All roads lead to Rome...

View of Rome, with St Peter's Basilica in the background

After a quick recovery session back home in Milan, it was off to Rome for the weekend with a group of friends. Bright and early the 8 of us set off (my alarm went off at 3:30, just as an indication of time) and by 10am we had landed in Rome, dumped our bags and were off exploring- with only three days to use, and plenty to see, we tried to fill them up as much as possible!

Rome is such a beautiful and old city (although a quick Google search tells me it is not even in the 10 oldest cities in the world!), that everywhere you turn and look there are more ruins to explore, more piazzas to visit and another fountain to take a photo of. Even though there is so much of the same all-over, it is all just so different and amazing that I just had to stop and stare everywhere we went. On my bucket list has always been to see the Pope, and while I did not get to do that this trip- he was making a visit to South America this past weekend, I did manage to take a tour of Vatican City, adding another country/city to my travel list. Good thing I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain to make sure I will return and see him soon! We walked through a lot of the Vatican Museums, learning a bit about the art and sculptures that are there, of which there is plenty. Fun fact- if you looked at every piece of art in the Vatican Museum for 1 minute, you would be looking for approximately 11 years!

A quick run through the Sistine Chapel (where no photos are allowed, but postcards were purchased) and St Peter's Basilica, and we were began to head home. Besides the fountain and Vatican City, on Friday we also managed to fit in the Spanish steps and some wanderings through the amazing streets, a very busy day for people running on very little sleep. Friday was a bit of a multicultural day for me as I ran back to the hostel after the Vatican to get changed into some clothes so I could pay a visit to the Great Synagogue in Rome. The building is HUGE! Inside it is decorated with some impressive designs, and I think I may have spent more time looking around than actual following the service.

With the weather getting hotter around here, Saturday was a full outdoor day. We went for a visit to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, and if I had more time I would have spent all day there! The ruins and remains of the buildings that have withstood so much time show just how much power, wealth and influence the Romans had centuries ago. I managed to grab an extra half-hour in the Roman forum to find the Arch of Titus, the one that displays the conquering of Jerusalem in an intricate mural, while the others went to have a sit down and some lunch. I met up with them all again to go inside the Colosseum, but unfortunately we got caught in a bit of a flash storm (making the lines and crowds a bit thinner was a benefit!). Anna and I then snuck off to go look at Il Vittoriano- the monument to the first king of unified Italy, managing to get a fantastic view of the sun setting through stormy clouds over the city. I thought Rome was beautiful when I arrived, it was even more so then!

Sunsets and storm clouds make for great photos!

My last day in Rome (some of us were leaving early the next morning, others the next night) was more relaxed than trying to fill everything up. We spent some time lying in the sun in Villa Borghese, a large public park, followed by a walk down to the Capuchin Crypt, believed to be a crypt holding the bones of about 4000 friars and opened to the public as a reminder of how short life is. The crypt, while a bit macabre, has the bones fixed to the walls and roof in a variety of shapes and forms, and while (again) you cannot take photos inside (it also functions as a cemetery), I did grab some postcards on the way out. My postcard collection is certainly growing as the number of attractions I visit in which you cannot take photos increases! A quick visit to the most amazing gelato store- 3 huge scoops for only 2,50euros and a walk to the Pantheon on a beautiful afternoon made for a fantastic end to a trip in Rome.

I definitely tried to make the most of my short trip to Rome, and while I did not see everything that I wanted to, at least I know I will be returning soon. We were told by our guide for Vatican City that if we live a year full of sin in 2024, then return in 2025 and walk through the Holy Door, the door in the middle of St Peter's Basilica, all our sins will be removed. Kind of like a once-every-25-years Yom Kippur for Catholics, so start planning your trip for 2025 if you have ever wanted a reason to come!

The Holy Door

I hope people are keeping these! 

Oui! Paris!

Two hostels, over 4100 stairs and numerous places to visit, I had a very eventful few days in Paris this week, but I won't bore you all with minute-by-minute details (unless you want them, then Skype me!). Just a few photos on here, loads more on Facebook.

There was so much I wanted to do, and certainly not enough time to do it all in, so before I left I did some planning. My inner-OCD came out and I managed to organise everything I wanted to see into different areas, and so I hit the ground running when I arrived! The weather was a bit up and down while I was there, sometimes mucking up my plans, but it all managed to get sorted out in the end and I was lucky enough not to miss out on any of the major things I wanted to see. I even managed to sneak in some extra sites and museums due to the rain, and have a relaxing afternoon lying in one of the beautiful gardens soaking up some sun. One thing about Paris that did strike me as quite odd is that there are so many gorgeous gardens all over, and you are not allowed to sit or walk on the grass in most of them! They have these metal seats that everyone scrambles for, and people drag them into the sun to get a good spot. When there is a patch of grass you are allowed to sit on, there are so many people crammed into one area it sometimes isn't even worth it. Luckily I got to the garden early in the afternoon and there was still plenty of grass-space left for me to snatch up!

With so many museums and churches spread throughout Paris, it was a bit of a contest to see which ones would be seen and what would miss out. Some of the obvious places could clearly not be missed- the Lourve, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triumph, Sacre Coeur (thanks for that one Dad) and the Eiffel Tower, and due to the advice from some friends I managed to discover some places I had never heard of- the Catacombes, Montemarte, Les Marais and Saint Michel. I certainly got a workout, and returned back to my hostel each night exhausted!

 

While I always knew it was a Hollywood stereotype that you can see the Eiffel Tower from every building in Paris, it is certainly true from ALMOST every tall building that I visited. Climb to the lookout of most of the museums and churches and yup, there it is! It was also pretty cool that on most nights home from wherever I had been visiting, the quickest metro line home took me past the night-time view of the Tower. Each night it is lit up on the hour for a flashing light show for a few minutes, makes the Tower look even more amazing when it sparkles.

One of the best parts of travelling is getting to meet new people and make new friends. After hitting up the local Chabad centre for a Shabbat dinner meal, I met up with some American girls who were studying in Paris for the semester and volunteered to be my personal activity organisers for the last few days that I was in town. It was fantastic to meet their friends and visit some of the places that they recommended, it was like being shown around by a local (except whose French has a bit of an American tinge- sorry guys!). I will definitely be making plans to meet up with them again while we are all still making our ways around Europe- you guys are stuck with me now! As Emma (one of the girls) keeps saying, we are all now a part of each-other's stories!

As with all travelling, there are some things that always come out on top. My favourites would definitely have to be seeing the view of Paris from the top of the Sacre Coeur (and hearing the bells ringing from about 20m away was pretty cool too), as well as wandering through the streets of Montemarte. The entire area is just so beautiful that you don't realise how much time you can spend just watching all the artists paint and draw. When the weather cleared up on my last day I also managed to take a relaxing walk along the River Seine, ending my time in Paris with climbing the steps of the Eiffel Tower. A great way to end a few days of speedy travel!

Just plain old Milan (and trying to escape it)

Not much news to report for this week, other than the mad dash to write an essay so I can plan some travels! Updates might start becoming a little less frequent as things begin to get a bit busy over here on my end, but that doesn't mean I want to stop hearing from you!

I decided that I would reward myself for a finished essay with a trip to Paris, and so I will find out if this is going to happen tomorrow morning- fingers crossed all goes well! Originally I was going to go to both Paris and London, but when I realised that the essay was due in between the time I was going to be away, things changed and plans (although nothing has been booked yet) were re-created. We have been given two weeks off from classes so most of us are trying to use this time to do some work for our universities back home or to see a bit of the countries near us. Tonight a bunch of friends and I booked some flights to Rome for later in March, just a quick weekend away before we have to head back to classes.

Other than that things have been as normal around here. More of my friends from UTS arrived in the last few weeks so there have been house-warmings to attend, dinners cooked for each-other and the hope that the weather will heat up soon so we can start spending some time relaxing out in the sun. I cannot wait for summer to arrive!

Last Sunday ESN organised for an ice-skating event, so Laura and I headed off for a break from our essay writing for a little bit of fun. It seems as though having the cheesy-90s music CD is universal at all ice-skating rinks, as the same music was being played here in Milano that I am used to dancing on the ice to back home at Mac Ice-Rink... A little bit of home for when I ended up spinning in the water! After travelling to the opposite end of Milano to where we live, and returning home, we were exhausted and I know for sure my feet were in a lot of pain. I certainly will never complain about how sore and bad the skates are back home again!

 

Una bella giornata in una bella Verona

Lots of pictures in this one for you all, from a beautiful day in Verona!

Yesterday a bunch of us headed off to Verona to check out the scenery, have a bit of an adventure and just get out of Milano. With most of the cities being close to each other, it is nice to be able to take a train for 1.5hours and be somewhere completely different- especially a place that we actually know a bit about (thanks high-school English!). With the weather heating up as well the days are perfect for wandering around and discovering places in the different cities. 

For what I thought was a relatively small town, I was amazed to see how prosperous and wealthy it was! Luxury shops and cars everywhere, and so many old buildings and historical remains kept in such great condition. This might become a re-occurring theme as I make my way around Europe, but coming from Australia where we practically have no history to see so many historical artefacts and places in one location is amazing.

It is often easier to get around places through walking, and this way we also get to see more things, so we spent the day on foot, making our way through the many alleys and roads in Verona. Needless to say my feet were killing me when we got back onto the train in the afternoon! Surrounding the many alleys and the Piazza Erba are these cute colourful buildings, making the whole city look so bright and cheerful. There are so many little piazzas all around that we kept stumbling upon, and each one had their own little bit of history- Baroque buildings, Gothic funeral monuments, Renaissance arches and so much more. Each corner you turn leads to another major site- the Roman arena, the Scaligeri tombs, the Ponte Pietra (the story bridge crossing the main river) or the Gardino Giusto.

 

Of course on our lists of places to visit was Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's house/balcony). I would have expected to find more signs leading to the house, but rather we just needed to follow the crowds (or tour guides) to find it. Inside the courtyard people purchase locks and attach them to the gate and the tree around Juliet's statue. Apparently, as the legend goes, you write your and your partner's name on the lock and its meant to be a good omen for love. For anyone who has seen the film "Letters to Juliet," we didn't find the mailboxes into which you can write your letter to Juliet, but apparently they do exist! One thing that did disappoint me was that everyone has taken to writing their names all over the walls surrounding the house/balcony, so the area looks rather messy and covered in graffiti. Even as we were there you could see people trying to find a blank spot on the walls to write their names and messages.

We didn't head into the museum but headed off to find some lunch and have some vino rosso in the sunshine, taking time to relax back into the Piazza Erba and watch the people pass by. After a bit more wandering around we went off to find the Gardino Giusto. From up the top of the gardens there is a beautiful view of Verona so we all took the opportunity to relax for a bit- having a nap, reading or just sitting there. None of us really wanted to leave but unfortunately we were running against the clock in order to catch our train back to Milano- after a couple of stops for gelato it was a mad dash to get to the station on time!

It was like a secret garden, except it's a maze...

After a long and successful day of sightseeing it is always good to get home, but we had little time to relax as a couple of the other German Erasmus students who live down the road from us were having a house party. A quick dinner and change of clothes then it was off to make more friends! After a very exhausting day the party actually turned out to be rather relaxed, and it was always convenient knowing we had just a 100m walk home at the end of it. If anyone has any suggestions of where to travel next, let me know!

We stumbled upon a Holocaust Memorial