Londontown

April 3, 2009
Well, I have been in London since Tuesday evening and I love it here. However at this point in my trip I just want to get home to Canada. I’m really sick of living out of a suitcase and not knowing anyone anywhere I go. It was lovely to spend some time with Emily in Scotland and Kim in Ireland but I want to see all of you back in Canada too!!
I arrived in London on Tuesday and made the trek into the city from Gatwick Airport. The train cost ₤11 and the underground cost a whopping ₤4!!! That is about triple what I have paid in any other European city. Booooo. Anyways I arrived at my hostel. It was cheap so I couldn’t expect too much but the only place to hang out was the downstairs bar because I was on the top of three-bed bunks and the light in the bedroom had a five minute timer so I would have to climb up and down every five minutes. The bar was loud though which was irritating for reading etc. Anywho, I caught up on my emails and everything. A cute guy came up to me and asked me if I had a plug adapter. Luckily I did so I lent it to him for the night so he could charge his camera battery. He returned it to me at breakfast in the morning and we got to talking. He is very adorable. He is German and has spent the last six months in South east Asia. He was in Sumatra on an island with only four other people for 3 months!! He was doing some volunteer research on sea turtles and teaching the other four people English. When I asked him how he communicated with them if they didn’t know English he simply said “a smile goes a very long way.” I like the philosophy. Sometimes do-gooders are really kind of self-righteous you know? They look down on other people who don’t eat fair trade organic chocolate and spend their days helping others? Maurice wasn’t like that. He seemed to just have a wonderful yet not naïve view on life. He was truly a pleasure to be around and rather easy on the eyes too haha. So he tagged along on the day I had planned for myself! We went on the free walking tour around London which wasn’t as good as in Edinburgh and Dublin but still interesting. We did see President Obama!! He is of course, in town to meet with the Queen and the Browns and for the G20 Summit. Well we were just beginning our tour at Wellington arch and his entourage of armoured cars and limos all flying the stars and stripes drives right through the arch about 15 feet away!!! So there is my brush with fame in London.
So Maurice and I headed to Starbucks after that (he is a coffee fanatic like me) to charge us for the afternoon. We walked along the Thames chatting in the uncommon sunshine and making our way to Shakespeare’s rebuilt Globe Theatre. Of course the play start in mid-April… right after I leave. So we decided not to go in for the tour; I might go later this weekend (I’m not a fan of entrance fees).
So we snapped a few photos before heading back and crossing the river to Embankment underground station where we caught the tube to Camdentown! We were starving having not eaten since breakfast at the hostel so we stopped for some delicious fish and chips (yes mom, I know you told me not to eat the British food but this was a must). They served heaping portions for 5 pounds; it was great even if it was not served in the traditional newspaper. So London is divided into all these boroughs you know. So this one is the “alternative neighbourhood”. It is full of punk people with rainbow Mohawks, ripped clothes and lots of metal on their faces. It’s a cool neighbourhood though. It is famous for its markets and I can see why. There are heaps of stalls selling everything from Thai Buddhas to lip rings and bongs. Haha rather an interesting place; there is one area called Horse Tunnel market and I can only assume that stables used to be there. There are life-size iron horses everywhere!! Cool!! We also stumbled upon Camden Locks. You know in the river? I don’t know if it is spelled differently but it was a beautiful area with a picturesque bridge over the sparkling water. The whole neighbourhood was full of this industrial age architecture. Maurice is a wonderful photographer and took some great artsy shots he promised to send me. After a long day of walking we were wiped by sunset and stopped at the Starbucks overlooking the locks in the sunshine. We sat down and who is sitting next to us but two other Germans who coincidentally are staying in our little hostel!!! So they chatted in German while I wrote in my journal a bit. I decided I wanted to head back to relax a little at the hostel. The boys decided to go out to the bar for a couple beers.
They met me back at the bar around 11pm and we decided to walk over to Big Ben (they were a little intoxicated and saw this as a mission). The walk was complete with free-styling German and English rap that was rather entertaining. These guys made me laugh harder than I have in months and I grateful. The three of them hilariously tried to convince me that one of them was a German prince and the other two were actually his bodyguards. We took heaps of photos and headed back to the hostel around 2 to bed.
We woke up early and had breakfast at the hostel yesterday. I decided to check out as I was not very happy with one of the staff members who I found to be very rude and inappropriate. So I booked another one in a different area of town. The wonderfully kind Germans escorted me to my hostel and while I was checking in they decided to go to the nearby market. When I was done I went to find them but the market was much bigger than we thought and I couldn’t find them!!! It was very unfortunate because Maurice left last night. Luckily I had gotten his email beforehand. So I hopped on the underground and headed to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. I walked across the bridge and ended up at Southwark Cathedral and then the Globe again! On my walk from Tower Bridge to the Globe (about 20 minutes) I passed 5 Starbucks!!! And yet, there isn’t one in 2 miles of my hostel (I googled it.) I have now collected four Starbucks city mugs: Paris (thanks Dee), Scotland (with a bagpiper), Ireland (James Joyce) and England (Shakespeare- perfect!!). So I wandered around the Thames etc and got back on the tube because I was starving. I decided to hit up the Tesco (grocery store chain) near the hostel. I bought some groceries so that I wont have to eat out. I spent the evening reading and watching a movie. Uneventful but enjoyable.
I decided to take it easy today so I can avoid spending money. The tube day passes cost 5 pounds which is relatively cheap compared to a one way ticket but still equal to $10. So I went out this morning to do laundry and I have just been reading my book since then!!
So that’s the lengthy update of my time in London!! I love you all very much and trust me I can’t wait to get home and see you!! Only five more days!! XOXO
Love,
Kate
EMBLEM OF THE PAST FEW DAYS
Definitely it is meeting Maurice and spending time with him in this wonderful city.

Ireland

March 31, 2009
Hello all,
I know Im the worst blogger ever. I never update. Basically I was in Ireland and now Im not. Satisfied? No just kidding.
Ok so I love Ireland. I was in Dublin and it was fabulous. I definitely love the Irish pride and passion. Also, they have an amazing sense of humour that I haven’t encountered anywhere else. They are uber sarcastic and dry. Love it. Perhaps its only that I haven’t been in English-speaking countries but I miss humour… I actually find myself being really slow when people make sarcastic jokes when normally I am the mayor of Sarcasmtown. One night I was trying to get on the internet on my computer and it wasn’t working and the guy working at the hostel said “I’ll show you where the router is because perhaps your computer will work better there!” So he takes my bag for me and holds out his arm. I put my arm in his and he says “Well at least I can say that I had a date for Friday night!”
So while I was there the Irish had their football match against the Bulgarians for the World Cup Qualifier. It might as well have been St Patricks for all the green I saw!!! Scarves, hats, facepaint etc all could be seen on O’Connell (the main drag if you will) on the north side of the river which is the natural divider of the city. It was great.
I also went on the free walking tour just like I did in Edinburgh and it was so great. I had another really funny guide which is sweet. I learned a lot about the city of course. For example there is a plaque on the O’Connell bridge commemorating a priest who died in the river. Funny point: this priest never existed. Interesting….
I met some Americans in my hostel the first day there. They were going to the Guinness Brewery and said it was cool if I tagged along. Excellent!!! I loved it, I thought it was very interesting. Beer is such a complicated process that I don’t remember it all but I found it very interesting nonetheless. I think Arthur Guinness is as important as St. Patrick to the Irish. My tour guide said the two of them are considered the saints or Ireland. Love that too. So we took heaps of photos and the girls apparently don’t drink so I might have had three pints by noon…
So basically I spent my time in Dublin wandering. But I also met up with my friend Kim who is studying in Lyon and was visiting another friend in Dublin. We spent the day in Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was certainly an interesting city. It was really run-down and dirty. The guidebook that Kim’s friend had said Belfast was part of the three B’s to avoid for travelers: Baghdad, Bosnia and Belfast. Of course it was because of the political unrest. Now for those of you that watch international news you know that there were shootings there a few weeks ago and some British soldiers died. The whole city reminds you of all the killings and everything that went on… very powerful. We saw the peace line that separated the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods which is obviously ironically named. The political murals were pretty intense even though the craziest of them have been painted over.
Overall, I had a really great stay in Dublin. I didn’t meet many Irish people but it was still fun. I understand the culture well and I love it even more than I did before I went if that’s possible. Again sorry this isn’t longer.
EMBLEM OF THE WEEK
Wandering around Dublin listening to the accents and the walking tour.

Scotland

Friday March 27, 2009
Well, I suppose I have to catch you up huh? So I think I last left off before I went on the walking tour in Edinburgh. Well, I certainly got to see all of the old town. The free walking tour is amazing and they have them in all the major cities in Europe. I highly recommend them. I had a wonderful American tour guide who has been going to U of Edinburgh for nearly three years now; he was really funny and made the tour very enjoyable. We saw the Mercat Cross where they used to nail thieves ears up to the building for 24 hours. This is located on the Royal Mile which was the main street in old time Edinburgh. It is mentioned many times in my book series by Diana Gabaldon. We checked out the Canongate area of the Royal Mile before heading to the writer’s museum. We didn’t go in but we learned a little about Robert Burns. Oh but we saw where the Canongate tollbooth used to be. It is now a heart on the ground where locals spit. Mmmmm but its because they hated taxes so much and of course everyone still does! We walked up towards the castle which was cool. Apparently Scotland’s crown jewels are inside and they are the second oldest in Europe! Then we headed down into the Grassmarket area where the hangings used to happen. Here’s a story for you about the grass market area:
Possibly two of Scotland's most gruesome imports were the serial killers William Burke and William Hare. Burke and Hare came from Ireland and moved to Scotland to work as labourers on the Union Canal. Ever aware of a market to meet, Burke and Hare set themselves up as procurers of human bodies to satisfy the demand of Edinburgh's medical schools. These two were quite the typical Irish young men: drinking and reveling in the wonderful whiskey that the British Isles had to offer. On the other hand, they weren’t fans of working to make the money to pay for their escapades. So one day Burke’s girlfriend (the owner of a hotel in the Grassmarket area) told the boys that one of her tenants had died without paying her the months rent. Wondering what to do the boys remembered that the University medical school paid for fresh bodies. So they took him over there and they paid 7 pounds for the man. Months rent was only 4 pounds so there they had money left over! There began their profession of body snatching. The would either kill people or dig up freshly buried bodies to sell to the university for drinking money!
So that’s always fun!! Haha so we had some lunch (burger and a pint) before heading up to Greyfriars Church and the kirkyard. This is where Bobby is buried next to his masters. Bobby is the most photographed statue in Scotland. The story is that his master was the head priest at the church and the little dog followed him everywhere. When the man died Bobby sat on his grave for 15 years waiting for his master to come back. That’s dedication people. After that we saw the café where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. Apparently it was cheaper for her to have a coffee there and write all day than for her to pay to heat her apartment.
We walked down to the park that divides old and new town and used to be a lake! It was where all the sewage that was dumped into the streets would run in the rain. Mmmm that’s gotta smell good! Well, it didn’t so eventually the nobility had it drained and now it’s a beautiful park!! The Scottish sure know how to garden. There are beautiful parks and gardens everywhere. So then I headed to the train station to catch a train to Stirling to meet Emily.
I had a fairly low-key few days there. Its not hard to see all the tiny city in one day so I paced myself seeing a little everyday and just wandering around. It sure is beautiful. The university and town are separated by a little river and the university dorms are built at the base of the crags and cliffs that can be seen from anywhere in town. Emily picked me up and we went grocery shopping for the week. Mmmm salad is a wonderful thing. We had some drinks and headed to the campus bar then Dusk, a club downtown. We were getting a little tired and bored and decided to head home but there were no buses so rather than pay a lot for a cab we opted to walk home. Freezing cold wind but no rain- its all good. So an hour and a half later we arrived at Emilys dorm and got into the warm bed. On Tuesday we went to Glasgow to get Emily a dress for her brothers upcoming wedding- no success. Emily got lots of clothes though. I bought a Scotland Starbucks mug. It was pouring rain otherwise I would’ve done the walking tour here as well. So we headed back for dinner starving as we were. The next day I explored downtown while Emily sat in (apparently bad) classes all day. We had a chill night of watching movies. The next day I headed for the castle but entrance was 8 pounds and I deemed it unworthy so I wandered through the graveyard- no visit to a Scottish city is complete without a graveyard or two. Then I wandered around some more appreciating the sunny day and gardens. I sat down with a coffee at a place called Costa. Believe it or not- as good as Starbucks!! I met up with Emily and headed back to residence. We had naps before heading to Celine’s (Emily’s friends) place to have some drinks before going downtown. I met more American’s than ever before on this trip. They are a friendly bunch with funny accents (Lauren remember when you first came to Canada and had an accent?). I met a guy from Illinois and talked about American politics for an hour. We went to the local Aussie bar (Outback- original) before heading to Dusk again. We had a fun night of dancing and drinking and this time cabbed back to the university.
In the morning I hopped on a bus then a train then a bus then a plane before arriving this evening in Dublin, Ireland.

Paris to Scotland

Monday March 23, 2009
So far I am a big fan of Scotland. I haven’t seen anything other than the airport and what I saw from the bus ride in but I like what I see!
I had a wonderful week in Paris with my mom. We saw everything we wanted to (except the Orangerie- but only mom wanted to see that anyways haha) and we did it without tiring ourselves out! It was a well balanced week with food, relaxing and seeing the sights. I loved the Louvre. I never know what I’m going to find when I go into these museums and I am always thoroughly delighted when I see statues that I know. I saw the Nike of Samothrace which of course I knew I would see but she is so beautiful all the same- a perfect example of High Hellenistic sculpture. As for the Mona Lisa, soooo not exciting. I prefer the giant painting across from her of the wedding at which Christ turns water into wine. Also, the spaces in the Louvre are amazing… The visit was wonderful and tiring so we flopped into the comfy chairs at the Starbucks located inside (yes!). I was only disappointed about one thing: the pre-classical Greece wing was closed!!! Very upsetting, they have so many of the things I studied from the bronze and archaic ages. Bummer. After the Louvre we hopped on a river cruise! It was gorgeous and we learned some things!
After that we went to a nearby restaurant that was recommended by Rick Steves. It was amazing. We met three Americans from Texas who were on spring break vacation who had also read about it in Rick Steves! The cook was awesome! It’s a one-man-show, he cooks and serves. He has a new menu everyday. I had a salad with kind of a Caesar dressing and on top was toast with melted and browned goat cheese. AMAZING! Then I had the lobster bisque soup, I don’t know what it is supposed to taste like but I thought it was mightily delicious! Mom had scallops St Jacques with rice and salad, also very tasty. We had some rose wine with it too.
The next day we went to the Pere Lachaise cemetery and our loyal Rick Steves led us on a tour through the most famous graves: Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Moliere etc. Mom was feeling weird about the whole thing though so we didn’t finish the tour. The tombs and graves were amazing really works of art. Lots of them had beautifully crafted stained glass windows too.
So yesterday mom had to leave the hotel at the ungodly hour of 4 am. So we took all the stuff down to wait for the shuttle bus that was coming to pick her up to take her to the airport. I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn’t for some reason so I played card games on my iPhone until 6am. Then I managed to fall asleep until 8am. I read my book and had cereal for breakfast before checking out at 11. I walked down to Starbucks and read my book there for a while before trying to figure out the train situation to the airport. Very confusing. I figured it out and got to the airport at 2. My flight didn’t leave until 5:30 so I had a lot of waiting time. Now I did have the right converter for French plugs and yet, NO OUTLETS!! How does this always happen? Luckily I have a great book. So I read my book while I waited.
The flight was good, I had a cup of tea that was lovely- I thought it was appropriate coming to the UK and all. Oh and all the flight attendants had accents! It was great! Looking out the windows, Scotland is just how I pictured: very green with rolling hills. It is very different from France and Italy and to tell you the truth I need a change. We disembarked onto the tarmac and the Scottish wind was blowin’! I loved it, couldn’t help but smile. And it was my favorite time of day: twilight. You know how it blankets the world in that blue light? Well it was very beautiful driving on the bus past little farmhouse type homes. For a second I thought our driver was drunk- driving on the wrong side of the road!! Then I realized that’s how it works here, very strange. I got off the bus at Haymarket Station and one of my first views was of a Starbucks- how wonderful. The Scottish appear to like their Starbucks as much as me. I passed two on the five minute walk to my hostel. In Paris you had to really hunt for them! My hostel is really cool! Its an old converted church with stained glass windows and everything. Basically they have put up 12 ft walls in the nave to form rooms so all the sounds carries but I’m a heavy sleeper when I need to be so its all good. They have a sweet common room with kitchen and pool tables and stuff. I had some bread and cheese that I brought from France before retiring to my bed to organize my photos (I will post some as soon as I can get my hands on the Internet) and see what my plans were for today! I will start at Starbucks and there is a free walking tour that leaves from there which I’m excited about! I love free things! So the walking tour leaves at 11 and is three hours. After that I might go to Edinburgh castle but I don’t like to pay for things so perhaps not. I am taking the 4:07 train to Stirling to meet my friend Emily who goes to school there. I am of course, inevitably up too early. I went to sleep at 10 so maybe that’s why I woke up at 6:20.
Oh and people are very helpful here for the most part. I like that. It helps that they speak English, it is so nice to be able to talk easily to people and understand conversations on the street etc. I sometimes enjoy eavesdropping. So this is my only day in Edinburgh so I must make the best of it!
EMBLEM OF THE DAY (for yesterday)
Flying into Scotland- stunningly beautiful and they speak my language except with excellent accents.

Centre de Pompidou

Wed March 18, 2009
We had a lowkey morning today. We walked to the grocery store to get some bread, cheese and yogurt. Then on the way back we stopped for a café au lait with pain au chocolat and sat in the sunshine at Café Saint Jean.
Today we went to the Pompidou Centre! Mom was really excited about all the modern art: Jackson Pollock, Picasso, Delauney, Duchamp and Matisse. Cool stuff. I’m not a huge modern art fan though; I could put a toilet on display and call it art too! Just give it a title that doesn’t make any sense and people will think its brilliant. Of course not all modern art is like that but still. It was cool though. I liked the Picasso and Delauney.
Then we went outside and sat down in the square to eat some lunch. There was a girl playing a didgeridoo and was very skilled. So we ate some camembert and baguette while we listened to her. We headed up Rue de Rivoli towards the Bastille which of course is no longer there. We stopped for a iced coffee in the hot sun before figuring out where the English bookstore was (I need the second book in my series). They didn’t have it so we moved onto the Bastille. There is really nothing to see except a big column (I’ve seen plenty of columns and this was nothing special) and the Opera de Bastille. So we headed to the Carnivalet Museum which is basically an old mansions that was built as a Parisian residence for the royalty at the time of the revolution but it was never used. It was decorated very much the same way as Versailles. Tons of oil paintings. There were nice inner courtyards too with gardens. But we were pretty tired from the museum so we headed back to the hotel. We had a rest before heading out for a delicious and warm traditional French Onion soup. It was awesome. Then we came back and watched Australia. It’s a great movie you should see it. So that’s that!

EMBLEM OF THE DAY:
Sitting in the very warm sunshine on the patio of a nice café on Rue de Rivoli and drinking my café glace.

Versailles on St Patricks Day

Tuesday March 17, 2009
Well today we went to the Chateau at Versailles. Wowza, can you say over the top? So this is where it all went down. Basically Louis XIII used it as a hunting lodge and his court was held in Paris but then his son Louis XIV decided that he needed an escape from Paris so he established his court there in lavish splendor of course. Its pretty crazy how big it is. There is no way they used all those rooms. They were all wonderfully decorated though! They all had gorgeous fabrics on the walls which often matched the furniture. The furniture is definitely the style that you find in antique shops on Main St. except the upholstery was much richer. The beds are pretty epic with huge canopies and stuff- sweet. Their was also this huge globe (like 2 meter diameter) and it was so cool cause there was an astrological cover over the globe of the earth. Apparently it is still accurate!
We headed out onto the grounds after a couple hours in the palace. The grounds are amazing; they go on for miles, really as far as the eye can see. The maps are also very confusing so we definitely got lost a couple times. So we headed to the Petit Trianon which is where the queen, Marie Antoinette built herself a house so she could escape from all the trials of the royal court. Then we walked down the path to the Grand Trianon where the king built a house for himself to escape the stresses of royal court life. He built this one because the Petit Trianon was just too small for him. Nearby here Marie Antoinette also built a ‘Summer House’ which she used to hang out with close friends in the evenings where they would chat and play parlor games. Now why she couldn’t do that in the palace or her Petit Trianon I don’t know but hey, she’s a crazy queen who understands her? Then we walked all the way back to the Queen’s Hamlet at the end of the park. We didn’t know where the entrance was so we ended up not going in but we still saw it. Mom says she remembers this from when she came to France by herself when she was 15. This is where the queen basically built her own little country village for play. She wanted to experience country life but didn’t want to put herself out there with the real poor and starving that were all around her of course. So there was a chicken coop, dairy, etc. which all produced food that was served at the Queen’s table. She would apparently wear a plain cotton dress and straw hat and while she didn’t do any work of course she did supervise. So while she spent time in her play village the revolution was rising outside.
We were exhausted by this point (these are not close walks) so we sat down by the grand canal and appreciated the beautiful day and the sparkle on the water. You can also rent boats here and row all down the canal. I got some ice cream and we walked back to the chateau then the train station to head home. We got home and relaxed before heading out for St Patty’s Day!!!!
This was the most disgraceful St. Patricks Day ever. We went to an Irish bar that we had previously scouted out and there was not a single person inside other than the bartender. Ummmm what? So we decided it was better to be at a happening place that isn’t Irsh than a dead place that is. So we sat down at a bar with a nice view of Sacre Coeur. They did not have any Irish whiskey (crazy!) only Scotch which I deemed inappropriate. So we both had apple cider, yes I know its not very spirited but they didn’t have green beer either. When I get back to Canada I have decided I will make up for things by having a “Birthday/ St Patrick’s/ Coming Home “ party. The server was funny though and there was a huge group of real Irish people sitting next to us. We chatted with them- I love the spirit. Turns out the 10 or so of them are from all over Ireland (Killarney, Cork, Dublin) and met up in Paris for their friends 50th birthday. Yep it was on St Patricks Day and yep his name was Patrick! I told them I was heading to Ireland in a couple weeks and they seemed very pleased about that! So we paid the bar tab (9€) which was definitely not appropriate for St Patricks day but we didn’t want to have hangovers so we definitely did not go all out. Don’t worry guys I will make up for it about a million times in Ireland. So we walked back home and went to bed!
PS I saw a guy at Versailles wearing a Pemberton Fest T-shirt it was awesome!!

EMBLEM OF THE DAY:
Chatting with real Irish on St Patricks Day. Also, seeing Marie Antoinette’s play village because it is just so ridiculous.

Notre Dame and the Historic Paris Walk

Mon March 16, 2009
Well we started our day at the wonderful cathedral of Notre Dame, wow quite the dominating presence! The photos don’t do it justice I’ll tell you that. In the left doorway there is a statue of St Denis holding his own severed head… sick. Over the central doorway is a scene of an angel and a demon weighing souls. The demon pushes on the scale to make it heavier sending the soul to hell, nice guy eh? While it didn’t seem too busy outside it was pretty tight packed inside. We walked all throughout loving the stained glass windows especially the rose windows. We admired the workmanship and realism in the windows before wandering back out into the square and around the left hand side of the building. We craned our necks to see the most photographic gargoyle in Paris. Very Hunchback of Notre Dame. Then we headed around back to gain a full appreciation of the flying buttresses which make the physics of the whole building possible. There was also a nice little park so we sat and mapped out the next stop. I love Rick Steves. For those of you who don’t watch his TV show and haven’t seen his books, he is the travel guru for Europe. He tells you where to go, what to do, how to prioritize, the inexpensive way to travel as well as providing walks such as the “Historic Paris Walk” which we are on today!
Stop number two was the famous ‘Shakespeare and Co.’ bookstore. The original store was founded in the 1920’s and this one looks the part. Tiny aisles are lined floor to ceiling with second-hand book. I love that smell. There were some great old versions of Shakespeare plays and the classics. They also give free accommodations to struggling writers above the store. The founder was Sylvia Beach who published James Joyce’s Ulysses cool huh?
We turned the corner to find St. Severin Church and didn’t go in but passed by it leading us into the Latin Quarter. Delicious smells and food all around- my kind of place but we didn’t stop. We arrived at the busy intersection of Boulevard St Michel and Blvd St Germain. St Michel is the centre of the bohemian, liberal core of Paris. This is where Parisians have fought against the royalists, Nazis and de Gaulle government. I think its kinda comparable to the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
We walked up the boulevard to the Luxembourg Gardens where we basked in the sun with the real Parisians. We enjoyed the break after our long walk but decided to head onto the Pantheon. Rome’s is better. At least I think so. I think Paris’ is too fancy and Rome’s is older which usually trumps everything. It is still a beautiful building though. We didn’t go inside but walked all the way around before heading back down the boulevard. I spotted a Starbucks and we went in to have some drinks while writing about our day in our journals.
We hopped on the metro and headed back to the hotel where we had a nap and relaxed while trying to figure out where to eat- thanks again Rick Steves. We settled on a place within walking distance in Montmartre. It had a beautiful view into the park around Sacre Coeur. We sat on the windowed terrace in this brightly decorated restaurant. We both order the same thing: quiche with bacon, ham, two cheeses that I cant remember and a side salad. I was pretty stoked for the salad (I haven’t had one since I left Canada!). It was a delicious meal and after words we climbed the steps of Sacre Coeur to see the view over Paris at night: gorgeous of course. We headed back to our hotel and watched The Boondock Saints in light of St Patricks Day before falling asleep.

EMBLEM OF THE DAY
Notre Dame's stunning architecture which is unlike any I have ever seen.

First Day in Paris

Sunday March 15, 2009
Well, I arrived in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport on Saturday evening at 8. After a quick and lonesome meal at McDonalds (which by the way has a menu that sounds uber exotic in French) I realized that although everyone told me the plugs were the same in France and Italy they are not. So I couldn’t use my computer and my iPhone was dying. With this knowledge and the knowledge that I was spending the next 13 hours in the airport with nothing to do I was overwhelmed so I decided to go exploring. Everything was closed of course so I had nothing to do but sit and read my book. I curled up on the floor in a corner near the central water fountain. Let me tell you though, I could not have been more prepared for sleeping in an airport; unfortunately there is only so much you can do to make a concrete floor comfortable short of having a pillow-top mattress. Oh well. I curled up with my fleece blanket and sleeping bag. On and off throughout the night I woke up and read my book. The cleaners of the airport had the audacity to use their vacuums when I was sleeping! So that woke me up again. At 5:30 am I decided I was sick of trying to sleep and so I packed up my belongings onto my cart like a hobo. I found that McDonalds and the other cafes were opening up so I had a pain au chocolat and read my book. I headed to arrivals around 7:15 to meet my mom and was very confused to see that her flight wasn’t on the board. After a mini panic attack thinking she was coming into another airport I found out that I was only in one of the three terminals- my bad. So I hopped on the little metro that took me to Terminal 2- the farthest away. Oh and I should probably mention that with me I was carrying 40 kilos of luggage. My hiking backpack has NEVER been so full, in fact its about a foot and a half above my head when I put it on. It was awful. As soon as I got into the next terminal I unloaded back onto a cart. Then I had to find terminal 2A which again was the farthest away. Her flight was delayed an hour but eventually she arrived. I was so happy to see a familiar face! So we made our way to the train station- luggage back on my back (plus a rollie suitcase and a little backpack). I now know why the French women are so thin- apparently they haven’t heard of elevators or escalators. Honestly I thought I would fall over by the time we got to the hotel.
They told us to leave our bags and come back at three so we had a few hours to wander around our neighborhood- Montmartre. We walked to Sacre Couer from the main street near our hotel- Rue des Abbesses. It was beautiful and of course- more stairs. We looked out over all of Paris- epic. Note to Kim and Emily- nobody tried to put bracelets on me!! Weird eh? Anywho it was great. Oh and everywhere in Paris there are buskers and live music, some of which is quite good. Today there was a Capoeira troop (Brazilian dance/ martial arts), I always love watching them… partially because they are super fit Brazilian men with no shirts but also because it really is an impressive art. The whole church is a strange mixture of Gothic, Baroque and Byzantine but I think they are melded together harmoniously enough. The exterior is certainly like nothing I have ever seen before.
We left there to wander and came across an square full of artists painting and selling their wares- very cool and very Montmartre. There was also an Irish bar that I think we will go to for St Patty’s on Tuesday. We headed back down the hill and ended up on the seedy Blvd de Clichy- full of strip clubs and XXX shops. We went back up to Rue des Abbesses for a nice warm café au lait. We sat until 2:30 when we decided it was okay to go back to the hotel. Of course the nice room we requested with a balcony was on the top floor. Remember how much stuff I had? Yeah add five flights of stairs… not cool. We had a much needed nap before heading out for some classic French food- Kebabs!! Haha mom has never had them and was thoroughly impressed. We were full but I was determined above all else to find a starbucks (I haven’t had one in 2 months if you can believe it!!) So we follow the map to one of the busy train stations and also in the direction of the Champs Elysees. Sure enough, like a beacon of light from the heavens, there was Starbucks outside the train station. One epic lineup and five euros later I had an Iced Caramel Macchiato- due to my lack of French I couldn’t order with all my usual modifications but it still tasted amazing. I couldn’t have been happier walking down Rue de Madeleine with a Starbucks and one of my favorite people in the world. We came across a church that was built with the same proportions and style as the Parthenon on the Athenian acropolis… random? I think so. Nonetheless it was wonderful; one can never see too many ancient style buildings. We headed on and came to the Jardin du Tuileries which leads up to the Louvre but we are saving that for another day. We were in Place du Concorde. This is where we got our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. Maybe its because we weren’t close enough or didn’t wait for the light show but I didn’t think it was that amazing. We walked halfway down the Champs Elysees before we decided we were tired from the long walk and got on the metro back to our hotel. We pretty much read our books and fell asleep.

EMBLEM OF THE DAY
Just being in Paris with one of my favorite people in the world whom I haven’t seen in two months.

Cinque Terre and the Rest of the Trip

March 3- 5, 2009
CINQUE TERRE, FLORENCE, SIENA
We left the hostel at 9am today to catch a 9:30 train to Pisa. From Pisa we got a train to La Spezia, then from there we got a train to the first of the 5 towns: Riomaggiore. Of course, it was pouring the whole way so we didn’t get to see very much of the countryside. It was rather unfortunate because all the trails we closed. The path from Riomaggiore to Manarola was open because it’s paved. So we paid our €8.50 to walk the trails and take the trains. We walked the Via dell’ Amore which is the path between the first and second towns. There were cacti and flowers lining the walk and the path is built on the side of the cliff overlooking the water. Had it been sunny it would’ve been beautiful. It was about 20 minutes to the train station in Manarola. While we were waiting for the train the clouds opened up and the sun came out with some blue sky!!! For the rest of our time in Cinque Terre it was sunny!!! How lucky are we? So we were so happy. We decided to go to the last town and work our way backwards. We arrived in Monterossa and I decided I had to buy flip-flops to honour the sunny weather. So we headed straight for the beach.
I realized how much I miss the ocean. It sure calms me, I’m a pisces so maybe that’s why? I don’t know but whatever it is I felt rather blissful sitting on this beach in a small Italian seaside town. Heather gets anxious so we wandered around the town and found tons of B&Bs and lemon and orange trees!! I can tell that these towns are very busy in the summer. They probably make enough money in the summer to last them the year.
We walked along the beach trying to find some gelato. There was a small shop with a kind man and a patio. We sat staring at the waves and feeling that Italian breeze that is never too cold…
We then decided we better head to the next town: Vernazza. It was gorgeous too but much smaller with only one big street. Like a magnet we went to the ocean. There were some old men fishing on the breakwater and we sat behind them on a little outcropping of rock. All of a sudden a HUGE wave crashed over the six foot breakwater! All the men went scrambling out of the way faster than I would’ve thought possible; then they started laughing and joking about it. I made sure to take a mental picture of the situation.
Me soon moved onto Corniglia. This town is built on the top of a cliff so its quite the walk up. We didn’t realize that from the train station and tried to walk up; we gave up for a lack of time and headed back to the train station. While there we realized there was a free bus that could take us. We were only in the town long enough to see the church, the view and take some photos before we had to head back down to catch the train. On the bus we met a nice American couple who had met on a university exchange in Rome four years ago. They are still together and came back to relive that time. They said if we wanted to skip Manarola it wasn’t a huge loss.
So we got into Riomaggiore with just enough time to catch the sunset. Exquisite. We were starving by this time though so we went to search for food. There wasn’t anything that looked cheap and appealing so we decided to splurge on a nice Italian sit-down dinner. We went into an otherwise empty restaurant and decided to share stuffed mussels with cheese and green vegetables and pesto spaghetti. We also each had a glass of wine right from the small town of Riomaggiore. The food was AMAZING!! Although our server stood 8 feet from the table and watched us the whole time; I suppose this is being attentive to our needs but it was weird. So after our lovely dinner we decided to get some wine, fruit and chocolate to enjoy on the train. So we headed back to the train station and bought our tickets back to Florence. For some reason they were half the price they were on the way TO Cinque Terre so that was good! So we cracked the wine while we were waiting.
We got on the train to La Spezia (about 8 minutes away) where we had to transfer onto a train to Pisa. So we got off in La Spezia and looked for the right platform to Pisa- the sign says platform 1. So we go to the platform and hop on the train. Once the train starts to move we realize it is going in the direction we just came from… hmmmm. So Heather asked some teenage boy where the train was going. Sure enough he tells us its going to Riomaggiore, this is when we realize why people don’t usually drink while trying to catch connecting trains. The boy and his friend then begin laughing loudly at us. But hey, I’ve had a couple glasses of wine so I laughed with them. Heather was freaking out because now we were going to miss our train to Pisa and consequently to Florence. I wasn’t the least bit worried and told her it was an adventure haha, again might have been the wine talking. When we get to Riomaggiore we had to go back to the ticket booth where the guy whom we bought our tickets from thought we were big idiots. Nonetheless, we decide we should get some more chocolate. Finally we get on all the right trains and get back to our hostel at 11.
I wasn’t paying attention to the time at all though. Heather and I thought it would be fun to go out on the town. So I was getting myself all ready after a day of traveling whilst talking to our roommate: a 50 yr old Greek man from Athens. He separated from his wife and has been living in the hostel since November. He has lots of good stories to tell because he has been all over the world: he owns his own shipping business.
We are eventually all ready and head out. Like I said, I wasn’t paying attention to the time and when we discovered all the bars were closed we were very confused so Heather checks the time. Turns out it 2 am. Huh. So we ended up just going back and going to bed. Haha rather anticlimactic.

EMBLEM OF THE DAY
Being on the beach in these beautiful and unique Italian towns
and drinking wine at sunset.

The next day I was feeling very green around the gills. We had planned to visit San Gimigniano but I could barely get out of bed. So Heather went without me. I slept the whole day and woke up only shortly before she returned at 3pm. Apparently its good I didn’t go. It was pouring rain and miserable and none of the shops were open because of the siesta. We relaxed and had a somewhat early night. And there is no emblem to this day…
We woke up and checked out before heading to the train station to head to check out Siena. Unfortunately another rainy day was upon us and when we arrived to Siena my feet were soaked which never fails to make me grumpy. We also realized Siena was a lot bigger than we thought and was therefore not that easy to walk around and see everything. So we just checked out the main historical Piazza before getting a bus then a train back to Roma. Oh and of course when we got into Rome it was all gorgeous sunshine.

EMBLEM OF THE DAY
Coming back to Rome and it feeling like home

Uffizi Gallery- Florence

March 1, 2009
FLORENCE
Today I went to the Uffizi Gallery. It houses many masterpieces. Florence truly is the ‘birthplace of the Renaissance’. It was wonderful to see all these paintings. But man, that lineup is sure to discourage the weak. I wasn’t even going to line-up but Heather convinced me that I had to, then she left. Haha I hate waiting. I don’t think I have ever waited in line for two hours. Luckily I had brought snacks. There was nowhere to sit either. It was cloudy and rainy too!! But it was all worth it in the end.
I saw the masterpieces of Botticelli and a few of Leonardo’s as well. There were a bunch of statues and busts lining the hallways but I don’t know who did them. The Gallery has quite the wide array of pieces. Many different styles and mediums. I saw the ‘Adoration of the Magi’ by Leonardo da Vinci but I think my favorites were the two most famous Botticelli’s: ‘Spring’ and ‘Birth of Venus. I also stumbled across Caravaggio’s ‘Bacchus’ and ‘Medusa’ in the basement. I remember seeing that one in elementary school when I studied the Renaissance. I think Caravaggio is very talented but all his paintings are so dark. Not a fan of the darkness. I also saw the classic ‘Piero della Francesca’ which is the guy in the red with the wife with Princess Leia hair? The Tuscan countryside in the background? It is a very famous painting of the Renaissance.
I left the museum after about two hours and after wandering through the giftshop FULL of wonderful books!! It was definitely a test of my restraint to not buy everything. I just picked up a couple postcards before heading out into the rain. I walked back to the hostel through the lovely Florentine market full of leather, knickknacks, Murano glass, Florentine paper products etc. I couldn’t resist a pretty magenta leather wallet for €15.
For dinner Heather and I got some pasta with pesto (another cheap dinner- €1 each). We ended up going to bed very early because we are going to hike Cinque Terre in the morning!

EMBLEM OF THE DAY
Seeing the gorgeous Botticelli paintings that I have seen countless time in books,
in person.

Rome to Florence

February 27, 2009
ROME
Well Heather came today from Sweden. We are heading off on our trip to Florence tomorrow!! I am very excited!! Today we went to the Pantheon and to Piazza Navona. Heather doesn’t really know what to see so we just walked. Heather does seem VERY excited to be here. She kept saying “can you believe we are in Italy?!?!” She didn’t even know what the Pantheon was!! It seems so strange to me but I suppose some people don’t travel the same way as me. I think she likes to meet people when she travels whereas I think it’s more important to see the monuments and museums. I don’t think this will be a problem though. Tonight we went to the Colisseum to see it all lit up at nighttime. Of course, we couldn’t just sit there and look. We thought the experience would be much enhanced by a couple bottles of wine. Haha so we bought some cheap wine at the supermarket; you must understand though that cheap wine in Italy (€1) is still rather decent wine. We also bought little plastic containers (with lids- brilliant) so as to not look like heathens drinking out of the bottle. So we planted ourselves and just reveled in our situation. It was a good day. Oh and I’m doing this new thing where I select one thing everyday to be the Emblem of the Day (thanks granddad) so that I can remember the day in the future.

Emblem of the Day
The feeling I got sitting next to this 1900 year old structure;
like I was part of something bigger.

February 28, 2009
ROME TO FLORENCE
Today Heather and I got on a train at 10:30 to Firenze Centrale. The Italian countryside was gorgeous in the sunshine. Seeing the rows and rows of olive trees was beautiful. They have this silver shimmer to them that really adds to their majesty. It was cool to see the old ruins of stone houses from god-only-knows how long ago. We arrived and hoped we were going in the right direction to find our hostel. It seems that in Italy they don’t want to have 3 digit addresses so instead they change the street name after 99 addresses. This is rather irritating when trying to find a location; we walked down a straight street and it had three different names in three different sections.
We eventually got to our hostel; I was rather relieved after carrying my 90 litre backpack so far- I know I need to learn to pack light. It is a huge hostel. We are staying here on the recommendation of a couple friends and it’s great! It has a pool, gym area, sauna, free wifi (yay iphone!), bar and restaurant. So the first thing I did was jump in the pool for a quick dip before we headed out to see Florence. It is a small city so its easy to walk around everywhere. We headed to the Duomo (no big deal) and had calzone on the steps. We wandered from there to the Piazza di Santa Croce and basked on the church steps in the sun for a bit before setting out to find a wine store. We got our wine and then headed to the Arno river to find the Ponte Vecchio (old Bridge). This was the only bridge that was not wiped out by the strategic bombing of WWII. We sought out our spot to watch the sunset (as suggested by a family friend, Nicoletta;) Heather, coming from the snowy Sweden was loving the sunshine. So we were sitting for about 10 minutes before we were approached by a couple of Florentine men. They were full of love for Canadian girls apparently. We are pretty sure they just go out prowling in the tourist areas for girls haha. Anyways, we chatted with them while sitting on the river’s wall. Like I said before Heather likes to meet the people when she travels so we agreed to meet them later outside our hostel. We both wanted to be as cheap as possible on the trip so for dinner we had day-old buns with uncooked hotdogs and slabs of cheese haha. It actually wasn’t that bad!
After ‘dinner’ we debated whether to meet these guys that we realized were a little boring. We felt bad standing them up so we met them but said we didn’t have long. They took us to see some live jazz music in a university area. Unfortunately the band wasn’t playing yet and wouldn’t be for a bit so we left and went to an Irish bar which was DEAD. So we began to head home, the guys didn’t seem to happy about that but walked us back to our hostel anyways. We said our goodbyes- these guys were a little TOO Italian for my liking.
Heather and I went down to the hostel bar which was also pretty dead. BUT I met a guy who is from Chicago, goes to Dartmouth, is finishing up an exchange in Copenhagen and (the best part) IS A BRONCOS FAN!!! Who knew they had Broncos fans in Europe?!?! So if you know me at all I was THRILLED!! We immediately started talking about quarterbacks, running backs and safeties. He believes that Cutler will pull through like me. That was probably the best part of the night for me (second to the sunset on the Ponte Vecchio) haha. Shortly after meeting this delightful American Heather and I headed up to our room to bed.
EMBLEM OF THE DAY
Watching the sunset on the Ponte Vecchio while drinking Italian Prosecco… Heaven.

Well, I know I'm kinda late on this one. About a week ago I went to the Musei Capitoline. It is definitely the best museum I have been to... ever. In Rome, not everything is labeled in the museums(musei Vaticani) and they are often shabby. But whomever is running this one has it all figured out. I was the first one to arrive in the morning and it was slightly before the museum opened so I was chillin outside in Michelangelo's Campidoglio on the top of the Capitoline Hill... and I mean CHILLIN'. It was freezing out with the wind blowing on the top of the hill, it almost blew me over. Anyways I get inside and the first thing I see is the courtyard with the fragments of the colossal statue of Constantine!!! Now the thing about my departments (Art History and Greek and Roman Studies) is that we study so much but they dont tell you where it is located; I have been trying to find these pieces since I arrived in Rome. So it was exciting to stumble across them at an unexpected time. So I wandered around the museum seeing many wonderful things- this is known as the greatest collection of classical statuary. Even though I hadn't seen each specific statue, I was able to understand the imagery and in a couple cases the inspiration from an original.
There were a lot of statues of Pan and tonnes that were copies of the Athena Parthenos by Pheideis from the Parthenon- minus the gold though.
The buildings themselves are partially new and partially built of old aristocratic properties. In the basement there was a huge collection of well labeled epigraphic samples from the republic and empire. But more importantly... I could almost imagine men and women traipsing up and down the hallways conducting business and speaking their opinions of the emperor or senate. I imagined secret meetings and scandalous affairs. Then again, maybe I have just seen all the episodes of 'Rome' one too many times. Nonetheless, it was very cool and the lighting they installed helped the imagination.
Later I found my way upstairs into a few rooms FULL of busts of emperors, aristocrats, poets, rhetoricians and writers. Augustus, Livia, Homer and Socrates to name a few.
I ended up in a corner room called the "Room of the Gaul". I was ecstatic to walk in and find the "Dying Gaul" on which I have written a paper. I began taking a video as I walked around it- it needs to be experienced in the round- until the man yelled at me. Im not allowed videos but Im allowed flash photos??? I had never heard of this but anyways now I have about 250 degrees of the statue. After leaving the room I realize that the original is not here in Rome but must be in Berlin at the Pergamene Museum along with the altar of Zeus. Damn. Well, it looked real enough so Im still happy.
This may be the most confusing museum. Multiple levels going in multiple directions. Luckily it isnt that big so I think I did see everything. I wandered out onto a huge terrace that overlooked the majority of the Roman forum. It was a beautiful sunny day so I hung out there for a bit before descending back into the basement in order to go back up to the second floor. On this floor I found some hideous paintings that apparently were donated by some popes- no wonder they didn't want them. I also found a head of Medusa and the famous equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius which had its own amphitheatre for gods sakes. I checked out the Capitoline Wolf as well. There was also a gorgeous garden but it was closed.

A couple days later I wandered to the Circus Maximus and then to the Domus Aurea. The Domus Aurea was "closed for bad weather" though it was another gorgeous and sunny day... I wandered around the park that now sits on top of Nero's Golden House. There is a dog park there where I enjoyed watching all the dogs playing with eachother. It seems strange to think these dogs only understand Italian. Just a passing thought...
So I lounged in the sun soaking up the view of the Colisseum from the top of the hill.

Sunday was my birthday. Apparently in Italy you have cake for breakfast lunch and dinner on birthdays. It seemed like a great way to start the day!! Gioia made chocolate cake for breakfast... mmmmm. The kids came into my room with Gioia bearing gifts in the morning. I felt to touched that they bought me gifts. I got a scarf from Gioia and Stefano, and from Lucri, Ale and Fede I got a bag. Both are from Roxy because I suppose I told them it's a popular brand in Canada. How thoughtful. We spent a few hours at a market that occurs on the last Sunday of every month- mainly antiques and designer knockoffs. Its neat to walk around because there are no tourists, just locals.
We left there and went to the Milvian Bridge because Lucri wanted to show me the locks. Apparently people write the names of them and their significant other on a padlock, lock it to the bridge and then throw the keys in the Tiber river. There are now thousands of locks. I, however was much more interested in the historical value of the bridge, knowing it was the Battle of the Milvian Bridge when Constantine saw a sign from the Christian god which allowed him to win the battle. Shortly after in 313 he declared Christianity the official religion of the empire. The kids didnt seem to care.
The rest of my birthday was rather low-key. The guy at my favorite cafe gave me a hug and a free cappuccino!! I got myself a bottle of wine and came home. Thats that. Although being here for my birthday did make me miss home more. Only 2 weeks and 4 days until Mom and I meet in Paris!!!

This weekend I am heading to Florence and from there I am going to Cinque Terre, San Giminiano, Siena, and Volterra. So thats exciting. Im dreadfully sick I'm afraid so I must getter better before the weekend. And yes, I am drinking lots of fluids and yes I am getting lots of rest.
Ciao miei amici!! xox
love kate

Kim and Mae Come to Rome and The Vatican

WARNING: Very lengthy entry, proceed only with time to spare and feel free to read in parts.


So my friends Mae and Kim decided to take the trip from their schools in Toulouse and Lyon, respectively, and come on down to Rome to see the sights. Man, did they ever.
DAY 1
They arrived Thursday night and headed straight to the hostel to get a good nights sleep for an early wake-up to go to the Musei Vaticani. My guidebook so helpfully told me that it was best to be there by 6:30am because that’s when the line-up starts. Silly guidebook. We thought we were risking it by deciding to meet at the closest metro station at 7:00. Well I arrive at seven am and wait around thinking perhaps the girls got the wrong station, or I did? Apparently I have no luck with meeting up with people in Europe as I have discovered before. So at 7:30 I thought perhaps they had gone straight to the museum. So I follow the signs to the Vatican and not only are Kim and Mae not there, but nobody else is either. Silly guidebook. By the way it was a freezing 1 degree plus windchill on Friday. Not the greatest weather in which to be waiting around unnecessarily. The museum didn’t open until 8:30 anyways so I just sat and waited there. Eventually the girls find me at 8:00am. We must have just missed eachother; they arrived at the previously mentioned metro station at 7:30! Anyways, the only people that are waiting in line for the museum are tours anyways. Silly guidebook.
We eventually get inside and the first piece of art we see is the Laocoon which is one of my favorite Hellenistic sculptures and recently featured prominently in one of my better papers. Anyways, I assume this is not the original as it was stationed behind the coat check stand. But then I think that ‘hey this is the Vatican- one of the biggest and probably THE most valuable art collections in the world- I suppose they can afford to throw the famous statue behind the coat check. Nonetheless, it was fabulous. We found our way into a large courtyard and snapped some photos before heading into the Egyptian section.
Egyptian section= very cool. But I have to say, mummies don’t look at all like I thought! That kinda wierded me out- dead person lying behind just a sheet of glass. It was cool to see the ornamentation they buried them in though. However, the Egyptian section was only the beginning. I was excited for more classical statues.
Eventually we move into a recreation of Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli (just outside Rome and on my list of places to go this coming week- what a coinkidink!). It was tres beautiful but it made me wonder if they kept anything at Tivoli to look at!
By the way, signs to the Sistine Chapel begin at the entrance yet it is at the end. They REALLY want to build up the suspense.
So we moved on and the classical statues begin. So wonderful. Many of them were randoms, you know found here and there in people’s driveways over the years yet are infinitely valuable. They were all super stunning nonetheless. The girls were rather impressed that I knew of some of the things we were looking at and requested that my knowledge be shared. We wander down a long hallway lined with Classical and Hellenistic sculptures. I saw Tyche (fortune) of some town- the name of which escaped me- which is referenced in many of my classes. I also saw the Boy with Goose (love it!). The girls seemed to be getting restless to get to the Sistine Chapel- understandably considering the build-up- so we sped through the rest of the statues.
Next we arrived in the Raphael rooms. LOVED THEM. We saw the momentous Battle of the Milvian Bridge. This battle was important as it is said to be the time when Constantine converted from a pagan to a Christian due to the interference of God and angels in the battle causing his victory. I’d say it’s rather important imagery for the Vatican.
My favorite fresco is perhaps his most famous: School of Athens. Perspective is a very important part of the Renaissance and Raphael certainly mastered it in this piece in which famous philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Alcibiades and Euclid wander about explaining and debating. And of course Raphael through himself in there too. In the same room was a fresco in which Apollo plays his lyre and the great minds of Homer, Sappho, Vergil and Dante mingle with the Muses. Also a beautiful fresco, one that I have never seen. Next was the modern religious art which first of all, I thought was ill-placed and second, I am not a fan of. Perhaps if I were religious this would be interesting?
FINALLY, the Sistine Chapel stands in front of us. It was definitely a sight to see but it did not have the influence I had anticipated. Perhaps if I were allowed to lie down and appreciate it the way it was meant to be seen; there were signs strictly forbidding it. I think they should MAKE everyone lie down. I mean, everyone is hurting their necks staring up at the ceiling… why not make it mandatory and have rows? Seeing it made me wonder why certain things became famous and not others. It was a must-see but I think the Classical and Hellenistic art really captivates me and gives me butterflies in my stomach. Who needs gorgeous Italian men when you can have a gorgeous statue of Apollo that can’t speak?
Moving on we headed to Piazza di San Pietro and the church to match. Mae and Kim were stunned by the triple colonnade, the fountains, the warmth, the church and the beauty of it all. It was a gorgeous day with not a cloud in the sky and I think it was the perfect day to be there.
After St. Peter’s we hopped on the metro and went to the Trevi fountain where we were perfectly content to sit in the sunshine and eat biscuits. Eventually our hunger caught up with us and we went for pizza. Delicious but still not as good as Gioia’s homemade pizza. We left and I showed the girls the way to H&M on Via del Corso before I headed home. We made a date to meet up and go partying but after a full day and waking up at 5:30am I was just too exhausted.
DAY 2
So the next day I woke up the girls at their hostel with a Roman favorite: castagnoli, which is a delicious bite size piece of heaven made of custard with a whale-tailesque outer covering which is then rolled in copious amounts of sugar. Despite having had only 2 hours of sleep (kids these days eh?) they jumped out of bed and after a quick trip to nearby Santa Maria Maggiore and caffe lattes with goodies they were rarin’ to go.
First stop: Colisseum and Arch of Constantine. I think they were thoroughly impressed and got a few photos before wandering up the hill and checking out the arch of Titus. Back down and around the corner, we walk down the Fori Imperiali right through the Roman forum. We stop to take a break and a few photos at the piccolo Chiesa di Sts Cosma e Damiano. We continue on to Piazza Venezia and the Monument for the Unknown Soldeir erected by Vittorio Emmanuele II. Beyond that we wander down Via del Corso before taking a left towards some food, the Pantheon and ultimately Piazza Navona. The Piazza del Pantheon was gorgeous in the beautiful sunshine and we hung out by the fountain before checking out the architectural wonder that is the roof of the Pantheon. After some cheap and delicious kebabs at the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona we head over to Piazza dei Spagna and the Spanish Steps. The sun had disappeared behind some clouds but we chased it up the steps as it reappeared. I got some gelato while the girls trekked all the way to the top; tells you a little about the differences between me and them. Final stop: Piazza del Popolo with the identical churches.
While day 2 wasn’t as long, it was almost as tiring since these girls saw in one day what I saw in a week. We went our separate ways before meeting up for a romantic, girls-only, Valentines day dinner. We shared a litre of Italian red over pasta and pizza in a cute restaurant near Cavour station. So that’s the story of when Mae and Kim came to Rome! Thanks for reading, if in fact you made it to the end!!xoxo

A Couple of Byzantine Churches

Well, I keep getting impatient messages from people wondering when the next blog will be so here's a little update of what I did today:
It has been raining in Rome for several days although the rain here cannot be compared to our Vancouver rain because here it is merely a light drizzle. But nonetheless, if there are grey skies every Roman can be seen carrying an umbrella and the vendor guys seem to come out of nowhere carrying umbrellas of every colour and yelling "umbrella! Piove!" I wish I knew how to say "this is nothing, go to Vancouver where it REALLY rains!" So this morning I woke up intending to go out rain or shine so I put on my pretty pink MEC raincoat and head out at 8:30. I always forget to wait until at least 10 o'clock to take the metro- its insane at rushhour. So I arrive there at quarter to nine and elbow my way onto the train. If you think the #14 bus to UVic in the morning is bad- you ain't seen nothin yet! I am literally touching five people at once whom I'm pretty sure don't know I am there and are all leaning on me as if I am a wall... awesome. Luckily it was only three stops; well actually four but I just wanted to get the heck off the train so I got off one early and walked.
First stop: Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica. I got there right when it opened, how convenient! So as soon as I arrive at the back of the Basilica on Via Cavour the sun comes out as if God is saying "thank you Kate for coming to visit me at this fabulous church!" So my mood brightens and I head inside. Wowza!! This is the first church I have been to that actually looked like it's pictures!! It is huge too. This made me very happy as I was able to easily deconstruct the imagery of the arch in the apse! In fact the mosaic was one of my favorites from my "Early Christian Art" class. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a good picture- always the case in these old poorly lit Byzantine churches. The original mosaics run up the nave as well but its interesting because the mosaics are there and above them are large renaissance frescos. They don't match at all I have no idea why they would paint these frescos. It is hard to identify the imagery in the mosaics when standing on the ground because the church is so big! But I did recognize some of the mosaics from Dr. Jessop's class such as Moses crossing the Red Sea and the stories of Abraham and Melchisedec. So I wandered around there for a bit and listened to the priests singing in one of the side chapels. Beautiful voices I wonder if that is a requirement to work in the field of God. "Are you a talented singer? No? Then move along, perhaps you were cut out for plumbing?"
So I leave the church and head down Via Cavour, on the way stopping for a cappuccino and cornetto. So I wander right on down to the Fori Imperiali- the road between Piazza Venezia and il Colosseo which runs right smack dab in the middle of the Foro Romano. I think about going in to check out the Forum of Caesar but I decide that is for another day. As I wander to the "colosseo" metro station I pass by a small church which I have never really taken notice of. I looked up at the sign and realize it is another church I have studied, albeit briefly, in my early Christian art class. This is the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damien!

This church used to be a Roman Senate House but was converted in the 6th Century (when Rome became an official part of the Byzantine Empire). It's very small compared to the other Basilicas in Rome. I walked through a small doorway and entered into a beautiful courtyard. I followed the signs to the basilica and I went in to find a group of english speaking painters. The were speaking with a priest who spoke perfect english as well. They appeared to be restoring the confession booths. I didn't want to disturb them to ask what they were doing. So I moved onto the apse which I could also easily identify; I suppose these Byzantine mosaics often have the same symbolic references. It was quite beautiful though.
I left the church feeling happy that I had gotten to see it. My knee has been bothering me so I walked the short distance to the metro and headed home. I had planned to go to the Domus Aurea but perhaps that will be for tomorrow. I think I will reread my paper on it so I am reminded of a few things.
On Friday a couple of my friends are coming from France to see Rome! I am excited! In the morning we are going to wake up early to be at the Vatican Museum by 6:30 so we dont have to wait in line. I am very excited to have people to go with since it's such a long experience like the Louvre! Woot Sistine Chapel!!
So that's all for now.
Oh, I dont know if this will work but you can follow this link to see some of my photos: http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=2113054&id=122503301
Ciao Miei Amici!!
Lots of Love, Kate

Tre Settimane

Well, this blog isn't about anything in particular but merely to mark my three weeks spent in Rome. I can't believe it has been three weeks. Things are fabulous. Sometimes I forget I'm in Italy and then I remember and get really excited. I can't help but think I should be doing more with my days here but then I gently remind myself that I came here not only to see the sights but also to experience the Italian life. I think I am doing a great job if I do say so myself! Stefano and Gioia think so too. Also, I recently got my results back from a blood test I took right before I left and turns out my hyperthyroid is not going away as I had previously thought. This explains why I am exhausted after 4 hours of sightseeing and wandering. I realized that the sights are truly exquisite and are everything I wanted them to be but the city is equally as wonderful. I could live here if it weren't for being away from family and friends. The city is easy to navigate (as long as you live near the metro) and its nice to just wander.
The other day I went looking for an English book store as I finished my book (lasted a long time I must say). So I arrived at "The Lion bookshop" and it was strange to speak English easily. I find I dumb down my English for the family so to speak using big words was just lovely. The owner is from the UK and was a big help. By the way I should say how much I love the fact that it is called a "bookshop"- it seemed so British. Though the store has expanded to take up three storefronts (not a lot by Canadian standards but big for Rome) they did not have either of the books I was looking for. I browsed through the young adult section though and saw some fictional books that are- as far as I can tell- about a group of friends in ancient Roman times. I will go back and check them out further as the series would be wonderful to have (and I'm not going to lie, I love young adult books).
So I left there and just wandered. I was walking down Via del Corso which is quickly becoming one of my favorite streets. It has a couple stores we have in Canada like Lush and H&M but I like it because it runs directly from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia which are two very important piazzas let me tell you. But I love it here. I feel like I fit here. And yes, I know I don't speak the language and yes I know I don't know anywhere except Piazza Bologna and Il Centro. But I fit.
The cafe that I go to every day makes me happy because the guys that work there know me now and always greet my entrance with a smile and a "Ciao bella, uno cappuccino?" It's the closest thing to Starbucks I have over here and I am grateful for it.
So my mom suggested the twins class write letters to her class in Canada; they have already started and are very excited. I went to iron out the details with their English teacher on Thursday.
I am very excited because I am planning a trip to Florence with an old friend that I haven't seen in years who is working as an au pair in Sweden. We are going for the first week of March and I am super excited. It has worked out nicely because my family is going on a skiing trip during this time. So Heather and I are going to Florence and hopefully we can see some of the Tuscan countryside. I have visions of drinking wine at dusk with a beautiful view- hopefully this is attainable. I have also been told to have a fragola (strawberry) and limone gelato on the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) by a certain someone who lived in Florence for a couple years going to art school. How romantic!
After that trip I will return to Rome for about a week and then off to Paris (!!!) where my mother will meet me!!! I am very excited. We will spend some quality time together in Paris and environs during her spring break. How decadent!!
So that about sums it up. Rome is wonderful. I will remember this trip forever.
Ciao miei amici!! Lots of love and miss you all.
Kate

Roma to Ciampino to Eindhoven to Utrecht to Amsterdam and back again

This is a long one so get snacks and get comfortable ;)
Friday January 30, 2009
Well, Holland is fabulous with a capital ‘F’- I love it.
There is much to love about this small country so you just have to hear about my 48 hours in the Netherlands.
I leave my house in Roma at 7:30am so as to have enough time to be at the airport by 9:30. I arrive at Rome’s Ciampino airport on time. I sneakily cheat the baggage rules and pass through security. I figure its probably a good idea to check my email in case Meagan (my friend who I am visiting in Holland) has emailed me with any changes to the plan. Sure enough she has asked me to meet her in Utrecht instead of the previously arranged Eindhoven (where my flight lands, they are about an hour apart by train). So I email her back saying this is fine and I will meet her in front of the store she suggested in Utrecht. Unfortunately, I knew she was going to Den Hague that day and I wasn’t sure if she would get this email before she left. So I arrive at Eindhoven airport and take the bus to Eindhoven Centraal (train station). I wander around looking for a ticket booth and maybe Meagan- perhaps she didn’t get my email. I eventually find the ticket booth but no Meagan so I decide to get on a train to Utrecht.
The train ride is lovely… the Dutch countryside is beautiful. I arrive in Utrecht at 3:20 and go to the store we discussed meeting at at 4. So I wait, then I wait, then I wait some more. It’s 4:30 and there is no Meagan in sight. At this point I am thinking she is probably just running late, even though Meagan is never more than ten minutes late. Do do do do I think to myself as I twiddle my thumbs. The minutes tick by and eventually it is 5:30. I decide I have to find a phone. The uber unhelpful woman at the info booth doesn’t know where one is located (isn’t that the first thing they teach you along with location of bathrooms??). Eventually I find one and call the number Meagan has given me. It doesn’t ring… just makes a strange beeping noise. Later I find out that this is the norm in Holland. On the way back to the meeting place after calling her about 8 times I start to panic a little because I don’t have her address or anything. But as I scan the crowd I spot her purple peacoat and distressed face. Relief.
After ironing out the whole situation of what happened we walk back to her place. She was a little late getting to Eindhoven and I was a little early which explains why I didn’t see her when I was there. And she never got my email about meeting in Utrecht.
So we head back to the residence she lives in with other international students. We start to get ready for the evenings “Red Carpet Party”- glamming ourselves up. Meagan is much more glam than me with her sequined gloves and gemmed dress. We head to the bar around 11:30 on the backs of bikes. Apparently bike riding after a couple drinks is ok in Holland. So Linda from Australia “dinks” me. This is when a person sits on the flat metal part above the back wheel. Now this is a means of transportation to get used to!! I hop on, unsure of how to do it. Apparently I did it wrong. So the whole ride I had my abs clenched cause I was trying to keep my weight distributed evenly… oh man. I got off 10-15 minutes later and was permanently bent over my abs were so tight. I promise myself I will get better at this. The party was ok but I was feeling rather claustrophobic so it wasn’t amazing. On the way home with stopped for fries with mayo- a typical Dutch snack. Then onto bed.
The next day we woke up and headed to Amsterdam. Another beautiful city. Canals, old buildings (not quite as old as Rome but as a result a little nicer), Dutch signs and Dutch men (very good looking). We started with the Van Gogh museum which was lovely and made me realize that Van Gogh was all over the place. He has a lot more styles than we give him credit for: along with pointillism and impressionism he painted in the traditional Japanese style (but with oil on canvas). He definitely has some fabulous pieces that I have never seen. Unfortunately “Starry Night” is in Paris and the “Outdoor Café” (my favorite) was nowhere to be seen. A good show nonetheless. We went to the shopping district and looked at some shops before having some lunch at bagels and beans. We tried to find the red light district but got lost. Megs asked someone where it was and then we found our way but alas turns out we were a little too grossed out so we didn’t stay long. On our way back to the train station we passed the wax museum. WOW!! Amazing. I want to go back and actually go in. The line was pretty long but if the Johnny Depp in the window was anything to go by this museum is not one to miss. So realistic it scared me- right down to the bitten nails. Eerie. So we headed back to the train station freezing our butts off in the 0 degree weather (or so it seemed). We took the half hour train ride back to Utrecht and relaxed before heading out to “the boat” which is a ‘coffee’ shop on one of the canals. Great ambience and people were just hanging out. They had games like chess and backgammon and Linda and Meagan had a truly epic game of chess before I taught Meagan how to play backgammon and then we had to leave. One bike injury later we made it back to Meagan’s. We watched a little ‘Anchorman’ before retiring.
In the morning Linda and Meagan and I went for breakfast at bagels and beans (again) before I had to get on a train to Eindhoven once again. Overall the trip was a success but another day would’ve been nice. Meagan definitely showed me as much as she could in 48 hours and it was much appreciated. So I headed back to Rome and it felt good to be back. For the first time since I arrived in Rome I slept all through the night and it was glorious.
Sorry for the overwhelming length of this entry but there was lots to tell!! Hope all is well In Canada, Holland, America, Mexico or wherever you might be reading this!! Keep those emails coming and oh!! SEND ME MAIL!! If you send some to me you will definitely get something back!! Address is:
Famiglia D’Amelio
Via Ugo Balzani 12
00162 Roma
Italia
Grazie e ciao!!