Grecian Islands and Final Thoughts

Mykonos

Known as Mediterranean party central around the world, only to compete with Ibiza.  After a month of traveling and long days at the beach though, our energy was not sufficient enough for the head-pumping ear-deafening party scene that lasted until 8am.  So we took the time to relax on the beach and I started studying my review guides for med school! We went into town, filled with white houses and countless nameless tiny streets that wind their way through.  We had a meal on the water and watched the sun go down.  Brittany and I have basically been on a honeymoon while in Greece, so if you need any advice for you and your newlywed, give us a shout.  We’ll fill your trip with a a view of shooting stars on the beach, the best sunsets in the world, beautiful colored beaches and grottos, and an umbrella for two.

 

View from our camping site in Mykonos

The typical windmills

Med school things on the beach (in Santorini)

Gorgeous sunsets everywhere

Santorini

We got in late, but were greeted with a welcome drink on the beach.  We walked up and down the boardwalk peeking into shops that stay open late for us tourists.  Walking past restaurant after restaurant it definitely beats Knoxville in amount of dining places per square kilometer.  Guess who has finally eaten enough vegetables to make up for only pizza and pasta and Italy? Yep, that’s me.  Greek salad, Greek sandwiches, and Greek omelets, not to mention spinach pie.  I got my greenery for the month! Counteracted with the meat moussaka and fried cheese topped with honey of course.  The next day, US’s independence day, was one of my favorite days in Europe so far.  Sleeping in slightly, we barely made it in time for breakfast, but considering it was free, this certain meal was top priority.  It trumped brushing hair and almost trumped changing out of our pajamas.   We ran and were successful.   

I used to dislike the beach, unable to relax when small grains of sand were getting everywhere and I was sweating like none other.  I needed to be doing something and felt like I was wasting time. The small pebble beaches in Europe allow you to be only salty when exiting the beach, not sandy also.  Plus, I have come to appreciate lying on the beach reading a book.  The water was more salty than normal, making it easier to float and do handstands and other fun childish things.  Later that day we rented ATVs because Santorini is the perfect size and has plenty to see around the island.  I was slightly nervous, having never driven one before but Brittany was a great teacher.  Let me just say ATVs may be my new favorite motorized vehicle.  We drove along the coast, down long stretches of roads connecting the small towns.  Reaching the red beach first, we took the compulsory tourist picture, made our way to the white beach, then stopped by the ancient city of Akrotiri.  One of us drove while the other navigated and was the manual radio.  Driver got to pick the song, change the station, and the backseater would need to come up with an entertaining ditty.  Let me just say Grease, Wicked, Country, ACDC, Bryan Adams, and Whitney Houston made the list.  So we’re coasting along the beautiful Santorini, waving at other ATVers, wind in our hair, and life couldn’t get any better.  When we asked our hotel receptionist what we should do that day, he advised us to find some boys and watch the prettiest sunsets in the world. Brittany and I were good enough company (there wasn’t room enough on the ATV anyway) so we stopped at a restaurant in Oia and could literally see the sun moving down behind the horizon, with only ocean in the foreground.  Oia is known for the best sunsets in the world and I can’t wait to share that with whoever will accompany me next time I'm in Oia.  We ended our night with some live music at the hotel, a sparkler in our drink (perfect for the 4^th) and some wine on the beach.  Oh yeah, and the sky was so clear we could see shooting stars.  A perfect day in paradise. 

Brittany happy as ever on the ATV

Red Beach

Akrotiri, a 1500 BC town preserved by volcanic ash

People getting in place to watch the sunset in Oia

Oia

I can't tell you how difficult it was to take this picture.  We were racing the clock trying to get a good picture before the sun went down and our photographer had had a few too many drinks.

After a month of traveling, Brittany and I have come to realize that you can’t completely pack your days because by the end, you’ll be sick from lack of sleep, exhausted and not enjoy it.  She has been the perfect travel mate.  We love seeing the history but know when enough museums/ruins/walking tours are enough.  We like to go out at night but the MTV spring break party is not our scene.  We know when we need to get our butts out of bed to go explore but also know when our bodies need the sleep.  Both of us have our love for food and will spend a few extra euros on some good cuisine but will save money on street pizza every now and then.  I would love to travel with her again and hope I get another chance. 

Crete

After hours of traveling we arrived in Crete, the largest of the Grecian islands.  We planned to hike the Samarian Gorge the next day so without planning, we woke up attempting to impulsively do a full day hike.  We missed the bus and looked at our options.  Turns out that was a beneficial mistake we made because we ended up paying for an excursion with a guide for the following day.  After figuring all that stuff out, we googled some info about Chania (the city in Crete) and did our own self guided walking tour.  As we walked out onto a large piece of land connecting one of the oldest lighthouses in Crete to the main part of the island, we started hearing loud chanting.  We sat on the land strip watching from a quarter kilometer away as what looked like a group of a thousand protestors marching along the boardwalk.  Thoughts went through our minds as to what it could be.  We considered something with Egypt but realizing that Morsi had just been forced out of power 2 days before, a protest this large would need more planning.  We ultimately decided it had to do with the economic crisis in Greece.  We noted the banners in Greek so we could translate and research it more when we got back to our hostel.  Turns out it was a communist group protesting the US military base that is in the port we were planning on departing from the next day.  The banner we saw translated to no land, no water for the murderers, close the Sudabase.  This port is helpful for the US because it is close to the north part of Africa, the EU, as well as the Middle East.  Needless to say, the rest of the trip we were tourists from Canada, eh.  There are quite a few protests/strikes in Europe and contrary to what the media says, as long as you stay in the right parts of town and are smart about the situation, many are peaceful. 

We woke up at 530am to catch our 6am bus to the Samaria Gorge.  Created by a small river that ran between the White Mountains, Samaria Gorge has since dried and is a National Park.  You are driven to the top at a height of 1200 meters above the base and make your way down.  The entire trail in 16km long, including the 3km walk after the gorge to reach the beach.  After some much needed orange juice and relaxing your feet in the shallow waves, you take a ferry back to the other side of the island.  It was a perfect way to end our trip because it brought us back to our hiking days in the Smokies with some notable differences.  1. It was all downhill. 2. It ended at a gorgeous almost deserted beach. 3. Instead of the sonic slushy that is tradition post Smokey Mountain hiking trips, we got icecream frappes and OJ.

**Pictures of Crete to come later.

Final Thoughts:

This trip has been incredible, one I will never forget.  I feel as if I have grown as a person in a way that is hard to describe in words.  While being abroad for a long period of time, you must adapt to the way of life and embrace the differences.  I have met some great people along the way who I have enjoyed sharing stories and experiences with.  Living in Catalonia and traveling through Europe has really changed my perspective and of what I can’t even tell you.  I’ll miss Europe and having such a diversity of people surrounding me but I’m ready for my next adventure.  I graduated college, got experience working full time, traveled Europe as a tourist and an au pair granting me the title “local foreigner,” and now will return to head straight into medical school. There is almost nothing I would change about this trip (except maybe bring some better shoes) because I truly learned from every experience, as trite as that sounds.  The mistakes I made as a previously directionally impaired individual simply led me to better understand metro maps and public transportation in general.  I talked to my family almost every single day while abroad so I know home will be home as it always will be.  I’m not sure what to expect with the culture and what type of things I’ll notice.  I have changed in noticeable ways.  Little things that have resulted from talking half Spanish half English during most of my time in Europe including talking much more with my hands and using odd vocabulary in English that better translates in Spanish.  Anyway, I’m finishing this last section 11,000 meters in the air above Canada on a plane with an hour and 45 minutes until I step onto US soil again.  Hope you’ve enjoyed the blog and if you have any questions or want advice on your next trip to Europe I would love to help.  Faith.Lindsay90@icloud.com.  Hasta próxima! 

Athens: Fighting Gods and a Potty Trainer

When imagining Greece, most think of the white houses sitting on a hill overlooking the ocean and people relaxing on the beaches taking in the sun.  Athens, though, is a city full of history and ruins.  Exhausted from the trip, we took the first night to have a long dinner.  That 4 hour dinner was a little longer than we anticipated but nonetheless very fun.  Each night that restaurant had live music and this particular night we were joined on the outside terrace by 70 French seniors on tour.  There was typical Grecian guitar playing, songs, and dance and we watched while enjoying our Grecian meal.  A typical Grecian appetizer is a fried cheese honey pastry with black sesame seeds.  One of the best things I’ve had in Europe yet.  I was in dire need of vegetables or really something besides Italian carb filled pizza, so I opted for a salad.  Lacking any green leaves, this salad was basically super fancy bruschetta complete with feta cheese.  Quite tasty.

Brittany being my #1, my second best friend on the trip was named Steves, Rick Steves.  He guided us through an engaging tour of Athens via kindle.  So we started our adventure with Rick at the Acropolis.  The Acropolis is known as one of the best fortresses to ever exist, with natural springs providing them with potable water. 100 foot cliffs gave protection with panoramic views of potential invaders.  Athenians had hold of it until the Persions invaded in 480 BC.  There was the Battle of Salamis when the Athenians thought all was lost.  After evacuating the city and watching the Acropolis burn, they returned to beat the Persians in a naval battle.  This win was iconic and money poured into Athens because all the other Grecian provinces wanted to be on good terms with the new leader in town.  During its peak in 450 BC, Pericles used their new money to rebuild the Acropolis in honor of Athena.  

View of Athens from the top of the Acropolis

Time to break it down:

Not many things built in the early AD’s (except for maybe this: Early 80's) are currently being used today, but the Greeks were some pretty good architects.  The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a musical performance hall (not to be mistaken as a theater), deriving its name from “ode” or the Greek word for song.  It was built in 161 AD, seats 5000, and used to have a wooden roof (those don’t last 2000 years though….). Like many things, it was destroyed by their jealous enemies and not rebuilt until the 1950’s. 

Odeon

Propylaea: It was the entrance to the greatest fortress in the world.  A mini Parthenon, it housed a painting gallery and some VIPS of the city.  The marble staircase led you through large columns and looking up you would see frescos of the night sky scattered with stars. 

Propylaea.  What better entrance to the Parthenon than a mini Parthenon?

Temple of Athena Nike: Built around 400 BC, it sits to the left of the Propylaea.  It had the typical Grecian scroll top columns and was a temple built for the goddess Athena.  With their fortress, the Athenians kept hold of their city for hundreds of years and that victory (nike) was attributed to the goddess.  They also hoped this new temple would gain them victory over the Spartans in the ongoing Pelopenisian war.  What better way to make sure the goddess stayed and helped them?  Making her out of stone wasn’t good enough.  They also broke off her wings so she couldn’t fly away.  Hence, the new name, Temple of Wingless Athena. 

Temple of Athena Nike

Monument of Agripa: Now it looks like a large gray pedestal but had many a statues on top of it throughout its time.  Statues include the winner of the 178 BC Olympics, Cleopatra and her boyfriend Marc Antony who ruled Athens at the time, and some Roman general named Agripa.

Monument of Agripa.  Gray pedestal on the left of the picture

Parthenon: What a beauty, as our other favorite Steve would say. RIP Crocodile Hunter.   Standing at the highest point, it has survived thousands of years.  This can be attributed to the innovative architectural ideas and quality materials.  There are many optical illusions in the building, which also helped it structurally.  The bottom floor of the Parthenon actually bows upward, giving it an appearance of harmonious streamline, and allowing it to drain rainwater.  The columns tilted ever so slightly inward so it wouldn’t appear saggy, an ancient facelift of sorts, and allowed the building to withstand earthquakes.  The columns at the four corners are slightly larger giving the illusion that they are the same size as the others.  All the columns bulge in the middle, supposedly representing barrel chested men holding up the roof.  Seemingly made of all right angles, the Parthenon actually contains none.  The Parthenon is made from very durable materials, Panatellic marble rolled from a specific mountain 16 miles away.  Interestingly, free men with salaries built it and only in 10 years!   Considering the meticulous construction (the individually cut pieces fit together within 1 thousandth of an inch) it is thought to cost around 1 billion dollars in today’s dollars.  Currently, the Parthenon is partially in ruins due to an “accidental” cannon fired from a nearby mountain as well as the greedy Lord Elgin, who wanted the carved reliefs for Britain.

Story goes that Athena and Poseidon fought for the spot of ruler of the city that is now called Athens.  Poseidon sought to gain approval from the people by throwing his spear in the ground to bring them water.  They apparently had selective palates and chose Athena, who gave them an olive tree. 

Recreation of the west pediment of the Parthenon (in Nashville, TN in fact) 

Throughout the years, the British have stolen quite a bit from other countries and territories.  Their museums are full of artifacts from all across the globe.  After nicely asking the British to please return much of the Acropolis that still remains in the British Museum, they declined.  They claim that it is because Athens did not have a suitable building to preserve these ruins however a more probable reason is that they are worried the return will prompt other countries to reclaim their artifacts.  Athens built a state-of-the-art museum and it is truly incredible.  The Acropolis museum was built to entice their things back from London, but the stubborn British still refused.

Gorgeous Acropolis museum.  The top part of the museum, made of all glass walls in order to see a panoramic view of Athens, is a representation of the Parthenon.  It has the same dimensions and sits in the same direction as the real one a half a mile away.  The artifacts inside sit in the exact spot as they would if it were the actual Parthenon.

The triangular sections (pediments) situated above each short side of the Parthenon used to portray two scenes.  The first showed the birth of Athena.  No huffing and puffing, contractions, or long hours in labor for the Gods.  One day, Zeus had a headache and asked Hephaistos to fix it.  Human medicine doesn’t apply to gods so she split his head open with ax and fully-grown Athena popped out.  If only childbirth was that easy. The second pediment showed the previously mentioned contest between Athena and Poseidon for the city of Athens.

Recreation of the east pediment: The Birth of Athena

Erechtheion: One of my favorite sites on the ground: the temple with the lady pillars. The caryatids are clad in pleated robes with fruit baskets as hats.  Some of the originals are in the museum and copies stand outside the Erechteion now.  Near the porch there’s a real olive tree to represent the one Athena presented to the original Athenians. In fact, 100 million of these trees are scattered around Athens today.  The Erectheion still holds the crack where Poseidon supposedly drove his spear into the ground to bring water in the contest for Athens against Athena.  No hard feelings between Athena and Poseidon though.  As BFFs, they each had a side of the Erectheion dedicated to them. 

Lady pillars, more politically correct: Caryatids

The Greek flag is composed of blue and white stripes with a cross in the corner.  The nine stripes represent the 9 syllables of the greek phrase that translates to "freedom or death."  That phrase had a whole new meaning during WWII when the Nazis invaded.  In 1941, two teenagers became iconic figures to the Nazi resistance.  One night, they risked their lives to scale the Acropolis wall to return the Greek flag to the flagpole that the Nazis had replaced with their own flag.

Plaque dedicated to the two teenagers who risked their lives to show their resistance

The Acropolis covers 7 acres.  They had many statues of Athena in the Acropolis including in the Temple of Athena, the Parthenon, and in the middle of the pathway next to the Parthenon.  The one standing in the pathway was depicted as a warrior holding a spear that could be seen 30 miles away by ships coming into the harbor.

The typical dress for Athena was peplos, a large sacred dress given to Athena on her birthday.  They were created each year by virgins and placed on the statue.  Every four years, Athena got a bigger celebration, receiving a dress the size of a modern basketball court.  The Temple of Athena Nike itself has been taken apart and reassembled three times: once by the Ottoman’s in the 17^th century, once by the Greeks in 1935 who did such a shoddy job it prompted the restoration happening now.  With careful research, this new restoration should last for another 2500 years. 

The Athena statue that used to be housed in the Parthenon was made of ivory and gold.  Surrounding her was a pool that was not simply an aesthetic reflecting pool, it helped preserve the ivory and gold.

Restoration of the Acropolis is important to the survival of this historical site.  Brittany’s friend from Georgia Tech was actually the first architect intern to work on the restoration of the Partheon.

When exploring around the small streets filled with markets it’s hard to imagine that you are in a small part of the large city of Athens.  Looking from the top of the Acropolis however, you can get a better perception of how vast it actually is.  The markets are filled with the famous Grecian eye, a symbol that negatively affects those who become envious of others.  There’s also olive oil soap, jewelry in every price range, leather sandals, and cotton Grecian outfits.  I have always loved walking through the markets even though I often just look without buying.  I think it’s the energy that I like.  They are small crowded streets filled with every type of person.

Acropolis museum:  When beginning to build this museum, they discovered an ancient neighborhood below.  Being a museum to preserve ruins, they couldn’t ethically knock them down.  So they spent a considerable amount of money to build on top of them without destroying them.  Throughout the museum, they have glass floors so visitors can look down and see those ancient ruins. 

Walking through the first floor, you’ll see pots depicting marriage traditions of the time as well as the progression of statue style throughout the years.  Originally, movement in statues was characterized by sculpting the figure with a straight back and one hand lifting her skirt.  

When anti-Pagan Christians came around and started destroying things, Nike, the goddess of victory was one of the most preserved figure during this time.  Why? Christians mistook her for an angel because of her wings. 

The famous relief of Nike adjusting her sandal

We hear all the time about how we’ve been devastating the earth but it was plainly illustrated when we actually saw evidence of our pollution.  The original Caryatids (lady pillars) have had more damage in the past 50 years than in the 2000 years previous.  A special exhibition in the museum showed the cleaning restoration process involving lasers and other modern technology.

A laser is being used to remove the pollution that has collected over the years

Ancient agora: Some more ruins that would have just looked like some old stones if it hadn’t been for Rick Steves.  Agora was the downtown of ancient Rome dating back to the 6^th century BC.  Let’s take a minute and think about how old that is.  500 years before Jesus was around!  Agora survived until 267 AD when barbarians demolished it.  The Stoa of Attalos was reconstructed in 1950.  It was surrounded by columns whose ridges didn’t start until 6 feet from to the floor to encourage philosophical thinkers to lean against them.  Socrates was one of those loungers and was eventually jailed for his ideas. 

The organized piles of ruins that made up most of the Ancient Agora

Brittany thinking against the pillars in the Stoa of Attalos

These next few pictures are items in the museum from Ancient Agora

Potty training seat

Voting machine used to choose council members

Water theif: used to time speeches at council meetings

Some good things never change: Ancient BBQ sets

Though it was a Christian temple, the members added Arabic letters to it when Christians were taxed by muslim rulers

Before we made our way to the beaches of the Grecian islands, we stopped by the changing of the guards.

Changing of the guards

Yet again, another good dinner filled with Greek salad, spanakopita, souflaki (the real Greek gyros), and some white wine.

Off to Mykonos!

Rome: Ruins, Ruins, a Dancing Penguin, and Ruins

Rome is like no other city in Europe.  It was unbelievable to walk around Rome among ruins dating back to 400 BC yet have a coffee shop next door.  There are so many ruins scattered throughout the city.  You can touch/walk on many of the same stones from the Roman Era 2000 years ago.  It puts your life in perspective and also makes you realize how young the United States really is.

Ruins

I would definitely recommend a Rome Pass if you ever go.  You get free transportation and free entrance to two sites of your choice (one being the Colosseum).

Our free walking tour:

We started at the Spanish steps, located in the Spanish square that contains the Spanish embassy.  In the beginning, the square was the Spanish and the French square but apparently that name was too long so France got the boot and it became known as the Spanish square.  Ironically, it was the French who funded the steps and therefore they weren’t too happy with the name.  In Rome you can get free water almost anywhere.  Our guide claimed that all fountains have potable water and the trusting people we are, we filled our water bottles from the famous fountain that sits at the base of the Spanish steps.  This fountain was designed by Bernini, who carved it in the shape of a boat to commemorate the infamous flood in the Spanish square.  Valentino must love Italy because after seeing his house on the coast of Capri, we saw another one of his houses, a mansion actually, close to one of the biggest fashion streets in Italy.  Down the street from Valentino’s present house was the site where Bernini lived and died.  Then, out of no where, we arrived at Trevi Fountain! 

Spanish steps

Bernini Fountain

Trevi Fountain: the main statue is Poseidon because the fountains in Rome represent the power and glory of water, lakes, rivers, etc.  I.e Poseidon, God of the sea.  There are two statues of horses that represent the two faces of the sea: the calm and the wild. There’s also two women, one of which holding fruit, the other holding a snake.  They represent glory and abundance.  The fountain was commissioned by the pope of the time, who lived in the building adjacent to the fountain.  One interesting story: On the right side of the fountain you will see a small shop, one of many, with a statue built infront of it blocking the view of the Trevi Fountain.  At the time, it was a barbershop owned by a barber who did not like the look of this fountain.  Hence, the statue, which still stands today.

Trevi Fountain

Barber shop turned Shoe store

Normally tour guides have great pride for their city.  Ours did as well, except for one large building, which he claimed no Italians liked.  Not knowing the real name of the building, we referred to it as the cupcake building.  It was a bright white marble completed relatively recently (in 1911) and does not match any of the other ruins surrounding it.  The worst thing about the building however, is that an ancient monastery that was part of the Roman forum dating back to 300 AD was knocked down in order to build this palace.

Cupcake Building

Capitale Hill. It is not named because Rome is the capital of the country, in fact, the Italian name for the hill is Capitale.  On Capitale hill there were two fountains, representing the Tiber and the Nile.  The former fountain was adorned with Remus and Romulus and a cornucopia and the latter is seen with a sphinx. 

Remus, Romulus, and a cornucopia

The Roman Forum was the original Roman Empire that existed in Rome.  The main street that passes through it today connects Capitale Hill to the Colosseum, which passes through the Victory Arch, the most preserved arch in Rome. 

Roman Forum

Free walking tour round two!  Rome is really that large.  We started again at the Spanish steps but then took a different route through Rome. Walking down the aforementioned famous fashion street, our guide pointed out a very expensive famous coffee shop that opened in 1760.  Many famous writers such as Casanova, Goethe, and Lord Byron, took some hopeful sips of coffee there in order to break their writer's block. 

Antico Caffè Greco

Via del Corso connected the north of Rome to the south and was biggest street around! You can find a Via del Corso in almost every large Italian city.

Via del Corso: the "Main Street" of Europe

I haven’t told you this yet but one of the most exciting things about Rome is that the current Rome sits 7 feet above the ancient city.  Therefore, everywhere you walk in Rome, you are walking on top of the ancient city.  The column we saw next was created in 20 AD and is still relatively intact.  The carvings on the bottom half are more worn because it was buried underground when they built the city 7 feet above.  They have obviously dug it up and changed the statue that sits atop.   On top of this lovely structure St Peter stands.  He has his hand raised, pointing, and his purpose was to show the arriving pilgrims the direction of the Vatican.

St Peter

Close up of the column

Pantheon (not Parthenon) is the best well preserved ancient temple they have because it was given to the Pope as a gift.  The Pope made it into a church and therefore it was not torn apart at the time all the others were stripped of their marble, columns, and other materials.  Amazingly, the only part of the building that has disappeared since the early AD was the bronze leafs that covered the dome and designs on the front.

The dome has been studied for years in order to build other domes around Europe including the Duomo in Naples.  While it is the same size as the dome in the Duomo of Naples, walking in was breathtaking.  The dome was so much closer to the ground so I was amazed by the immense size of it.

The only source of light in the Pantheon is a large hole in the center of the dome.  If you are lucky enough to visit the dome around 13:30h you can see the light come straight down as a beam to the floor.  There are only a few small drains in the center of the floor for the rainwater. 

Dome

Slight drains

Inside, are the tombs of Rafael, a great Renaissance artist, and a former King and his son.  The Vatican owns all the churches in Rome except for the Pantheon because it has a King and his son buried there.  It is a church/monument combination and is the only church where tourists can enter without their shoulders covered.

Next stop….Piazza Navona! Originally, the area was a stadium in the ancient Roman days.  So when they built Rome up 7 feet, they kept the same shape for the square.  Now, you can see artists selling their original elaborate oil paintings, sketches, prints, or the annoying squishy 1 euro balls that kids convince their parents to buy.  In the center of the piazza, you’ll see a large fountain made by Bernini.  Smack dab in the middle is another obelisk but it is not one of the original 9.  There are Amazonian creatures surrounding the fountain but seeing as Bernini never had a chance to visit the Amazon and photography wasn’t invented yet, he was basing his sculptures on descriptions and sketches.  Therefore, the animals looked a little funny, except for the horses, they had plenty of those. 

Fountain with faux Amazonian animals

You can see that part of this arch is underground showing how much higher the current city is from the ancient one.

Castel San Angelo.  Originally the tomb of Emperor Hadrian, it was transformed into a fortress for the popes.  There was a secret passage way connecting the fortress to St. Peter’s Basilica.

Next up…St Peter’s square! The new pope, Pope Francis, who was inaugurated in March can be seen everywhere around the Vatican.  Posters, calendars, stamps, postcards, and many more trinkets display his smiling face giving the thumbs up.  During the selection of the new pope, I was in Igualada living with a Catholic family.  It was so interesting to watch the whole process on Spanish TV.  The time finally came when the smoke turned white, indicating that the new pope had finally been chosen from the cardinals around the world.  My host mom was very excited that the new pope was from America, South America that is, because she felt it would connect Catholics all over the globe.  The media portrays him as a very humble guy, always happy, who did not upgrade his lifestyle when he became surrounded by the immense wealth of the Vatican.  Our tour guide even said that he chose not the live in the large palace adjacent to the Vatican where the popes normally live.  He instead chose to live in a smaller apartment.

Pope Francis

I will definitely miss the markets that line the streets in European cities.  The ones in Rome were filled with herbs, jewelry, clothes, fruits, vegetables, fish, etc. 

Markets

We were told at the beginning of our time in Rome that we needed to see the Trevi fountain twice: once during the day and once at night.  So we made our way down to the lit fountain, gelato in hand and threw our coins over our right shoulder for good luck.  On our way back, two customers sitting at an outside table at a restaurant began singing opera, then had CD’s to sell post performance.  After our gelato, we split a profiterole and a cannoli, two sweets on our list to try and both very tasty.

The Colosseum displays three periods of architecture, which can be seen on the columns.  The entire Colosseum was covered with marble at one time with each window arch containing its own marble statue.  The marble however was used for other projects over the years, so the inner structure is what we see today.

A good example of the Colosseum: then and now.

Walking in we were greeted by an enormous head that was either Nero (to represent the one originally stood outside the Colosseum who reigned in 54 AD) or Constantine (who made Christianity the dominant religion of the Roman Empire during his reign in the early 300 ADs).  Why I can't find the true origin of this head is beyond me.  Because of the enormity of the Colosseum, most assume that its name derived from colossus, meaning colossal.  While that is the original derivation of the name, it referred to the statue of Emperor Nero that stood outside the Colosseum, not the actual Colosseum itself.  Originally, the Colosseum was named the Flavian Ampitheater and was next to the statue of Emperor Nero, which was often referred to as the Colossus of Nero.

The stage inside the Colosseum was made of wood, covered with sand.  Similar to Disney World, the magic happens below that floor, as gladiators prepared to risk their lives for fame and glory against man and beast alike.  Throughout the performance as royalty, judges, and commoners watched, gladiators jumped up through the trap doors hidden beneath the sand to face their fate. While the original wood stage no longer exists, remnants of the underground tunnels can be seen.  Thanks to a bit of vandalism, historians know a considerate amount about the gladiators because fans would etch their favorite fighter with names and dates onto the walls.  Their tools used to do this were found in the drains below the Colosseum.  They also found quite a few animal bones, allowing historians to identify the wide variety of animals used to fight the gladiators.  Among this list were: ostriches, cats, griffins, bears, and horses.  Legend has it that the best gladiators decapitated the ostriches with one arrow.  Normally, gladiators did not rise to glory and fame by their own free will.  It was a very dangerous profession and usually only consisted of slaves, POWs, and criminals.  If two gladiators were fighting against one another, their armors were of opposing peoples and they used both offensive and defensive weapons. After gaining fame, gladiators were hired as bodyguards for the wealthy.  The blood of the not so lucky was collected and drunk.  At the time, blood was considered to have many healing properties, including preventing epilepsy.

When watching Disney on ice, I was always impressed that it was in the same stadium as the symphony just a few weeks earlier.  This transformation pales in comparison to what the Romans did thousands of years previously.  For special events, they filled the entire Collosseum with water, allowing for naval battles.  This tradition didn’t last long, as the transformation was complex and arduous, but the fact that it could exist at all was impressive nonetheless.

Inside the Colosseum

If I were to do it again, I would have brought along a Rick Steve guide to the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill because I think we would have gotten much more out of it.  We did see some nice ruins,
some more preserved than others.  Some have really served the test of time, somehow surviving longer than Christianity has existed.

Some things you can’t plan. As we were meandering around the squares one night, Brittany, Alexa (Brittany’s friend from school), and I came across an enormous rehearsal for a music festival that would start that weekend.  The songs were alright as were the dancers.  What made it epic however was the 4 foot tall dancing penguin that stole the stage.  His dance moves weren’t “Dancing with the Stars” worthy, but his little wing flapping to the beat held the attention of the camera.

What is necessary for a dancing penguin? A stylish P necklace obviously

Audioguides can be a hit or miss, but the one at the Vatican was definitely worth it.  Walking in, you arrive at this massive ornate door.  This is the Holy Door, Porta Sancta, that only opens every 25 years for the pope’s jubilee.  Once inside, you’ll see an immense hallway lined with statues, mosaics, and elaborate engravings covered in gold leaf. 

Holy Door

The stones in the mosaic are small enough to make the art look like a painting.  Even standing 3 meters away we did not realize they were mosaics.  This mosaic shows a pope’s last communion, demonstrating his suffering during his last days.

A painting? Nope. A mosaic!

On the right of this picture you’ll see a sculptor of St. Peter.  He holds the keys to heaven that Jesus granted him “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" Matthew 16:19.  People pay homage to him by going up to his foot and rubbing it.  It is a wooden and bronze sculpture and to this day, no one knows who carved it.

St. Peter next to the main altar

The large altar, St Peter's Baldachin, that welcomes all visitors to the church is unique and brilliant.  Designed by Bernini in the early 17th century, it stands over St Peter's tomb.

Many of the sculptures seen throughout the Vatican are sculpted with open arms: ones of popes and Jesus, ready to accept those who believe and want to give themselves to God.  

This particular sculpture shows how dedicated this pope was to prayer and shows him kneeling in front of Jesus' open arms.  Peter on his left is holding the keys to heaven and Paul on his right is grasping a sword.

Pope Pius VII sits in the center surrounded by the angel of Time on his right and the angel of History on his left.  The standing women represent Wisdom and Might.

Pope Papae X is standing with open arms.  He was the first to allow children to take communion, explaining that all people young and old are children of God.  Below him, you can see a depiction of the pope offering communion to children.

This is the first papal tomb to show a live and dead pope.  It's a depiction of a pope with the three theological virtues (faith, hope and love) above him and the 4 cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) surrounding him.

We made our way up the 551 stairs into the cupola (dome) of the Vatican.  The entire inside of the dome was made up of tiny stones, creating beautiful mosaics that covered its entirety.  We continued the stairs up to the roof and got a view of the entire city, including the outside of the Vatican and the Vatican museum.

I'm standing straight! The walls are slanted because we're walking to the top of the dome!

The twists and turns in the Vatican museum led to the masterpiece of Michaelangelo, the Sistine Chapel.  Along the way we saw: 

Giant spinning globe, "Sphere Within Sphere" created in 1990 

Statue of Neptune

Laocoön and His Sons.  Laocoön, a Trojan priest, is wary of the Trojan Horse that is brought to the Trojans as a present from the Greeks.  He states, "I fear Greeks, even those bearing gifts." Either the god Poseidon or Apollo (historians argue) sent two sea serpents to quiet him and his sons before any Trojans believe his story.

One of my favorites, the hall of maps.  Not because I have become an avid geographer but because of the ceiling.  The ornate gold designs and pairings cover the ceiling.  The maps show how they thought the countries looked at the time and how that perception changed throughout history.

After a full day of history, we walked over to a park full of dogs, couples, segways, horses, and bicycle/golf cart combos, and found a nice area of grass to take a nap.  Wanting to see the penguin once more, we went to the music festival that night joined by thousands more people.

Such a strange sight we took a picture.  

We left the great country of Italy to head to Greece! On to Athens!