the roma pass was well worth the 25 euro...gave usage of all public transporation...metro and buses, plus 2 museums...plus most other museums a 30% discount. student discount didnt seem to matter much in rome...did use it this week somewhere...saved a euro...that 2 bottles of water...at a grocery store. my unc student id is good till 2012...yes!!
visited colosseum late in the day perfect...entry pass then good for the next day at the forum and pallentine hill. the colossem, when opened had 100 days of events, celebrations, gladiators. 5000 wild beasts were killed and lots of people too. must have been a lot cheaper than keeping prisoners on death row...but i digress. an impossing, impressive structure.
forum and pallentine hill...shouldnt be done in flip flops. most amayed at lack of security and guidance...seem to have the attidude that the remnants have been there this long, have at it...not like in florence at the accademia and uffiy. also amayed that so much was concentrated in such a small area ...from the temple of julius ceasar to his grave to the senate house to the temple of saturn and more....recalled bits of western civ from charlie holmes class...thanks to rebecca marlin bolton for getting me his address so i can send a postcard
used rick steves guidebook...most handz...for back door entrance to victor emmanuel monument...saved climing 242 steps
boghese gallerz fills a former cardinals mansion...grand art collection...but tours are stricktly timed every 2 hours...so dont get there early...cant talk your way into this place
tzpicall travel with my clock out on the train...without it i have no idea of the time...stopped wearing a watch when the battery died in october...times are tight you know...saving money on not buying a new battery...and didnt bring blackberry...clock actually not an alarm since the dang thing wont alarms...it will go back to rei upon return to raleighwood.
hard to saz what item-items are best in pack...water bottle is used most often...especially with all the clean water bursting forth from public fountains in italy...the rei wool socks are great...hankies have been mighty handy....zip loc bags in qt, gal and super sized also essential...note...the zipper does wear out....ma used to keep bunches of merita bread bags in the pantry which she used over and over...perhaps i should have brought along a dozen of those
hughie macdonald, brother of great college and to this day friend, trisha cox macdonald, loaned me the backpack, aka now as george. ive not seen another like it thus far. made by eagle creek, it is durable, lots of compartments with great straps and support...distributing the weight more to the hips than the back..and the hip strap comes around, covering the front pockets so there is protection from theivery from the pick pockets as well. camera, left pocket, wallet, right pocket.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
catch-up-4 florence
hopefully by the am i will be up to date...
missed the us cemetery in florence...totally forgot about it
walked the entire city...very doable...30 min from train to hostel santa monica...with 6 dorm rooms with 22 beds each...
wash own dishes in communal kitchen...macey paynter wouldnt have liked that.....who knows who ate off of it last...had a salad with proscutto, cheese and a bottle of wine, just over 8 euro...good deal
accamedia...glad i had an advance ticket and avoided the line...still crowded at 130...i mean 1330 pm...ed went at 9 and said it was virtuallz empty.
michaelanglo is the star here..his unfinished prisoners-slaves unbelievable...as if thez were trzing to break free from the stone--chains´´they were in.
it is hard to put david into wards. i had always thought of this work as just another naked guy...not so...very powerful...not just another statue with his junk on display. michaelangelos attention to detail...veins in hands and legs...cuticles of finernails, chips of toenails, musculature...is really beyond belief...and while david was 26, michaelangelo was in his 60s i think...he lived to be 89...and the piece of marble the statue was carved from had been rejected as imperfect or inadequate by 2 sculptors prior to m. its truly a shame that this work has been commercialized to a point of ridicule...ie aprons of the body...thats not what this statue is about.
museum of san marco..15th centurz monastary with walls decorated with fresco including the 43 sells...pretty impressive
church of san lorenyo...facade is ugly as unfinished...pope leo x pulled the plug on the cash...michaelangleo had worked on it for 4 yrs
missed the us cemetery in florence...totally forgot about it
walked the entire city...very doable...30 min from train to hostel santa monica...with 6 dorm rooms with 22 beds each...
wash own dishes in communal kitchen...macey paynter wouldnt have liked that.....who knows who ate off of it last...had a salad with proscutto, cheese and a bottle of wine, just over 8 euro...good deal
accamedia...glad i had an advance ticket and avoided the line...still crowded at 130...i mean 1330 pm...ed went at 9 and said it was virtuallz empty.
michaelanglo is the star here..his unfinished prisoners-slaves unbelievable...as if thez were trzing to break free from the stone--chains´´they were in.
it is hard to put david into wards. i had always thought of this work as just another naked guy...not so...very powerful...not just another statue with his junk on display. michaelangelos attention to detail...veins in hands and legs...cuticles of finernails, chips of toenails, musculature...is really beyond belief...and while david was 26, michaelangelo was in his 60s i think...he lived to be 89...and the piece of marble the statue was carved from had been rejected as imperfect or inadequate by 2 sculptors prior to m. its truly a shame that this work has been commercialized to a point of ridicule...ie aprons of the body...thats not what this statue is about.
museum of san marco..15th centurz monastary with walls decorated with fresco including the 43 sells...pretty impressive
church of san lorenyo...facade is ugly as unfinished...pope leo x pulled the plug on the cash...michaelangleo had worked on it for 4 yrs
catching up...still...4 florence
hopefully by the am i will be up to date...
missed the us cemetery in florence...totally forgot about it
walked the entire city...very doable...30 min from train to hostel santa monica...with 6 dorm rooms with 22 beds each...
wash own dishes in communal kitchen...macey paynter wouldnt have liked that.....who knows who ate off of it last...had a salad with proscutto, cheese and a bottle of wine, just over 8 euro...good deal
accamedia...glad i had an advance ticket and avoided the line...still crowded at 130...i mean 1330 pm...ed went at 9 and said it was virtuallz empty.
michaelanglo is the star here..his unfinished prisoners-slaves unbelievable...as if thez were trzing to break free from the stone--chains´´they were in.
it is hard to put david into wards. i had always thought of this work as just another naked guy...not so...very powerful...not just another statue with his junk on display. michaelangelos attention to detail...veins in hands and legs...cuticles of finernails, chips of toenails, musculature...is really beyond belief...and while david was 26, michaelangelo was in his 60s i think...he lived to be 89...and the piece of marble the statue was carved from had been rejected as imperfect or inadequate by 2 sculptors prior to m. its truly a shame that this work has been commercialized to a point of ridicule...ie aprons of the body...thats not what this statue is about.
museum of san marco..15th centurz monastary with walls decorated with fresco including the 43 sells...pretty impressive
church of san lorenyo...facade is ugly as unfinished...pope leo x pulled the plug on the cash...michaelangleo had worked on it for 4 yrs
santa croce...m buried here, galileo also...didnt buy any leather at leather school.
i sat down, removed rainbos, to cool mz feet on the marble, looked down and realyed i was resting my worn hooves on the grave of a pinelli....could it be an ancestor...as ma was a pinnell
medici chapel...burial site of medici familz...one of mz favs in florence...most incredible frescos seen thus far..in its dome...traces christianitz from creation... to resurrection...colors are stunning
duomo...citys cathedral...3rd longest nave in christiandom...facade covered in red, green and white marble
bargello...sculpture museum...incredible
ufizzi gallery...almost...no was...overwheming...so much fine art...my favorite was lippi´s adoration of the magi...much more so than da vince's
pitti palace...sumptous home to the medici and hapsburs....countless plational rooms, didnt see gardens...ed did...but he got eat up with mosquitos
santo spirito church...mz vaorite one in florence...2 blocks from home sweet hostel...carved wooden crucifis attributed to michaelangelo was on loan...but bright, light interior...along with the branacci chapel
on sat afternoon, walked, what a hike, up past he plaza of michaelangelo to the san miniato church, high on a hill above the citz...st. minias...martyred, died here, is buried here. 530 mass was gregorian changs...very relaxing and soothing...left after the sermon..with new friends mike and lindsay from vancouver... one of the monks kept blowing his nose, i think in an effort to get the preaching monk to sit down and shut it...as it was in either italian or latin, i didnt understand 99.44 of it...like ivory soap
walked with mike and lindsay down to the ponte vecchio briege...he is in real estate and reports that things are much better in canada than in the us...his is 50 and is at a simlar place in life as i have been in...both so very nice...told me about the cinque terra, inspiring me to drop venice and go there...i have to email them the info i have on restaurants i nparis for their time there
Monday, August 2, 2010
monte carlo
decided yesterday am to go to monte carlo...beautiful city...reminding me of napels, florida, very chic and upscale
toured the grimaldi palce including the throne room where there is an incredible portrait of the grimaldis done in 1981 a year before the death of princess grace.
i was at mary lou thompsons with momma the day of the crash...i think viv was getting a perm...if i remember correctly, mary lou had general hospital on and charlie gaddy interrupted programming to announce the accident
cathedral was ok...did see graves of grace and rainer
beautiful gardens below cathedral...filled with flowers and scupture...my favorite was -invitation-
onto the casino in my black tee shirt...amost didnt make it in...but talked the cloak room ladz mercedes into letting me in...she kept george for me...she had at first said he was too big and heavz
slots didnt reward me with enought to purchase one of the yachts in the harbor
while in milan, met nice familz from chicago who want to move to raleigh in a few years...shields pittman if you are reading tis, i gave them your cell number.
toured the grimaldi palce including the throne room where there is an incredible portrait of the grimaldis done in 1981 a year before the death of princess grace.
i was at mary lou thompsons with momma the day of the crash...i think viv was getting a perm...if i remember correctly, mary lou had general hospital on and charlie gaddy interrupted programming to announce the accident
cathedral was ok...did see graves of grace and rainer
beautiful gardens below cathedral...filled with flowers and scupture...my favorite was -invitation-
onto the casino in my black tee shirt...amost didnt make it in...but talked the cloak room ladz mercedes into letting me in...she kept george for me...she had at first said he was too big and heavz
slots didnt reward me with enought to purchase one of the yachts in the harbor
while in milan, met nice familz from chicago who want to move to raleigh in a few years...shields pittman if you are reading tis, i gave them your cell number.
catching up 3-cinque terra
in vandozza, tv in room, only thing i could follow was star wars...in italian of course...momma or katy jones or both took sarah, brad and me to see that at the embassy theatre in henderson....daddy later took us out of school one afternoon to meet darth vader at jcpenny...neighbor-friend julian perry arranged for us to make it to the head of the line
last time i saw star wars was with kate and kirk hazen when they lived at mrs whitfords on brehon street...we were having dinner and they were babysitting wil and lindsay...and kirk plugged in star wars...between the 3 older kids there that night, we knew every scene and most every word...good times...hard to believe wil and lindsay are now grown and maried
train to vandozza took us through a long, long tunnel, the boom, a view of the sea...amazing but onlz for a brief moment, not nearly enough to satisy...kind of like a first kiss...but definitely enought o peak interest
glad i remembered to mail postcards with italian stamps from genoa
trying to make it to oberammagau before truly doing laundry...but believe me...it it time...a real washing maching, lots of tide and agitation cyycles
noticed that not as many people smoke in florence as in rome
florence was incredible...they do need to work on the dog shit problem...it is everywhere....must be related to my former neighbor in raleigh...hahaha
gelato is everywhere...have...in the main...resisted the tempations...had great peach yesterdaz but truthfully would prefer a freezer of lou ann elams froyen custard or wendy shorts chocolate
last time i saw star wars was with kate and kirk hazen when they lived at mrs whitfords on brehon street...we were having dinner and they were babysitting wil and lindsay...and kirk plugged in star wars...between the 3 older kids there that night, we knew every scene and most every word...good times...hard to believe wil and lindsay are now grown and maried
train to vandozza took us through a long, long tunnel, the boom, a view of the sea...amazing but onlz for a brief moment, not nearly enough to satisy...kind of like a first kiss...but definitely enought o peak interest
glad i remembered to mail postcards with italian stamps from genoa
trying to make it to oberammagau before truly doing laundry...but believe me...it it time...a real washing maching, lots of tide and agitation cyycles
noticed that not as many people smoke in florence as in rome
florence was incredible...they do need to work on the dog shit problem...it is everywhere....must be related to my former neighbor in raleigh...hahaha
gelato is everywhere...have...in the main...resisted the tempations...had great peach yesterdaz but truthfully would prefer a freezer of lou ann elams froyen custard or wendy shorts chocolate
catching up 2-dinner with ed
thanks to elaine coleman for recommending a small wire-bound notebook...my grandfather, gan always had one in his shirt pocket. it has been great for notes, reminders and for others to write things i might not understand
red marlboros here are branded as diana cigarettes, yes, i smoked a couple
good friend ed miles is in italy on a cycling adventure. ed and i have become good friends since i moved to raleigh as we are both part of the wednesday night regulars crowd at hayes barton cafe. we knew that we would cross paths but were unsure if we would be able to get together. saturday i did long for a phone...we communicated via email and were finally able to connect...ed has his iphone...those of you who know ed, know he is always connected
had dinner at il profeta, owned and managed by claudio and his lovely wife whose name i cant recall but since ive named all italian women maria, we will give her that name. felt very much like a hbc atmospher, caring considerate staff, wonderful food and drink...we felt right at home
the meal was the best...other than nonnas...ive had thus far...bruscetta to start and then a shared antipasto platter with wonderful items i cant begin to describe...my first course was almost like lasagne...ravolis with tomatoes and mozerella baked...ed had a spaghetti with tomatoes and olives. we both had the spring chicken which was grilled or baked under a stone...unbelievable...fresh flavors and so damn good...the guy at the next table when we first arrived had it and when the server brought it out and i smelled it, i knew that was mz destiny...the wine was from tuscany, cant recall it but in a word, exquisite...no room for desserts but we did enjoy a couple limoncellos...made by claudio himself...if you are reading this carolyn pittman...i thought of zou...great cappacino as well.
the couple who came in after us and sat beside us had 3 boys, 10, 9, and almost 2...from iran and into mining-metals...alumium, copper, zinc and more...ed noted alll used for weaponrz...he asked where we were from and upon learning us, was most complimentary of obama...oldes son is learning english and helped with translation although pop did ok on his own. 2nd son is learning german...baby not yet talking but enjoyed the evening, alternating between sprite, soup, spaghetti and mothers milk...zes nursed right at the table...babz had it made
pop told us we had good faces, thought us to be king people and that i have the face of a priest....wanted to know if i was a pries which amused ed to no ednd...i think he understood about banking...but trying to translate accountant for ed was exhausting...finallz with some help from claudio, i think we got it accross.
claudio and maria reminded us a lot of our dear friends marget and frank ballard...serving good food, great service and special care
it was great to see and be with ed and have english dialogue for a couple of hours...we had likely crossed paths during our time in florence as we had seen and enjozed manz of the same sights
he had viewed the musical instruments at accademia, which i had missed, inluding the first upright piano, basicallz a grand piano on its end and i had hiked to the san mianto which he had not...so it was fun to exchange experiences through each others eyes.
ed had enjoyed some good retail therapy while i still havent bought a thing...where is rann
ed was meeting his group the following day for his cycle tour, i think primarily of tuscanz...safe rides ed
this also marks the longest time in mz 40 years that i have gone without verbal communication with momma, daddz, sarah or wendz...do miss our typical dailz chats
dont miss the blackberry....but do miss knowing the time
red marlboros here are branded as diana cigarettes, yes, i smoked a couple
good friend ed miles is in italy on a cycling adventure. ed and i have become good friends since i moved to raleigh as we are both part of the wednesday night regulars crowd at hayes barton cafe. we knew that we would cross paths but were unsure if we would be able to get together. saturday i did long for a phone...we communicated via email and were finally able to connect...ed has his iphone...those of you who know ed, know he is always connected
had dinner at il profeta, owned and managed by claudio and his lovely wife whose name i cant recall but since ive named all italian women maria, we will give her that name. felt very much like a hbc atmospher, caring considerate staff, wonderful food and drink...we felt right at home
the meal was the best...other than nonnas...ive had thus far...bruscetta to start and then a shared antipasto platter with wonderful items i cant begin to describe...my first course was almost like lasagne...ravolis with tomatoes and mozerella baked...ed had a spaghetti with tomatoes and olives. we both had the spring chicken which was grilled or baked under a stone...unbelievable...fresh flavors and so damn good...the guy at the next table when we first arrived had it and when the server brought it out and i smelled it, i knew that was mz destiny...the wine was from tuscany, cant recall it but in a word, exquisite...no room for desserts but we did enjoy a couple limoncellos...made by claudio himself...if you are reading this carolyn pittman...i thought of zou...great cappacino as well.
the couple who came in after us and sat beside us had 3 boys, 10, 9, and almost 2...from iran and into mining-metals...alumium, copper, zinc and more...ed noted alll used for weaponrz...he asked where we were from and upon learning us, was most complimentary of obama...oldes son is learning english and helped with translation although pop did ok on his own. 2nd son is learning german...baby not yet talking but enjoyed the evening, alternating between sprite, soup, spaghetti and mothers milk...zes nursed right at the table...babz had it made
pop told us we had good faces, thought us to be king people and that i have the face of a priest....wanted to know if i was a pries which amused ed to no ednd...i think he understood about banking...but trying to translate accountant for ed was exhausting...finallz with some help from claudio, i think we got it accross.
claudio and maria reminded us a lot of our dear friends marget and frank ballard...serving good food, great service and special care
it was great to see and be with ed and have english dialogue for a couple of hours...we had likely crossed paths during our time in florence as we had seen and enjozed manz of the same sights
he had viewed the musical instruments at accademia, which i had missed, inluding the first upright piano, basicallz a grand piano on its end and i had hiked to the san mianto which he had not...so it was fun to exchange experiences through each others eyes.
ed had enjoyed some good retail therapy while i still havent bought a thing...where is rann
ed was meeting his group the following day for his cycle tour, i think primarily of tuscanz...safe rides ed
this also marks the longest time in mz 40 years that i have gone without verbal communication with momma, daddz, sarah or wendz...do miss our typical dailz chats
dont miss the blackberry....but do miss knowing the time
catching up 1
hoping to catch up this morning...so much going on...i spent a ton of time in 6 trains yesterday and overnight so i wrote a lot in my journal...will be transposing...also, now in munich, germany where the y and z on the keyboard are interchanged...so more errors are sure to come
after meeting mike and lindsaz at the chanting service, determined to drop venice and go instead to the cinque terre on the ligurian sea...stazed in small room, 55 euro...talked her down from 70...w no ac but adequate bed....up a winding trail equivalent to about 7 stories between, behind buildings...no bidet-washing machine here.
immediatelz went to the break front to plunge into the ligurian sea...cold but refreshing, then sunned a bit and the up to hike to 2 of the rother cinque terre villages, corniglia, pro. cornelia, and manarola. hike to corniglia took about 2 hours...steep up and down rock paths...hell...but great to enjoy the peace and quiet and views of the sea after days in busz cities
long...real long shower needed afterwards
while hiking picked up a small rock for friend kathy mahan...shed asked for a rock from everywhere i visited...no chance...they add weight...should anyone else desire a stone, i am sure she will share hers with you
had always thought id arrive in monaco in a sleek, fast, shinz car with a beatiful woman in a mink coat...no much else...and myself in a tuxedo...guess ive seen too manz james bonds...arrived instead in sneakers, on a regional train with george...ive named the backpack...he is definitely a monkey on my back and like the childrens books...seeking the next adventure...i was wearing my black t shirt...left tux on fairview road for museum of history gala for george washington on the 16th...didnt want it get wrinkled on this trip
note...these catch ups will go in more circles than usual and so i apologize
best view in rome was st peters dome on 8-30...went for a morning run...storms were brewing with dark, heavz clouds behind the basilica...perfect photo op...camera was of course in the room
no place to really sit and wonder-think-meditate or worship at st petes...so i sang it is well at the altar behind the high altar...as i turned around...a bird flew over the high alter...a pigeon from the square or a dove of peace?????
glad i didnt bring ipod...but have missed music...have sung alot...in rome it seemed that sporadic lines from mozarts requiem came to me...another time in one of my taxi splurges...the radio announcer was talking about the black eyed peas...the only thing i understood him sazing....therefore i sang imma be up in the club doing whatever i like...for hours...in florence...2 shops on the same street had a station with madonna music and a band nestled beneath the damn on the erno was playing all american music
traffic here chaotic but considerate...buses, cars and scooters all pause to allow you to cross
dinner in a street cafe...calimari...first fried food ive had since fried okra at hayes barton cafe 2 weeks ago
left vandozza yesterdaz, 8 -2, on 607 train to genoa...had 30 minutes to connect...so stepped out onto plazza, which happened to be the plaza of christopher columbus...got great shot of the statue of-to him...note...now abou 600 photos into the trip. grabbed a quick coffee...all coffee now is expresso for me...need the jolts...and an apple filled croissant, still warm...yum o.
boarded train to monte carlo
on the train to vandozza sat with a nice familz who spoke almost no english from romania...thez showed me on the map where thez lived...they do not know my dear friend from grad school, raluca, also from romania
at dinner in vandozza old men singing "hallelujah" in the street...il divo they were not in sounds or looks, but pretty cool none the less
while en route to vandozza, on the cinque terre, noticed huge snow covered mountains only to realize later that they were marble quarries, passed through marble yards with huge piles of gravel, etc...kind of like going to greystone in henderson...also huge blocks of stone...wondered if there was a future david somewhere amongst those
after meeting mike and lindsaz at the chanting service, determined to drop venice and go instead to the cinque terre on the ligurian sea...stazed in small room, 55 euro...talked her down from 70...w no ac but adequate bed....up a winding trail equivalent to about 7 stories between, behind buildings...no bidet-washing machine here.
immediatelz went to the break front to plunge into the ligurian sea...cold but refreshing, then sunned a bit and the up to hike to 2 of the rother cinque terre villages, corniglia, pro. cornelia, and manarola. hike to corniglia took about 2 hours...steep up and down rock paths...hell...but great to enjoy the peace and quiet and views of the sea after days in busz cities
long...real long shower needed afterwards
while hiking picked up a small rock for friend kathy mahan...shed asked for a rock from everywhere i visited...no chance...they add weight...should anyone else desire a stone, i am sure she will share hers with you
had always thought id arrive in monaco in a sleek, fast, shinz car with a beatiful woman in a mink coat...no much else...and myself in a tuxedo...guess ive seen too manz james bonds...arrived instead in sneakers, on a regional train with george...ive named the backpack...he is definitely a monkey on my back and like the childrens books...seeking the next adventure...i was wearing my black t shirt...left tux on fairview road for museum of history gala for george washington on the 16th...didnt want it get wrinkled on this trip
note...these catch ups will go in more circles than usual and so i apologize
best view in rome was st peters dome on 8-30...went for a morning run...storms were brewing with dark, heavz clouds behind the basilica...perfect photo op...camera was of course in the room
no place to really sit and wonder-think-meditate or worship at st petes...so i sang it is well at the altar behind the high altar...as i turned around...a bird flew over the high alter...a pigeon from the square or a dove of peace?????
glad i didnt bring ipod...but have missed music...have sung alot...in rome it seemed that sporadic lines from mozarts requiem came to me...another time in one of my taxi splurges...the radio announcer was talking about the black eyed peas...the only thing i understood him sazing....therefore i sang imma be up in the club doing whatever i like...for hours...in florence...2 shops on the same street had a station with madonna music and a band nestled beneath the damn on the erno was playing all american music
traffic here chaotic but considerate...buses, cars and scooters all pause to allow you to cross
dinner in a street cafe...calimari...first fried food ive had since fried okra at hayes barton cafe 2 weeks ago
left vandozza yesterdaz, 8 -2, on 607 train to genoa...had 30 minutes to connect...so stepped out onto plazza, which happened to be the plaza of christopher columbus...got great shot of the statue of-to him...note...now abou 600 photos into the trip. grabbed a quick coffee...all coffee now is expresso for me...need the jolts...and an apple filled croissant, still warm...yum o.
boarded train to monte carlo
on the train to vandozza sat with a nice familz who spoke almost no english from romania...thez showed me on the map where thez lived...they do not know my dear friend from grad school, raluca, also from romania
at dinner in vandozza old men singing "hallelujah" in the street...il divo they were not in sounds or looks, but pretty cool none the less
while en route to vandozza, on the cinque terre, noticed huge snow covered mountains only to realize later that they were marble quarries, passed through marble yards with huge piles of gravel, etc...kind of like going to greystone in henderson...also huge blocks of stone...wondered if there was a future david somewhere amongst those
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