The day the pictures died...

Yesterday we headed back to Rome to see Jeff and Kerry and to get in a couple more sites, namely the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel.

The day started off a bit on the wrong foot for me though when I realized as the train pulled into Rome that I left my camera in the men's restroom in the Florence. I spent about the next hour (or two) cursing my stupidity, which, while it sounds bad, is actually not terribly different than any other morning. Yesterday I just went at it with a little more vigor.

The good news is that I had just cleeared the camera of pics and that it was almost a year old, so it was technologically obsolete anyway...right? ...I hate myself... :)

In any case, the Colosseum was really impressive. I kept looking at it and thinking, "Man, and I thought building my deck was tough!" The Colosseum has stood for almost 2000 years now and it's remarkable how similar it is to current stadiums (it sat around 80,000).

After the Colosseum we wandered through the Palitines which are adjacent to the Colosseum and the forum. I don't know much about it other than it was the center of two Roman eras which is a rough quote from a book. Like I said, we just wandered in so I didn't really do my homework.

Next we went back to Vatican City where Rob and I finally got to see the Sistine Chapel. I have to be honest, it was very different than I had imagined. It was beautiful and on an immense scale to be sure, but I had expected something different in my head. Hard to describe...

We met back up with Jeff and Kerry afterwards since they had already hit the Sistine Chapel the day before and opted to go to the Basilica's cupola which we had hit a couple days earlier. The timing worked out pretty well and we were soon at a nearby ristorante chowing down and drinking a beer which we followed up with a looooong walk back toward the train station and a couple more beers at an Irish pub. :)

Minus the first couple hours of the day, things couldn't have gone too much better. I'm really looking forward to Jeff and Kerry's time in Florence - I think Rob and I will really show them a good time.

I'm going to try to buy my same camera if I can find it somewhere around here. If I do, expect the pics to start back up... Until then, hit Rob's post up for some pictures of yesterday (we should get to the wifi spot tonight or tomorrow night).

Cheers!

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It turns out that Rome wasn't built in a day...

...and it can't be seen in a day either. Still, Rob and I did our best when we dropped in for a day (just a 1.5 hour train ride from Florence). We managed to see the Pantheon, St. Peters Basilica, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. All in all, a pretty busy and productive day for us. We stumbled on the Pantheon, but it was actually one of the cooler sites. It's still used as a church and the architecture was really impressive. I've included a short video I took that very briefly "shows you around."

Next we hit St. Peters. The plaza itself is very impressive, but pales in comparison to the Basilica which is massive and beautiful (if not a little gaudy :). I think I got a little more Catholic as I walked in...don't worry though, it wore off by my second beer in the Irish pub that night. :)

Sadly the Basilica was a little dark so the pictures do not do it justice. Below you'll find a few shots from throughout St Peter's, including the supposed tomb/shrine/remains of St. Peter. We also climbed the dome (which was trippy) and saw the crypt of Popes which did include the late Pope John Paul II where people were gathered, some crying. He was obviously very loved. Lastly we stopped buy the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Across the River Arno and up a decent hill is a place called Piazzale Michelangelo which sports a scenic outlook, a copy of the David, and a series of gardens.

Rob and I walked over one day (not a bad hike) and wandered around a bit. The view was spectacular.

Not much really needs to be said (which rarely stops me I know, so enjoy it :), just enjoy the pictures (the panoramic was stiched together from 6 photos).

Well, we've "upgraded" wireless places after a series of frustrations at our previous spot which I really wanted to like because it is named Naima, presumably after the John Coltrane song. Unfortunately, Naima never seemed to let us connect if two other people were already connected, so we searched the town for another hotspot and found Moyo, another trendy cafe with free WiFi. We decided to go the next day. There was only one flaw in my plan -- I forgot my passport and there is an Italian law requiring all people using a public/free internet location to register their use of said connection.

So...instead, I'm typing in notepad and drinking a beer. Not a bad consolation, but I've got two sets of pictures and two posts besides this one waiting in the wings.

Rob (proving again that he's the smart one in the bunch) did bring his passport and has successfully scored a wireless access code, but is currently having connection issues (hopefully not caused by me trying to piggy back on his code). So...now our "upgraded" wireless spot is not seeming too "upgraded". Argh.

Hmmm...while I wait for Rob to struggle through things, I'm perusing the magazines on the table and have made quite the discovery -- a woman named Juliana Moreira on the cover of an Italian magazine called Max. I don't know who she is, or what she does, but guys...she looks like she's worth a google. :) Actually, gals...you might want to take a peek too.

Still no luck and ironically we're thinking about hitting the previous wireless place in hopes of it being better...

Bear with us guys - we're trying.

On a related note, Rob and I went to the Uffizi for the third or fourth time to attempt to get the "Friends of Uffizi" pass so that we can pop in there as frequently as we'd like (among other places). The first time it was closed and not providing cards because of a technical problem, the second time it was closed for random maintainance, and this last time we finally got in the door, but were told we needed an appointment...which we made. Too little too late you say? You're probably right, but it's the freaking principle now. I'm going Galvan on this one and won't quit until I "win!"

Also, the girl manning the "Friends of Uffizi" desk was anything but friendly. Maybe friendliness only comes after your membership dues are paid.

Rob is literally pulling out his hair now and cursing at his computer (and he doesn't even have "f*cking Vista!" Which, by the way, after using that for a month now I'm only more convinced it sucks...lots more useless garbage for twice as much inconvenience - yay! Sorry, I digress...maybe I'll come around when they decide to make it not suck.)

Editors note: I have successfully returned to Moyo and acquired an internet access card. The connection is working without a hitch and you all should see a lot more posts! I have posted three new blurbs today (and back-dated them, so scroll through). There's more to come...hopefully readership will pickup again. :)

On the positive side, Rome's train station uses Intel graphics...

...on the not so positive side, they probably hate Intel graphics. I'm basing this on the giant blue screen we found in the middle of the terminal. Bugcheck code: 0xEA, device: ialmrnt5.dll. I'll be submitting the bug when I get a legit internet connection. :)
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Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore

The museum behind the duomo in Florence holds a variety of art and sculptures that were originally created and placed in the nearby Cathedral, Tower, and Baptistery. Many of the pieces come from the well known Donatello (the artist, not the ninja turtle, who while martially artistic does not, to my knowledge, have any artwork displayed in Florence). While each piece in the museum deserves it's own story, I was most interested in one. Michelangelo is credited with two sculptures known as the Pieta. His second piece with this title is housed in the Duomo's Museum and is special for a couple reasons. First, it was intended to be placed within Michelangelo's own tomb. It was started when he was very late in life and the work was never finished (it also never adorned Michelangelo's funerary). Second, you'll notice in the picture that the sculpture is fractured in a couple places, most notably Christ's left arm. This allegedly occured after Michelangelo attempted to destroy the statue in a fit of rage after finding an impurity in the stone. It was later repaired by one of Michelangelo's students, who also died before completing it. Third, and perhaps most interesting is that Michelangelo is believed to have carved his own likeness into the face of Nicodemus (the man holding Christ). Nicodemus was one of the people that is said to have helped bury Christ and was also apparently referenced in some texts as being an artist and sculptor. Michelangelo is said to have identified with Nicodemus in both the artistic sense as well as in a spiritual sense as both men allegedly were "born" into their faith in their later years. Michelangelo's Pieta and Donatello's sculpture of Mary Magdalene (seen below) just seemed to give off a different vibe (to me) than the other sculptures, but there were so many amazing pieces in the museum. The last pieces I'll mention are Lorenzo Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise." These ten bronze reliefs depict the stories of the old testament and they adorned the southern door of the Baptistery (copies of the pieces now hold that place -- see the pictures below). The doors were dubbed "The Gates of Paradise" by Michelangelo. Interestingly the area between a baptistery and a cathedral, which these doors faced, was (is?) apparently often referred to as "paradise." The original works are now encased in nitrogen to maintain their appearance. All in all, I was most impressed with the museum. It was much larger than I expected and housed a fairly vast collection of pieces. A return visit might be necessary. :)

Sorry for the delay...

Hi all! Sorry for the delay on posting - the internet cafe we've been trying to hit was closed. It's open today though and we've got some great pics to post (I even managed to get a couple woth Rob in them).

Couple notes...

Gelato (still) rocks...

No need to order at the cafe - they knew our drinks when we walked in. Winners! :)

Cobblestone is not a good running surface...

We found a shortcut to the Irish pub!
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Up Another Bell Tower...

Rob and I were wandering around and hoping to sneak into the Duomo if the lines were short. They weren't. But, we did find ourselves standing at the entrance of the Campinile (bell tower) of the Duomo and there was not a single person in line. So, we bought a ticket (5 euros) and started the climb. The tower is over 400 steps up and is a combination of narrow switch backs and occasional longer sets of straight stairs -- vastly different than Pisa. It was quite a hike, but well worth it. At the top we were rewarded with some spectacular views of the Duomo, the baptistery, as well as scenic views of the city and surrounding countryside. The climb was also a solid reminder that maybe I should be doing more running and less Irish beer drinking...okay, at least more running. :) (Editor's note: we climbed the tower about 10-11 days ago and I've run about 5 times since then -- even got Rob out for one! No comment on the Irish beer...) We've got a few duomo pictures stashed for a later post. We're saving them for after we get inside the Duomo and get some interior shots as well as shots from the top of the Duomo. In the meantime though, here are some great pics from the top of the tower...

We have WiFi! Rob and I have located a great spot for (free) WiFi...in fact, I'm using it right now. We both have a bunch of pics to post and will prep them tonight for posting tomorrow. Look forward to pics from our climb up two bell towers!! -KO

Teasers...

The Benefits of Being a Regular...

Rob and I had at least one goal when we arrived in Florence: establish ourselves as a regular at at least one local spot. The rationale being that regulars enjoy a variety of priviledges.

For example, as a regular to a local cafe we are able to more easily navigate through some of the varying practices. An interesting thing here is that some cafes require you to pay and order first, then give the receipt to someone else to redeem it for say a coffee or a sandwich. Others ask you to order, receive the food, and then pay before sitting. Still others request you to order, get the food, eat the food, the pay on the way out.

Rob and I are early into it, but we're working on establishing ourselves as regulars at a nearby cafe to avoid this confusion and to provide a layer of comfort and familiarity. We're hoping it helps us avoid situations like our first encounter at said cafe. It went something like this...

(Preface: I studied a phrase book and was eager to try out a simple sentence...)
Kipp: posso avere una bischotti, per favore? [Internal monologue: holy sh*t, that came out way better than expected!]
Cafe worker: (looking slightly impressed) si.
Cafe worker: (something fast, something italian, and something asked directly at me)
Kipp: uh... (Deer in headlights)
Cafe worker: (repeats phrase and a mischevious grin begins to form)
Kipp: (confidence plummeting like a scoop of ice cream heading for the pavement) ...uhhhh...[Stay cool man, staaay cool!]...whaaaaaaat? [Sh*t!!!]
Cafe worker: eat here or take away?
Kipp: oh, um...here...um...per favore. [Real smooth dipsh*t!] (Moves, defeated, to the register where a thoroughly unimpressed cashier awaits).
Cashier: pay after...
Kipp: (still struggling to stay in italian mode) what? [C'mon me! At least say "que?"]
Cashier: pay after...
Kipp: [think man - what could he be saying...think!] Um...what?
Cashier: paaaaaay aaaaaafter
Kipp: [well why didn't he just say so!] Ah! Ok. (Rob and I proceed to sit down)
Kipp: so...that went well. (Pause) Did you hear me totally nail the first part though?!
Rob: yeah you blew me away...and then she talked back...and I laughed because I knew you were done for.

My point though is that when we go back in today, things can't go nearly as badly...right? And everytime after it will get even better. By the time we leave we might even have a couple new friends.

Now you might think this concept is silly, but what I haven't mentioned is that the cafe is our second regular game. Our efforts towards our primary goal are already bearing fruit!!

Two nights ago we went back into the irish pub. We talked a bit more with the bartenders and the owner and we met a cool woman named Whitney. By the end of the night the owner was chatting with us and giving me a hard time for drinking too slowly and talking too much! Sounds like somebody knows me!! :).

Yesterday Whitney went to see the David with us and then shared a few recommended places to get some gelato as well as a great place for dinner that we all ate at that night.

We finished off the night back at the irish pub (english speaking salvation after a day of pointing, gesturing, and being embarrassed). I ordered the first round and the female bartender (different person than the owner) responded with "hey you guys are back! Oh man, it's already 11, think you can finish this pint by 1 when we close?!"

Next we bumped into and received a happy hello from another bartender hanging out while on his day off and an American woman we met a couple days earlier (the one we saved from an anti-bush, anti-gun rant). She has lived here for a long while and gave us a few more tips of things to do..

The kicker though was when I finally did finish my pint, the female bartender spotted me across a packed bar and yelled, "look who finished their beer!!! Yaaay!" I got a scattered round of applause...

It's all about being a regular baby (and maybe a little about being the only people who tip). :)

P.S. The tracker is back up...
P.P.S. Rob's Aunt Joyce, we're getting a ton of sleep... Siestas are in full effect and I think Rob has claimed two 14+ hour nights of sleep.
P.P.P.S. Found a free wifi hotspot! If we can find it again, pictures and blogs will flow!!!
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Sunrise run...

I'm up at the crack of dawn to begin what I hope becomes a daily ritual...a sunrise run along the river Arno and across many of its scenic bridges. I'll upload my course when I can (we think we've worked out a way to get internet access). I'll also get the tracker back up - we're obviously not getting a signal in the apartment. Okay, enough procrastinating for me...running time!
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A long overdue update...

Hi all! My apologies for not blogging more recently. We made it to Florence Saturday morning and so far it's been nothing but impressive! We don't have internet access yet, but we'll take care of that today.

Here's a quick summary of the past two days (it starts slow, but I promise any entertaining end)...

Saturday:
We arrived by train around 2pm and were happy to find the apartment easily. The apartment itself is great - we need visitors! We have room for 6-8 people easy and were surprised to find a third bathroom.

We got unpacked and then went out to check out the surrounding area - mainly to find a place to eat later that night and the irish pub Brenna had mentioned. :) We did a zig-zag through the streets between the train station, our apt, the river, and the Duomo and were amazed at a couple things.

First, the number of shops, cafes, and ristorantes near us is impressive. We're going to eat crazy well as soon as we stop being afraid to embarrass ourselves by slaughtering the Italian language. :)

Second, the architecture, monuments, and statues are just plain awesome. It's a lively, beautiful city.

And third, speaking of beautiful...a ridiculous percentage of women here are just gorgeous! And it's not like they're all Italian. My theory is that beautiful women are more likely to travel. I should elaborate on that in another post. :)

Okay, so we found both a spot to eat and the irish pub (the fiddler's elbow). We changed and hit an outdoor ristorante, passing singers and bands in the streets... The food was outstanding and our waiter bonded with us as we all stared at a woman walking by while he took our order. We had to give it to him four times because he wanted to stay out and "enjoy the view" a bit. He hooked us up with 2 rounds of free limoncello. A return visit might be required. :)

So, now, filled with a ton of great food, vino, gelato, espresso, and limoncello we did what we had to do - we sought out the irish pub.

Despite "knowing where it was" we took a while to get there. We ordered a couple pints and commented on the slow night. A couple beers in and it looked like the beginning of the end of the night. Then a woman started talking to us...she was tired of being the only American and having to constantly explain herself about Bush (the president :) and our politics in general. This ploy worked...because now people wanted *us* to explain ourselves!

...another pint...

So there we are talkng to a guy from London who claims to have been the head of the eastern branch of the "British CIA." He was a very nice guy and we had a good talk. I'm pretty sure Rob and I convinced him that America was the best... :)

...another pint...

Now we run into a very drunk Iranian/American princess and her friiends. Seriously. They're also nice and I snapped a few pictures of them (with the British CIA guy) for them (I forgot my camera and am still kicking myself for it).

So now the bar is pretty happening and we're getting along well with the crowd when run into the Irish.

...another pint...

Sunday:
It's a group of Irish in town for one guy's wedding...who's also there (without the wife just a day after the wedding! Props to her!). Immediately it turns to politics and Rob and I again have to tell them that the US isn't crazy. They love us because we say we're Arsenal fans. We're having a great, rowdy time with them when the bartender actually tells us to keep it down because he's trying to call a cab for someone...it's after 2am - the bar is closed. Leave it to the Irish though - they know a bar open to half five and they want to "take the yanks!"

So...we go. Now we're at a very shady bar that required registration and drinking vodka red bulls and - get this - coronas with the Irish. I learn that a "kip" is slang for a sh*t heap.

...Vodka red bull... (Needed that one)

The ladies of the group are crazy drunk, but not as bad as one of the guys who pulls a Papodaca and falls down without really knowing it.

...Corona...

We outlast all the Irish except the new groom. He's enjoying giving us constant trash on a variety of topics as well as a couple drinks on us...

...Vodka red bull...

Finally we call it a night/morning...we bid farewell to the last remaining Irishman...the sun is rising. We have pt no pot idea where we are. We find a high point and see the duomo across the river. After a loooong journey we reach it and take a few moments to marvel it...

We then proceed to somehow get lost on the short remaining trip back and roll in about 9:30am... After a short sleep we're back up and back at the Irish pub drinking another pint and watching Arsenal take on Portsmouth. Arsenal wins 3-1 and they move into 2nd in the English Premier League.

After that we hit the local grocery store and I made some pasta for dinner... Seem fully recovered now and ready to start another fun day...ithink the next few will be a bit tamer, but we'll let you know!

Until then...ciao!

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RyanAir, Pisa, and the Taxi Driver

Ok, this is long overdue, but I wanted to sneak a quick post in about RyanAir and Pisa.

We arrived in Pisa from the Stenton Airport (North London) on August 31st. I only note that because we took RyanAir and I wanted to provide a couple notes on the "European Southwest."

First, let's talk price... Our tickets were 0.02 Pounds (+32 Pounds of Tax) each. Obviously you can't beat that...

Accomodations: The plane itself seemed newish and in good condition. It was clean and the seats were fairly nice. What was interesting was that the seats do NOT recline (which is fine with me)...and they were incredibly tight. There was not a single way I could position myself in my seat without my knees slamming into the seat in front of me. Forget about sleeping (or even getting comfortable)...I leaned a few inches forward and put my head against the seatback in front of me. :)

Food/Services: I found this the most interesting. The plane itself had ads on the overhead compartments and the intercom was constantly playing sort of an infomercial of the services they provided, which incuded expensive food, drinks, train tickets, etc.

All in all, it was totally worth it (keep in mind it cost two pence). :)

Ok, so after a two hour flight we landed in Pisa. Customs was basically non-existant and we got our baggage quickly and moved out to find two things...an ATM and a taxi. After we toured the airport a bit we found an ATM and successfully withdrew some cash. Then we strolled outside into a beautiful Italian summer day (temperature that morning was a perfect 70ish) to grab a taxi...when it dawned on us. We have to get a taxi...in Italy. We finally mustered up the courage to track one down and jumped in. We successfully told him which hotel we were headed to when the uncomfortable silence started. Anyone who's been around me knows that I do not handle uncomfortable silences well... I normally fill those with a bad joke. In addition, I was starting to feel a littlenervos...which I normally cover with...more jokes. Obviously, I couldn't lead off with a joke, so instead I ried to ask in Italian if the driver spoke English. His response?

"Yes, I speak a little English. It's very important for someone visiting another country to speak the language of the country."

Ok, now I was uncomfortable, nervous, and the taxi driver had just hit my third biggest issue...guilt. We talked a little more and to be fair, his meaning to his first comment seemed to be more "It's important to try speaking Italian while you're here -- it will be appreciated." Still, it was about the worst first exchange I could have hoped for because I was now completely intimidated. :)

That intimidation was apparent later that day when Rob and I, after wandering aimlessly around the outskirts of Pisa (for about 4 hours) refused to ask for directions. The good news though, was that we persevered and finally found the tower. You know, the tippy one. I have to admit the tower and surrounding cathedral and baptistery were more impressive than I originally expected, everything in white marble. The angle of the lean was bigger than I expected as well. After talking Rob into it, we bought some tickets to climb the tower, which was definitely the highlight of the day. Climbing the tower, winding up the tilted, circular stairway, was a bit disorienting. Once to the top, it was just creepy. Onone side you at east leaned inwards, but on the other the outward lean was a recipe for vertigo. After our tower time, we hit a local ristorante and enjoyed a couple of delicious pizzas before concluding our day. We opted for a taxi ride back this time as we had been walking for ~7 hours after a night with no sleep. The rest is history...or at least already blogged in my "Rob's snoring post." :)