Gotta Catch 'Em All...Roman Style

(A shout out to Abby for setting me on this expedition!)

In Rome, there are 13 obelisks that were created in Egypt and then moved to Rome at some point. Some before the birth of Christ.

At first, I wasn't planning on finding them all, but after finding almost half purely by being lost all the time, I figured I might as well collect them all.

The first one was on the first day in Piazza Navona when I got terrifyingly lost.

Piazza Navona

I then found three. One while walking randomly around, the other two when my teacher took the class out for a walk around Rome.

Piazza del Quirinale

Piazza di Montecitorio

 

 

Piazza della Rotonda
In front of the Pantheon

 

I found the next two while trying to find the Trevi Fountain. What should have taken 10 minutes tops took an hour and a half.

Trinita dei Monti
In front of the Spanish Steps

Piazza della Minerva
the elephant base was created by Bernini

I found the one in Piazza San Petro when the class went for a tour of the Vatican

Since I found seven in less than 5 days, I decided to go out and search for some.

Piazza dell'Esquilino

Piazza del Popolo
Just before I got scammed

The next one I found while showing one of my friends, who had not done much sightseeing, around Rome.

Pinician Hill
Inside the Villa Borghese Gardens

The final three was a grand adventure. A friend and I first went inside the Colosseum and then ran around Rome until 10:30 at night. Gets kind of sketchy. Good thing I had a flashlight (thanks Abby!)

Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano
Tallest obelisk in Rome standing at 150 ft. tall

Villa Celimontana
Some old villa in Rome...lots of mosquitoes

Baths of Diocletian
with thug Roman teenagers sitting at the base

And there you have it. Thirteen Egyptian obelisks!

Now what...

'Fancy Food' is the New 'Fast Food'

Food here is very special. It's literally an art form for them. The taste, the smell, and the presentation are important for the Italians. Every morsel of food should be appreciated with the highest regard. The other day, I spent an hour and a half enjoying the most delicious three course meal I have ever had.

Bruschetta and red wine
That's about as fancy as it gets

Caprese Pizza:
fancy way of saying tomatoes, onions and cheese

This crème caramel put all desserts to shame

I must say, I'm very nervous taking pictures of my food. In Canada, no problem! It's a compliment to the chef that you want everyone to see this awesome dish. And honestly, no one cares. But in Italy? I feel like everyone's judging me. "Who's this foreigner taking pictures of her food? How stupid can she be?"

So an hour and a half for a meal. Great. It was a spectacular, relaxing, and beyond reasonably delicious meal. But it's incredible! I don't know how the Italians find the time to do this every day. They must all have time manipulators or something. But I'm in Rome taking classes on music performance. I don't have that much time to eat like regularly.

Today, for instance.

I didn't pack a lunch before classes so I headed out to find something to eat. I only had 45 minutes so I needed it to be quick and simple.

I don't think the word "quick" is in the Italian vocabulary.

Fast food restaurants don't exist.....oh wait...now that I think about it, there was a Subway down the street....

ahem...

Anyways, I decided to walk up towards the Trevi Fountain to find a place that would be quick and found a little street restaurant advertising "Quick Lunch". They had sandwiches (or paninis as the Italians call it) for a reasonable price so I sat down. At this point, I had a half hour to eat and walk back. Plenty of time, right?

Wrong.

They took their time with asking what I would like to order. I would understand if the restaurant  had been busy, but I was the only customer except for a tourist couple who already had their food. I ordered a Caprese (tomato, mozzarella, and basil) sandwich and mineral water. Yes. Mineral water. Not plain water. It's fizzante or mineral water. You can't get plain tap water or they look at you like you're an idiot (it happened to me during the fancy meal). "Well, can't I just not order a drink?" you ask? No. They look at you with disgust if you do that too. As I said: Fancy.

So they took their time with bringing me my order. And yet again, I would have understood if there were more people than me ordering, but there were more waiters than customers! At this point, I have 10 minutes to eat and get back. This is where I start to feel embarrassed because I'm looking at this sandwich, and it is absolutely gorgeous! So nicely prepared and probably the finest ingredients. And here I am, about to scarf it down and run like a pathetic North American. I would have taken a picture but, as I said, no time.

I eat this beautiful and delicious sandwich as quickly as possible without looking like a savage and then stare at the waitress so she knows I want my bill (or "conto" in Italiano). Once again, she's taking her sweet, sweet time and I know I'm gonna be late. I slapped down the money and I didn't really care that I just gave her a 30% tip. I HATE being late and I didn't care anymore. After leaving as graciously as possible, in Torontonian fashion, I booted it down the street. No one runs in Italy. They all walk at a very leisurely pace which I must say, drives me utterly mad. Those that have walked with me know I am a fast walker. What I think is a "leisurely pace" is power walking for most people.

Just as I thought, I was late by five minutes. I apologized to the professor, but, as one Italian here said, "Thirty minutes late is considered fashionably late."

I'm gonna remember that the next time I'm late for choir practice.

Searching for a Higher Power

In Europe, they have a different electricity outlet.

Doesn't it have just the cutest little face?

Before I left, my dad gave me a plug adaptor that he said would work.

It didn't.

So for the last few days I've been conserving battery power on my laptop and mooched off the roommate once.

Of all things to buy in Rome, a tech shop is one of the hardest things to find. I asked my piano teacher here if she knew of one. But being the fashionista she is, she didn't know. So off I went, map in hand, in search of the Plug of Power.

I must say, I am getting the hang of reading a map and using the sun as a compass. I started down one street and walked about 15 minutes before stopping at a tourist kiosk and asking if she knew where to get an adaptor.

She didn't.

So I started walking down another random street.

The cool thing about Rome is that no matter what street you turn on, you can find something interesting.
One thing I really enjoy are the churches. Some of them have been around since 130 A.D.!!

The Pantheon! Built in 126 A.D!

They're amazing works of architecture and it's impossible to imagine how they made them with early tools. All of them are so big and probably took years and hundreds of hands to complete.

Chiesa del Gesù - 1551 A.D

Trinità dei Monti - 1502 A.D.

San Gregorio Magno al Celio - 575 A.D

San Silvestro in Capite - 8th century

 Every time I see a church, I'm in awe that there was a time when people worshipped God with a deep sense of respect and admiration. I love how reverent they were and feel sad at how far we have gone from that.

San Lorenzo in Lucina - built in 440 AD

(Side Note: Lorenzo! There was an engraving on the side of the church with some music notes. Thought it fitting for your namesake church.)

There's something very beautiful and very sacred about entering these churches. I found it quite pleasing that they force people to cover up before walking into these churches; no shoulders or knees should be showing. It was a tad ironic too, since a lot of the painting and sculptures inside the churches are of barely dressed figures.

It's like something out of Doctor Who
Chiesa Del Gesu - built in 1551 A.D

But angels aside, take a look at that painting! That's the ceiling! THE CEILING! Everywhere you look inside a church, you're gonna find something incredible to look at. I can't believe how well done everything is. 

Look at the detail around those gorgeous organ pipes!
Chiesa Del Gesu

 The amount of effort and money just blows me away. In a way, it shows just how important God was to these people.
It's also so depressing how mediocre society has become that these churches have been around for a thousand plus years and yet we can't seem to make a toaster that lasts more than one year. Seriously.

 Anyways, after stepping into my fourth church of the day, I finally found a tech shop! I now have power again and can continue blogging more pictures! Yay!

 


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Flying to Italy!

This blog is dedicated to all my stalkers out there (*cough* Rachael *cough* *cough*). In it you will find my adventures and misadventures on the wonderful continent of Europe.

But first, my flight. 

My last Timmies <3

 For the most part, It was a good flight. I did, however, learn something very interesting.

I'm afraid of take off. 

I was fine getting on the plane. And then we started to taxi. 

Me (thinking) - "Yay, I'm finally leaving! This is going to be fun."

Captain - "(blah blah blah blah....)We'll be leveling off at thirty-five thousand feet."

Me (thinking) - "thirty-five hundred....that's not so ba.....wait...omg THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND???? Okay....not a big deal. We'll probably have to take-off really fast. Hm....what if there's not enough landing strip...or is it a take off strip...we'll crash and burn! Or what if the wheel breaks and we go nose first into the asphalt! What if the tail breaks off! I'm pretty close to the front....maybe.... oh crap. the wings. What if a wing snaps while we're half-way up! We'll spiral back down to earth in a burst of fire! *looks out window* What if another planes hits us. That would definitely kill us. *plane accelerates* OMG I'M GONNA DIE!!!!

 *starts crying and hyperventilating*

Then the guy beside me looks at me and starts laughing....

At least I got a really pretty picture of Toronto

After we leveled off, I was fine. Landing is also frightening for the same reasons, but it comes so suddenly I don't have time to panic. It was great that I had to do it three times. 

The flight from Montreal to Germany was reaaaaally long. We had these cool screens in front of us where we could watch movies, tv, listen to music, or check our status in the flight. 

-36.4 F..... it went down to -70. Parkas anyone?

I had the BRILLIANT idea to watch Taken. For those of you who haven't watched it, it's about two girls that visit Paris and then are kidnapped and sold into prostitution. Yeah....genius.

I stopped in Germany and that was a horrific event. There were so many people and I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go. I asked the guy at the information desk (thank GOD he spoke English) and I needed to line up for passport check. 

Just trying to get there was difficult; I kept apologizing for bumping into people. After bumping and apologizing to another person, this guy behind me said "These darn Canadians." I turned, horrified! But he said he was joking. Those darn Americans.

Anyways, I'm proud to say I got my first stamp on my passport! *happy dance* :D

After the passport check and customs, I had 30 minutes to get to my gate. It took me 20 minutes running to get to my gate. TWENTY MINUTES. I was so sad. They were selling legit German sausage, and I wanted so bad to try that but there wasn't time :( I cried a little on the inside. 

While on the plane there were some really thick clouds and this was the conversation in my head. 

"Oooooh pretty. So fluffy! I could just jump on them like in the Pooh Bear movies. Hm...it's just vaporized water though...it wouldn't be able to hold me up. I'd fall. Like a rock. 35,000 feet into the mountains beneath them. Splat. Like a fly on glass. I wonder if I'd be able to scream. Or would I be even able to scream? Hm...."

Enough of my morbid thoughts. 

Arrival in Italy!

I finally landed in Italy and realised I will not be wearing any of the long-sleeved shirts I packed. It's very hot here. Very hot. 

Because I was waiting for the roommate to arrive I wandered around the airport a little, found out it costs money to use wi-fi, so I ordered what I thought was an iced coffee. Turns out I ordered a coffee made with whipped cream. like...soft coffee ice cream. but Good Lord, that was the most beautiful thing I have ever eaten. I can't even explain it. So light, and so coffee-ish. Glad it was my first Italian food.

My roommates plane was late so I found a seat so I could sleep a little. To protect my stuff while I was asleep I placed one arm on one suitcase, my other arm on my purse, a scarf over my head (to shut out the light a little), and my head on my big suitcase. I woke up 20 minutes later in so much much pain. A very bad idea. And people were looking at the weird Canadian girl funny. 

We finally were on our way to the apartment and I learned that Italians do not know how to drive.

Or maybe they're really good at driving so they just appear reckless

 First, no one follows the lines. Why bother putting lines on the road if you're not going to follow them! Seriously! There was this one guy in front of us that was straddling the line the entire time. Second, no one follows the speed limit. It was 70 km and the driver was going 120. It was 30 km on this itty bitty curvy road, and he was doing 90! I was praying to God we wouldn't crash. I survived intact except for my nerves. Those were deep fried in butter.

That's all I'm gonna write for now. 

Next post: Lost in Rome