Italia
I started out my spring break by going to Roma with two other american girls from Caen, Sarah and Gabby. Gabby is new this semester. First we found a new train station in Paris... new only because we'd never heard of it- Paris Bercy. We took the night train from Paris to Rome. We were in a sleeper car with three other people. A random american girl named Laryn who is studying abroad in Florence this semester and two older italian guys.... who didnt speak english much, if at all.
For Deborah who thought the sleeper cabins on the way to Chiang Mai were bad.... imagine the same size with 6 people sleeping in there! The chairs, the back and headrest folded over into a middle bed. Sarah and I were on the bottom... and didnt get much sleep because not only were we on a train but we also had the head rests in our way... its a very good thing I'm not clostrephobic!!!!!!
After a "wonderful" night we get to Rome an hour late. I felt bad because Heather, my high school friend who is studying in Rome right now, had been waiting for us and it was her sleep in day from class. Sarah and I were staying at Heather's appartement while we were in Rome. THANK YOU HEATHER!!!!!!! YOU ROCK (&Roll)!!!!! :p
She lives in an appartement with 9 other girls... it was a bit crazy but it was a nice appartement. Atleast they had two bathrooms. Sarah and I switched off, one person would sleep on the couch and the other had cushions on the floor... which is marble by the way.. so not exactly comfortable.
5 April 07 -- Thrusday
After we dumped our stuff at Heathers and found some food we met Gabby at the Borghase Gallery. We had an appointment to get in. A lot of the museums have it available where you either can or have to make appointments to get in. The Gallery was neat. There were some cool statues. In one of them called 'The Rape of Phersephanie' (no idea how to spell the name) where his had was grabbing her thigh it didnt look like marble at all. It looked softer like his hand was actually pushing into her skin. We also walked around the park that was nearby. We found some gelatto!!!! :p beware! it's VERY addictive!
We wandered to Piazza del Popollo, a big square with statues and foutains and down a major shopping street to the Spanish Steps. I wasn't all that impressed with the steps... maybe its neater with lots of flowers or sunshine... it was starting to rain about the time we found them so we decided to find something to eat. Pizza and pasta were our main food sorces... not suprising while in Italy.
6 April 07 -- Friday
Gabby had already been to the Vatican Museum so Sarah and I got up early to be there before it opened so we wouldnt have to stand in line for as long... which would have worked even better than it did if we'd taken the bus in the correct direction. We followed the directions Heather had given us and we got on the correct bus... it just wasn't going in the direction we wanted to go.... OPS!!!! oh well what's a vacation with out a little adventure.
We arrived at the Vatican about an hour later than we'd planned but it was ok because the line was long but it wasn't as long as we had thought it would be since it was Good Friday and all. We waited about 1h45 or so for the museum to open and then we got in really fast. We stood in line next to 3 middle aged people from the US so we were talking and comparing foods we missed and what we thought of different things. It was fun and it helped the time pass.
I'm really glad I went into the Museum... at first I didn't really want to pay since I didnt want to see a lot of stuff in the museum but I'm extatic that I did. We started off with the Picture Gallery. I dont remember anything specific in there but I liked some of them and I'd studied some others in my Art History class on the Italian Renaissance. Then we followed the HUGE crowd to the Raphel rooms and the Sistine Chapel. It's a lot farther than it looks on the map! and the crowds kept getting bigger the closer you got. The Raphel rooms were really neat. I saw two that I really liked but of course I've forgotten the names for the moment.
For Deborah who thought the sleeper cabins on the way to Chiang Mai were bad.... imagine the same size with 6 people sleeping in there! The chairs, the back and headrest folded over into a middle bed. Sarah and I were on the bottom... and didnt get much sleep because not only were we on a train but we also had the head rests in our way... its a very good thing I'm not clostrephobic!!!!!!
After a "wonderful" night we get to Rome an hour late. I felt bad because Heather, my high school friend who is studying in Rome right now, had been waiting for us and it was her sleep in day from class. Sarah and I were staying at Heather's appartement while we were in Rome. THANK YOU HEATHER!!!!!!! YOU ROCK (&Roll)!!!!! :p
She lives in an appartement with 9 other girls... it was a bit crazy but it was a nice appartement. Atleast they had two bathrooms. Sarah and I switched off, one person would sleep on the couch and the other had cushions on the floor... which is marble by the way.. so not exactly comfortable.
5 April 07 -- Thrusday
After we dumped our stuff at Heathers and found some food we met Gabby at the Borghase Gallery. We had an appointment to get in. A lot of the museums have it available where you either can or have to make appointments to get in. The Gallery was neat. There were some cool statues. In one of them called 'The Rape of Phersephanie' (no idea how to spell the name) where his had was grabbing her thigh it didnt look like marble at all. It looked softer like his hand was actually pushing into her skin. We also walked around the park that was nearby. We found some gelatto!!!! :p beware! it's VERY addictive!
We wandered to Piazza del Popollo, a big square with statues and foutains and down a major shopping street to the Spanish Steps. I wasn't all that impressed with the steps... maybe its neater with lots of flowers or sunshine... it was starting to rain about the time we found them so we decided to find something to eat. Pizza and pasta were our main food sorces... not suprising while in Italy.
6 April 07 -- Friday
Gabby had already been to the Vatican Museum so Sarah and I got up early to be there before it opened so we wouldnt have to stand in line for as long... which would have worked even better than it did if we'd taken the bus in the correct direction. We followed the directions Heather had given us and we got on the correct bus... it just wasn't going in the direction we wanted to go.... OPS!!!! oh well what's a vacation with out a little adventure.
We arrived at the Vatican about an hour later than we'd planned but it was ok because the line was long but it wasn't as long as we had thought it would be since it was Good Friday and all. We waited about 1h45 or so for the museum to open and then we got in really fast. We stood in line next to 3 middle aged people from the US so we were talking and comparing foods we missed and what we thought of different things. It was fun and it helped the time pass.
I'm really glad I went into the Museum... at first I didn't really want to pay since I didnt want to see a lot of stuff in the museum but I'm extatic that I did. We started off with the Picture Gallery. I dont remember anything specific in there but I liked some of them and I'd studied some others in my Art History class on the Italian Renaissance. Then we followed the HUGE crowd to the Raphel rooms and the Sistine Chapel. It's a lot farther than it looks on the map! and the crowds kept getting bigger the closer you got. The Raphel rooms were really neat. I saw two that I really liked but of course I've forgotten the names for the moment.