We’ve been here long enough to notice some obvious Italian cultural things.
For starters, my initial view of the Italian women ALL looking good and ALL dressing fashionably, is only true over weekends. The not so good looking (or the very few of them anyway) come out during the week, and the designer boots are replaced during the week with flat boots or sneakers. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t make them any less attractive, but obviously the glamour takes over on weekends. Another observation is that their voices sound a lot older than what they are.
Morning coffee/breakfast is a short and small endeavour. We sat in a coffee bar, as they call it, and ordered cappuccino while planning our next two days on Leon’s iPad (we needed the Internet). People come in, with their bags etc. in hand, stand at the counter, order a coffee (which is closer to our espresso), downs it quickly while standing, pays and leaves. One or two will also order a pastry type food, similar to a croissant but apparently less buttery. This is also quickly eaten while standing at the counter. No leisurely large breakfast with cappuccinos as we know it, in and out, quite literally.
Lunch and dinner we cannot really comment on, since we have not yet dared sitting in a restaurant for fear of the price we’ll pay, but I’ve read in many many places, including an informational booklet in our flat that they are not hurried.
Funny in the same vein though, they are very quick to blow their car’s horn at someone who stops unnecessarily or doesn’t drive off fast enough in traffic.
Clothes shopping – they have many, many expensive boutiques, but here and there you do find the odd one that is less than the third of the price. We bought me a dress and another top for R350 both. Same thing with shoes, but we bought me two pairs of shoes, of which one is a full length boot, at a stand on the street corner for R350 as well. What is noticeable though is that the number of cheaper stores is a lot less than the expensive ones and you have to know exactly where to find them or walk many, many, many steps if you don’t!
Italians not only live on top of each other, but there shops are also on top of each other. We have found two stores to date that are like an Edgars/Foschinis, which covers a bigger ground area. All the other shops are small. If you would compare it to one of the boutiques in Sandton City, it is probably half to a third the size. Their fresh vegetable stores are so small that it can only hold a third of the vegetable area in PnP, and then you can’t fit more than two people next to each other. All the shops are this small and smaller.
Types of shops we have found, lots of Food Bars – which is like a Deli, think Bread Basket, where you can buy delicatessen and sweet stuff and/or sit there and eat as well. Lots of Pizza shops – you don’t look at a menu and order a pizza though, you look at the pizza they have available already made in the counter and then choose a size of one of them, which they weigh to give you a price. Lots of Coffee Bars, although some of the Food Bars double up as both. A couple of Gellato shops – we have stopped once now to “do as the Romans do”. The Gellato is delicious, but I wouldn’t say it is something I would get addicted to, unless I just haven’t found the right flavour yet. Many, many small boutiques, and expensive boutiques. You can look at R500 for a simple top, R1200 for a pair of ankle high boots. One or two bottle stores, a couple of bars. Don’t confuse it with our type of pubs though, it is just as small as the shops, and you could probably not fit more than 30 people in the bar. They are also not that packed, people tend to have a drink or two and then move on. Some jewellery stores and some perfume shops. One or two hair dressers, they look very similar to ours. I itch to go into one of them to experience the Italian male hair dresser.
We have been to their Spar/PnP type shop as well. It is very much the same to what we have, products are similar. Biggest difference was that you have to weigh and print the sticker for you fruit yourself, we watched another lady do it and then figured it out. I thought it was quite a cool experience, as usual, Leon thought I was just being childlike and amused by small things _. One thing I need to constantly remind myself of, and have forgotten once or twice and had to endure a nasty look because of it, is that you must place the money you want to pay with on the tray close to the till, and you will receive your change here as well. Apparently it is disrespectful if you do it any different!
One thing is for sure though; the Italians can be just as rude and has no idea what it means to wait your turn. While waiting in line to get our Metro tickets, they just pushed in and if we didn’t LITERALLY fight to get in front, we would probably wait there forever.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
La Citi ‘del Aqua
In the Roman times, apparently bathing wasn’t done inside your own house in the bathroom, but you went to another mammoth huge building that was specifically designed for bathing. One of these buildings, or more City by its size, is La Citi ‘del Aqua. I’m not going to write about it too much, since only pictures can explain it, and magnificent and awe-inspiring are again the words that come to mind, which I’m sure I’ve repeated 100s of times already. But just imagine, a building probably covering the same surface space of Sandton City including Sandton Square, but easily 5 or six times the height, built to have heated water in “baths” that are probably bigger than our standard Olympic size swimming pools, with fountains, and toilets, a gym (believe it, they invented them before us!), two libraries and space for small shops on the perimeter. The ruins that are left behind today probably do no justice of what used to be there, but once again the Romans have left an imprint of their history that will remind us for the rest of time of how powerful they really were.
The amazing churches of Rome
The multiple churches in Rome means there is a lot of them to see, I think only churches will keep you busy for more than 2 weeks. We have so far only gone into three, San Giovanni which is quite close to us, Scala Santa in the opposite street, and we came across the church of St Helena accidentally today.
San Giovanni we walk past almost every day on our way out and/or on our way in. The magnificence of the church inside is most definitely not reflected on the outside. St Helena is very much the same, except this church used to hold a lot of items from Christ’s crucifixion, like some of the thorns that was in his “crown”, one of the nails that went through his hands etc. Both these churches are magnificent, pillars that seem to go on forever, paintings in the walls that depict various different scenes. The roof is either painted or has lots of carvings in them. In St Helena, one section of the church had the whole roof covered in a scene that was “painted” all by tiny blocks of tiles, similar to the ones we saw at the Baths that was used on the floor. These tiles are not even 1cm x 1cm, and the whole roof was approximately 55m2 big. Amazing!
Something that has caught both our eyes, in both churches and some of the carvings outside buildings, is that there are symbols and images that aren’t always in place. In St Helena we saw two “angels”, except their faces were sculls. In San Giovanni we saw an image of a half woman, half eagle, but she looked more like something from the devil than from heaven. On some of the statues outside are Egyptian symbols.
Scala Santa was another amazing experience – read Leon’s piece on “Faith like potatoes”. The only words that could come out of my mouth when I read that you can only reach the top of the stairs if you climb on your knees, was “no way!”. I mean, the one lady was probably my gran’s age, which by the way cannot walk without her walking frame. She was climbing these stairs one by one on her knees, praying on each step before progressing to the next one. You must really believe in something very strongly to put yourself through this type of punishment.
I don’t believe in religion as such. I do believe that there is a type of “universe” that connects us all and if we know how to ask of it we will receive. I don’t know if I truly believe in a God, or a hell, but one thing I can say for sure. Each time I enter one of these churches, I get the incredible urge in me to pray. I think it is just so magnificent and overpowering, that I can’t help but feeling different. I have an incredible respect for these churches, for the people who commit their lives to these churches, and for the people who have faith as strong as these people do. Then again, if I went to church every day since I can remember in a building this magnificent, maybe it would be easier to believe in what my parents and forefathers believed in.
San Giovanni we walk past almost every day on our way out and/or on our way in. The magnificence of the church inside is most definitely not reflected on the outside. St Helena is very much the same, except this church used to hold a lot of items from Christ’s crucifixion, like some of the thorns that was in his “crown”, one of the nails that went through his hands etc. Both these churches are magnificent, pillars that seem to go on forever, paintings in the walls that depict various different scenes. The roof is either painted or has lots of carvings in them. In St Helena, one section of the church had the whole roof covered in a scene that was “painted” all by tiny blocks of tiles, similar to the ones we saw at the Baths that was used on the floor. These tiles are not even 1cm x 1cm, and the whole roof was approximately 55m2 big. Amazing!
Something that has caught both our eyes, in both churches and some of the carvings outside buildings, is that there are symbols and images that aren’t always in place. In St Helena we saw two “angels”, except their faces were sculls. In San Giovanni we saw an image of a half woman, half eagle, but she looked more like something from the devil than from heaven. On some of the statues outside are Egyptian symbols.
Scala Santa was another amazing experience – read Leon’s piece on “Faith like potatoes”. The only words that could come out of my mouth when I read that you can only reach the top of the stairs if you climb on your knees, was “no way!”. I mean, the one lady was probably my gran’s age, which by the way cannot walk without her walking frame. She was climbing these stairs one by one on her knees, praying on each step before progressing to the next one. You must really believe in something very strongly to put yourself through this type of punishment.
I don’t believe in religion as such. I do believe that there is a type of “universe” that connects us all and if we know how to ask of it we will receive. I don’t know if I truly believe in a God, or a hell, but one thing I can say for sure. Each time I enter one of these churches, I get the incredible urge in me to pray. I think it is just so magnificent and overpowering, that I can’t help but feeling different. I have an incredible respect for these churches, for the people who commit their lives to these churches, and for the people who have faith as strong as these people do. Then again, if I went to church every day since I can remember in a building this magnificent, maybe it would be easier to believe in what my parents and forefathers believed in.
An exercise in Trust
Our first stop was Lisbon, Portugal. The first thing we both picked up is that their winters are definitely not as cold as ours, and the weather outside was pleasant. The Portuguese stay up to very late, all the shops were open until midnight. It is very strange to see people with little children of 5 to 10 years of age, walking next to the ocean at 23:30.
The fashion in Lisbon and Rome is mini-skirts with warm leggings or stockings, or skinny jeans. All the ladies wear beautiful boots, either ankle height, or higher. It will be our mission to find me a pair of these beautiful shoes! Here the women don't wear any make up, I have only seen one girl wearing mascara and eye liner, and this was on the airplane on our way here. Their skin is beautiful though, assuming this is attributed to the fact that they don't wear make-up, and could potentially have something to do with their sunshine. This I can't comment on since we were only in Portugal from 19:00 to 7:00. People are also generally well groomed, and skinnier.
We went to Expo 98 to find a restaurant and do a little bit of sight-seeing. The architecture of the train station and the malls and hotels in this section are very modern and beautiful. Apparently this infrastructure was built for an Expo held in Portugal for many countries in 1998, therefore the name. We walked around in Vasco da Gama mall, and also had our dinner (at 21:30) here. We ate pasta carbonara, very tasty. Their pasta was freshly made, and the cream used much richer than what we are used to. We also each had a glass of Sangria. It tastes quite different from Sangria as we know it. It is a sweet wine with a tangy citrus type taste, delicious and refreshing! The speed at which our meal was brought to us was very surprising; I don't think we waited even 10 minutes!
We had to walk back to the airplane (3.4km), which felt like forever, especially since it was 00:30, but it gave us the opportunity to see the living quarters of the people. In the area we walked through, the buildings are old and dilapidated, and look very similar to the hostels I used to stay at in Varsity. There is definitely also not the planning in parking space as we are used to in SA.
Another thing that I have noticed of both Portugal and Rome, is that people don't smile unnecessarily. I.e. if I acknowledge someone or thank them for a service, I usually do it with a smile. The Europeans seem to only smile when there is a joke or some conversation that stimulates laughter.
Highlights for me for this part of our trip:
There is a little park next to the ocean that has musical instruments hanging on structures. There was a gong, triangles, some drum like instruments and more. The kids (and some adults including me) were having lots of fun playing these!
There was a bunch of teenagers drinking and chatting away next to an area where they hang all the flags of the countries that was at Expo98. They did this little dance while all standing together in a circle and singing, very sweet!
We went into a Pick n Pay type shopping centre to get some food for our 4 hours left on the airport. There was a self-service till next to the one we paid out. You scan each of your purchased items, and then you can swipe a credit card or even pay cash (similar to when we pay at a car park). Now imagine something like that in SA. You must have a 100% confidence and trust in the people of your country to allow a concept like this!
The fashion in Lisbon and Rome is mini-skirts with warm leggings or stockings, or skinny jeans. All the ladies wear beautiful boots, either ankle height, or higher. It will be our mission to find me a pair of these beautiful shoes! Here the women don't wear any make up, I have only seen one girl wearing mascara and eye liner, and this was on the airplane on our way here. Their skin is beautiful though, assuming this is attributed to the fact that they don't wear make-up, and could potentially have something to do with their sunshine. This I can't comment on since we were only in Portugal from 19:00 to 7:00. People are also generally well groomed, and skinnier.
We went to Expo 98 to find a restaurant and do a little bit of sight-seeing. The architecture of the train station and the malls and hotels in this section are very modern and beautiful. Apparently this infrastructure was built for an Expo held in Portugal for many countries in 1998, therefore the name. We walked around in Vasco da Gama mall, and also had our dinner (at 21:30) here. We ate pasta carbonara, very tasty. Their pasta was freshly made, and the cream used much richer than what we are used to. We also each had a glass of Sangria. It tastes quite different from Sangria as we know it. It is a sweet wine with a tangy citrus type taste, delicious and refreshing! The speed at which our meal was brought to us was very surprising; I don't think we waited even 10 minutes!
We had to walk back to the airplane (3.4km), which felt like forever, especially since it was 00:30, but it gave us the opportunity to see the living quarters of the people. In the area we walked through, the buildings are old and dilapidated, and look very similar to the hostels I used to stay at in Varsity. There is definitely also not the planning in parking space as we are used to in SA.
Another thing that I have noticed of both Portugal and Rome, is that people don't smile unnecessarily. I.e. if I acknowledge someone or thank them for a service, I usually do it with a smile. The Europeans seem to only smile when there is a joke or some conversation that stimulates laughter.
Highlights for me for this part of our trip:
There is a little park next to the ocean that has musical instruments hanging on structures. There was a gong, triangles, some drum like instruments and more. The kids (and some adults including me) were having lots of fun playing these!
There was a bunch of teenagers drinking and chatting away next to an area where they hang all the flags of the countries that was at Expo98. They did this little dance while all standing together in a circle and singing, very sweet!
We went into a Pick n Pay type shopping centre to get some food for our 4 hours left on the airport. There was a self-service till next to the one we paid out. You scan each of your purchased items, and then you can swipe a credit card or even pay cash (similar to when we pay at a car park). Now imagine something like that in SA. You must have a 100% confidence and trust in the people of your country to allow a concept like this!
The Collosseo & Palentine
Our first historical site to go visit was obviously the Collosseo. Firstly because this is the best building to take pictures of, we have millions already! Secondly, since we live three blocks up from the Collosseo. What a sight it was to walk out of our building and through the narrow street with all the cars, you see this wonderful building in front of you. It was hectically busy, and after being at the Palentine on Monday, we realised that there are a lot less people there during the week as opposed to the weekend.
We had a tour guide talk us through some stuff, eventually we left him to blabber on to go exploring on our own. Some interesting points though:
The Collosseo was always called the Amphiteatre. A theatre in those days was a half circle building; this one is a full circle, hence the name “Amphi”theatre. The name Collosseo was a nick name given to this building after a mammoth statue that was built next to it fell over. This statue falling over was nick named Collosus, and hence the name Collosseo.
The statue next to the Collosseo (I'll have to google who the statue was made after to remember), was 42m high, the Collosseo is 50 something high.
At some point in time, for about 4 years, the Collosseo was filled with water in the centre, and battle ship wars were depicted in this stadium.
The stadium holds 70,000 people, now compare that to Soccer City!
The whole Collosseo took 10 years to build, compare that to the time we built our stadiums, with lots less machinery and technology.
There is so much to say about the Collosseo, it is enormous and fantastic, and so rich in history and events, but words and not even pictures can describe it. I think the sound of a crowd of 70,000 people cheering a gladiator on is something that could give our Vuvuzela competition! We spent probably a good 2 to 3 hours here, just because you need to actually spend the time to feel and experience this magnificent history rich building. I would have loved to go into all the restricted areas!
We went back here in the evening for Leon to take some more stunning pictures, we'll probably go back to take some more!
We went to the Palentine the next morning (quite by accident), which is the Roman city as it was in historical times. Throughout Rome these larger buildings and structures follow the same design and same architecture, but that doesn't make them any less magnificent. Palentine is a very large area, which took us another good 3 hours to explore. It has the houses of the Kings and Queens, a Pantheon (I'll have to google what this was used for), a stadium, gardens, and more.
Highlights of these two sites:
Seeing a photographer with a model trying to take pictures in the Collosseo while it is absolutely packed with people.
Every time I would touch a piece of stone of a fallen building or a statue, I would get this overwhelming feeling of how rich their history is, and how they went through all the effort to preserve it to tell us the story. What story will our buildings tell generations from now?
The size of these buildings is something words cannot explain. A building with a pillar of which the bottom foot of the pillar alone will take me waste height, and then the actual pillar starts, which is probably about 10 stories high. These buildings are mammoth in size, obviously all a show of power.
The frustration of not being able to access all the areas underground and even above ground. I would become an archaeologist only for this purpose!
There was a section written on a plaque about the Gladiator fights. What stuck in mind is that they had a cure for epilepsy – I must tell my brother this! They used to mop up the fallen Gladiator’s blood with a sponge, and drink it!
We had a tour guide talk us through some stuff, eventually we left him to blabber on to go exploring on our own. Some interesting points though:
The Collosseo was always called the Amphiteatre. A theatre in those days was a half circle building; this one is a full circle, hence the name “Amphi”theatre. The name Collosseo was a nick name given to this building after a mammoth statue that was built next to it fell over. This statue falling over was nick named Collosus, and hence the name Collosseo.
The statue next to the Collosseo (I'll have to google who the statue was made after to remember), was 42m high, the Collosseo is 50 something high.
At some point in time, for about 4 years, the Collosseo was filled with water in the centre, and battle ship wars were depicted in this stadium.
The stadium holds 70,000 people, now compare that to Soccer City!
The whole Collosseo took 10 years to build, compare that to the time we built our stadiums, with lots less machinery and technology.
There is so much to say about the Collosseo, it is enormous and fantastic, and so rich in history and events, but words and not even pictures can describe it. I think the sound of a crowd of 70,000 people cheering a gladiator on is something that could give our Vuvuzela competition! We spent probably a good 2 to 3 hours here, just because you need to actually spend the time to feel and experience this magnificent history rich building. I would have loved to go into all the restricted areas!
We went back here in the evening for Leon to take some more stunning pictures, we'll probably go back to take some more!
We went to the Palentine the next morning (quite by accident), which is the Roman city as it was in historical times. Throughout Rome these larger buildings and structures follow the same design and same architecture, but that doesn't make them any less magnificent. Palentine is a very large area, which took us another good 3 hours to explore. It has the houses of the Kings and Queens, a Pantheon (I'll have to google what this was used for), a stadium, gardens, and more.
Highlights of these two sites:
Seeing a photographer with a model trying to take pictures in the Collosseo while it is absolutely packed with people.
Every time I would touch a piece of stone of a fallen building or a statue, I would get this overwhelming feeling of how rich their history is, and how they went through all the effort to preserve it to tell us the story. What story will our buildings tell generations from now?
The size of these buildings is something words cannot explain. A building with a pillar of which the bottom foot of the pillar alone will take me waste height, and then the actual pillar starts, which is probably about 10 stories high. These buildings are mammoth in size, obviously all a show of power.
The frustration of not being able to access all the areas underground and even above ground. I would become an archaeologist only for this purpose!
There was a section written on a plaque about the Gladiator fights. What stuck in mind is that they had a cure for epilepsy – I must tell my brother this! They used to mop up the fallen Gladiator’s blood with a sponge, and drink it!
Gardens in the Piazzo del Popolo
After spending most of our morning at the Collosseo, we had to do some research to see which museums don't close at 16:00. Piazzo del Popolo had many, so this was our next destination. This was also the first time we veered quite a distance from our house. It is the first time in my life I use a Metro, so it is quite an experience to feel like you'll be able to get home without owning a car and depending on someone to car pool you home!
The Gardens close to the Piazzo del Popolo is almost like an Emmerentia, except there is no dam, and it is about 5 to 7 times the size. We got there at 16:00 and only left at 19:00, and still didn't cover the whole garden. There are a number of museums here. We found two...although we didn't work too hard at trying to find them. This seems to be a place where friends and families come for their Sunday afternoons. The children get to play in the parks, there are two wheel thingies (called a Segway – some of our bigger shopping malls has these to drive the security guys around) that you can rent to ride around with. First thing I thought of when seeing them is if I would be able to wheelie it going around a bend quite fast, and that I’m sure Jay would be able to. You can rent something similar to a tandem type bicycle, except the two person one you sit next to each other. It is probably closer to a cart, but there is one where four people can peddle as well. Or you can rent something similar to a go-cart.
There are some beautiful statues in here; a couple of buildings, but the view from the garden out onto the city is awesome! Other than that, it is a perfect place for lovers to sit on a park bench hiding in the dark, go for jog, take the dogs for a jog/walk and friends/family to wind down the weekend before work the next day.
Highlights in the park:
There were a bunch of youngsters, my age and younger, on roller blades. They set cones down in a straight line and then do tricks and manoeuvre themselves through these cones. They are brilliant!
There was a lady in her 100% pure whatever animal was killed for it coat, dressed to perfection with high heels, pushing her baby in a pram together with a friend while chatting. Now I don't get how you would prance around in a park in the latest fashion and high heels, but this seems to be the Italian way!
I was amazed with the fact that you could walk around till whatever time in this park, and it is perfectly safe!
The Gardens close to the Piazzo del Popolo is almost like an Emmerentia, except there is no dam, and it is about 5 to 7 times the size. We got there at 16:00 and only left at 19:00, and still didn't cover the whole garden. There are a number of museums here. We found two...although we didn't work too hard at trying to find them. This seems to be a place where friends and families come for their Sunday afternoons. The children get to play in the parks, there are two wheel thingies (called a Segway – some of our bigger shopping malls has these to drive the security guys around) that you can rent to ride around with. First thing I thought of when seeing them is if I would be able to wheelie it going around a bend quite fast, and that I’m sure Jay would be able to. You can rent something similar to a tandem type bicycle, except the two person one you sit next to each other. It is probably closer to a cart, but there is one where four people can peddle as well. Or you can rent something similar to a go-cart.
There are some beautiful statues in here; a couple of buildings, but the view from the garden out onto the city is awesome! Other than that, it is a perfect place for lovers to sit on a park bench hiding in the dark, go for jog, take the dogs for a jog/walk and friends/family to wind down the weekend before work the next day.
Highlights in the park:
There were a bunch of youngsters, my age and younger, on roller blades. They set cones down in a straight line and then do tricks and manoeuvre themselves through these cones. They are brilliant!
There was a lady in her 100% pure whatever animal was killed for it coat, dressed to perfection with high heels, pushing her baby in a pram together with a friend while chatting. Now I don't get how you would prance around in a park in the latest fashion and high heels, but this seems to be the Italian way!
I was amazed with the fact that you could walk around till whatever time in this park, and it is perfectly safe!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Rome -> Napoli -> Pompeii
We got up at 3:45 to be at the Termini to catch our train going to Pompeii. Tip: confirm the operating hours of the Metro before taking the long, wet walk to the station to find that they are closed. Luckily we found a Taxi to take us to the Termini, as it would have been no fun walking for 30 min in the rain.
Now for a relaxing 3 hour train trip to Napoli, from where we jump on another train for a short 30 min ride to Pompeii.
Oh yes, the train was on time ;-)
Now for a relaxing 3 hour train trip to Napoli, from where we jump on another train for a short 30 min ride to Pompeii.
Oh yes, the train was on time ;-)
Data card in Rome
Bought a 5GB data card for €19, and a cellphone card for €20, which includes 250MB data and €5 for calls. The cost for local calls are 16 cents for connectivity, and then 6 cents per minute. Provider = TIM.
Walking in Rome
I have to say, this is the most amazing city to walk around. We got lost this afternoon ... well, not really, we just headed off in a direction to see what we can find.
Throughout the city there are ruins to be found, even if just part of an old building's rooftop. Visitors are constantly accompanied by the old city walls, eroded by years of mother nature's lashings, held together my modern steel strips, now part of the hustle and bustle of the city - gateways for trams, cars and pedestrians.
There is a constant buzz in the city, almost like the locals have somewhere to go in a hurry, but for no apparent reason. The people in the streets walk at a much faster pace than required, followed by an air of importance.
The coffee shops are not as busy as we anticipated, and also not as over priced as per the advice given before our trip. Don't expect too much smiles from the locals - but sit and enjoy that coffee and don't be in a hurry to leave; they really don't mind, it just looks that way.
One thing to be weary of are the elderly in Rome. They do tend to get frustrated and irritated quickly. Solution : say something in Afrikaans, smile and wave.
Finally, all roads do not lead to Rome, but rather to the Colosseum in Rome, or so we found.
Throughout the city there are ruins to be found, even if just part of an old building's rooftop. Visitors are constantly accompanied by the old city walls, eroded by years of mother nature's lashings, held together my modern steel strips, now part of the hustle and bustle of the city - gateways for trams, cars and pedestrians.
There is a constant buzz in the city, almost like the locals have somewhere to go in a hurry, but for no apparent reason. The people in the streets walk at a much faster pace than required, followed by an air of importance.
The coffee shops are not as busy as we anticipated, and also not as over priced as per the advice given before our trip. Don't expect too much smiles from the locals - but sit and enjoy that coffee and don't be in a hurry to leave; they really don't mind, it just looks that way.
One thing to be weary of are the elderly in Rome. They do tend to get frustrated and irritated quickly. Solution : say something in Afrikaans, smile and wave.
Finally, all roads do not lead to Rome, but rather to the Colosseum in Rome, or so we found.
Attitude II
I am still trying to figure out why the italians have such an attitude. Sure, they have a beautiful city, but they are also to blame for the collapse of the most spectacular architecture ever seen. This is evident in all the ruins where the holes are visible due to the extraction of the metal pieces that kept the buildings together.
Can't seem to find anything else in history that they are famous for ... no moon landing, heart surgery or even the discovery of the lightbulb. They do not know how to drive or have any respect for property ... their vehicles look horrendous ... the city is not very clean, yet they have this unbelievable attitude. ... makes me think of Hitler and his "superior race".
The only real thing they have going for them are their women. Yes, they are beautiful, but also very similar. Long straight dark hair with either tight pants or mini skirts and boots. Not much more to pick from.
So again, where does this attitude come from?
I will strive to get to the bottom of this.
Can't seem to find anything else in history that they are famous for ... no moon landing, heart surgery or even the discovery of the lightbulb. They do not know how to drive or have any respect for property ... their vehicles look horrendous ... the city is not very clean, yet they have this unbelievable attitude. ... makes me think of Hitler and his "superior race".
The only real thing they have going for them are their women. Yes, they are beautiful, but also very similar. Long straight dark hair with either tight pants or mini skirts and boots. Not much more to pick from.
So again, where does this attitude come from?
I will strive to get to the bottom of this.
Museum excursion
Went to an area called EUR Palasport today, as our booklet showed all these interesting museums. The museums are definitely interesting, if you understand Italian. This was the first area we went to without any tourists or tour guides trying to sell their service ... where are they when you need them?
Attitude
It is known that Italian women have attitude, or from another point of view, confidence. If it is the prior, my experience in the metro confirms this. The guy standing opposite us sat down as the seat opened in front of him, and left his girlfriend standing. All she could give in return was just a smirky grin. Guess he ain't getting any tonight. Is this the start of the vicious circle?
Monday, November 15, 2010
Faith like potatoes
We went into a church earlier today, and witnessed the most religious event. As you enter the church there is a staircase with about 30 old, wornout, creaky wooden steps to the top. The only way to get to the top of these stairs are on your knees.
There was an elderly lady ascending up these stairs, one slow wooden step at a time. From where we were standing, it was a visibly difficult exercise in religion, but to her a full sacrifice of body, mind and soul.
There was an elderly lady ascending up these stairs, one slow wooden step at a time. From where we were standing, it was a visibly difficult exercise in religion, but to her a full sacrifice of body, mind and soul.
Discovering Rome
Wow ... We stumbled across the origin of Rome, well, I suppose stumble is the wrong word, as this area is massive! But what it is, is the first buildings ever erected in Rome, or what is left of it. Compared to today's craftsmanship these guys were amazing. These buildings have been around for way more than two thousand years, and if it was not for the Romans digging into their own buildings to remove the metal keeping the stones together, most of it would still be around.
Yes, the Romans destroyed their own cities at the collapse of the roman empire to extract the metal in order to create weapons to defend themselves.
Maria mentioned that she got all tingly when touching the ruins. My hands just got dirty.
Yes, the Romans destroyed their own cities at the collapse of the roman empire to extract the metal in order to create weapons to defend themselves.
Maria mentioned that she got all tingly when touching the ruins. My hands just got dirty.
Cars
I love cars ... Fast ones, classic ones and big ones. My heart is ripped into a thousand pieces. The only way to park in this city is to use your bumpers to open up space. Even if you are driving a Porsche, BMW or Big M Class Mercedes. If I had a car, it would stay locked up in a garage somewhere in France!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Breakfast in Rome
Just another Monday morning in Rome ... What shall we have for breakfast? Mmmm ... Busy walking through a park in the middle of the buzzing city, with the noise of motorbikes, cars and busses filling the air. Here we find two old guys having wine and some bread ... What a way to start the day!
Our own piece of real estate in Italy
We have rented an appartment instead of staying in a hotel. My opinion - it was the best decision ever. We are literally living amongst the Italians. They live very much on top of each other. I've never been to the UK, but I'm guessing it is very similar. Each "apartment block" is against the next, with no indication of where one building ends and the next starts, other than the architectural design. The apartment is small, but still comfortable. The lift are of those where you have to operand close the doors manually, else the lift won't work. In the evenings we go to bed listening to the non-stop babbling of an Italian lady, and wake up to tin the morning.
The women here are truly beautiful, and I'm feeling like an ugly duckling with my short boyish hair that is curling twice as much because of the humidity. In my research before we got here, I read that the women have a confidence here like non-other, which makes them that much more attractive. It is definitely true, however it can easily be mistaken with what we call in SA attitude. Makes me wonder if an attitude is all bad?
To drive a motorbike in SA takes guts, to drive one here takes balls of Titanium! The Italians drive extremely aggressive, and there are a lot more scooters here than SA. Car to scooter/motorbike ratio I would guess about 1 to 3. And we have seen a couple of them almost being taken out. Then again, we have also seen a couple of people talking on the phone while driving their scooters, and even one smoking!
There is a definite problem with parking. Most cars are small and they literally park bumper to bumper. Some are even touching bumpers, and most cars' bumpers are scratched and dented. The cars are parked everywhere. If you've ever been to Melville, Italy parking is the same except it looks like that everywhere, all the time!
Highlights for me in this part of our trip is when we went into something similar to a delicatessen where one of the guys at the counter cut a piece of Parma for us to taste (wow) and then asked Leon to take a picture of them while cutting us some Parma and cheese. Second highlight was having it for breakfast with croissants!
The women here are truly beautiful, and I'm feeling like an ugly duckling with my short boyish hair that is curling twice as much because of the humidity. In my research before we got here, I read that the women have a confidence here like non-other, which makes them that much more attractive. It is definitely true, however it can easily be mistaken with what we call in SA attitude. Makes me wonder if an attitude is all bad?
To drive a motorbike in SA takes guts, to drive one here takes balls of Titanium! The Italians drive extremely aggressive, and there are a lot more scooters here than SA. Car to scooter/motorbike ratio I would guess about 1 to 3. And we have seen a couple of them almost being taken out. Then again, we have also seen a couple of people talking on the phone while driving their scooters, and even one smoking!
There is a definite problem with parking. Most cars are small and they literally park bumper to bumper. Some are even touching bumpers, and most cars' bumpers are scratched and dented. The cars are parked everywhere. If you've ever been to Melville, Italy parking is the same except it looks like that everywhere, all the time!
Highlights for me in this part of our trip is when we went into something similar to a delicatessen where one of the guys at the counter cut a piece of Parma for us to taste (wow) and then asked Leon to take a picture of them while cutting us some Parma and cheese. Second highlight was having it for breakfast with croissants!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Lisbon
Maria noticed something very interesting - the women here don't really wear any make-up save for some lip gloss and mascarra. It is definitely paying off, as they all have beautiful skin. No, Maria actually mentioned that. Oh, and 95% of them wear boots of some sort.
The weather is very pleasant; we walked next to the beach at 11:30pm and it was 17 degrees outside - not bad for going into winter. We had short sleeved shirts on, while the locals all wore jackets. They must read rule no 5 of cycling.
We had to walk back to the airport, as the last bus was at 9:30pm. It was a very nice 2,6km walk - at 1 in the morning - and it allowed us to see a bit more of the city. Okay, okay - the truth is that I was not going to pay €10 to be driven 2 km. Nothing wrong with a bit of exercise! The city is beautiful, with a nice mix of new and old architecture. Still quite a few old buildings around - almost looks like old university dorm rooms. Someone did mention that accommodation is very expensive. Will post some pics later.
And yes, I am writing this at 3:30 in the morning, as we are waiting for our connecting fligt, and we cannot sleep.
Oh yes, bought a vodafone data card for €15, and you get 10 hours of airtime with no cap. Will do the same when we get to Rome.
The weather is very pleasant; we walked next to the beach at 11:30pm and it was 17 degrees outside - not bad for going into winter. We had short sleeved shirts on, while the locals all wore jackets. They must read rule no 5 of cycling.
We had to walk back to the airport, as the last bus was at 9:30pm. It was a very nice 2,6km walk - at 1 in the morning - and it allowed us to see a bit more of the city. Okay, okay - the truth is that I was not going to pay €10 to be driven 2 km. Nothing wrong with a bit of exercise! The city is beautiful, with a nice mix of new and old architecture. Still quite a few old buildings around - almost looks like old university dorm rooms. Someone did mention that accommodation is very expensive. Will post some pics later.
And yes, I am writing this at 3:30 in the morning, as we are waiting for our connecting fligt, and we cannot sleep.
Oh yes, bought a vodafone data card for €15, and you get 10 hours of airtime with no cap. Will do the same when we get to Rome.
Dinner in Lisbon
Just had dinner at a restaurant called "Pasta-Caffe". The pasta was very good, so was the Sangria.
The prices actually compare well to those back home; yes I know, don't compare!
The prices actually compare well to those back home; yes I know, don't compare!
Flight to Lisbon
Just arrived in Lisbon after a very long 10 hour flight. We did not have a lot of turbulence on the way here, but it was enough to help us fall asleep, almost like the steady swaying of a bus.
On arrival at the airport, they had trouble connecting the walkway to the airplane, and it took us about 25 min to disembark. Man, what a walk to get to the passport checkpoint. They initially only had one person behind the desk, but soon realized this was not going to work.
We had fellow South Africans behind us in the queue, and true to nature they were the only ones complaining. Go figure ...
The locals are exceptionally friendly, and we had a young lady help us get onto a bus to take us to the Vasco Da Gama Centre.
On arrival at the airport, they had trouble connecting the walkway to the airplane, and it took us about 25 min to disembark. Man, what a walk to get to the passport checkpoint. They initially only had one person behind the desk, but soon realized this was not going to work.
We had fellow South Africans behind us in the queue, and true to nature they were the only ones complaining. Go figure ...
The locals are exceptionally friendly, and we had a young lady help us get onto a bus to take us to the Vasco Da Gama Centre.
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