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!!

Arte del Etruschi e Santa Maria degli Angeli

Okay I know I'm a little late on publishing this post but here it is, another one on the way about Holland.
Friday January 23, 2009
Well today I went to Il Palazzo delle Esposizione di Roma. It is a fabulous museo which is currently showing a FABULOUS exhibit on Arte del Etruschi- Etruscan Art. I went thinking it would be typical Etruscan art but what I didn’t think about was the Greek influence on the people from the north.
The Etruscans had a huge influence on Roman art and architecture but were eventually completed assimilated into Roman culture during the Roman Republic. We begin to date characteristically Etruscan art from around 800BC- the exhibit had pieces that dated back to the iron age and archaic period. The exhibit showcased pieces from this period and they included kouros (male figures) and kore (female figures). The sizes of these range from three inches tall to one and a half metres. The ones they had at the exhibit were characteristically Greek. The 8th century BC was when the Etruscans began to trade with the Greeks and so many Greek oinochoai and amphorae were found at certain sites in the north of Italy in the eastern Po river valley. The modern region of Tuscany in Italy is named after Tusci or Etruschi –the Etruscans who were the first major civilization in the area. So enough of a history lesson I suppose but I just wanted to emphasize how exciting this exhibit was for me! The Romans wiped out a lot of the Etruscan history and so it was exciting to see all the sculpture and practical pieces that had been found.
All the Greek vases etc were a huge bonus. Well preserved, red on black painting with astounding intricacy. I wish I could’ve taken some photos to show you the precision taken in the painting and etching. I have studied all of this stuff for three years now and to see something that is nearly 3000 years old is an transcending experience of some kind!!! So enough of my dorkyness. What else did I do?
I went to the minor basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. It is located in the Piazza del Repubblica which has a magnificent fountain in the centre of it.. It was built using the walls of the ancient baths of Diocletian (a muchos unpopular and intolerant Roman emperor). Michelangelo Buonarroti (yes THE Michelangelo!) worked on this church for three years in the 16th century. It is kinda funny because the church is not of traditional architecture nor does the art and architecture follow a decided theme. Nonetheless it is beautiful and inside they have posterboards with info on Galileo… not sure why here but interesting nonetheless.
Then I went to the supermarket and bought cereal, cheese and chocolate for my lunch. Yes this is how I eat in Rome.
Oh and the next day I went to the Trevi Fountain... it started pouring rain though so it was not a pleasant experience. I will go again when its sunny.
Pictures follow, Ciao miei amici!!

Il Centro e San Giovanni in Laterano

Tuesday January 20, 2009
Today I woke up and it was a beautiful sunny day outside! I drank my coffee while I got dressed for the day. I was trying to decide where to go. I decided on the church of St. John the Lateran or San Giovanni in Laterano. It is the oldest catholic church in Rome and the original was built by Constantine. It is one of the four most important basilicas in Rome. The inside is insanely ornate and matches the outside which is decorated with statues on the roof and decorative Corinthian columns forming the portico. Inside at the transept is the altar canopy above the papal chair. It is covered in gold. The main nave is lined with fabulous classical style sculptures of many saints. Saints Peter and Paul are of course the closest to the apse as they are the Roman patron saints and hold keys and a gospel respectively. The apse is large with your basic Jesus and his apostles mosaic. I spent about 45 minutes there then left to make my way to il Colloseo.
Turns out I went down the wrong street (I blame the Roman signage). I got out my guidebook (complete with maps- Thanks Chris!) which I usually try not to do in public so as to avoid looking like a tourist. Just as I was leaning down to get the book out of my backpack a man stops and says something to me in Italian. I reply “non parlano italiano,” which I say a lot in one day! So he speaks to me in broken English. He asked where I was trying to go and I told him “il Colosseo.” He says he knows how to get there but it is important for me to be able to find my own way with the map. I do so and he tells me good job and that he will take me there. So we walk together with his two dogs. He tells me about himself as we enter Via Domus Aurea- a little parco with rosebushes and 2000 year old ruins, no big deal. At this point I could see il Colosseo but I was in no hurry. This man told me more of the history of Rome: about the monastery on the opposite hill. We were on the Esquilino. The monastery is Irish which warms my heart. He gave me helpful advice on many topics and he said no matter how badly I speak italiano, I must try to speak Italian when possible. He told me he has a friend my age and told me all about her. He said if I message him on facebook (of course facebook would come up in a random conversation with a stranger in Italy) he would give me her email address and introduce us. This guy isn’t a creep, I can tell. He is 55 he says. He has a good heart. If I met him in Vancouver I think it would be at the Jericho beach youth hostel. He would be the guy sitting at the bonfire on the beach playing guitar and telling stories. Trying to communicate with him was a simple pleasure in my day. So we said “Arrivederci!” and go our separate ways.
I walked down to il Colloseo but it was very busy so I didn’t go inside. Naturally I was surrounded by Roman centurion soldiers, ticket sellers and souvenir peddlers. I snapped a few shots of the 1900 year old structure before taking some of l’arco di Constantino then heading home.
So today was the first that I used Roman transit and all by myself at that. By my “tube” ride home I was showing another tourist how to use the ticket machines!!! I think I navigated the system rather well and I think that perhaps I am meant to be a tourist in foreign cities. So as I am writing this I am sitting in my new favorite (next to Starbucks of course which they don’t have anywhere in Italy) café and bar in Piazza di Bologna. I am having a chicken panino and a cappuccino; the cappuccino here is a new daily habit. So there is the epic story of my first sightseeing day on my own! And it was great. Ciao for now!
Lots of love, Kate







Sun January 18, 2009
Well today I went with the family down to il centro which is the equivalent of downtown. It was so busy with all the tourists etc. Many cool monuments were seen though!! On our drive down, Stefano stopped the car at the tomb of Augustus. We didn’t go inside but I looked through the glass and it looked cool. Perhaps I will go another day. We first went to the Piazza del Popolo which has an overwhelming presence! One enters the piazza through a large ancient aquaduct and immediately is confronted by a massive, 3000+ year old obelisk (these are all over Rome) in the centre of the square and on the far side are two churches that are identical in the exterior appearance. The insides however are different; one of the two houses two Caravaggio paintings while the other houses a large nativity scene until the end of January.
Then we walked over to the Piazza dei Spagna which leads to the Spanish steps who have been walked by so many. This square also had a nice fountain which apparently has drinkable water- Lucrezia drank it first but I still didn’t believe it was safe. We left there and walked down Via Condotti (Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Yves St Laurent, Versace etc.) which led to Via Corso (Disney store which is modeled like an ancient museum with Daffy playing Julius Caesar laurel wreath and all, Accessorize and some Italian stores).
I saw Trajan’s column on Via Corso right across from Zara (juxtaposition much?). The column is much wider than I thought from the photos I have seen. The relief carving is supposedly the best in the entire ancient Roman world and I believe it. It was fabulously intricate.
I saw the monument to the Unknown Soldier which is an interesting monument because it is massive and it doesn’t match the other monuments and buildings in Piazza Venezia where it is located. Oh and Piazza Venezia also has the balcony from which Mussolini made his famous speeches to the people but it is rather unexciting. Back to the monument: it was built by Vittorio Emmanuele and a lot of people were upset about it because it doesn’t match the rest of the city (that’s Romans for ya) and it’s very baroque- that is to say over-the-top. Ma mi piace! An ancient Roman centurion was outside asking people if they wanted photos with him for a small fee. After this monument we walked up the Capitoline hill to see il Campidoglio and a copy of the oh-so-famous equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. We climbed a large flight of stairs that led to a church that I cannot remember the name of but it was a beautiful view overlooking la citta di Roma.
I was so exhausted because it was a fair ways to walk and I was looking and taking pictures which is also tiring. So when I came home I had a nap before dinner which by the way is common- Italians have siestas like the Spanish. Oh and some weird things about Italy: people park literally in the middle of the street forcing cars to go right or left around them, cars stop wherever (often double parking) and put their hazard lights on and call it a parking spot, dogs poo on the sidewalk because there isn’t much grass around so you always have to watch the ground.

Arrivano a Roma!!

January 16, 2009

Hello all,

Well I am finally in EUROPE!!! Honestly, it’s a lifelong dream come true. The plane ride over was looooooonnnnggg and I am positive that the European airlines have smaller seats with less leg room than our airlines. I mean, I’m pretty small and I was uncomfortable. I think I got up at least twice an hour because I was so stiff. Luckily I foresaw that this might be the case (I’m not exactly good at sitting still) and got myself an aisle seat. I don’t even know what the normal-sized people on the plane felt like. Sardines no doubt. BUT one plus was that there were personal TVs in the backs of the chairs which I hear are not on all airlines so that was lucky- I would’ve been bored out of my skull and would’ve had nothing to do but sleep which I am trying not to do till I get to Rome (definitely not nearly as hard as I thought it would be).

So here I sit in the London Heathrow airport. Sooooo not as nice as the Vancouver International Terminal. When I was waiting to board my plane in Vancouver there was a manmade marsh/ stream/ aquarium right there in the middle of the airport!! And they had stage lighting on it so it was much more calming than the fluorescents that are burning my eyes over here. It’s foggy in London so we couldn’t see much flying in. I could have sworn I saw Big Ben but it may just be wishful thinking. I did see a large clock that very well could have been the landmark that litters every postcard and gift item here. London seems cool but it’s got nothing on Italy. I haven’t even gotten to Italy but I know this. London seems a lot like Vancouver to me; plus Victoria’s historical buildings. Meh. I’d have to say that so far (remember I haven’t gone farther than the airport) the coolest thing about London is the accents- makes people seem nicer I think. OH and listening to British children thrills me. I probably seem like a creeper stalking these small proper people but they are just so gosh darn cute!!

So that’s the trip so far. I will write more tomorrow after my arrival in Rome and a nice long sleep.

Ciao miei amici!!

Lots of love,

Kate

Saturday January 17, 2009

Well, I arrived in Roma yesterday. Gioia (mother) and Stefano (father) picked me up from il aeroporto at 10:30pm. The kids were asleep at home. We drove back to the house and on the way I saw the Colisseo and l’arco di Constantino. I also saw the ruins of the baths of Caracalla which were much bigger than I thought. I arrived at the house and my room had signs from the kids saying “welcome Kate” and “we hope you have a great time with us!” Very cute. So I settled into my room but I wasn’t very tired even though I hadn’t slept in 24 hours because I was too excited. I went to bed at 11:30 (Roma time) but didn’t have a great sleep.

I woke up early and met Lucrezia (Lucri) and Alessandro (Alle) before they left for scuola. They have to go to school six days a week!! The kids are all very nice and welcoming just like Gioia e Stefano at the airport. So while they were at school I went for a walk- just wandering- and bought a scarf. On the way home I wandered into a busy café (bar) in Piazza Bologna. In Italy the café’s sell liquor too and are called bars (how convenient!) I sat with my first European cappuccino (wonderful!!) which only cost €1 and read my book a little (The Host – thanks Tyrel). I met the family back at home for lunch: pasta soup and real mozzarella on the side (we call it Bocconcini but that’s wrong). It was very filling. The family can eat a lot!! I think by the end of my trip I will be able to as well. Vince- you would love the food here. It’s very fresh.

After lunch, Ale, Lucri and I went for a walk. They are very excited to finally meet me and they both talk at the same time trying to tell me about their lives, school, Rome and ask me questions about mine. They are good at English but have thick accents that are sometimes hard to understand. So we went for a walk to Mussolini’s house. It is on beautiful park grounds and the house itself is beautiful (photos enclosed). Then we walked to their school (covered in graffiti) and around and home again. It was a very long walk and I was tired so I had a little nap then woke up for dinner- Pizza!!! The pizza here doesn’t vary. It is pretty much just homemade crust (mmmm) with tomato sauce and real mozzarella. It is very delicious though.

It was Stefano’s 50^th birthday so after dinner his brother came over and we had cake. His brother has been to Canada a couple times and thinks Vancouver is the second most beautiful city in the country. Italians are very proud so Rome must be the most beautiful citta. The family is a very happy one. They love to laugh and spend time together- like mine. They make me feel very at home. They do not get stressed out though. They leave work at work and enjoy home life.

Some of you have asked about my work. Honestly, I don’t really do any. I think they just like me here to speak English with them so they can better their accents and vocab. I played Disney Scene it in English with Ale and Lucri - Christiana I know you’re jealous. I beat them but they know a lot about Disney- they love it and I am just really good at board games. They are a young 13.

That’s all for now!! Remember to keep me updated with emails

Ciao!! Lots of Love,

Kate

Before I leave...

Hey everybody,
So I thought that it would be a good idea to keep a blog while I'm in Europe so that I can fill everyone in on what's going on without having to tell everyone individually. Since I will be in various countries and doing various exciting things I think that it's a good idea to keep you all updated. My good friend, the lovely Meagan Lum has taken to blogging on her travels and I think it is a fabulous idea (thanks Megs). So here goes:

Consider this the first blog.
Well I leave in exactly ten days and I don't think it is humanly possible for anyone to be more excited than I am. I am even excited about the 16 hours (which will probably end up being much longer than that) that I am going to spend travelling to what I know will be my new favorite place in the world.

So I begin preparing for my trip today... buying the necessary things like a suitcase, voltage converters and stationary for letters. Even these dull errands seem exciting because it takes me one step closer to my European adventure.

So the itinerary looks a little something like this: I leave YVR around 8ish PM on January 15th and begin a 9hour overnight flight to Heathrow Airport in the UK. I have a 5 hour layover (enough time to find a Starbucks I hope) before I hop on another plane to arrive in Rome's Fiumicino airport. Even the airport sounds romantic and full of culture! I can't wait to try out some Italian however dreadful it may be. I will then hop in a cab (and make sure they don't rip me off since I've heard thats what cabs do to travellers) and head to the house of the de Cunto family which is located on the Via Ugo Balzani (you can google map it). Close to the family's house is a cimitero which sounds glamorous but is actually a cemetary. I feel like the Italian language is one giant euphemism. Everything sounds more wonderful than it is because of the language that came from Dante's Florence and eventually evolved from a dialect into the Italian language we know now. So back to my soon-to-be neighborhood. The underground and train station are very close which will be very helpful. As is the Universita delgi studi di Roma la Sapienza which is beautiful no doubt. I will also not be far from a small river of which I don't know the name. All is very exciting... I can't wait to spend my days walking around the ancient city I have studied for so long.

So as for my days, I will be living with the family and basically just helping them all learn English. The mother's name is Gioia and I expect we will be great friends- she seems very warm and excited to meet me. She is a biologist and her husband is an Air Force officer. Both of them have very busy lives but are excited to meet me. They have three sons- two 13 yr old twins and an 18 yr old. Alessandro and Lucrezia are the boys- Ale and Lucri for short. Basically my job is to help them with their homework and light housekeeping only four hours a day. So I will have almost the whole day to explore!! I also get pocket money which I'm hoping will allow me to not spend any of my savings while I'm in Rome (fingers crossed).

So thats basically all I can tell you until I arrive in Roma and have adventures to speak of. Clearly I will have lots to tell you but I want emails from Canada too!! So send me updates on your lives too. Oh and I have Skype so if you have a headset or a mic on your computer then we can have phone dates!!! The best email to reach me at is katerin@uvic.ca

Ciao miei amici!!!
Kate