Ciao everyone, and good afternoon from Roma. I have emerged from under my mound of work these past few days to really get to feeling like I'm doing pretty well with the papers, tests, and research I've been needing to do. It was not an easy process, nor would I want to repeat it, but at least I'm ahead again, which is dandy.
I really got to thinking about it this weekend, and today's a fitting day to discuss it since it's such a round number: 5 weeks from today, December 23rd, I'll be returning to the States from my European adventure. Kirsten and I will surely be jet lagged, traveled-out, and our brains a little addled, but I know we're both pretty excited to see home again. It's been a long time coming, and I think it feels even longer for me than you back home, just because I've seen so many places, buildings, foods, cultures, and traditions that I just have a hard time categorizing it. I mean, I've been to Italy, The Vatican, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, and Egypt, and I've got Turkey, France, and Spain on the horizon. That's a lot of countries, considering I'd been to two of them prior to coming to Europe.
I've been to Florence, Milan, Anagni, Casamari, Celano, Bracciano, and Roma in Italy, seeing all the sights and taking in Italian culture after studying it in class for so long. I've been to countless churches, seen innumerable frescoes, paintings, arches, apses, and excavations, and that's all just here in Italy. I've been to one of the cleanest places in the world in Interlaken, Switzerland, and one of the dirtiest, most crowded in Cairo, Egypt. I've seen the pyramids of Giza, the Acropolis in Athens, and the Colosseum in Rome--all within the course of a week at one point.
Long story short: I'm seeing amazing things, meeting great people, and having a blast in the process, and I am coming home in just 5 weeks. That's it and that's all folks. I left home on the 19th of August, and that's 13 weeks ago. 91 days ago, and I've got 35 left.
You can look at that as only 35 to go, or you could look at it as I've got 35 more to make some more incredible memories, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.
Anyway, just got pensive during these past few days of insanity and thought I'd ramble away with my musings for a minute. It's pretty cool to think about, what I've seen, and that flight back home at the end of all of this will be a more appropriate time to really decompress everything, but until then, I've got some more things to do and places to go!
My papers this week are on comparing two medieval apses in Santa Prassede and SS Cosma and Damiano and how this connection is linked to Pope Paschal I and the Carolingian Renaissance, and the other on Papal Infallibility and the process of how it was derived, what it means, and how it affects Catholicism in general. They're both of interest to me in a few ways, but together they total over 20 pages, and I'm just a bit tired of working on them now. Plus, they're both due so close together, it's just a bit of a drag. This time next week I'll pretty much be out of the woods though, and that's definitely a good thing.
Yesterday I went on a site visit for class to three churches in Trastevere, or an area to the South of St. Peter's and where I rarely ever go. It's a really nice area, and the churches were all really cool; my camera battery is charging right now or I'd post the pictures. They'll probably make it up tonight onto Picasa or something, or maybe a blog soon. I'll let you know, though; they're definitely worth seeing.
I started planning my life post-program here in Europe today, and it's a bit stressful, figuring out what to do. It's just so expensive to take the train several times instead of at once. From Rome to Venice, it's 56 Euro, and Venice to Paris it's 102 Euro, so it's something like 200 bucks. However, Rome to Paris is 140 dollars, and Venice is another 60, even though it's the same route. Venice is one of the most expensive places in the world to get a bed, and I have to if I go, since I have to have a place to put all of my luggage down. I think I may just spend the night here in Rome from the 12th-14th, then the night of the 15th take the train from here to Paris, and it's a night train, so that saves me a night. From there, I'm in Paris the 16th all day til the day of the 19th, when I'll take a night train to Barcelona to meet Kirsten on the 20th. Good times! Then from there, it's Barcelona til the early, early morning of the 23rd and it's coming home day.
Whew!
I'm really looking forward to this weekend in Istanbul; I've only heard really cool stories about it, and I can't wait to go and see the Bazaars, the churches, maybe the baths, who knows? It should be very cool. I hope you're all having a nice week, and until next time,
Ciao.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Anagni and Casamari
Ciao everyone, and good weekend to you all. I've been back from my site visit for almost a day now and have wanted to blog about it for the entire time, but there were some extenuating circumstances (i.e. sleepiness and paper-writing) that needed to be attended to. I have so much I could say about yesterday, but if this turns out to not be the longest post ever, I hope you don't hold it against me; I've already typed 6 pages of papers and read off my computer for about 8 hours today, so know I'll do my best.
Yesterday I had to get up at 2:40 am to schedule for classes, only to go back to bed after doing so for another 3 hours. I got 4 classes picked and they were the ones I wanted, although the pickings were slim for some things, but I'm taking all PoliSci, and they're all on MWF. So I'll have no class on Tu/Th, and this was by design: I'm going to try and get a job or something on Tuesdays and Thursdays (hopefully not the weekend so I can breathe a bit and be able to enjoy some time with my friends / KK without any worries) and earn some money to contribute to my life. I'm adding a bit more every quarter, trying to build up a work tolerance for law school, so we'll see how that all works out. Jobs are not easy to come by right about now.
But yes, at 6:45 on Friday I had to get up to go to a site visit. Friday is my weekend, and I was a little bummed about having to get up that early, but it was alright. Bert and I rolled out to Piazza Repubblica and got on our bus with our class and
rolled out to Anagni, or a town to the south of Roma, but still in Lazio. It was about 75 minutes away, and most everyone slept on the bus, but I chatted with some people and our professor as the scenary rolled on by. It was really beautiful, I love seeing Italian countryside.
We arrived in Anagni and got out to see the Crypts there, a medieval site where the Popes used to meet foreign dignitaries and so this little town gets a big time budget for its church and crypts. We had some time to kill beforehand, so I wandered around and took a few pictures and got some local cookies. Yes! I love cookies, and these ones were pretty good. Alicia (one of the girls who lives near me) and I tried our luck at a slot machine style game in the Coffee shop and it was completely in Italian and therefore confusing, but somehow we won money, then proceeded to lose some, all in confusion. It was all in good fun, only about 2 euro lost after 2 gained, but I'm still confused how it was supposed to work.
But Anagni was beautiful, with nice views and old medieval architecture. The church compound was all brick and old; I really like seeing old stuff in good condition (go figure). I hung out with my class as we walked around and into the church itself, which was pretty immaculate, but not nearly as old as some of the other things I've seen recently as far as churches go. I liked the outside better, as it was the original.
The Crypt, however, was a completely different story: it was completely the way it used to be and partially underground, and the restoration effort was in full swing for some of it, but the humidity really took its toll on the second of the two crypt rooms. The first room was beautiful, and you can only be in there for 15 minutes before you're kicked out, and a guide stands there vigilantly making sure you don't take any pictures.
But I did anyway, since I'm a horrible person.
The Crypt has the remains of a Saint inside, named Magnus, or Saint Magni, and the frescoes were completely surrounding you, all over the ceilings, walls, arches, pillars, everything. It was one of the most impressive fresco collections I've ever seen, and man, it was cool to see. Please, click on these pictures and enlarge them, I implore you! They look excellent and they are so amazing to see, they're over 700 years old people. 700 year old paintings in this condition? They're really almost unheard of. The second of the fresco pictures, or the one on the right, shows just how frescoed
the place is, it's surreal.
We were in the crypt for the 15 minutes and then escorted out. I really went underground for these photos and I'm pretty satisfied with how they turned out, so please, do look at them up close, it's worth it. Or if nothing else, make my effort feel a little more worth it.
We exited the Crypt after our little excursion up into the main church, which had an old papal throne in it, decorated in a rich fashion. That was kind of cool to see too. We crossed the street and went into Boniface VII (Pope during the first Jubilee in 1300) castle there, which had a lot of old artifacts to see and admire, along with a bunch of old Papal robes and such. Cool to see.
We had a lunch break after that, and Anagni isn't very big, so there weren't many places to eat. We wandered down this really winding road and got to a Trattoria, and as we went in, we saw our professor in there eating by herself. She was so excited we'd come in she ordered all of us food at a good rate and we had some great pasta and chatted with her. She's a mid-50's Italian woman with pretty good English, she can be downright adorable when she starts talking about anything American and wanting to know something about it. Really funny.
We all left later on our bus towards the second place on our trip, but not before I got a video. It's not fantastic, but it shows what it looks like a bit better.
The second place on our excursion was a Monastery another 30 kms away, at a place called Casamari. The monastary is still in use, but you can tour it and check it out, which we certainly did. I really like getting to see things I know I wouldn't see if I was here later in life, and I know this was one of those things. I had no reason to go there, but I'm very glad we did.
The first thing about the Monastery you notice is how awesome the landscaping is. Nice views, lots of trees; I enjoy a good forest setting, and that's what it felt like. There was a cloister with a cistern there as well, which was decorated with tons of little red flowers and a few orange trees in pots around the perimeter; I wanted one of the oranges really bad. They looked to still be quite ripe.
From there, we went into the church, which was austere and beautiful. Very sparse, as we learned, since Bernard Clairvaux's apology called for. He believed monks shouldn't get distracted by the beautiful artwork in a church, and he believed that people were prone to do so. He also believed that highly decorated churches make people donate since they liked the setting, not the actual message.
There were some nice stained glass windows, though, and I FINALLY got a good picture of one. NOT an easy thing to do people, so please, go ahead and appreciate it.
The church was hard to photograph, but very large inside. I'll spare sparse, not-so-clear pictures and instead show some from the outside that were more interesting, at least in my opinion. The outside of the monastery also had a shop, which I went inside, and they brewed their own alcohols, made their own chocolate, collected their own honey, and made their own trappist monk beers (!!!). I had to buy one. I've always wanted to try trappist beer, and it's authentic. I looked online when I got back too on some beer rating websites and apparently this stuff is amongst the best in the world. Lucky me! Haven't had it yet, but I'll report back to you when I do (if you care).
A couple of the people got the chocolate and liquors their, as they were really pretty i
nexpensive for the most part (my one beer, for 12 ounces, was 4 Euro, but the bottles sell for about 11 bucks online, so I got a bargain if you think about it) and looked pretty good. The chocolate? Awesome. I had a piece.
On the way back to Rome, I didn't feel very good in my stomach, really at all. I started to feel pretty sick and almost got sick on the bus, it must have been so mething I ate. I really don't know what caused it, but it was passing after I got off the bus and got home, so that was a good thing. Then today I've just papered all day long, nothing too exciting there. I made some excellent carbonara that smelled so good I had the whole floor coming by, no joke. It tastes and smells great when it's made right, and I think I must be doing it well. Everyone who had a taste asked me for the recipe, and really I'm just living the dream, as they say. Tomorrow is more papers, but until next time, I'll leave you with a picture I took from the bus that I particularly like. I hope you enjoy it too.
Ciao.
Yesterday I had to get up at 2:40 am to schedule for classes, only to go back to bed after doing so for another 3 hours. I got 4 classes picked and they were the ones I wanted, although the pickings were slim for some things, but I'm taking all PoliSci, and they're all on MWF. So I'll have no class on Tu/Th, and this was by design: I'm going to try and get a job or something on Tuesdays and Thursdays (hopefully not the weekend so I can breathe a bit and be able to enjoy some time with my friends / KK without any worries) and earn some money to contribute to my life. I'm adding a bit more every quarter, trying to build up a work tolerance for law school, so we'll see how that all works out. Jobs are not easy to come by right about now.
But yes, at 6:45 on Friday I had to get up to go to a site visit. Friday is my weekend, and I was a little bummed about having to get up that early, but it was alright. Bert and I rolled out to Piazza Repubblica and got on our bus with our class and
rolled out to Anagni, or a town to the south of Roma, but still in Lazio. It was about 75 minutes away, and most everyone slept on the bus, but I chatted with some people and our professor as the scenary rolled on by. It was really beautiful, I love seeing Italian countryside.We arrived in Anagni and got out to see the Crypts there, a medieval site where the Popes used to meet foreign dignitaries and so this little town gets a big time budget for its church and crypts. We had some time to kill beforehand, so I wandered around and took a few pictures and got some local cookies. Yes! I love cookies, and these ones were pretty good. Alicia (one of the girls who lives near me) and I tried our luck at a slot machine style game in the Coffee shop and it was completely in Italian and therefore confusing, but somehow we won money, then proceeded to lose some, all in confusion. It was all in good fun, only about 2 euro lost after 2 gained, but I'm still confused how it was supposed to work.
But Anagni was beautiful, with nice views and old medieval architecture. The church compound was all brick and old; I really like seeing old stuff in good condition (go figure). I hung out with my class as we walked around and into the church itself, which was pretty immaculate, but not nearly as old as some of the other things I've seen recently as far as churches go. I liked the outside better, as it was the original.
The Crypt, however, was a completely different story: it was completely the way it used to be and partially underground, and the restoration effort was in full swing for some of it, but the humidity really took its toll on the second of the two crypt rooms. The first room was beautiful, and you can only be in there for 15 minutes before you're kicked out, and a guide stands there vigilantly making sure you don't take any pictures.
But I did anyway, since I'm a horrible person.
The Crypt has the remains of a Saint inside, named Magnus, or Saint Magni, and the frescoes were completely surrounding you, all over the ceilings, walls, arches, pillars, everything. It was one of the most impressive fresco collections I've ever seen, and man, it was cool to see. Please, click on these pictures and enlarge them, I implore you! They look excellent and they are so amazing to see, they're over 700 years old people. 700 year old paintings in this condition? They're really almost unheard of. The second of the fresco pictures, or the one on the right, shows just how frescoed
the place is, it's surreal.We were in the crypt for the 15 minutes and then escorted out. I really went underground for these photos and I'm pretty satisfied with how they turned out, so please, do look at them up close, it's worth it. Or if nothing else, make my effort feel a little more worth it.
We exited the Crypt after our little excursion up into the main church, which had an old papal throne in it, decorated in a rich fashion. That was kind of cool to see too. We crossed the street and went into Boniface VII (Pope during the first Jubilee in 1300) castle there, which had a lot of old artifacts to see and admire, along with a bunch of old Papal robes and such. Cool to see.
We had a lunch break after that, and Anagni isn't very big, so there weren't many places to eat. We wandered down this really winding road and got to a Trattoria, and as we went in, we saw our professor in there eating by herself. She was so excited we'd come in she ordered all of us food at a good rate and we had some great pasta and chatted with her. She's a mid-50's Italian woman with pretty good English, she can be downright adorable when she starts talking about anything American and wanting to know something about it. Really funny.
We all left later on our bus towards the second place on our trip, but not before I got a video. It's not fantastic, but it shows what it looks like a bit better.
The second place on our excursion was a Monastery another 30 kms away, at a place called Casamari. The monastary is still in use, but you can tour it and check it out, which we certainly did. I really like getting to see things I know I wouldn't see if I was here later in life, and I know this was one of those things. I had no reason to go there, but I'm very glad we did.
The first thing about the Monastery you notice is how awesome the landscaping is. Nice views, lots of trees; I enjoy a good forest setting, and that's what it felt like. There was a cloister with a cistern there as well, which was decorated with tons of little red flowers and a few orange trees in pots around the perimeter; I wanted one of the oranges really bad. They looked to still be quite ripe.
From there, we went into the church, which was austere and beautiful. Very sparse, as we learned, since Bernard Clairvaux's apology called for. He believed monks shouldn't get distracted by the beautiful artwork in a church, and he believed that people were prone to do so. He also believed that highly decorated churches make people donate since they liked the setting, not the actual message.
There were some nice stained glass windows, though, and I FINALLY got a good picture of one. NOT an easy thing to do people, so please, go ahead and appreciate it.
The church was hard to photograph, but very large inside. I'll spare sparse, not-so-clear pictures and instead show some from the outside that were more interesting, at least in my opinion. The outside of the monastery also had a shop, which I went inside, and they brewed their own alcohols, made their own chocolate, collected their own honey, and made their own trappist monk beers (!!!). I had to buy one. I've always wanted to try trappist beer, and it's authentic. I looked online when I got back too on some beer rating websites and apparently this stuff is amongst the best in the world. Lucky me! Haven't had it yet, but I'll report back to you when I do (if you care).
A couple of the people got the chocolate and liquors their, as they were really pretty i
nexpensive for the most part (my one beer, for 12 ounces, was 4 Euro, but the bottles sell for about 11 bucks online, so I got a bargain if you think about it) and looked pretty good. The chocolate? Awesome. I had a piece.On the way back to Rome, I didn't feel very good in my stomach, really at all. I started to feel pretty sick and almost got sick on the bus, it must have been so mething I ate. I really don't know what caused it, but it was passing after I got off the bus and got home, so that was a good thing. Then today I've just papered all day long, nothing too exciting there. I made some excellent carbonara that smelled so good I had the whole floor coming by, no joke. It tastes and smells great when it's made right, and I think I must be doing it well. Everyone who had a taste asked me for the recipe, and really I'm just living the dream, as they say. Tomorrow is more papers, but until next time, I'll leave you with a picture I took from the bus that I particularly like. I hope you enjoy it too.
Ciao.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Site Visits and rain, rain, rain
Ciao everyone, and welcome to a Thursday edition of the Blog. I am feeling really tired today, but I attribute it to the monsoon we've been sitting in for the past 24 hours or so. Just when it looks like the weather has broken (this is twice now) and it's going to be clear, it rains 5 minutes later, and I should know: it's now happened to me twice in a row on my walks to / from class.
Anyway, yesterday was a pretty interesting day in general; I had a site visit to San Clemente, which is this old church, built on the foundations of an old church, which took over an old Pagan church. Whew, talk about history. The Pagan church dates back to the 1st century, so about 2000 years, and the church that took it over was in use for mainly the 5th-11th centuries, with repairs and remodels in between. How do we know this? The foundation has been excavated, and with some arrangement, you can head under there and see the old church as it was back in its use over 1,000 years ago, with frescoes at least that old, alters, monuments, and everything in between.
One preface to this, however: pictures are dim since cameras were not allowed, but I still managed. No harm with no flash, I mean, it harms no more than eyesight does, right? But they're not the greatest, so for that, I apologize.
Anyway, we met up and went through the modern church (more on that later) to reach the stairs underground to the musty, humid excavations. It was awesome to go down to the Pagan area, which had been flooded after a while, but later drained by building an underground canal to the Colosseum (yes, that one). We went down to the natural spring in there and saw all the old walls, and it's pretty amazing to think about 2,000 year old worship sites (even if I've seen twice as old, thanks Egypt).
From there, we went back up a different flight of stairs to arrive into the main chamber of excavations, which were of the original St. Clemente church. The church's patron saint, St. Clement, was one of the first Popes, and his coronation as Pope is displayed in the excavations prominently. He was believed to be the first Pope after Peter for a long time, but they eventually accepted there were a few in between. He was very popular in Roma, however, and his martyrdom is part of his mystique, as he was thrown into the ocean with an anchor around his neck
by Emperor Trajan in Rome at the end of the 1st century. He had anchor symbols dedicated to him everywhere in the church too, which upon further review had a lot of symbolic impact.
There was also a fresco of a Roman man who came from a rich family, gave it all up, moved away, and came back home and asked his father--concealing his identity--if he could be spared a place to stay as a beggar. The father said yes, and his son lived in poverty under a staircase in his father's house, and after his death, his family saw a letter revealing his identity and they were heartbroken, but the fresco detailed all of this. Pretty cool for about 1,000 year old painting without any preservation for 800 years.
After hearing about several frescoes, we popped back up into the current St. Clement church, which was really interesting to see. Huge mosaic apse, much like others I've posted about, and a very ornate ceiling that actually is so big it covers a bit of the top part of the apse if viewed from the congregation's seating. Quite the cool church, and it's weird to really see the similarities and
know what a lot of the styles symbolized having studied this for a few months now. I feel like I actually know something about art history now, what a concept!
From there I just had to rush back to class, but I passed by the Colosseum, the Forum, The Arch of Constantine, and Piazza Venezia, which just made me laugh. I mean, I'm in a rush and hurrying by some of the most famous monuments in all the world, literally just feet from me, actually walking through part of them to get back. Just cool to think about.
I made it back to class in time and during my 3 hour gap, I came home and made lunch, but I regret it slightly, as it started to rain slightly and I needed to walk half an hour or so to make it to class. It looked like it was going to be pretty light, so I just got a hooded sweatshirt and walked to class. Mistake #1, that was. I got soaked on the walk as it got worse and worse, and the crappy umbrellas that the street vendors sold (and they come out of the woodwork on rainy days, like instantly) were so terrible I wasn't about to pay for them, but I got soaked. Just drenched, through my clothes, and I had 2 hours of class to sit through after that.
Luckily, however, it subsided on my walk home and I only got mildly wet. But today on our walk to class and my walk back home, it rained both times, though I was more prepared today for its insanity, equipped with jacket and two people who had umbrellas, so we were set. It reminded me a lot of home, with the rain and all, and I still have my Northwest blood, so I was never cold and I never complained, as rain's a part of life. I was slightly irritated though, as I don't want to be wet in class.
I took a few pictures though of my walk, just because it's always beautiful, but with the dark skies I thought it looked especially looming and beautiful. So I'll post a few on here like the one to the left, and the one you'll see below.
That's really about it though. Terrible lightning and thunder aside, it's been pretty uninteresting today. I have a site visit tomorrow, which takes up all day, but beyond that, just work this weekend. Have a great one everybody, and until next time,
Ciao.
Anyway, yesterday was a pretty interesting day in general; I had a site visit to San Clemente, which is this old church, built on the foundations of an old church, which took over an old Pagan church. Whew, talk about history. The Pagan church dates back to the 1st century, so about 2000 years, and the church that took it over was in use for mainly the 5th-11th centuries, with repairs and remodels in between. How do we know this? The foundation has been excavated, and with some arrangement, you can head under there and see the old church as it was back in its use over 1,000 years ago, with frescoes at least that old, alters, monuments, and everything in between.
One preface to this, however: pictures are dim since cameras were not allowed, but I still managed. No harm with no flash, I mean, it harms no more than eyesight does, right? But they're not the greatest, so for that, I apologize.
Anyway, we met up and went through the modern church (more on that later) to reach the stairs underground to the musty, humid excavations. It was awesome to go down to the Pagan area, which had been flooded after a while, but later drained by building an underground canal to the Colosseum (yes, that one). We went down to the natural spring in there and saw all the old walls, and it's pretty amazing to think about 2,000 year old worship sites (even if I've seen twice as old, thanks Egypt).
From there, we went back up a different flight of stairs to arrive into the main chamber of excavations, which were of the original St. Clemente church. The church's patron saint, St. Clement, was one of the first Popes, and his coronation as Pope is displayed in the excavations prominently. He was believed to be the first Pope after Peter for a long time, but they eventually accepted there were a few in between. He was very popular in Roma, however, and his martyrdom is part of his mystique, as he was thrown into the ocean with an anchor around his neck
by Emperor Trajan in Rome at the end of the 1st century. He had anchor symbols dedicated to him everywhere in the church too, which upon further review had a lot of symbolic impact.There was also a fresco of a Roman man who came from a rich family, gave it all up, moved away, and came back home and asked his father--concealing his identity--if he could be spared a place to stay as a beggar. The father said yes, and his son lived in poverty under a staircase in his father's house, and after his death, his family saw a letter revealing his identity and they were heartbroken, but the fresco detailed all of this. Pretty cool for about 1,000 year old painting without any preservation for 800 years.
After hearing about several frescoes, we popped back up into the current St. Clement church, which was really interesting to see. Huge mosaic apse, much like others I've posted about, and a very ornate ceiling that actually is so big it covers a bit of the top part of the apse if viewed from the congregation's seating. Quite the cool church, and it's weird to really see the similarities and
know what a lot of the styles symbolized having studied this for a few months now. I feel like I actually know something about art history now, what a concept!From there I just had to rush back to class, but I passed by the Colosseum, the Forum, The Arch of Constantine, and Piazza Venezia, which just made me laugh. I mean, I'm in a rush and hurrying by some of the most famous monuments in all the world, literally just feet from me, actually walking through part of them to get back. Just cool to think about.
I made it back to class in time and during my 3 hour gap, I came home and made lunch, but I regret it slightly, as it started to rain slightly and I needed to walk half an hour or so to make it to class. It looked like it was going to be pretty light, so I just got a hooded sweatshirt and walked to class. Mistake #1, that was. I got soaked on the walk as it got worse and worse, and the crappy umbrellas that the street vendors sold (and they come out of the woodwork on rainy days, like instantly) were so terrible I wasn't about to pay for them, but I got soaked. Just drenched, through my clothes, and I had 2 hours of class to sit through after that.
Luckily, however, it subsided on my walk home and I only got mildly wet. But today on our walk to class and my walk back home, it rained both times, though I was more prepared today for its insanity, equipped with jacket and two people who had umbrellas, so we were set. It reminded me a lot of home, with the rain and all, and I still have my Northwest blood, so I was never cold and I never complained, as rain's a part of life. I was slightly irritated though, as I don't want to be wet in class.I took a few pictures though of my walk, just because it's always beautiful, but with the dark skies I thought it looked especially looming and beautiful. So I'll post a few on here like the one to the left, and the one you'll see below.
That's really about it though. Terrible lightning and thunder aside, it's been pretty uninteresting today. I have a site visit tomorrow, which takes up all day, but beyond that, just work this weekend. Have a great one everybody, and until next time,
Ciao.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Daily life continues
Ciao everyone, happy Tuesday to you all.
I just want to say something before I talk much more about my times here in Rome and all the amazing things I'm seeing and enjoying, and yes, it's going to be political, although it's something to me that should never, ever be politicized in the first place.
I have been so ecstatic about the election of President-elect Obama for the past week now, and it's been something that's brought such happiness to me and smiles to my face since the election. There was, however, something so disappointing from my perspective from my schooling state, California. Prop 8's passing, or rescinding the right of marriage from gay and lesbian couples, has been something that has really irked me, and I've tried to ignore it, I've tried to just stay happy in the realm of Obama, but I just can't. It's a grave, sad, and despicable injustice to take the rights away from anyone on a number of issues, but this to me is something that we'll be ashamed of a few years down the road as a country. I'm ashamed right now.
I won't spend too long on this, but instead of reading my blog today, if you only have 5 minutes of time, then spend it watching this video from Keith Olbermann. It's about 6 minutes long, and I could not agree more with the sentiment.
We're all people, and we deserve a chance at love all, do we not?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27650743/
So please, please, just watch it and let me know what you think. I'm not going to think any less of anyone who disagrees with me or doesn't approve of gay marriage, trust me, it's something everyone has their own opinion on and I will never try to take that away from you, but seriously: shouldn't everyone have an equal chance at love?
I'm sorry if you don't want to read about that. I know it's a heated issue, I know it's a hard subject, but life is full of hard subjects, and denying their existence doesn't mean it's not happening. It is. And you don't have to campaign for it (I'm not right now), but you can ask yourself: what do I really think and how do I really feel, and why do I feel this way? Is this fair? Is this right? What if this were me, or if not me, my child? My parent? My best friend?
I'll move on now, and I thank you greatly for bearing with me. I love you all, and I never want to make you feel uncomfortable, and I don't want to grandstand with my platform and turn it into a soapbox, but this is my site, so I'll say what I want.
On to issues of much greater happiness!
Yesterday, I had my site visit to Sancta Sopra Minerva and the libraries next door. Galileo Galilei, or the first real, vocal advocate of the Heliocentric model of the universe, was tried and convicted by the Catholic Church there for heresy, teaching that the world was not the center of the universe and that it rotated around the sun. This was considered to be contrary to sacred scripture, and he was condemned to life imprisonment for his beliefs and teachings. It's hard to imagine a world where your studies and beliefs could get you thrown in jail, but it still happens in some corners of the world. Galileo was a genius, unquestionably, and his conviction marks quite the low point in Catholic history.
Anyway, the library was huge, and we didn't even go to the wing where I went before and posted about before my break. It had hundreds of thousands of volumes, many of which were over 400 years old. Whoa old!
We had a nice guide named Gloria who showed us around, and our professor, Father Larrey, helped us along as well, throwing in some facts and such along the way. We also went into the last home of Saint Catherine of Siena, which is near the cloister in the Sopra Minerva. It was cool to think about the history of some of those rooms, and we were in the actual cell Galileo was kept in during his trial, which is pretty cool to think about. Such history, such is life here in Roma, I suppose.
On my walk back yesterday, I was chatting with some people, and we were joking about how we have 4 weeks and 3 days left in the program. That's 31 days, people. Man. Today is the 6 week mark left for me, and I've been here for 12, which is crazy to imagine. My time is over 2/3rds of the way up for Europe, and over 75% done in Roma. Ahh!
This made me simultaneously very sad and kind of homesick. It's hard to imagine being home so soon to an extent, and I'm a little homesick as of late, which I think is just due to the fact that I've traveled so much and am so sick of dealing with money that I just want to be done with it for a minute and relax. I know the adult world doesn't have those breaks, yeah yeah, but I'm just excited to relax at home with everyone a bit.
I am, however, really weirded out by leaving Roma for good. Not to just fly somewhere and be done and come back, but really leave. As in not come back for a long time. As excited as I am to think about coming home, I am leaving my current home.
And that's tough.
I was trying to imagine what I'll do on my last days here in Roma, and I think it involves a final run through the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine hill; the tour of Trevi / Pantheon / Piazza di Spagna; and finally St. Peter's one last time. I think that will be Wednesday the 10th and Thursday the 11th, and the 12th may be the hardest yet, saying goodbye to all these people I've met and have enjoyed so many great experiences with.
Can't focus on that too much though, I've got too much life to live between now and then.
I hope you all have an excellent Tuesday and enjoy your midweek blues, it's fall cold outside finally and I can't help but think of home a bit with the low-hanging sun, breath hanging in the air, and coats and pants every day. But it's here, and I'm sure it's where you are too.
Until next time,
Ciao.
I just want to say something before I talk much more about my times here in Rome and all the amazing things I'm seeing and enjoying, and yes, it's going to be political, although it's something to me that should never, ever be politicized in the first place.
I have been so ecstatic about the election of President-elect Obama for the past week now, and it's been something that's brought such happiness to me and smiles to my face since the election. There was, however, something so disappointing from my perspective from my schooling state, California. Prop 8's passing, or rescinding the right of marriage from gay and lesbian couples, has been something that has really irked me, and I've tried to ignore it, I've tried to just stay happy in the realm of Obama, but I just can't. It's a grave, sad, and despicable injustice to take the rights away from anyone on a number of issues, but this to me is something that we'll be ashamed of a few years down the road as a country. I'm ashamed right now.
I won't spend too long on this, but instead of reading my blog today, if you only have 5 minutes of time, then spend it watching this video from Keith Olbermann. It's about 6 minutes long, and I could not agree more with the sentiment.
We're all people, and we deserve a chance at love all, do we not?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27650743/
So please, please, just watch it and let me know what you think. I'm not going to think any less of anyone who disagrees with me or doesn't approve of gay marriage, trust me, it's something everyone has their own opinion on and I will never try to take that away from you, but seriously: shouldn't everyone have an equal chance at love?
I'm sorry if you don't want to read about that. I know it's a heated issue, I know it's a hard subject, but life is full of hard subjects, and denying their existence doesn't mean it's not happening. It is. And you don't have to campaign for it (I'm not right now), but you can ask yourself: what do I really think and how do I really feel, and why do I feel this way? Is this fair? Is this right? What if this were me, or if not me, my child? My parent? My best friend?
I'll move on now, and I thank you greatly for bearing with me. I love you all, and I never want to make you feel uncomfortable, and I don't want to grandstand with my platform and turn it into a soapbox, but this is my site, so I'll say what I want.
On to issues of much greater happiness!
Yesterday, I had my site visit to Sancta Sopra Minerva and the libraries next door. Galileo Galilei, or the first real, vocal advocate of the Heliocentric model of the universe, was tried and convicted by the Catholic Church there for heresy, teaching that the world was not the center of the universe and that it rotated around the sun. This was considered to be contrary to sacred scripture, and he was condemned to life imprisonment for his beliefs and teachings. It's hard to imagine a world where your studies and beliefs could get you thrown in jail, but it still happens in some corners of the world. Galileo was a genius, unquestionably, and his conviction marks quite the low point in Catholic history.
Anyway, the library was huge, and we didn't even go to the wing where I went before and posted about before my break. It had hundreds of thousands of volumes, many of which were over 400 years old. Whoa old!
We had a nice guide named Gloria who showed us around, and our professor, Father Larrey, helped us along as well, throwing in some facts and such along the way. We also went into the last home of Saint Catherine of Siena, which is near the cloister in the Sopra Minerva. It was cool to think about the history of some of those rooms, and we were in the actual cell Galileo was kept in during his trial, which is pretty cool to think about. Such history, such is life here in Roma, I suppose.
On my walk back yesterday, I was chatting with some people, and we were joking about how we have 4 weeks and 3 days left in the program. That's 31 days, people. Man. Today is the 6 week mark left for me, and I've been here for 12, which is crazy to imagine. My time is over 2/3rds of the way up for Europe, and over 75% done in Roma. Ahh!
This made me simultaneously very sad and kind of homesick. It's hard to imagine being home so soon to an extent, and I'm a little homesick as of late, which I think is just due to the fact that I've traveled so much and am so sick of dealing with money that I just want to be done with it for a minute and relax. I know the adult world doesn't have those breaks, yeah yeah, but I'm just excited to relax at home with everyone a bit.
I am, however, really weirded out by leaving Roma for good. Not to just fly somewhere and be done and come back, but really leave. As in not come back for a long time. As excited as I am to think about coming home, I am leaving my current home.
And that's tough.
I was trying to imagine what I'll do on my last days here in Roma, and I think it involves a final run through the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine hill; the tour of Trevi / Pantheon / Piazza di Spagna; and finally St. Peter's one last time. I think that will be Wednesday the 10th and Thursday the 11th, and the 12th may be the hardest yet, saying goodbye to all these people I've met and have enjoyed so many great experiences with.
Can't focus on that too much though, I've got too much life to live between now and then.
I hope you all have an excellent Tuesday and enjoy your midweek blues, it's fall cold outside finally and I can't help but think of home a bit with the low-hanging sun, breath hanging in the air, and coats and pants every day. But it's here, and I'm sure it's where you are too.
Until next time,
Ciao.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Under St. Peter's
Ciao everyone, happy Monday to you all.
Today's excitement comes not from a popular tourist destination--although if it was to be opened to the public, I'm sure it would be--but instead, from a place where only 75 people (guide included) are allowed to enter every day: the ancient necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.
Cool, right?
Yes, in fact. Very cool.
No pictures were allowed, but Bert and I rumbled over to the Vatican this morning and waited at the Obelisk for our professor and our class. After everyone arrived, we got all our bags checked and went through a bunch of metal detectors, eventually leading to a coat-check room for all of our bags. We stowed them, split into two groups of about 12 and were whisked over the main steps of the Basilica to the left side entrance, one guarded by 3 Swiss guards in full regalia. We were deposed, if you will, and after several documents proving we could go, the guards took us through the gate and back to the more private area of the Vatican--very cool.
Our guide was a heavily-accented German woman (which was excellent, since having just returned from Germany, I still had the ear for it and it wasn't a problem), who was a little overbearing and a little know-it-all-ish, but she meant well I think. German is a tough language to translate directly from to English and sound friendly, I guess.
Anyway, we were escorted through several coded and guarded glass doors, each with a timer on them to keep you in / out / whatever suits the purpose. We all squeezed into the separate hallways and got through the doors to a steep decline, but not before one more Mission: Impossible style entryways. Stooping over, we entered into the high-ceiling area, almost like a street, lined with several mausoleums and tombs of ancient Roman pagans and rich families, all still richly decorated and mosaic designed. All of this, however, had been filled in to make the original St. Peter's in 320, and this really irritated the rich Roman families, as you could well imagine. The dirt crushed some of the floors in a bit, but richly preserved the walls and decorations of the tombs, which for the most part were from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Whoa.
We were able to look into several, all the while being told about those who lived there, etc, and we turned up another ramp uphill (St. Peter's is built into the side of an old hill of Rome, and to make the Basilica, they had to fill in the hillside, which is why the tombs were filled with dirt, to make it level. When you go uphill, you're going towards Peter's grave) and the tombs began to have hidden Christian meanings and markers, in Greek or with stories that were ambiguously detailed on the walls, but to the modern eye can be discerned quite easily as Christian. They wanted to be close to Peter's burial site, and it was cool to see the transition and the early paintings, all of which were near 2000 years old.
We headed up a little more, and we got to this oddly walled room, after passing through some more of the hermetically sealed doors, of course, and there marked one of the two walls--the left one--of the supposed tomb of St. Peter. The bones discovered there, however, were of 2nd and 3rd century remains, and Peter died in 64 A.D; plus, all of the remains were of various under-40 men and women, and Peter was in his 60s on death.
But from there we went upstairs through a chapel of the new St. Peters, underneath the current Basilica, but still there nonetheless. We went over a passageway and onto the right side of Peter's tomb, and there was some Latin graffiti, which took years to decipher, but eventually was found to mark St. Peter's tomb in obscure fashion. They looked in a niche and found remains of a 60-70 year old male with no feet. The Vatican declared unequivocally that this was Peter, as 60-70 year old people were very rare in that time, the bones dated back to the 1st century, and Peter was crucified upside down, as he didn't consider himself worthy to be martyred like Christ was. The easiest way to get someone off a cross? Chop their feet off, explaining the lack of feet.
St. Peter's Basilica's legitimacy is unique as the head of the Catholic Church, as Peter was the rock on which Jesus said to build his church: Peter was the first Pope, or the head of the church, and the most important church is actually built on St. Peter's remains, so it's a double-meaning. Cool in a way. Anyway, they had to put the bones back to be legitimate, but they're encased in plexiglass to keep them sealed. I reached out my hand and was within 10 feet of St. Peter's bones, which is crazy to think about. Hugely historically significant, in the Bible, man, it was a moving experience.
From there, we went out up into the other chapel and around a circular path, eventually getting to John Paul II's tomb, and that was also really cool. People were kneeling, praying, and crying looking at his grave, and it was pretty amazing to think about how much he impacted the world in his time as pope. I mean, people LOVED that man everywhere, but especially in Rome. He's like a rock star.
We exited that area, and the exit comes out RIGHT next to the alter at St. Peter's. Crazy design, touche Catholic Church. I was still kind of in awe about the whole thing, I mean, things like that just can't be seen every day, and it's one of the more memorable moments I've had since I arrived in Rome. I mean, today I was as close to the remains of St. Peter as almost anyone alive, and within mere feet, no less. Pretty cool. I mean, I'm not Catholic, but I can still appreciate the significance.
The rest of today has gone off without a hitch. I'm off in a few minutes to go see where Galileo was tried by the Church at a much later date than earlier, but still really historically important. I mean, anyone who read the Bible, you know Peter? I saw his bones today. Ok, more modern reference for some of you: Angels and Demons? I was there, underground, today, at the main source of action for the final scene. Whoa.
But that's about it. Hope your Monday is as cool as mine, and until next time,
Ciao.
Today's excitement comes not from a popular tourist destination--although if it was to be opened to the public, I'm sure it would be--but instead, from a place where only 75 people (guide included) are allowed to enter every day: the ancient necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.
Cool, right?
Yes, in fact. Very cool.
No pictures were allowed, but Bert and I rumbled over to the Vatican this morning and waited at the Obelisk for our professor and our class. After everyone arrived, we got all our bags checked and went through a bunch of metal detectors, eventually leading to a coat-check room for all of our bags. We stowed them, split into two groups of about 12 and were whisked over the main steps of the Basilica to the left side entrance, one guarded by 3 Swiss guards in full regalia. We were deposed, if you will, and after several documents proving we could go, the guards took us through the gate and back to the more private area of the Vatican--very cool.
Our guide was a heavily-accented German woman (which was excellent, since having just returned from Germany, I still had the ear for it and it wasn't a problem), who was a little overbearing and a little know-it-all-ish, but she meant well I think. German is a tough language to translate directly from to English and sound friendly, I guess.
Anyway, we were escorted through several coded and guarded glass doors, each with a timer on them to keep you in / out / whatever suits the purpose. We all squeezed into the separate hallways and got through the doors to a steep decline, but not before one more Mission: Impossible style entryways. Stooping over, we entered into the high-ceiling area, almost like a street, lined with several mausoleums and tombs of ancient Roman pagans and rich families, all still richly decorated and mosaic designed. All of this, however, had been filled in to make the original St. Peter's in 320, and this really irritated the rich Roman families, as you could well imagine. The dirt crushed some of the floors in a bit, but richly preserved the walls and decorations of the tombs, which for the most part were from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Whoa.
We were able to look into several, all the while being told about those who lived there, etc, and we turned up another ramp uphill (St. Peter's is built into the side of an old hill of Rome, and to make the Basilica, they had to fill in the hillside, which is why the tombs were filled with dirt, to make it level. When you go uphill, you're going towards Peter's grave) and the tombs began to have hidden Christian meanings and markers, in Greek or with stories that were ambiguously detailed on the walls, but to the modern eye can be discerned quite easily as Christian. They wanted to be close to Peter's burial site, and it was cool to see the transition and the early paintings, all of which were near 2000 years old.
We headed up a little more, and we got to this oddly walled room, after passing through some more of the hermetically sealed doors, of course, and there marked one of the two walls--the left one--of the supposed tomb of St. Peter. The bones discovered there, however, were of 2nd and 3rd century remains, and Peter died in 64 A.D; plus, all of the remains were of various under-40 men and women, and Peter was in his 60s on death.
But from there we went upstairs through a chapel of the new St. Peters, underneath the current Basilica, but still there nonetheless. We went over a passageway and onto the right side of Peter's tomb, and there was some Latin graffiti, which took years to decipher, but eventually was found to mark St. Peter's tomb in obscure fashion. They looked in a niche and found remains of a 60-70 year old male with no feet. The Vatican declared unequivocally that this was Peter, as 60-70 year old people were very rare in that time, the bones dated back to the 1st century, and Peter was crucified upside down, as he didn't consider himself worthy to be martyred like Christ was. The easiest way to get someone off a cross? Chop their feet off, explaining the lack of feet.
St. Peter's Basilica's legitimacy is unique as the head of the Catholic Church, as Peter was the rock on which Jesus said to build his church: Peter was the first Pope, or the head of the church, and the most important church is actually built on St. Peter's remains, so it's a double-meaning. Cool in a way. Anyway, they had to put the bones back to be legitimate, but they're encased in plexiglass to keep them sealed. I reached out my hand and was within 10 feet of St. Peter's bones, which is crazy to think about. Hugely historically significant, in the Bible, man, it was a moving experience.
From there, we went out up into the other chapel and around a circular path, eventually getting to John Paul II's tomb, and that was also really cool. People were kneeling, praying, and crying looking at his grave, and it was pretty amazing to think about how much he impacted the world in his time as pope. I mean, people LOVED that man everywhere, but especially in Rome. He's like a rock star.
We exited that area, and the exit comes out RIGHT next to the alter at St. Peter's. Crazy design, touche Catholic Church. I was still kind of in awe about the whole thing, I mean, things like that just can't be seen every day, and it's one of the more memorable moments I've had since I arrived in Rome. I mean, today I was as close to the remains of St. Peter as almost anyone alive, and within mere feet, no less. Pretty cool. I mean, I'm not Catholic, but I can still appreciate the significance.
The rest of today has gone off without a hitch. I'm off in a few minutes to go see where Galileo was tried by the Church at a much later date than earlier, but still really historically important. I mean, anyone who read the Bible, you know Peter? I saw his bones today. Ok, more modern reference for some of you: Angels and Demons? I was there, underground, today, at the main source of action for the final scene. Whoa.
But that's about it. Hope your Monday is as cool as mine, and until next time,
Ciao.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Back from Bavaria
Hallo everyone, I hope your weekend has been great and that you've enjoyed some fall weather, Kirsten and I sure did. As you know, we packed up and met in Munich on Friday morning for a little birthday-for-her celebration. Today happens to be that day, and I am really bummed we couldn't spend it together all day today, but at least we started it together. It's really funny how both of our birthdays were travel days for each other; I went home from her on my birthday and she has the longer trip today back home. I'm sorry KK if it wasn't the most exciting birthday ever, but at least we could spend some time together.
But yes, Munchen. I had to get up at 4am to get to the airport, and I had to take a taxi to get there since my flight was too early for public transportation. BOO. The taxi was 50 euro due to the night tariff (yes, so early my fare was a night fare. Sigh). But that's ok, as I got on my flight just dandy and wound up in Munich a little early, and I had about an hour and forty five minutes to wait until Kirsten got in, so I just read some free newspapers Lufthansa supplies for its passengers and read all about Obama and his victory in the papers. It was nice to read something in English in the papers for once, I never get that anymore.
But yes, the time eventually did pass, and I waited for Kirsten at her gate. Even though it'd only been a few days, it was still great to see her again. Immediately, we both discussed how immaculate the airport in Munich was: so clean, so orderly, and so . . . awesome? I mean, I really liked how easy it was to figure out inside, and how clean it was too. Definitely a nice place to stop-over. We wandered our way down to the S-Bahn, or the underground system, to try and get to the center of the city and get to our hotel. Unfortunately for us, the S-Bahn is not nearly as easy to figure out as the station. No indications of anything, just totally in German. Luckily, we figured it out and got our tickets and hopped on the train, laughing at the German pronunciations of everything, it was quite comical.
German, if you don't know, isn't horrible to try and figure out when it's written and you have a chance to think about it; in fact, it's much easier than some of the other places we've been. Some things, however, are just way too different to figure out. English is a Germanic language, so it makes sense, but whew, just don't ask me to speak any.
We made our way to Goethestrasse (except the double-s was that funny German letter that makes the s-sound) and got into our hotel, which was slightly misleading about its size and whatnot, but ended up working out just dandy. We couldn't check in until about an hour and change later, so we just put down our bags and made sure we were bundled up and walked around to get some food and a sense of where we were.
First impressions of Munich: clean, cold, and odd. It was very orderly, no trash anywhere, and lots of nicer cars. Good to see some BMWs, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus again. Been a while. Fall was in full effect there, too, and it was really cold out compared to Roma/Athens. Kirsten really was hit hard, and she bundled up heavy and still was cold. But the last thing that was odd was the number of gambling / strip clubs / sex shops in the area. I mean, everywhere in some places. It never really felt sleazy, just excessive and numerous.
Anyway, we wandered down into the Karlsplatz / Marienplatz area, which has tons of shopping, food, and jewelery shops. Really was a fun time there. Kirsten and I went into the Augustiner Brauhaus to get a bite to eat, and we had a really nice Persian waiter who was very eager to talk about America and see what we thought of Munich so far. And it was there that we had some delicious pretzels and German beer that we've been waiting on for oh-so-long now. Yum.
I had an awesome sausage and sauerkraut plate, and before I say anymore, yes, sauerkraut. It sounds, looks, and smells not so good, but man, can your senses deceive you sometimes. I mean, I was all over the sauerkraut. Plus, they had an awesome mustard too that was just strong and delicious. . . man, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
From there, we finished off our half-liters and went back to the hotel, got checked in, and rested a bit before heading back out around dusk. We wandered back towards the Marienplatz area from before, and we found a shop called the Oberpollinger, which had Prada, Fendi, Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and a billion more designers I couldn't name off the top of my head, but Kirsten sure could. We had to wander around in there for a bit. It was pretty amazing to see such designer stuff all in one place, it felt like Pasadena or Beverly Hills for a minute.
We continued on after that and walked past the Rathaus and the Glockenspiel area, which was this really cool Gothic structure in the heart of Marienplatz. We stood in awe for a minute checking it out, and vowed to come back during the daytime the next day. We kept on wandering until we got to our desitnation for the evening, the Hofbrauhausen, or the State Beer Hall. It's really famous in Munich, and the hall is huge, and we knew we had to go check it out during our time there, as it's huge and famous. Like Nazi history happened here too, with Hitler really starting the Nazi party with his theses there. It was pretty crazy to think about being in the same place as Hitler once was and having an excellent time, but the atmosphere was irresistable.
It took a long time to get a seat, as it's every man for himself in there, no joke. I mean, you just find a table, sit down next to a
bunch of people you don't know (yet) and wait for your waiter to wander by and order some beer and snacks and hang out. Chat. Do whatever you want to do, really.
So we did. We ordered some beers, and I went with the Dunkel, at Travis's behest, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I had a liter and Kirsten got a half of the Weiss bier, or the Hefeweizen. We got our frothy brews and some pretzels and celebrated away, with pictures, laughter, and good times all around.
By the way, I couldn't possibly put all my pictures on here, so if you want to see them, head on over to my picasa site at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/NoMomentWasted
There we go. Anyway, we enjoyed our beers for a while and chatted with our neighboring beer drinkers, a group from Mexico City who spoke English and we chatted away, enjoying our the festive atmosphere and everything. It was cool to see how many people were there, I mean, literally, hundreds of swarming beer drinkers. Plus, some German guys in the traditional garb. I kid you not. That was really fun (and funny) to see.
After that (and my helping Kirsten finish her beer), we went back to the hotel and just took it easy before heading to bed early. Kirsten was starting to not feel well, and so we wanted to make sure to get rested up.
We got up after quite a long sleep, but Kirsten was feeling pretty terrible, which was not good news at all. We got some pretty good breakfast from our hotel for free and ate all we wanted, but went back up to our room to rest some more. I went out and got some German meds for her, and we medicated her up and got back out on the trail. She was a really gamer this weekend, and I'm just sorry she wasn't feeling well.
We got on the Metro and took it over to the English Gardens, or these huge, landscaped gardens in the center of Munich, designed in the late 18th century with building designs from all over the world. They were perfectly fall-seasoned, and we just oohed and ahhed for a few hours, just enjoying the beauty of the bridges over the cool water, the really cool buildings, and the awesome scenery.
We both have the same issue: no fall in our cities. In California, either. I really, really miss jumping in leaves, seeing all the colors, enjoying the seasonal changes, but I haven't really been able to enjoy a fall in a long, long while.
It was lovely, to say the least, and I really felt like I could live in a city like Munich. Good food and drink? Check. Good public transportation? Check. Good natural areas as well? Check. Seasons? Check. It really did have it all. Kirsten would add really good shopping too, and it had that as well.
The gardens I could go on all day about, I'll just stop and say to check out my pictures on Picasa and know that I loved them dearly. There's a few more pictures I'll post, and a video, but it's awesome, just trust me.
One part of particular awesomeness? The view from this little Greek tower. Maybe it was better since I haven't had any fall recently. Maybe because it was with someone I was so glad to be experiencing it with. Maybe it was the view itself, or maybe it was the candied nuts we'd just ate that were fantastic, but I really just wanted to hang out there for hours, relaxing, taking in the cool air and beautiful scenery.
I'll move on now, but know I could linger much, much longer.
We went back to the hotel for a little while after that, relaxed, and later went back to the Augustiner for some lunch / dinner, since it was so good before. It was equally good t
his time, and Kirsten and I both got two seperate dishes from before and enjoyed them again. Love good hearty food. Just awesome. We also checked out the Rathaus and everything again during the day, like we said we would, and we took lots of pictures, some of which are on here, the rest of which are on Picasa.
The Gothic Architecture and everything is such a departure from Rome, and the feeling of the place was straight out of Disneyland in a way, since it felt just so stereotypically Bavarian, but it's not stereotypical: it's the way the place actually looks. I really was pretty excited about it personally. Kirsten did an excellent job hanging in there, and we stopped and checked out the real German H&M shops, which was interesting to see up close and compare to those in L.A. and such.
It was getting darker, and Kirsten and I got some McFlurries from McDonalds (go ahead and hate, but they were delicious and we both thought they'd make and excellent dessert / birthday cake type deal. We got two and I sung her happy birthday in the crowded German McDonalds and we ate until we were both so stuffed we could burst.
Mmmm, good stuff.
From there it was time to head back home, and we crashed watching terrible MTV trash television as it was in English and hysterically painful to watch, but really kind of funny in a degrading-to-humanity kind of way. We both thoroughly enjoyed it, watched a few music videos, and just relaxed and went to bed, and when we got up, it was 11/9, or Kirsten's birthday, which also meant leaving, which was really sad and hard to do on her birthday, since she had a few hours to wait after I left. Still feel bad about that one.
But I got through security and home pretty easily, even though we were delayed on the runway, which burned me since I wanted to be with my girlfriend, but I got home soon enough and here I am. I hope you all had a great weekend and if you have any questions, as always, ask away.
Tomorrow is back to school, but also excavations under St. Peters! Woohoo! I hope you have a great remainder of your weekend, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRSTEN, and until next time,
Ciao.
But yes, Munchen. I had to get up at 4am to get to the airport, and I had to take a taxi to get there since my flight was too early for public transportation. BOO. The taxi was 50 euro due to the night tariff (yes, so early my fare was a night fare. Sigh). But that's ok, as I got on my flight just dandy and wound up in Munich a little early, and I had about an hour and forty five minutes to wait until Kirsten got in, so I just read some free newspapers Lufthansa supplies for its passengers and read all about Obama and his victory in the papers. It was nice to read something in English in the papers for once, I never get that anymore.
But yes, the time eventually did pass, and I waited for Kirsten at her gate. Even though it'd only been a few days, it was still great to see her again. Immediately, we both discussed how immaculate the airport in Munich was: so clean, so orderly, and so . . . awesome? I mean, I really liked how easy it was to figure out inside, and how clean it was too. Definitely a nice place to stop-over. We wandered our way down to the S-Bahn, or the underground system, to try and get to the center of the city and get to our hotel. Unfortunately for us, the S-Bahn is not nearly as easy to figure out as the station. No indications of anything, just totally in German. Luckily, we figured it out and got our tickets and hopped on the train, laughing at the German pronunciations of everything, it was quite comical.
German, if you don't know, isn't horrible to try and figure out when it's written and you have a chance to think about it; in fact, it's much easier than some of the other places we've been. Some things, however, are just way too different to figure out. English is a Germanic language, so it makes sense, but whew, just don't ask me to speak any.
We made our way to Goethestrasse (except the double-s was that funny German letter that makes the s-sound) and got into our hotel, which was slightly misleading about its size and whatnot, but ended up working out just dandy. We couldn't check in until about an hour and change later, so we just put down our bags and made sure we were bundled up and walked around to get some food and a sense of where we were.
First impressions of Munich: clean, cold, and odd. It was very orderly, no trash anywhere, and lots of nicer cars. Good to see some BMWs, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus again. Been a while. Fall was in full effect there, too, and it was really cold out compared to Roma/Athens. Kirsten really was hit hard, and she bundled up heavy and still was cold. But the last thing that was odd was the number of gambling / strip clubs / sex shops in the area. I mean, everywhere in some places. It never really felt sleazy, just excessive and numerous.
Anyway, we wandered down into the Karlsplatz / Marienplatz area, which has tons of shopping, food, and jewelery shops. Really was a fun time there. Kirsten and I went into the Augustiner Brauhaus to get a bite to eat, and we had a really nice Persian waiter who was very eager to talk about America and see what we thought of Munich so far. And it was there that we had some delicious pretzels and German beer that we've been waiting on for oh-so-long now. Yum.I had an awesome sausage and sauerkraut plate, and before I say anymore, yes, sauerkraut. It sounds, looks, and smells not so good, but man, can your senses deceive you sometimes. I mean, I was all over the sauerkraut. Plus, they had an awesome mustard too that was just strong and delicious. . . man, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
From there, we finished off our half-liters and went back to the hotel, got checked in, and rested a bit before heading back out around dusk. We wandered back towards the Marienplatz area from before, and we found a shop called the Oberpollinger, which had Prada, Fendi, Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and a billion more designers I couldn't name off the top of my head, but Kirsten sure could. We had to wander around in there for a bit. It was pretty amazing to see such designer stuff all in one place, it felt like Pasadena or Beverly Hills for a minute.
We continued on after that and walked past the Rathaus and the Glockenspiel area, which was this really cool Gothic structure in the heart of Marienplatz. We stood in awe for a minute checking it out, and vowed to come back during the daytime the next day. We kept on wandering until we got to our desitnation for the evening, the Hofbrauhausen, or the State Beer Hall. It's really famous in Munich, and the hall is huge, and we knew we had to go check it out during our time there, as it's huge and famous. Like Nazi history happened here too, with Hitler really starting the Nazi party with his theses there. It was pretty crazy to think about being in the same place as Hitler once was and having an excellent time, but the atmosphere was irresistable.
It took a long time to get a seat, as it's every man for himself in there, no joke. I mean, you just find a table, sit down next to a
bunch of people you don't know (yet) and wait for your waiter to wander by and order some beer and snacks and hang out. Chat. Do whatever you want to do, really.So we did. We ordered some beers, and I went with the Dunkel, at Travis's behest, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I had a liter and Kirsten got a half of the Weiss bier, or the Hefeweizen. We got our frothy brews and some pretzels and celebrated away, with pictures, laughter, and good times all around.
By the way, I couldn't possibly put all my pictures on here, so if you want to see them, head on over to my picasa site at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/NoMomentWasted
There we go. Anyway, we enjoyed our beers for a while and chatted with our neighboring beer drinkers, a group from Mexico City who spoke English and we chatted away, enjoying our the festive atmosphere and everything. It was cool to see how many people were there, I mean, literally, hundreds of swarming beer drinkers. Plus, some German guys in the traditional garb. I kid you not. That was really fun (and funny) to see.
After that (and my helping Kirsten finish her beer), we went back to the hotel and just took it easy before heading to bed early. Kirsten was starting to not feel well, and so we wanted to make sure to get rested up.
We got up after quite a long sleep, but Kirsten was feeling pretty terrible, which was not good news at all. We got some pretty good breakfast from our hotel for free and ate all we wanted, but went back up to our room to rest some more. I went out and got some German meds for her, and we medicated her up and got back out on the trail. She was a really gamer this weekend, and I'm just sorry she wasn't feeling well.
We got on the Metro and took it over to the English Gardens, or these huge, landscaped gardens in the center of Munich, designed in the late 18th century with building designs from all over the world. They were perfectly fall-seasoned, and we just oohed and ahhed for a few hours, just enjoying the beauty of the bridges over the cool water, the really cool buildings, and the awesome scenery.
We both have the same issue: no fall in our cities. In California, either. I really, really miss jumping in leaves, seeing all the colors, enjoying the seasonal changes, but I haven't really been able to enjoy a fall in a long, long while.
It was lovely, to say the least, and I really felt like I could live in a city like Munich. Good food and drink? Check. Good public transportation? Check. Good natural areas as well? Check. Seasons? Check. It really did have it all. Kirsten would add really good shopping too, and it had that as well.
The gardens I could go on all day about, I'll just stop and say to check out my pictures on Picasa and know that I loved them dearly. There's a few more pictures I'll post, and a video, but it's awesome, just trust me.
One part of particular awesomeness? The view from this little Greek tower. Maybe it was better since I haven't had any fall recently. Maybe because it was with someone I was so glad to be experiencing it with. Maybe it was the view itself, or maybe it was the candied nuts we'd just ate that were fantastic, but I really just wanted to hang out there for hours, relaxing, taking in the cool air and beautiful scenery.
I'll move on now, but know I could linger much, much longer.
We went back to the hotel for a little while after that, relaxed, and later went back to the Augustiner for some lunch / dinner, since it was so good before. It was equally good t
his time, and Kirsten and I both got two seperate dishes from before and enjoyed them again. Love good hearty food. Just awesome. We also checked out the Rathaus and everything again during the day, like we said we would, and we took lots of pictures, some of which are on here, the rest of which are on Picasa.The Gothic Architecture and everything is such a departure from Rome, and the feeling of the place was straight out of Disneyland in a way, since it felt just so stereotypically Bavarian, but it's not stereotypical: it's the way the place actually looks. I really was pretty excited about it personally. Kirsten did an excellent job hanging in there, and we stopped and checked out the real German H&M shops, which was interesting to see up close and compare to those in L.A. and such.
It was getting darker, and Kirsten and I got some McFlurries from McDonalds (go ahead and hate, but they were delicious and we both thought they'd make and excellent dessert / birthday cake type deal. We got two and I sung her happy birthday in the crowded German McDonalds and we ate until we were both so stuffed we could burst.
Mmmm, good stuff.
From there it was time to head back home, and we crashed watching terrible MTV trash television as it was in English and hysterically painful to watch, but really kind of funny in a degrading-to-humanity kind of way. We both thoroughly enjoyed it, watched a few music videos, and just relaxed and went to bed, and when we got up, it was 11/9, or Kirsten's birthday, which also meant leaving, which was really sad and hard to do on her birthday, since she had a few hours to wait after I left. Still feel bad about that one.
But I got through security and home pretty easily, even though we were delayed on the runway, which burned me since I wanted to be with my girlfriend, but I got home soon enough and here I am. I hope you all had a great weekend and if you have any questions, as always, ask away.
Tomorrow is back to school, but also excavations under St. Peters! Woohoo! I hope you have a great remainder of your weekend, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRSTEN, and until next time,
Ciao.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Enough travel for you?
Ciao everyone,
I am back in Roma after my week-long excursion to Cairo and Athens. I got in just dandy yesterday night, but the trains and such were disagreeable and I got home a little later than I had wanted, but other than that, not a whole lot to discuss in that department. I had a really great time in Athens, and it was nice to be able to spend enough time with Kirsten to feel like we could both relax and not stress about making sure we do enough fun things to make our visits memorable, as we had already spent lots of time doing that in Egypt. We watched Wall-E, which if you haven't seen it, you should, it's really pretty sweet. I think we both enjoyed it quite thoroughly.
In other news, Family Guy still has it from time to time, The Office takes a strange turn, and I miss television. Could you tell? But anyway, in real other news, it's quiet as can be back here at Candia, my residence, and it's strange. It's never quiet or empty here. I mean, I've seen near no one since I got in. And if anyone were to be here, I don't think I'd know since so many doors are closed.
But I got in last night and did a little unpacking, but today is all about packing once again to get everything set up for tomorrow. What's tomorrow? I leave for Munich. These few weeks are the busiest of my entire trip in terms of travel and sight-seeing, as come Sunday, I will have taken 6 flights in 10 days. Whew! That's an itinerary! I mean, I flew 4 in 6 days, but with Munich added on, it's pretty busy. I've really enjoyed seeing what's out there, and this weekend adds to that experience.
German efficiency has long been a favorite of mine. BMWs, Lufthansa, on-time trains, good beer, I mean, it's really got it all. I'm flying Lufthansa too, and it is bar none my favorite airline to fly. Germany for a couple days, check the sights, and roll. Should be interesting, as neither Kirsten or I speak any German, beyond maybe "das beer es gud!" and that's not even all that German. Or is it? I shall find out. I know I'm just excited for the pretzels and beer, which are supposed to both be fantastic. Hofbrauhausen, here we come! Our hotel looks pretty excellent too, so that should be fun times as well. Plus, unlike Switzerland, we don't have to carry our bags around the entire time we're there. But like Switzerland, it's going to be really, really cold. Hovering around freezing. Time to break out the Portland skin I guess!
In other, other news: I am still incredibly pleased with the Obama victory. Good times. I am disappointed about prop 8 in California, as it's a reminder that even the most liberal state in California, while overwhelmingly voting for a black president, wouldn't even all for Gay marriages to continue. I know it's a touchy issue, but the principle of the matter was that a right was there, and people voted to take them away. You can't tell me that's fair. Whether or not you approve, these people are citizens, just like you and me, and deserve to be treated fairly. I mean, I feel terrible for Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi. Try and tell me they don't deserve the same rights as the drunken idiot who gets married in Vegas.
Sorry, rant over.
Anyway, internet is spotty, and I'm hoping I can get this post off with it still intact. I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll be back with tons of exciting pictures and stories, just like always. Any requests? You know where to find me. Any donations? You know my mother (only half kidding ha ha).
Until next time,
Ciao.
I am back in Roma after my week-long excursion to Cairo and Athens. I got in just dandy yesterday night, but the trains and such were disagreeable and I got home a little later than I had wanted, but other than that, not a whole lot to discuss in that department. I had a really great time in Athens, and it was nice to be able to spend enough time with Kirsten to feel like we could both relax and not stress about making sure we do enough fun things to make our visits memorable, as we had already spent lots of time doing that in Egypt. We watched Wall-E, which if you haven't seen it, you should, it's really pretty sweet. I think we both enjoyed it quite thoroughly.
In other news, Family Guy still has it from time to time, The Office takes a strange turn, and I miss television. Could you tell? But anyway, in real other news, it's quiet as can be back here at Candia, my residence, and it's strange. It's never quiet or empty here. I mean, I've seen near no one since I got in. And if anyone were to be here, I don't think I'd know since so many doors are closed.
But I got in last night and did a little unpacking, but today is all about packing once again to get everything set up for tomorrow. What's tomorrow? I leave for Munich. These few weeks are the busiest of my entire trip in terms of travel and sight-seeing, as come Sunday, I will have taken 6 flights in 10 days. Whew! That's an itinerary! I mean, I flew 4 in 6 days, but with Munich added on, it's pretty busy. I've really enjoyed seeing what's out there, and this weekend adds to that experience.
German efficiency has long been a favorite of mine. BMWs, Lufthansa, on-time trains, good beer, I mean, it's really got it all. I'm flying Lufthansa too, and it is bar none my favorite airline to fly. Germany for a couple days, check the sights, and roll. Should be interesting, as neither Kirsten or I speak any German, beyond maybe "das beer es gud!" and that's not even all that German. Or is it? I shall find out. I know I'm just excited for the pretzels and beer, which are supposed to both be fantastic. Hofbrauhausen, here we come! Our hotel looks pretty excellent too, so that should be fun times as well. Plus, unlike Switzerland, we don't have to carry our bags around the entire time we're there. But like Switzerland, it's going to be really, really cold. Hovering around freezing. Time to break out the Portland skin I guess!
In other, other news: I am still incredibly pleased with the Obama victory. Good times. I am disappointed about prop 8 in California, as it's a reminder that even the most liberal state in California, while overwhelmingly voting for a black president, wouldn't even all for Gay marriages to continue. I know it's a touchy issue, but the principle of the matter was that a right was there, and people voted to take them away. You can't tell me that's fair. Whether or not you approve, these people are citizens, just like you and me, and deserve to be treated fairly. I mean, I feel terrible for Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi. Try and tell me they don't deserve the same rights as the drunken idiot who gets married in Vegas.
Sorry, rant over.
Anyway, internet is spotty, and I'm hoping I can get this post off with it still intact. I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll be back with tons of exciting pictures and stories, just like always. Any requests? You know where to find me. Any donations? You know my mother (only half kidding ha ha).
Until next time,
Ciao.
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