Bonjourno!--Day 4

11 May 2010
Rome, Italy
via Memphis, TN--USA!
Piazza Barberini, Piazza Repubblica, Trastevere (with pharmacy!)

Our last day in Rome was a pretty chill day. We started off with a metro ride to Piazza Barberini. There isn't really much to this Piazza, but there is an excellent pizza place in the square. We decided to file it away for later.




From there, we walked to the Piazza Repubblica. We tried to visit the Diocletian Baths, but they appeared to be closed, much to my dismay.






Santa Maria degli Angeli church where Galileo proposed his theory of the sun as the center of the universe. You can see the stained glass dome with the planets here.






Church of Santa Maria Maggiore where Barberini is buried.









After this, we tried to find the Opera House, but got lost. Instead, we wandered across a cheap grocery store and picked up some stuff for later. From there, we headed back to Piazza Barberini to lunch at the pizza place we'd seen. It was very tasty! I <3 mozzarella and tomato pizza. Yum!



Then we hopped back on the metro to our hotel to drop off our things. We hung out for awhile reading some books and resting. Then I decided we should really do something constructive with our last day in Rome. I consulted the guidebook which indicated a church with a pharmacy attached in the Trastevere district!

Naturally, we headed out that way. The desk girl at our hotel also suggested some places to visit while we were there. This is her favorite area of Rome. We visited the church, but the pharmacy did not open again until late afternoon. We visted another church then decided we needed some gelato. We searched for one that the desk girl had told us about but were never able to find it.

Eventually, we headed back to the square of the church we had visited second and got some gelato at Blue Ice. I believe that of the chain gelato places, this one is the best. We sat by the fountain and ate gelato.






Then we went back by the pharmacy of the church. It was really pretty and decorated with stained glass and paintings of different medicinal plants.










From there, we decided we would head back to the place we had eaten dinner the day before. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and got our things ready to head out the next morning for the airport and the flight home.

YAYYYYYY!

12 May 2010
Memphis, TN
post-12 hours of flight time with a 5 hour layover and a 1 hour detainment on the airplane while we awaited our turn at the runway secondary to rerouting of all aircraft into the airspace over Greenland due to volcanic ash.


God Bless America. I am home to Tennessee and Memphis and my kitty. Amen. Goodnight!

Bonjourno!--Day 3

10 May 2010
Rome, Italy
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican Museum (Sistine Chapel), Catacombes, San Giovanni church, Palace of the Holy Steps

Today was less full then yesterday, but still a lot of walking.











We started the morning off with a trip to St. Peter's Basilica where we marveled at the architecture and saints and whatnot.

From there, we got in the long line to the Vatican Museum. where we wandered through Raphael's works until we got to the Sistine Chapel. There were no photographs allowed in there, and it probably wouldn't have come out too well if there had been--as the lighting is very dark in the Sistine Chapel.

After the Vatican Museum, we stopped off for some tasty salads at a place called L'insalata Ricca.






Then we headed off in search of the best gelato ever. We finally found the place, but they didn't have blackberry gelato today =/ However, I do still believe that they serve the best gelato of all. Very fruity and strong flavors. Yum!

After this, we trekked across Rome to San Giovanni Square to catch a bus to the Catacombes. We originally intended to see the San Domotilla Catacombes, but somehow we managed to get on a very crazy bus which wasn't very clearly marked. Anyhow, we wound up going nearly back to where we started before we got off the bus at San Castillo Catacombes instead. We actually met some people from Pennsylvania who also had the same misfortune, so that was a nice break.

We took an English tour through the San Castillo Catacombes. This was very interesting. Alas, no photographs were allowed here either. For the record, catacombes are kinda creepy. The one we went to is actually the most important in Rome, as it holds 14 or 16 popes...I can't recall now exactly. Nine of them are in the first tomb that you enter when you go into the catacombes. St. Cecilia is also buried here. She was beheaded for her belief in the one true God and the trinity. Her actual tomb is now located elsewhere, but a replica remains in its place. The tour was pretty neat. We actually passed a group who was holding a mass, which is an option to do at the end of the tour. There are a few little rooms which serve as chapels, just as they used to when the catacombes were used by the Christians.

After the catacombes, we hopped back on the crazy bus to San Giovanni Square where we had begun our trip. We went into the San Giovanni Church which was also very beautiful. It holds the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul encased in gold statues. This is actually the current pope's own church where he takes mass on holidays and special occasions.







Across the street from the San Giovanni Church is the Palace of the Holy Steps. Inside are four staircases--one of which is said to be the steps that Christ climbed to stand before Pontius Pilate. These steps were supposedly brought by Constantine's mother to Rome and have been in this place since 1589, according to my guidebook. This may or may not be true, as there is some debate on the age of these steps. Something interesting though is that you can only climb the steps on your knees, as many people were doing when we went to visit. They are also now covered in wood for the purpose of preservation. Josh and I took one of the other sets of stairs up.

After this, we stopped off for a fika near the San Giovanni Square to get out of the rain which had started while we were in the church. We eventually made our way to a metro stop (have I mentioned how terrible the Rome Metro is???) and hopped off at a place near our hotel. We ate a tasty dinner. I had four cheese pizza, and Josh had prosciutto tortellini.

Then we headed back to the hotel because we are beat. Tomorrow is our last day in Rome (we hope). This could be just the beginning of our new lives in Rome, as there may be some volcanic activity. Keep your fingers crossed that our flight on Wednesday gets us back to Memphis!

Oh, and does anyone want to pick us up from the airport??? Wednesday at 5:10pm...assuming all goes well with this volcano business =/

Bonjourno!--Day 2

9 May 2010
Rome, Italy
Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Colosseum, Circo Massimo, Vittorio Emmanuelle, Spanish Steps, & Villa Borghese, Piazza del Popollo

As from the title of today's blog, you can tell that it was a long day filled with a lot of walking. We started off by heading through the Teatro Marcello, after which the Colosseum was modeled.







From there, we headed through the Campodoglio with its equestrian replica statue once thought to be Constantine.












From the Campodoglio, we made our way through the Roman Forum. The picture I feature here is me in the center of the Roman Empire! This round colum to my right, your left, is the Umbilicus Urbis, which is noted on the plaque there.




From there, we climbed up Palatine Hill, saw Augustus's house (pretty, but not worth the unfortunately long line). We also saw the Palatine Museum which I didn't find that enthralling either...

Note: this photo is not his house. This actually just a pretty picture that could be taken on top of Palatine Hill. The house wasn't really photographable bc it was dark and no flash could be used because of the frescoes inside.

After this, we ate lunch at a small restaurant. I had a caprese salad (yum!). We also had the standard pizza and pasta.








Lunch gave us the energy to head to the Colosseum. We climbed to the upper level and took some photos.








From the Colosseum, we walked to Circo Massimo where chariot races were once held. There is actually a blood drive going on there now, so it's not the best for photographing, but nonetheless... En route, we passed by a couple having wedding photos taken outside the Colosseum--pretty sweet.




Then we swung around the Forum and Palatine Hill for a change of scnerey and decided to climb the steps to the Vittorio Emmanuelle--122 by Josh's count. From there, we did a bit of walking around inside the monument--which is ENORMOUS.




After Vittorio Emmanuelle, we climbed the Spanish Steps which were very crowded. Then we got lost for awhile looking for the Villa Borghese--a large park that's really more to the left behind the Spanish Steps than it appears on the map...








We walked through the park to the Piazza del Popollo, which would have been really beautiful, had there not been some sort of concert-thing going on there.


Then we headed back to the hotel, stopping off to eat dinner at a little place called Trattoria Romolo, I believe. We just had pizza there. Mine was vegetable pizza, and Josh's had ham AND half of a boiled egg on it...

Bonjourno!--Day 1

8 May 2010
Rome, Italy
Piazza Navona, Pantheon, & Trevi Fountain

We arrived in Italy around 9:30am. We waited for a long time at the baggage claim. Then we got on the train to Termini Station. From Termini Station, we walked forever to the metro station. A word to the wise, get an airport shuttle that will take you to your hotel. It's not worth walking through the metro station. Good grief! It's the worst metro ever...I'm surprised that anyone at all even uses it. Anyhow, we finally made it onto the metro and out at the Ottaviano stop. Then we walked forever to get to our hotel. This was honestly around 11:45 or 12:00 by this time.

We left our things and headed down the street to get some lunch. We ate at a little Italian place close to our hotel.

We started off with fried stuffed olives. They were interesting and pretty good. I think they might have been stuffed with sausage actually.




Then Josh and I each got some pasta.





When we got back to the hotel, it took a bit before our room was ready. Once it was, we crashed for a few hours. Then we got up and headed out to see a little bit of Rome for the evening.

We walked from our hotel and wound up in the Piazza Navona. The main fountain in the middle symbolizes the four greatest rivers in the world. We stepped inside the church there as well, where there was a choir singing. There are also two other fountains--one of the Moors, and one of Neptune.




From here, we took a side exit and came across the best gelateria ever. They had blackberry gelato! Everything since hasn't seemed worth buying... If you go to Italy, find some blackberry gelato and get lemon with it. It's AMAZING. Lemon gelato is so good with everything, actually. It's not too lemony, just right. We're going to try to find this place again, and I'm going to get the biggest serving I can...hopefully tomorrow =)


We then made it to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is sadly undergoing some touch up work in front, so I tried to crop that part out, but not very successfully.





We walked around for awhile longer, passing by Largo Argentina.









We also stopped by Vittorio Emmanuelle monument which was built in honor of the first king of Rome. It also holds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.






We got dinner at a little side cafe that sold pizza. We walked through the Trevi Fountain area as well.





Then we took the scenic route home for the evening, going by the Castel San Angelo and a few of the pretty bridges that put us back on the side of the Tiber River where our hotel is located.





We also had a nice view of St. Peter's Basilica from the bridge we took back to the hotel.

Ole!--Day 3

7 May 2010
Madrid, Spain
via Rome Italy (9 May 2010)

Our last day in Spain started out well. We went to one of my favorite parts of the trip--the Traje Museum. This was a costume museum which showed a lot of clothing that was worn throughout the history of Spain. I LOVED this museum. We got in free somehow, so Josh didn't hate it. He was a good sport.

Then we went to West Park and took the teleferico across Casa de Campo. This is a cable car ride that takes about 13 minutes to travel across the park and a river. This was really very cool, and thankfully Josh refrained from rocking our cable car. I've discovered that I'm somewhat afraid of heights...but if I keep my mind off of it, I can manage. Obviously, rocking the cable car would have been a clear indication that we were awaiting death. Thus, I talked him out of it.

Then we headed to the Templo Debod which is a temple that was sent to Spain from Egypt and reconstructed on the edge of West Park near Plaza de Espana. This was really very neat (and free!). You can go inside the temple, even up to the second floor. There are even Egyptian drawings. There are two or three doorways assembled in front of the temple as well. A pool of water surround these doorways.

Next, we went to lunch at a place called canas y tapas. We decided to go for tapas, since we'd discovered they were so tasty the night before. We had paella for our first course. I actually ate octopus tentacles and squid tentacles too. I tried not to think about it while I was actually eating it, so it really was pretty good. Paella is a rice with vegetables and seafood such as squid and octopus. For the next course, I had swordfish. Josh had veal. At some point after this, a homeless man wandered into the restaurant. He was talking to me and Josh and somehow managed to distract me. He put a paper on the table and was talking to me in Spanish, and I didn't understand him of course. That sneaky little homeless man stole my camera! Sadly, I didn't notice it until at least 20 minutes later when we were getting ready to leave. This was probably the most distressing point of my trip, and definitely the day. However, I decided that at it was better than having my debit card OR my passport stolen. Also, sadly, I can't share with you any of the amazing photos from that morning.

After this, Josh and I went to Retiro Park where we sought out the Crystal Palace. This is a structure made mostly of glass that overlooks a small pond filled with koi fish. It's really pretty. We visited during a cloudy day, but it would have been even more beautiful in the sunshine.





























Then we went to Las Ventas to pick up our bullfighting tickets. From there, we headed back to Silvia's to rest for awhile before going to the bullfight.

The day got a lot prettier when we headed back to Las Ventas. We had seats in the upper level, which is really closer to the center of the stadium than the upper level of Neyland. We had really good seats. Bullfighting is pretty intersting--and controversial, even in Spain.



The fight begins by letting the bull into the ring. Then several guys wave pink capes around to anger the bull.







Next, a few guys on horses come in. There is a special name for them, but I can't really remember. The bull doesn't care much for the horse, so he attacks the horse. The horse is not hurt, thankfully. I was really worried about this at first, but the horses are protected by thick blankets that they wear. The horses are also wearing blinders so they have no idea what is going on. The guy riding the horse then uses a spear to get the bull away from the horse. This weakens the bull.


Next three guys with speared sticks come out. They each get a chance to poke two sticks in the bull's back. These sticks actually remain attached to the bull.

Then it's the matador's turn. He brings out the famous red cloth and taunts the bull for a bit. The people in the stadium seemed to know when a matador was good. They cheered and stood up selectively. Josh and I weren't really sure.





Then the matador eventually kills the bull with a sword that he carries. The bull is then dragged away by a team of horses, and the next fight commences. We saw four bullfights before it got cold.

We headed back to the apartment to wait for Silvia who had gone out with a friend. We went to dinner at the same place as the night before, so I can share pictures with you in reenactment of the previous night's deliciousness =)

Once we got back to the apartment, we caught a few hours' sleep before getting up at 4:00am to catch a taxi to the airport. Avoid this at all costs, seriously. We have to do it again for our flight home, and I'm not looking forward to it at all =/

Ole!--Day 2

6 May 2010
Madrid, Spain
via Rome, Italy (8 May 2010)

Our second day in Madrid was our first official day of sightseeing. We tried to go by my guidebook, but the Madrid guidebook I have is not really so awesome. Instead, we wound up wandering around for awhile.

We started off with a visit to the Plaza Cibelles which is just beautiful. There is a giant post office here (sadly blocked off for construction).







There is also a really pretty Bank at this metro stop.

Then we headed down the street to the Prado Museum. We decided to come back later to see it during the free hours of 6pm-8pm, as we're not really the biggest fans of art--especially when we don't really know much about any of the paintings there.



Instead, we enjoyed a walk through the Botanical Gardens. These were really quite lovely, and I'd definitely recommend seeing them if you're in Madrid.



Next, we headed to Puerta del Sol which is the center of Madrid. There is a neat neon sign here.







There is also a building which chimes for the New Year. I missed the bear and strawberry tree statue, somehow. The bear and strawberry tree are the symbol of Madrid. I also missed the 0 kilometer mark which I was really excited about =/




From here, we headed on to Plaza Mayor.







After this point, we got a little lost. But we wandered across a 110 year old pharmacy. It's like we're drawn to them....






We also stumbled across the Museum of Ham which is actually a chain of restaurants. Josh teared up a bit when he saw it...






Eventually, we found ourselves at the entrance to a very expansive park. This turned out to be Campo de Moro. You can see the view of the palace from the entrance to the park there.










The park even had peacocks! And they were so used to people that they would come right up to u







This coincidentally led us to the Royal Palace which was BEAUTIFUL. My favorite room was the Gasparini room. Absolutely beautiful. The Spanish really have a talent for tasteful palace decorating, in my opinion. They also had exquisite lampposts. I <3 lampposts.





There was even a palace pharmacy! Pictures weren't supposed to be taken, so I snuck this one in. The whole place was really neat. I think it was about 7 rooms in all, and so cool! This is a photo of the distilling room.






This is the Plaza de Espana where there is a very lovely fountain and little park.














Before heading back to Silivia's, we decided to squeeze in one last sight. We headed to Las Ventas which is the bullfighting stadium. The place is just beautiful. AND we found out that we could get tickets in the upper level for about 5 euros! We decided to take in a bullfight the next evening.

Then we headed back to Silvia's for dinner. We went to a taberna (tavern) around the corner from her apartment where we had our first experience with tostas (or toasts). If you go to Spain, you've really gotta find a place that serves tostas! I'd show you pictures, but these are some that were on my camera that got stolen which I had not yet uploaded =/ I had a tosta with brie, onions, and peppers. Josh had solomillo with potatos and mustard as well as bread with tomato on it. His was actually a meal, but the tomato was the tostas part. Solomillo is special Spanish serloin, and it is quite delcious.