniated with candles that gave it a haunting yet serence feel.I felt i could be there forever - assisi is like that - people do go there for spiritual reasons and i for one am not surprised. I watched a sunset over the hills and it was so lonely and beautiful all at the same time. After that we trecked up to the hill top castle at night and it was the highlight of my trip so far: as far as the eye could see there was little towns below twinkling and shinning with night lights. and then out of no where there was fireworks but we were actually seeing the fireworks from higher up so it was about looking down onto fireworks! I have never had that perceptiuon. it was amazing and so so cute! Then we found a person sized hole in the castle walls and before anyone could really think about what we should do i jumped in and then the other gals had to follow. it was so funny cos we being lil law nerds on the inside were in hysterics about °illegality and trespassing° and terrified that the police/guards were going to come and release the hounds on us. I guess its hard to describe moments like that but so far Assisi is the only place i would really defiantely love to come back to sometime in my life in Italy.
Tuscany is so beautiful. if you like things to be manageable and you like things to be quaint and your scenery to be brethtaking! you cannot cannot miss Tuscany
Oendrila
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