The Vatican is as impressive as it is small. With treasures rivaling that of the Louvre, it's collection of riches and historical artifacts are priceless. I really enjoyed seeing the Sistine Chapel and witnessing for myself this masterpiece of Michaelangelo himself. Recent restoration has made the frescoes in the Chapel as colorful and bright as the day they were painted. Saint Peter's Basilica is one of the most impressive and the largest Church I have ever seen in my life. The massive size is astounding and humbling, while the amazing detail and priceless decoration are overwhelming. We were able to see the Pope give a short sermon from his apartment window on Sunday and received his blessing in English.

Labels: Travel, World Tour

On the next to last day in Rome we went to see Mussolini's E.U.R. the ideal Fascist city full of grey buildings with few windows and massive columns and doors. It felt very militaristic and of course very Fascist. We had come to try and see a Museum full of scale models of ancient and modern Rome, but unfortunately all the museum's seemed to close at noon for some reason. As we headed back toward the Metro we saw hundreds of thousands of Birds all collecting in the air above a lakeside wooded area. As we got closer we stood in wonder as we watched all the bird flying in synchronization with each other and eventually coming to rest in the trees. we watched for about thirty minutes until seemingly all the birds in Rome had come to rest in the small area. As more and more came and congregated in the trees, the sound grew from a whisper-like rush to a waterfall-like roar. It was an amazing sight.

Labels: Travel, World Tour

Rome is amazing city with the unique ability to take you back in time to the days of ancient Rome. Seeing the Colosseum, Forum Pantheon and other Ancient structures was surreal and breathtaking. I was very surprised at how relatively new the Ancient structures looked and how well preserved or restored many of the places were. It was such a great experience to see and be in places I had studied in school and read about in the Bible - it really made history come alive.
I really liked seeing how modern Rome exist side by side with ancient Rome and there is an great appreciation, respect and protection of the historical sites. One of the weirdest thing I have seen in my life I saw in Rome. Near the Spanish Steps me and Isaac went to visit a seemingly normal church, but with a crypt decorated from the bones of hundreds of monks. The bones are used for wall and ceiling decoration as well as archways for the more distinguished monks skeletons. If you are in Rome and have the time I recommend a visit as it is a sight you will not soon forget.

Labels: Travel, World Tour

Venice is a beautiful city. It was everything I thought it would be and more. We spent three days exploring the many small streets and bridges as well as the canals. We also visited Murano, the island where Venetian glass is made; and the Cemetery island covered with graves of Venetians. I really enjoyed riding throughout the Canals on the water taxi and seeing how everything was worked out with only walking and boating as transport.

We were lucky enough to arrive at the beginning of Venice's Carnival Celebrations and got to see a beauty pageant, some band performances, a play, and some amazing costumes. I really enjoyed the beautiful and peaceful canals, unique culture, transportation and people of Venice

Labels: Travel, World Tour

The city of Michelangelo's David. Florence was a very pleasant city rich in history, art, and florentine pride. In case you didn't know it is also home to Michelangelo's David and I would guess that there is at least one store on every street with the name David in the title. I really enjoyed walking around the city and seeing it's beautiful white, green and pink marbled Duomo, complete with the third largest dome in Europe, as well the unique bridge called Ponte Vecchio full of Jewelry stores from end to end. While there I saw many famous sculptures or replicas of famous sculptures and also enjoyed a couple hours of looking and learning in the Science museum full of one of a kind antique instruments for astrological measurements and viewing including a jar with the finger of Galileo himself!

Labels: Travel, World Tour

For a town that is known worldwide because of a mediocre engineering feet made famous by a geographical mishap, Pisa is a colorful city that is pleasant to visit for a half a day, but didn't seem to have any thing that would make one want to stay much longer. That being said, the leaning tower is a sight to behold, and worth a day trip.

Labels: Travel, World Tour

Paradise.
Cinque Terre is a series of five small colorful towns set along the hills of the Italian Riviera and one of the most beautiful places I have been in my life. It was so refreshing and relaxing to visit these laid back villages where the people are friendly, the food is good and the wine is even better! To our surprise and excitement we were welcomed to Cinque Terre with a free upgrade from our booked 6 bed hostel to a two bed apartment complete with a living room, full size bathroom, and kitchen! We celebrated the occasion by inviting some new friends over and cooking some delicious Pesto pasta for dinner. The pace here is so slow it is not hard to lose track of time all together and forget about the "real" world. While here we hiked the national park trail that connects all five villages of Cinque Terre National Park and were rewarded with amazing views and the extraordinary beauty of this section of the Mediterranean coast. If there is one place I will be sure to visit again sooner or later it will be Cinque Terre.

Labels: Travel, World Tour

We arrived in Nice at sunset, and left on the train shortly after sunrise. During our brief time there we visited the old town area filled with many fun restaurants and bars, and walked for a bit on the sand-less pebble beaches. Nice seemed like it would be a nice place to visit in the summer months for sure.

Labels: Travel, World Tour

Barcelona is lively and fun city with people and an atmosphere as unique as it's architecture. If you have never heard of the famous Spanish architect known simply as Gaudi I highly recommend doing a little google searching to read up this interesting man, and to view some of his beautifully strange designs. The main street in Barcelona, called Las Ramblas has a pedestrian thoroughfare about thirty feet across that extends from the heart of the city all the way to the docks on the Mediterranean. I really enjoyed seeing the unique architecture, strolling down down Las Rambles both day and night, and also seeing the Mediterranean for the first time in my life! I am not a big fan of cities for the most part, but as far as cities do go, I really liked the look, feel, atmosphere and layout of Barcelona.

Labels: Travel, World Tour

Granada is home to the Sierra Nevada Mountain range(yes same name as the ones in the states) and the famous Alhambra Palace. It is said that if you have died without seeing the Alhambra, you have not lived. While the Moor built palace was worth the visit (although similar to the free student admission Royal Alcarzar Palace in Seville) I think the saying is a little over the top. I did really enjoyed seeing the amazing detail and craftsmanship that went into this exquisite palace while at the same getting a glimpse of the Moorish architecture more common in Morocco and parts of the middle east. Granada is a beautiful place with a laid back atmosphere and free Tapas with the purchase of any $2.00 drink at the bar. As our last small town stop in Spain before heading to Barcelona, Granada was a great place to relax and meet some cool people and seems like it would be a great place to live with a similar charm to that of Seville.

Labels: Travel, World Tour

On Sunday afternoon as we were resting and researching for our next week of travel, we heard a band playing in the streets and decided to go investigate. As it turned out, the band was making a lap around the town to draw a crowd and then ended up at a small church where locals, tourists and even news crews complete with video and film cameras were waiting for something to apparently come out of the church. After waiting for about ten minutes the church doors opened and slowly, but surely a small procession of people came out followed by a float with a very young virgin saint depicted on it. The float was carried by children between the ages of five to fifteen by my estimation, and rested atop their heads as they methodically and ever so slightly swayed side to side while moving forward in rhythm with the band who had started playing again and was following the processional. We followed the ceremony for a little while all the while in wonder why there would be such fanfare and a seemingly worshipful ceremony on the Lord's day for someone other than the Lord. upon returning to the hostel, we were told that the ceremony was a practice for one of the many ceremonies held in Seville during their easter celebrations. We were also assured that on easter at least one of the many floats would actually have Jesus on it which was comforting since the purpose of easter in mind is to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His free gift of salvation to those who accept it.

3-14-07 Ceremony in Seville Update!
I found out from my friend Isaac, that the ceremony in Seville I had thought was honoring a virgin saint was actually honoring Jesus. The statue that looked like a little girl to me is actually supposed to resemble a vision of Jesus that was seen in Prague at some pint and is very celebrated. I may be relaying these wrong, so feel free (especially Isaac) to correct any mistakes. None the less I was grateful to find out that all the festivities were in honour of Jesus instead of a small girl saint as I had first believed.

Labels: Travel, World Tour