Ravenna & Venice

Back on the bus...

Along the way, we heard many stories...

The story of Galia Placidia and the Goths... Galia was very beautiful and seemed to be able to manipulate men at the drop of a hat. She married Atila the Hun, who was raping and pillaging his way over the alps. It was he who forced the locals to move down to the marsh lands and settle, thus the first Venetians. When Atila was killed she moved to the second in command. When she was sick of that, she asked Rome if she could come back... since she was so beautiful, how could they refuse... so they took her back.

Italy's greatest writer, Dante Aligerie was expelled from Rome because of his book "The Divine Comedy". He was buried in Ravenna, or was it Venice? I forget... anyway, they weren't happy about him so they decided to dig him up to make sure he was dead. All they found was a note giving instructions in regard to how to find his body. It turned out that it was hidden in the walls of the monastery by the monk.

In Istanbul at the time, women could teach at University if they were behind a screen or behind a veil. The Venetians thought this was a brilliant idea and saw it as being quite the fashionable thing to do. Thus, masks and veils were introduced.

Balonia... I think this is where Michaelangelo requested that he be able to cut up bodies to find out how they work. The head monk was appalled and asked that it never be spoken of again, in fact the conversation never happened. But the head monk left the key out so Michaelangelo could do it at night, "without him knowing". Thus the reason we have the detail in the sculpture 'David'.

We were entering the Modiner Region... Mussolini drained it and got rid of malaria and found the ground was rich in minerals needed for good crops. Thus fruit trees are in abundance. Asparagus here is also a big thing. I think they're wasting their time since it's a disgusting vegetable but whatever. Apparently there is a saying here, "as quick as boiling asparagus", since they are prepared within seconds. Mussolini did a lot of good things before things went sour.

Since we were being told about food, Alison explained that there is minimal sauce used with pasta. Pasta is only seen as a starter meal thus it only involves tomato and basil, very subtle. The Antipasto is supposed to take the hunger off. Bread comes after that. You see, at this point the stomach is prepared for carbohydrates, the meat course. Then comes dessert which sends endorphins to the brain to assist with digestion. And finally, a nice Grappa is had as a digestive. All quite scientific really.

We were also told about the origin of Parmesan cheese and of Balsamic vinegar (as in the real stuff which comes from particular grapes and is very expensive and only comes out on special occasions, if at all since it takes over 50 years to make and only 70 30 centilitre bottles are produced per year)

Since we were on the road between Bologna and Modena, it was notable that this three lane highway is the place where Ferrari test drive their cars.

After descending the Apennine Mountains, we came across Ravenna... It was made Capital of Rome when the empire, at the time, was split in two. It has a mix of Roman, Christian and Byzantine cultures. It is known for its beautiful mosaics. When we stopped, we were taken to the church of San Ditale. I must admit that the majority of us are a little over churches now. I know my internal monologue was saying "not another freaking church!". Our guide was Verdiana. This church did have something different, like I guess they all do, the fresco's were impressive I guess but I just thought they looked a little too cartoonish. They had a lot of gold incorporated though. I guess they were good. We had lunch and I had a chance to test SMS functionality at the Three shop. It worked but they thought that those people who couldn't send me messages were with carriers who didn't have an agreement with the carriers here... sounded plausible.

Before we entered Venice we were told some more stories. For example, Marco Polo was apparently referred to as the "man of a million" 'cos he had a million stories which he kept telling. I guess he was a bit like Alison, except he was apparently trying to prove himself whereas Alison was trying to distract us from noticing we were on a bus for an extended period of time. Marco brought back noodles, not spaghetti, and also the fork... to be used with spaghetti.

The Venetians were well known for their glass blowing since the method was still secret. In fact just having this knowledge was enough for a criminal to avoid a harsh sentence. As a society the Venetians would go out of their way to cause shock so that even more people would want to come visit. They had an interesting law stating that if someone wasn't recognisable then they couldn't be charged for anything. Thus, if they wore a mask, they were safe. This wasn't too helpful for having affairs but it did enable people to go gambling. In addition, since having an affair was near on impossible with a mask on, the solution was to invent covered gondola's, obviously!

The Venetians were quite smart. In case of attack, bell towers would sound the alarm and they'd escape through the canal system on boat. The bell towers never exceeded the height of the buildings, therefore the enemy could never use them to find where the Venetians had escaped to and thus they could escape in safety. Tricky!

On the way, we had a bit of a temporary seat swap 'cos Hazel wasn't too well. It was cool sitting at the front again, it's definitely a better vantage point. I got to talk to Abby, who is the youngest of the tour group, about music and other general chit-chat, including my sandwich at lunch... You see, I couldn't recognise the third ingredient... it was white, didn't have a particular taste and kinda looked like a cross between egg white and processed chicken... Alison couldn't believe I was describing the local specialty cheese this way, especially since she had gone out of her way to choose it for her lunch. Mama Mia! :-)

It was funny how not long after someone, I think Abby's Mum Viv, mentioned the lack of motor homes on the roads, we started to see more and more of them along our trip. :-)

Back to Venice... the city has had an interesting history. Its had Napoleon take over, the Austrians had taken over too. Oh, let's not forget that they weren't getting the recognition they thought they deserved so in an attempt to address this, they stole the body of St. Mark and switched it for a fake! As you do! By the time it was found out, it was too late... they had him. Thus, they could now claim the namesake and get the recognition from the Pope, etc. They were a funny lot.

I was full of questions, like how are the islands held up? how much rubbish ends up in the canal system? When is Carnivalle? Can we see how the masks are made? I wanted to know whether we'd see how buildings were held up by balloons like on James Bond... Apparently there's none like that, apparently it was just a movie! Apparently James Bond's private boat wouldn't have been allowed on the Grand Canal. Movies! You cant believe anything these days! I ask you, what else is there to believe in if movies are fake?

Anyway, to get to the city, the city referred to as the "queen of the Adriatic", you'd commonly take the Bridge of Freedom, this is the bridge that connects the mainland to the major island. Before its construction, you could only get there by boat. For this reason they say this bridge took away their freedom. To use this bridge, you need permits so our first view of Venice was the industrial area where you get the permit.

Getting the permit didn't have the Venice feel anyway so, really, our introduction to the city started when we got off the bus and boarded the gondolas. Let me just say that it's sound advice to wait to board until the person before you has sat down comfortably. I hadn't quite steadied myself and it felt a bit hairy when the next person boarded.

It was cool travelling along under the bridges and along the canals, looking at all the losers deciding walking along like it was as fashionable. I must admit, I would have enjoyed it more if I weren't in the side seat. I hate boats at the best of times and it didn't feel that stable. My fear of water, though illogical, may have something to do with that I guess. I shouldn't be too worried, the majority of the canals (other than the grand canal) are only one and a half metres deep. Knowing this doesn't help. I must admit, it kinda felt like we did a big circle, almost coming back to where we boarded. Hmmm... I think we did.

Everything arrives via boat into the city, including our luggage. When you recognise what this actually means... groceries, store stock, bread, milk, ice cream, clothes... it's just amazing. A boat full of luggage is a sight to see though... I could imagine it going into the water.

The cool thing is that we were staying on the island rather than on the mainland like common tourists. This was one of the main reasons why I chose Insight. How cool! :-) Our hotel is cool, the rooms are of an older style. The hallways are a bit like a rabbit warren, up stairs, down stairs, up again, but once you get used to it, it's fine. It adds to the charm. :-)

I decided to explore a bit before the evening's activities. I was kinda deliberately trying to get lost. It'd be easy to get lost. A number of times I found I was confronted with a dead end... these are true dead ends... the path just ends and the next step is water! I tripped over once, that hurt like hell. Anyway, the bridges enable you to cross the canals so it'd be easy to forget which part of the island you are on. To get from island to island you go by boat so at least you know you wont get too far on foot. These islands are waaay bigger than I thought they were though... they're well established and very large. While I was walking, I realised I had fat fingers. Lyn said later it was to do with how much walking we were doing and that it was water retention, like how people get in their ankles. Odd. I felt like Homer Simpson when he got fat and wore a moo-moo and couldn't dial the phone and the recorded message said "your fingers are too fat, if you require a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad now!". If I had to get my ring off in a hurry, there'd be skin involved! I digress... some of the buildings here have had clear movement... the brickwork curves and there were a number of clearly uninhabitable buildings. It was cool. At his point, I wanted to go back to the hotel but I was kinda spun around. I decided to follow others since they probably knew where they were going, unlike me. The first attempt prove unsuccessful when this young guy led me to a church entrance and another dead end but on the bright side this nice old lady smiled at me. :-) While I'm on the subject of churches, it's notable that getting married in Venice has become very popular for foreigners. So much so, they've had to stop foreigners from booking their churches on weekends so that the locals can book their weddings too, otherwise they have to wait another year or more to book. I digress again... I came across a university and noticed that the majority were leaving via a particular way... I followed them until things looked familiar and made it back. The weather was quite hot but it was nice to wander in and out of shops selling glass and masks... the mask shops were very fascinating. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell a good mask from a bad one. The ones hanging from the stalls outside must have been inferior and the dedicated shops must have had the good ones but then there were the different styles... very cool though. Just seeing these made me want to come to Carnivalle and get dressed up and go to a fancy to-do with a cool mask.

That night we boarded boats and headed to St. Mark's Square. On the way there was time enough for those funny photos where you try to take picture of yourself and someone else by holding the camera out in front... the results are most amusing. We were fast approaching lovers bridge or kissing bridge, I forget the name but what you're supposed to do is kiss under the bridge or close your eyes and make a wish if you're on your own... it's supposed to bring you good luck or something. It was funny seeing some of the photos of those who tried to capture their kiss... even with practice, they turned out to be pictures of foreheads. :-)

We arrived at St. Mark's square and it was a great sight at dusk with no one around, particularly when the lights all turned on. I think Napoleon was right to close the square up with a wall... it adds something to the experience. Not that the sight moved me to tears or anything like it was supposed to do but it did look elegant yet wondrous. How girly is that for a description? Anyway, at the other end we could see the two poles, one with the lion and book, the other with the guy and a dragon. I forget who he was.

The night was great. I had a hot chocolate which tasted like it was just that... hot melted chocolate, it was brilliant. It started raining but that didn't stop the enjoyment. There was live music and dancing was started by the Coonabarabran folk which was great to see. I got dragged up at one point by Lyn. It was cool seeing Herb get up with Jane too. There was even a conga line which Abby was roped into by Lyn. :-)

On a completely different note, it was fascinating to watch the foul-tempered waiter. His first mistake was spilling some white wine, then he bashed it down in frustration only to make a mess of the nuts too... clearly he had a problem with something. This was highlighted by the way he was scurrying about rearranging chairs and tables. He'd even rearrange your chair if you got up for a dance. Odd... it was like he was justifying his existence. Then there was the odd lady with the small dog, clearly a fashion item rather than a living creature. All in all, it was a nice evening especially if you include not only the entertainment with the band but the characters around about too.

Soon it was time to go back to the hotel and sleep...

Michaelangelo's David & the City of Florence

Hi all, including my new audience... my friends from the Italian Elegance tour...

Jase, thanks for the comment, and in response... "Way!" :-) The Hilton was pretty nice, except that their washing facilities consisted of one washing machine and one dryer. I guess they expect that people will send their washing out. Others were commenting that the rooms were a little hazardous... The bed edges, the shelves above the kettle... by the sound of it there were a number of people thinking they were tempting fate with each movement within their room. I didn't have a problem with it though. I wish my apartment back home was as modern.

On to Florence... Florence has been referred to as an "open air museum", "a city of intrigue". This is the home town of Leonardo and Michaelangelo, two of the greatest mutant ninja turtles. This is the home of the renaissance. It was a town of influence, in regard to art and language, it used to influence all of Europe. We were told of Medichi's art and of Dante and his well known book The Divine Comedy, in which he placed people in either heaven, purgatory or hell depending on their actions at the time. If I recall correctly, Florence was placed in Hell because of its over indulgence.

[Edit: Alison looked at me funny when she heard this last sentence... I guess they were put somewhere else. Let me just point out that you must take everything I tell you with a grain of salt, I've likely not listened enough and screwed up the facts. I suggest looking it up yourself if you wanna know for sure.]

Anyway, when we got off the bus we were taken to see Michaelangelo's famous sculpture "David". The hall leading to David was most interesting too since it contained a likeness of Michaelangelo in sculpture and also contained some of his unfinished works, referred to these days as The Prisoners. It was amazing how even though these were unfinished they still contained so much detail. They weren't as smooth as a finished sculpture, they looked like he had created them by gouging out their form using a small curved plaster chisel, the kind we used to use in art back in High School. The amazing thing is that they looked like they were attempting to climb out of their marble prison, he'd given them enough life that they looked to be struggling to break free. He even captured the movement and expression. Amazing.

Then of course we have David himself. He is much larger than I ever imagined. He's five metres in height. He was moved from the square he once occupied to the indoors because he was being damaged by the elements. He has since been restored and the damage repaired. The detail in the form is amazing from the veins on his neck, arms and hands to his muscles. When you also consider that he was only made from only one piece of marble, it adds awe. Unlike other David & Goliath sculptures, Michaelangelo captures the moment before David strikes rather than depicting him after, with Goliath's head under foot. This is a very impressive piece of work. He is very fit and lean. Now that I have a bit of a belly (ok, it's not much, but still), I wish I had his body! ;-p

Michaelangelo was able to achieve such detail in the form because he was "permitted" to study cadavers. At the time, it was forbidden by the church but what he was doing was seen as beneficial by a particular cardinal so he was able to do it in secret after his request was denied.

When we were leaving, I was torn between buying the book about the restoration of David or the book celebrating the 500th anniversary of the statue in 2004... As a result, I was running late... I decided on the later. It's a cool book and since you can't take pictures, I wanted some record of seeing the real statue. Taking photos of the fake just doesn't seem right or give Michaelangelo the credit he deserves.

Next we walked with our guide down the streets to the Cathedral and to the Gates of Paradise.

We were taken to Signoria Square, an open air gallery of renaissance sculpture. There were some famous statues here, one of the guy who killed Medusa and the rape of some girl and this one of Neptune. Yes, I forget the names, whatever. They were good sculptures though.

We were shown the house where Michaelangelo used to live before we met up with Alison at Santa Crotcha square and went to see the gold demonstration. I am so impressed with what they were doing with gold. The had woven very fine threads together and were able to make a scarf out of it. It was quite heavy to hold. They also had these bracelets which used gold springs between the links so that there were no clasps, it was just slipped on. The other impressive thing was that the shine and sparkle on these pieces were achieved through small angled cuts in the gold. When they use this technique with the white and rose gold too, they can achieve some impressive effects without the requirement of additional gems, meaning also that they become everyday jewelry.

Next we were shown some leather products. First we were shown some gold leaf being added to some leather. To be honest, it looked kinda easy. I'm guessing it mustn't be though. They said it took a long time to get the technique right, I'll believe them I suppose. Next, he was showing some high heals which had a shine, that's a sign of a fake apparently. The shoe in question was pretty much made of paper and cardboard. He ripped a piece off to demonstrate. He was saying how their leather is the best because the tanning process goes all the way through. Thus, in the crease of a wallet or something, it will never wear cos the oils will come out from within.

I guess the issue for a foreigner is that you don't want to buy cheap stuff but because everything is so foreign, it is almost impossible tell the good shops from the bad without someone telling you. Anyway...

After a little wandering around I decided to have a sit down meal. I had spaghetti carbonara, filled up a bit too much on this, then meatloaf with peas and a side of potato wedges, oh and some Chianti Classico too. It was the nicest Carbonara, you wouldn't believe. I had to have an ice cream after that... my standard three flavours but in a cup. It's true that you can eat your way through Italy.

Let me just say that the weather had started to heat up. I sat in the shade of a statue to eat my ice cream. Apparently it was 36 degrees.

I decided to visit the church with the famous people's tombs inside. I got the audio guide to help me and set off through this active church. It was full of famous artwork and was the burial place of historical figures, including Michaelangelo, and also was the first church we've seen with numerous tombs of people in the floor itself. It also had some really old books on show. The organ pipes in the church are worth mentioning. The age of such things is what strikes you the most. But to stand at the tomb of Michaelangelo was quite sad... he was an impressive, quite busy man. For him to have achieved what he did, including things like building roads up mountains and stuff, I'm not sure he ever had a rest. Having only a few hours sleep per night would help with getting stuff done I guess but from what it sounds like, he was still quite active in his old age too, let alone him living as long as he did.

Back on the bus and time for some washing at he hotel... one washing machine and dryer... funny!

Anyway, that night we went to the Certosa Monastery for our Tuscan Feast. This was one of the best nights. The food was brilliant and the "Monks" were a lot of fun. There was a lady who sang in classic style and the monks has a violinist and they sung too. There was an older guy playing piano accordion. What was funny, maybe not to Abby, was their obsession with Abby whilst they were singing. I think we were all a little embarrassed for her. They were brilliant performers and kept everyone entertained. They, like everyone over here, had a CD you could buy. The evening ended with Grappa, a necessary digestive for any meal. Brandy was said in a high pitched tone but Imperial Drops (90%) was described as Viagra. :-) They were funny Monks, particularly when the main guy was wearing his big nose and getting others to squeeze it. It was one of the best evenings. We all had a choice of digestive, I chose imperial drops... very potent stuff... just a drop and your head feels like it might just implode. I decided to buy some to show people back home.

Before we left, I had a brief chat to one of the waiters who recognised my Billabong clothes as Australian when we arrived and said "how ya goin mate?" rather than a traditional Italian greeting. Apparently he travels to Australia quite often to go to the beach surf.

It's worth noting at this point that Roberto, our driver, is pretty impressive, he could squeeze that bus into places you wouldn't think possible. One of those places being the track up to the Monastery. My hat goes off to him.

Back to the Hotel and get my washing out of the dryer. I tried the Internet at the hotel... After much fiddling around, I got it to work. It was an Italian keyboard... This is one of the most frustrating things for someone who can touch type. The left-hand shift key is too short and has the less-than key next to it, the special characters are all over the place... If I only had a Euro for every time I started a sentence with '<' rather than a capital letter!

Well that was that day... Keep well all.

Cinque Terre & Florence

Our destination for the next day was the Cinque Terre or "five villages" or "five terraces". It's five small towns along the area of these small peninsula's. These towns are on these steep hillsides, one on the edge of cliffs. This area of Italy was only accessible by donkey for many years. Some parts are still accessible only by walking.

This area is famous for its beauty and its wine (mostly white due to the hearty grapes, red doesn't like the sea breezes). The grapes are grown all over these steep hills, I'd estimate they're between 60 to 80 degree inclines. Land slides can be bad so the small houses among the vineyards are only lived in a night at a time. You wonder how they go about harvesting... These days they have a small monorail system which can hold one person and their tools.

From the bus we walked through one of the towns and on to some of the tracks among the vineyards. These whole area though has breathtaking views of the multi-coloured houses and little steps and paths.

From there we took a train to another of the small towns. Our local guide was OK but I think our previous two raised my expectations in regard to the quality of information that can be provided about a region.

An interesting church we saw was the church of death and prayer (if I recall correctly). This was a cool church. It was being renovated but the cool thing was that there were skulls and bones in the decorations of the church, including the crest made of the skull and cross bones. Up on the wall were full skeletons in a laid back position. I was an odd mix of the grim and the hopeful. There was one with a pirate hat and in the woodwork at the door there were even more skulls, one of them smiling.

After that, I did a bit of souvenir shopping and wandered the little shops among the winding alleys. The cool thing was that I found a grocery store with some Dove products and lip balm - the sun and heat had not been kind... though on the positive side I am getting my tan back. :-)

It was a nice sleepy village town and I could have wandered around for ages. Unfortunately, since time was running out, I grabbed a sandwich on the go and couldn't help getting an ice cream cone too.

We met up and scurried back to the other town and the train station. I was last in the group but as the three in front walked, I noticed they passed the train station entrance. But the group couldn't be found. I convinced them to stop but after checking the first platform still didn't know where they were. After deciding to stick together we were rescued by someone else... Turns out they were behind the train on the last platform thus I couldn't see them. Only a small drama really.

Anyway, back to the bus and time for a snooze. Zzzz

The next thing you know, we're checking in at the hotel in Florence, the new Hilton. Very nice.

After a brief check-in, we headed to the magical town of San Gimignano (pronounced San-jimmy-are-know). This was by far the most peaceful town I've visited so far. They call this Tuscan hill-top town, "The Medieval Manhattan of Italy" because it has very tall towers, skyscrapers if you will. Not only were the views quite pleasant but the town was quite relaxed. They had winding alleys and little shops. My most favourite experience was when I got to the top and found a nice courtyard with a Harpist (if that's what they're called) and sitting on the wall listening to that, surrounded by garden was just brilliant.

Our tour director then shouted us some ice cream. I love the ice cream here. I like getting a waffle cone with three scoops... chocolate chip, tiramisu and vanilla with chocolate pieces.

In regard to the production of Chianti Wine, on the way out of the town we were told the story of the duke who, in an attempt to avoid dishonor of having someone else dance with his new bride before him, fled the city to a run-down castle in the middle of the night. So that he could raise money to renovate the castle he decided to try to blend the right grapes to make the best wine... After 13 years he had come up with Chianti (he was a little bit of a perfectionist). Due to its popularity he was then able to sell the wine and renovate his castle.

In addition, we heard about the dilemma that once perplexed a particular monastery. The monks were concerned because they did their calculations and they figured they would run out of wine, it was a particular wine) that they used for communion. This was a big issue. They decided to pray about it. While they were praying, even though they locked up their animals, a donkey managed to get loose and go into their vineyard and eat and destroy even more of their precious vineyard. They were even more upset to find this... They wondered why god had left them. As it turned out though donkey did them a service, it pruned the vine thus promoting growth. They were saved. The method of pruning was passed on and soon spread among the monasteries.

When we approached Florence and its terracotta roof tiles, I was reminded of Tuggeranong (my home district) were there is a similar requirement for all houses in the district.

That night we had dinner in Hotel, I believe it was pasta then turkey with potatoes and some form of turnover dessert. It was the new Hilton in Florence. The room was very modern with an extremely large shower head and a phone in the toilet, how convenient! :-/ The night was concluded with a nice drink with the others... A pleasant evening indeed.

Anyway... That was that.

SMS's aren't arriving... I think.

A hearty buongiorno to all my faithful listeners.

I haven't received an SMS since London. I was assuming that I hadn't been sent any but now I have an inkling that SMS's are being sent but aren't coming through to me... It is confirmed that New Zealand one's are getting lost but I don't know about Australian one's.

Leave a comment or e-mail me (isrealmathew@mac.com) if you've sent me an SMS recently so I know. If there is an issue I may be able to do something about it in Venice.

At this point it may be best to leave comments on my blog or e-mail me if you want to communicate rather than SMS. It looks unreliable... I'll look into it though.

I hate to think I've not received messages from any of you so send me your messages again via e-mail...

Anyway, have a good day guys...

I'll try to get my next blog installment out soon. :-)

T.

Siena, Pisa & Marble

Thanks to those who've been leaving comments and sending me e-mail. I really enjoy hearing from you.

Well, this update comes almost two days late since my phone's more advanced features were off the air when we entered the La Spezia district.

So, what happened the day before yesterday I hear you ask? Well... It's a bit of a blur now that another two days are almost over but here goes...

It all started with a bus drive. Since it's a significant drive, and during any amount of pure travel, what our Tour Director Alison does is tell us all the interesting stories and scandals that happened or were believed to have happened for the destinations we're driving through or to. This is smart since it'd be quite boring otherwise watching the scenery fly by.

Alison had since instituted a seat rotation (each day we move clockwise three seats) and now we have name tags which are tacky but help is to remember everybody's names. Each of us are also assigned to ensure that at each meeting point we make sure the people who sit in front and behind us are there.. We don't want to get left behind! Hmmm, on second thought. :-)

So we visited the cathedral in Siena with its black and white marble indicating its allegiance. I didn't go in there but I did go into the museum and up an incomplete wall. This was a wall that if I recall correctly was started to protect the town but was abandoned soon after. The great thing was that the from its vantage point you could see all of Siena. A brilliant view.

I must say at this point that it's funny how difficult it is to use another language on the spur of the moment, under pressure. I immediately revert back to English even though I should know some of the basics. The brilliant thing is that most words have similar sounds to English so even in a tough situation you can still communicate, if they're willing to try at least.

Since I spent my time investigating the alleyways I was running out of time to have a sit down lunch so decided against it. Did I mention how you pay more for food if you sit down? If I have, here I go again... You do. This is because you are paying for the view and the clean table. The service charge may or may not be included though. In fact, it is for this reason that you find that most Italian's stand up at the counter to drink their coffee and eat their lunch. This also explains why coffee is always served tepid and why it's always tourists sitting outside. I digress... So I just grabbed a sandwich at a bar and sat in the middle of the square (actually shaped like a fan and sloping down toward the church) in the shade of the clock tower, where both tourists and Italians were sitting. It was very pleasant.

Back on the bus and time for more commentary and a snooze we stopped for a "pee pee break", as Alison calls it (since there's nothing technical about it), at this grill which was built over the road, very odd. I got some snacks including fonzies (supposed to be twisties but turned out to be a bland gross version) and Pringles (haven't had them yet) and an odd kinda surprise. It's funny buying snacks 'cos you never know really what you're going to get, especially when you don't understand the labels. :-)

When we arrived at the car park for Pisa we were provided a treat... A "train ride" to save walking... It wasn't a real train, it was one of those ones you find at old theme parks with the wooden seat carriages but very bright and well looked after. The music played over the speaker was actually the driver, not Bochelli (I think it was him). You could buy his CD for €10. The real artist thought it was pretty good.

After a small walk we turned up outside the walls... Interesting to note the battlements that were replaced when they changed political sides. The pointed ones were replaced by square ones representing allegiance to the pope. This is quite noticeable since they were of a different brickwork.

When you walk in through the arched entrance, you expect to see Pisa sitting by itself. Instead, you are confronted by three very large buildings. The Baptismal, the cathedral and Pisa sitting behind them.

Pisa was constructed with the first two levels but was abandoned due to instability, it leaned. After much consideration, they then added the third level but made it weigh less on the leaning side. The result? It started leaning on the other side but more. The project was completely abandoned by the original architect. It was completed much later by another architect. Ever since, the tower, affectionately referred to as "she", has had problems with her lean. They tried strengthening her good side to support her weak side, then she was embarrassed by having to wear a girdle and in humiliation have her tied to the ground to prevent further lean. Finally they used pipes to insert sand underneath her. She stopped increasing her lean at such a rate and also straightened up a bit too. All good news for the old girl. :-)

At the sight of Pisa many are overwhelmed with a desire to do a strange form of Tai Chi... Trying to capture themselves holding up the tower. This was fun to pose for and I got this great photo of everyone trying to do it too.. Very funny.

Back to our makeshift train, only a Kodak moment stop over in Pisa. Funny thing happened... Alison counted everyone on the "train" and one was missing. I was finishing my ice cream so hadn't got on yet. She turned to me and said, do you know who is missing? It then dawned on her that I was the one missing. I guess you had to be there. :-)

Back on the bus heading for La Spezia. You know, I always thought that marble was a rock that was so very precious and quite rare. That was until we drove past the Marble Mountains of Carara. They look like snow-capped mountains but it's not snow... It's marble! Amazing. This is where Michaelangelo would go to pick out the marble for his statues and where all the columns come from... They're not running out any time soon. Interesting that we've moved from using wedges of wet wood to diamond cutters to extract the marble from the mountain.

We had a rest when we arrived at the hotel then we had a short rest then had dinner in the hotel... Not that impressive really. Not surprising considering the speed of portage.

After dinner I had a coffee with some from the tour then went for a walk up the dock. I felt kinda sad walking along 'cos I miss the people at home and I miss talking to Kerrie and I wished I could share the experience. All good though, it's only temporary. E-mail or add a comment on my blog. You'll make my day. :-)

I must admit, I miss vegemite and earl grey tea too and my Dove shower products. Tried buying them and it was too complicated without assistance... Couldn't understand the labels on the bottles!

Anyway, I had a good night sleep for a change that night. I was getting sick of feeling wide awake at 4am each morning. :-)

I'll post again soon with yesterday and today's activities... I'm finding it difficult to keep up with the blog but I'm determined to keep you updated.. Keep well all! :-)

Rome, the Eternal City

Yesterday started in the line, for the Vatican... Even though we were early and in a group there was still a bit of a line... Probably took around 30min to get to security before we could enter the Vatican city.

Our guide for the day was an Italian lady named Franka. We were all given "Whispers" (small radio receivers with a headphone) so we could always hear our guide without requiring them to yell, particularly in the quiet places. I believe we have 35 in our group.

Anyway, the Vatican Museum was quite good with the various vases, statues, fresco's and tapestries, a large collection indeed, especially since only a small proportion were on display.

Next stop, Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel. No photos or noise were allowed in the church, primarily for copyright reasons (since it is copyright by financiers of the restoration) though of course flash photography wouldn't be good for it either. The detail, the colour, the subject matter, the age, amazing!

St. Peter's Basilica was next. It's freaking enormous! The term, "no expense spared" is an understatement. Big, big, big. There were crypts, sculptures, marble as far as the eye could see, the columns, the mosaics, two metre high lettering at the base of the dome. History, wow!

It's phenomenal thinking about how Michaelangelo considered his sculpting with marble as "freeing the sculpture from within" or how detailed the tapestries were, including optical illusions, considering that they were woven or their ability to duplicate a full coloured painting with a mosaic, it's all from fine glass pieces people!

I can't describe how awe inspiring these buildings are! They're huge, enormous structures with outrageous proportions using so much raw material, you can't imagine. I can't imagine how they could have even envisioned such scale.

Amazing how influential Michaelangelo and Bernini were in Roman art and architecture.

Out the front to the Piazza San Pietro, the very large entrance/courtyard. We also saw the Swiss guards in their gold and deep purple uniform, designed by Michaelangelo himself & worn to this day. The pope still only trusts the Swiss guards - due to their bravery and self sacrifice for previous popes in years past.

We then had lunch at a nearby café which was Ok I guess. Then I stopped by the Vatican souvenir shop and picked up some great pictures of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Next we crossed the Tiber river, noting the Tiber Island in the middle... which is now a hospital - like a modern day maternity ward.

We went past the Circus Maximus where they used to have the chariot races in ancient times. It doesn't look like much, just a natural rotunda... People just sitting in and around. The only evidence if its original purpose is a small section of one of the corners and the two small "towers" at either end.

The Colosseum was grand. We lined up only briefly. There were the usual tourist stands selling maps and things and of course sellers of scarves and postcard packs... "20 for €1". I'd never realised that the Colosseum was actually made up of three walls, one inside the other. I also hadn't realised how "advanced" the floor must have been with the underground cages, lifts and pulley systems. Again, you can't really capture how big these buildings are!

I'm having a brilliant time. There is a high contingent of Australians which is also a comfort since I don't know anyone. It's good, they're looking after me.

It's funny, I've heard a few stories now of others being confronted by beggars and potential pick-pockets and the crowding around you they do... I still haven't experienced it but I put that down to being well aware of your environment... If you are then you're no longer an easy mark so they don't bother... Though it's nothing to worry about apparently, they're never aggressive.

Anyway, on to the Basilica of St. Sebastian and the Catacombs. Constantine, when he legalized Christianity, built a church on the site where many, many thousands of Christians were buried underground in these cramped dark tunnels three levels deep and covering a massive area, 10 miles if I recall correctly. Interestingly these weren't secret tunnels from the Romans, they were simply the burial grounds, or a cemetery authorised by them. It's amazing how first it was the site of Roman tombs, then the catacombs, then it was built upon with a dining area, then the church was built on top. They didn't even know about the Roman tombs 'til relatively recently. Amazing how much is lost over time.

On the way back to the hotel we drove past various sights, including the Pyramid. Once back, I could just rest and relax. These days are quite tiring.

Later that evening we went to the Spanish Steps with its boat fountain (where the water takes off 20 years) then down "Via Dei Contdotti". This is the designer label street, a very expensive street. It's also the place for Romans to strut their stuff as it were, It's the place to show off your latest clothes and accessories, to make a good impression. There were a lot of people and making a good impression seemed to be the aim. :-)

On our way again and there was a overgrown wall that was pointed out... It was only relatively recently discovered. It's the burial place of the first Roman Caesar, Augustus (or Octavian for those familiar with the recent TV series Rome) and his family. It was lost over time. That's the amazing thing, it's so old that great things are lost just due to the passing of time!

We then moved onto our "Highlight Dinner", a traditional Italian meal at the restaurant where the pope and the cardinals eat on occasion, one of the few restaurants permitted to serve Vatican wine. It was nice, first bread, next bruschetta, then pasta, then the meat course then dessert and coffee. All the while drinking red wine. The singers were alright, I didn't mind the guy but I didn't like the woman, she looked Russian and her sound just wasn't pleasing to me.

I apologise for the lack of pictures, it's too complicated to transfer from camera or iPod then to the phone & hope it posts... My test proved unsuccessful so my text-based commentary will have to do for now. Sorry.

Today, La Spezia and Pisa...

The Tour: First night...

Welcome drinks happened, met our lovely tour guide Alison, who is Maltese but has lived in Italy for about 12 years (if I recall correctly). She warned about gypsies and little children but more to be aware of it.

Met a lot of nice people, some from Sydney, one couple from Coonabarabran and a nice couple from somewhere, not Australia, maybe Canada.

Those of us who decided to go out for the night, additional €30, took the bus. We got out to walk the rest of the way...

We walked to the Trevi Fountain, saw where it flooded in 1870, very high, especially considering where the city ground used to be.

Then we saw the Pantheon wit it's huge columns, huge copper doors and amazing dome... Huge!

Next Madam's palace where the Prime Minister lives and this amazing square (sorry can't remember the name) where the Italians eat. The atmospere was wonderful with a singer and artists all around selling paintings and doing characterures.

Dinner was a nice pasta with another half litre of wine and some tiramisu.

Seeing the entrance of Ancient Rome, and how far below current ground it was, was very interesting, especially when you consider the flood I mentioned

"Sure, I'll buy it"

So, I bought a really nice painting, without a frame, of a Tuscan countryside. Only a small one, set me back €80. The small framed ones were €150 so I think I did Ok.

I took some pics of a Basilica (not sure which one) from a couple angles and stopped off for coffee and pizza (wanted picolo, only had grande). My pizze looked a heck of a lot like the sandwhich I had for breakfast and when I asked whether it was margaritta pizza he said it was... I think he was secretly making fun of me (taking the piss as it were... if you'll excuse the expression). I didn't care, I just enjoyed the ham & cheese "sandwhich".

It only annoyed me when they did it to another foreign couple who were more adiment when the waiter insisted that the rolls he brought out were indeed what they ordered but they successfully corrected him. The husband was also more than clear on wishing to have uno café but the waiter kept saying duo back to him... How annoying! I hate it when shops take their major source of income for granted. It's just rediculous.

I was getting weary by the time I finished so I decided to go home to drop off my painting.

On my way to find my hotel, I felt so lost, I stumbled across its doors... Most convenient. :-)

A wave of sleep has come over me and I feel exhausted. Logic says stay awake but all I want is a nanna nap. =-zzz

Ah, to be in Rome!

Hi all,

While on my way home last night I stopped at this nice Trattoria. I ate inside where it was warm having lasagna, and french fries with the house wine.. Half a litre is seemed to be the smallest serving which for me was more than enough. I finished off with a brilliant dessert recommended by the waiter.

My only regret/mistake was not noticing that the service charge was left off the bill. This was pointed out after I paid so there was no recourse. This whole tipping/service charge thing may take a while to get used to. I'll know for next time. At least when you sit down for coffee the charge is higher to account for such a charge.

I had a great sleep last night, went to bed about 9pm I think, not sure. I closed up the windows, they're huge, bay style, a seat and with shutters on the inside and large thick curtains. It was about 8am when I woke up and it was totally dark until I opened them and realised the time.

After getting up and leisurely getting ready, mental note: housekeeping is around 9am, I started off in the opposite direction to yesterday's wander.

Now this might sound like a naive and stupid comment but it's amazing how normal everyone looks, all shapes and sizes no real Italian look.

I realised this morning while waking along the street in the hustle and bustle that living elsewhere, like here, is totally doable. I think this is what people are referring to when they say travel "broadens your horizons".

I try my best not to look too touristy, I walk with purpose, not gawking at every building I pass. I don't carry my camera in full view taking pictures of all and sundry. I don't want to be metaphorically canary yellow.

Traffic doesn't really stop even if you're on a crossing or have a green light at the intersection. I've gotten used to this pretty quickly, you just need to be aware of it is all and just be game enough. :-)

In true Terrence style I gave money to a charity, It was something to do with helping the community with a drug problem, I could hardly understand the guy.

This morning I sat across from the Basilica and this huge fountain. Since it was morning I felt OK with asking for a cafélatte (coffee with milk) and a tomato and cheese "sandwich". I love the way they drown everything in olive oil. :-)

Ash, you should see these art stands across from the fountain, some of them are truly brilliant. It's kinda like an on-street painting exhibition with the artists sitting close by on small stools, it's cool. I wish I could buy some of them. Amazing!

I'm hanging out to find a stand that sells coke 'cos I 'm all primed to ask for it in Italian. :-)

My only appointment for the day is for my tour at 4:30 for welcome drinks.

I must wander some more till then...

Language isn't so bad...

So I've now purchased an ice cream in a waffle cone and later a coke. I should say "una coke per favore, normale... gratze" They're small interactions but they give me a sense of satisfaction. :-)

I'm sticking with the idea of staying with the locals. After much walking I found a park full of people just sitting around. I think there's something going on in the park tonight so I'll stick around for a while to see if it's something cool.

===

Now, an update on the day's earlier happenings...

The flights here were quite good. No real issues. It wasn't too cramped and enjoyed the novelty of the travelling socks. I expected the in-flight movies to be better so disappointed there. It wasn't a big deal though 'cos I had my iPod and so I listened to music and watched "The Prestige" and "X-Men". I also played a couple hands of Poker and some Mahjong. I stand behind my previous statements regarding the new Linkin Park album... I think it's brilliant, I love the eclectic style. Otherwise I slept, only going for a small wander once during the second leg. The food was quite good too and makes me think that if you sit and enjoy the whole experience then it shouldn't be so bad.

In my travel diary I affectionately refer to those in the same row as me on the plane as my "row friends". We had a good relationship. Didn't engage in too much conversation and even though I was in the aisle seat they'd both just jump over me to save the hassle, how nice is that. It was funny after Singapore when the busy cleaners, affectionately called "oom-pa-loompa's", deposited 5 too many blankets on my row friend's seats. We put them all on this British girl's seat. Her reaction was most amusing. :-)

The screw up with my connection was resolved in Heathrow when they moved me transferred me again, this time to the 9:10 flight, saving me 3 hours of waiting around.

When I got to Rome I spotted some people with Insight visitor stickers on their shirts. My travel agent was right, nothing screams louder than canary yellow. Finding them meant my ride to the hotel was taken care of without hassle. It was weird cos the 15 who were on the shuttle bus were going to six different destinations, six different tours starting over the next few days. Spoke to a really nice Canadian couple who hadn't traveled overseas previously. They were nice. I know this is a gross generalisation but it's funny listening to particular Americans, their accent can be quite loud and peircing... I'm sure it's not all of them. I don't think they realise though that when there are groups of people, you are more likely to hear the Americans than you are any other. Maybe it's how they've learnt to resonate the sounds. Odd isn't it. I was reminded of my Journalist friend from this morning's breakfast when we were talking about various accents.

After check-in I tested the in-room safe... Shut up Stuart and Jason! :-D You never know, that's all I'll say about that. But thanks for the call this afternoon. Good to hear some friendly voices, some nice well-wishes and some healthy laughing at what will likely be classified as a "Terrence-ism".

Now this might come across as me having led a sheltered life but I think there's a bide in my bathroom... I've never seen one before in real life but I guess it has to be. It's shorter than the toilet, faces opposite the toilet, has a tap, can be filled and is shaped like a toilet... I can't even fathom how one would go about using such a thing. I'll give it a miss I think. :-)

After freshening up I made my way into the city... It's been cool. I've enjoyed the peace, punctuated by sirens. :-)

The people are still here in the park, in fact there may be more, but it's getting quite cold now the sun is going down. I may have to leave to avoid freezing to death... I forgot to pack a coat... Damn it.

First coffee...

My first coffee over here felt like a disaster but it worked. I ordered a cappaccino 'cos that what both he and I understood. This was at a "bar" where mostly locals where. I found out later that ordering a coffee with milk in the afternoon is just wrong and would scream tourist. Oh well. The other part was that I didn't have change and couldn't apologise for that. I spent 5 minutes searching through my phrase book for the term "sorry". By then it was too late.

I'll Roma!

I'm here. It's 1:30pm here. Rome, Yay! I'm on the shuttle bus on my way to the hotel... I'll update the blog with more info soon. :-)

English breakfast in Rome...

Hi all, I'm just about to board my Rome flight. Just had a brilliant breakfast in a café here in Heathrow Airport. They moved my fight again so I leave at 9:10am (UK time, 6:10pm AU time) Had a really nice chat to a British journalist leaving for Moscow. One more leg and I'll be there. I feel relatively well rested considering my previous flights. In flight TV isn't all its cracked up to be so it was great that I had movies, music and games on my iPod. Thank you Apple! ;-) Gotta go!

Zombified in Sydney.

I was literally asleep 4 the entire Canberra/Sydney flight. Having no sleep at all last night may have had something to do with it. Ash can atest to my zombification setting in just before the flight.

Now that I'm in Sydney...

Two drama's so far. The first being that my connection from London to Rome wouldn't go through. There are two flights later in the afternoon so a good chance it'll all work out anyway... Hmmm... I wonder if my bag is going to beat me to Rome since that's where it's heading...

The second drama is the episide of Young & the Restless showing in the airport lounge. The baby isn't his but as long as he provides solid proof that he didn't steal the evidence, I believe related to the fire, then she'll forgive him but not forget! Apparently she saw some othe couple naked obviously doing "thing" before the fire started. Dribble at its finest.

Luckily Linkin Park's new album has saved me from it.

Update: My travel agent has contacted the Tour group and they've fixed the flights (ie moved them). Disaster averted! :-)

Gotta board now... Off to Singapore! :-)

7 Hours to go!

I'd say one sleep but that would assume that I'm going to be sleeping...

Thanks to all of you who e-mailed to wish me a good trip and left comments on the blog (that'd be you Rachel). I still have that feeling that everyone has said their last goodbyes just in case. How funny is that! :-)

As I expected, I'm very awake. This happens most every time I have to catch a flight or drive somewhere early the next day. I think it will hit me when I actually arrive in Rome. Since I haven't travelled overseas previously, it's all too unimaginable to realise the impact of what I'm about to do.

I'm relieved to say that I'm all packed and my carry on is 5kg and my checked luggage is 15kg - I'm glad I'm within acceptable tolerances. :-)

I'm still not really getting the whole excited feeling, more nervous and... blank. Maybe that is excited for me? Hmmm...

It'll be fine. I'll just keep telling myself that. :-)

Have a good night all!

Still nervous... 3 sleeps to go...

The great news is that I stopped past the chemist today and picked up some travacalm, original (drowsy) version. Suffice to say, a few minutes after I strap my seatbelt on in the plane I'll be far from queasy and likely wondering who I am. Should be great! :-)

I've managed to pick up most everything I need for my trip now. A few more erands and I'll be all done. I'm in such a relaxed "don't care" mood though. It's quite cool.

It's weird 'cos as much as I'm only going to be away from home for five weeks, it might as well be six months by the way I've stopped thinking about work and by the way others are saying "goodbye" and "have a good trip". I've now had "last meals" before I go away and I've caught up with others "just in case I don't see them" before I go. At least if the plane does fall out of the sky I'll have said a few words to the majority of everyone I know! :-/

Nervous & Excited in Canberra

Ok, so only 4 sleeps before I leave... Ahh!

It'll be great. Just a few things to do before I think I've taken care of everything.

I've finished work now for five weeks so that's a relief.

I'll try my best to update this blog continually throughout my trip.

Thanks for visiting.

Seeya,
Terrence.