Back from Villa Borghese
January 31st 2008 15:46
The digits at the bottom-right corner of the monitor inform me that itās 15.51, and weāre already home and exhausted from the dayās sight-seeing... Out proximity to the Vatican city (of which I was reminded on that first trip into rome by an anti-abortion placard with the picture of a foetus inside a womb, btw) meant we could walk there, and we picked up a statuette of David for Aidan, as requested. I am eyeing the gorgeous glass pendants, which remind me a lot of the boiled candy I bought at Coffs Harbour, but it would have been silly to buy them at inflated prices for tourists so Iām thinking of continuing my search for the prefect glass souvenir in Napoli.
San Pietro Basilica was as opulent as I remembered it, and there is no section of the interior left undecorated, whether it be the walls, with their striking colons, the floors or the ceilings. We took lots of photos, my mum and I each eager to exercise our photography skills.
Rome is as charming as it is delapidating and polluted. There seems to be graffiti on every block, as well as the occasional statue or painting adorning otherwise undistinguished corners. I probably wonāt get used to the traffic while Iām here, and it can be more than a little intimidating to realise that a) the cars are all travelling in the "opposite" direction, and b) theyāre intent on breaking most of the traffic rules. I saw double parked cars today, and have been spotting tiny vehicles all over town, including the popular Smart car.
My parents are not my preferred travelling companions of choice, but at least theyāre paying for everything, take a lot of the responsibility for carrying things around and there are two of them, so that we are more likely to help each other out. I love travelling alone, but it can be a lot more convenient to have partners. At least my parents are annoying me less than they were yesterday... I think theyāre starting to relax, to enter āholidayā mode.
I just had some incredibly delicious cherry tomatoes, and weāre thinking of seeking out a restraunt listed in the LP guide tonight.
We didnāt get a chance to see the Modern Art Museum, but we did see the celebrated Galleria Borghese, which was incredibly beautiful. My favourite sculpture was Apollo and Daphne, in which Apollo tries to hold on to Daphne as she transforms herself into a tree. Her hair and fingers have become foliage, and there is a strip of bark running down her lower half... itās meticulously crafted, delicate and exquisite to behold. The great thing about sculpture is that it can be appreciated from any angle, and your appreciation of the piece changes as you walk around it in the room.
I had a simple and delicious lunch at the cafe at the Galleria, consisting of bread, tomatoes and mozzarella - Iām really liking the food here! The Villa Borghese complex is heart-shaped, and although we only saw a tiny section of it it was quite enticing.
My lips are relatively chapped from the cold, so Iām now wearing medicated lip gloss. Hmm, that reminds me of the wealth of products available at the Narita airport shop. We decided to try three different drinks and green tea sweets encased in chocolate. The last product was beautifully packaged and called āMeltykissā, which I thought was adorable.
We spent a night just outside Narita Airport (you need to catch the train to actually go to Narita itself), so besides watching Japanese TV and being served by a few local employees I didnāt feel like I was getting much of a Japanese experience, but you canāt have everything. I did notice that the sentries at the gates to the airport which our shuttle went through were wearing what looked like shower caps over their hats, presumably so they wouldnāt get wet in the rain (and a rainy day it was).
Iām situated just off the main lobby of the Best Western, and so it can get a bit noisy, but noises arenāt distracting as they were yesterday, when I was really tired.
Iāve been wondering which seems more natural to me, the staccato of Italian or the more fluid sounds of English, and of course I realise that I shouldnāt be trying to identify one as more appropriate than the other - both have their advantages and disadvantages, and Iām lucky that I get to sample (and sometimes participate in) both. Japanese also makes use of the same cut-up syllables, though Italian is more melodically rendered.
My mum is enchanted by Roma and has expressed a wish to move here if she can find a job. I donāt think Iād mind living here too much, at least for a while. It worries me that homosexuality in Roma is not very visible, and religious signs are. Also, everything is so small (though artful - one of my favourite things to photograph here is shop displays and set-outs). There are other reasons I would probably get irritated by Italia, but I donāt want to meditate upon them right now.
Tonight weāre thinking of going to a Time Elevator screening, a 3D film experience which goes through Romaās principal attractions.
Tomorrow weāre actually going to be using our car (which has been sitting idle and accumulating parking fees) to drive down to Napoli... Iām looking forward to getting a feel for the city, despite its seediness and the current garbage clearance problem. Due to the fumes from burnt garbage we wonāt be sleeping in the city but in Sorrento, a short drive away. The plan is to dedicate a few days to Napoli, see Pompeii and Herculaneum (I donāt know its Italian name yet), then hit the Amalfi Coast. My mum pointed out that no one she knew has been there, and that goes for me as well.
What else? The weather is a bit warmer today than it was yesterday, and while it rained for a little while it quickly receded. We barely got a drop on us as we went inside. The Galleria Borghese was the most impressive sight yet, perhaps because weād been to almost everything else (the only new site we came across yesterday was the Flower Market). If we have the energy tonight we might circle the Colosseo, and drive through other scenic parts of the city. Right now weāre getting some Rest & Recouperation, but our room is so hot that I almost immediately opted for the cooler internet space. Besides, I have things to say, people to write to... everything that comes with being a writer and having a very busy e-social life!
Speaking of which, itās time to tend to my email account...
CIAO for now,
Epiphanie (your friendly neighbourhood postmodernist)
San Pietro Basilica was as opulent as I remembered it, and there is no section of the interior left undecorated, whether it be the walls, with their striking colons, the floors or the ceilings. We took lots of photos, my mum and I each eager to exercise our photography skills.
Rome is as charming as it is delapidating and polluted. There seems to be graffiti on every block, as well as the occasional statue or painting adorning otherwise undistinguished corners. I probably wonāt get used to the traffic while Iām here, and it can be more than a little intimidating to realise that a) the cars are all travelling in the "opposite" direction, and b) theyāre intent on breaking most of the traffic rules. I saw double parked cars today, and have been spotting tiny vehicles all over town, including the popular Smart car.
My parents are not my preferred travelling companions of choice, but at least theyāre paying for everything, take a lot of the responsibility for carrying things around and there are two of them, so that we are more likely to help each other out. I love travelling alone, but it can be a lot more convenient to have partners. At least my parents are annoying me less than they were yesterday... I think theyāre starting to relax, to enter āholidayā mode.
I just had some incredibly delicious cherry tomatoes, and weāre thinking of seeking out a restraunt listed in the LP guide tonight.
We didnāt get a chance to see the Modern Art Museum, but we did see the celebrated Galleria Borghese, which was incredibly beautiful. My favourite sculpture was Apollo and Daphne, in which Apollo tries to hold on to Daphne as she transforms herself into a tree. Her hair and fingers have become foliage, and there is a strip of bark running down her lower half... itās meticulously crafted, delicate and exquisite to behold. The great thing about sculpture is that it can be appreciated from any angle, and your appreciation of the piece changes as you walk around it in the room.
I had a simple and delicious lunch at the cafe at the Galleria, consisting of bread, tomatoes and mozzarella - Iām really liking the food here! The Villa Borghese complex is heart-shaped, and although we only saw a tiny section of it it was quite enticing.
My lips are relatively chapped from the cold, so Iām now wearing medicated lip gloss. Hmm, that reminds me of the wealth of products available at the Narita airport shop. We decided to try three different drinks and green tea sweets encased in chocolate. The last product was beautifully packaged and called āMeltykissā, which I thought was adorable.
We spent a night just outside Narita Airport (you need to catch the train to actually go to Narita itself), so besides watching Japanese TV and being served by a few local employees I didnāt feel like I was getting much of a Japanese experience, but you canāt have everything. I did notice that the sentries at the gates to the airport which our shuttle went through were wearing what looked like shower caps over their hats, presumably so they wouldnāt get wet in the rain (and a rainy day it was).
Iām situated just off the main lobby of the Best Western, and so it can get a bit noisy, but noises arenāt distracting as they were yesterday, when I was really tired.
Iāve been wondering which seems more natural to me, the staccato of Italian or the more fluid sounds of English, and of course I realise that I shouldnāt be trying to identify one as more appropriate than the other - both have their advantages and disadvantages, and Iām lucky that I get to sample (and sometimes participate in) both. Japanese also makes use of the same cut-up syllables, though Italian is more melodically rendered.
My mum is enchanted by Roma and has expressed a wish to move here if she can find a job. I donāt think Iād mind living here too much, at least for a while. It worries me that homosexuality in Roma is not very visible, and religious signs are. Also, everything is so small (though artful - one of my favourite things to photograph here is shop displays and set-outs). There are other reasons I would probably get irritated by Italia, but I donāt want to meditate upon them right now.
Tonight weāre thinking of going to a Time Elevator screening, a 3D film experience which goes through Romaās principal attractions.
Tomorrow weāre actually going to be using our car (which has been sitting idle and accumulating parking fees) to drive down to Napoli... Iām looking forward to getting a feel for the city, despite its seediness and the current garbage clearance problem. Due to the fumes from burnt garbage we wonāt be sleeping in the city but in Sorrento, a short drive away. The plan is to dedicate a few days to Napoli, see Pompeii and Herculaneum (I donāt know its Italian name yet), then hit the Amalfi Coast. My mum pointed out that no one she knew has been there, and that goes for me as well.
What else? The weather is a bit warmer today than it was yesterday, and while it rained for a little while it quickly receded. We barely got a drop on us as we went inside. The Galleria Borghese was the most impressive sight yet, perhaps because weād been to almost everything else (the only new site we came across yesterday was the Flower Market). If we have the energy tonight we might circle the Colosseo, and drive through other scenic parts of the city. Right now weāre getting some Rest & Recouperation, but our room is so hot that I almost immediately opted for the cooler internet space. Besides, I have things to say, people to write to... everything that comes with being a writer and having a very busy e-social life!
Speaking of which, itās time to tend to my email account...
CIAO for now,
Epiphanie (your friendly neighbourhood postmodernist)
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