Monday, June 6, 2011

This Place about to Blow

So a long time has pasted since my last post, mostly because i have been elsewhere and not around my computer to blog, so i apologize.  Anyhow lets see where i left off.

We went to the Vatican again on friday after our class.  We had all pretty much been there at least once before but this time i was ready to take soooo many pictures it wasnt even funny.  We got there and it was just as magical and awe inspiring as the first time.  This time though i was ready with my camera taking pictures of just about every piece of art (which is pretty much every inch) in the Basilica.  after having sat through mass, i was able to take in most of the wonders of the place, so this time around i went straight to the things i wanted to see better.  For example i got pictures of most of the Pope's tombs, so of Bernini's works, the alters, and got to rub St. Peter's feet for good luck!   A interesting fact that i had not known before was most of the huge "paintings" in the basilica are actually all mosaics.  This realization was huge, because just the amount of effort and detail that needed to go into that whole place to make that much art is just mind boggling.  The entire dome is all mosaic as well, every singe piece, all about the size of a small pebble.

So after taking gratuitous amounts of pictures, we decided to climb the stairs of the dome and go to the top of the Basilica.  It was 5 euro to walk, so we decided to go with it.  We made it to the inner top portion of the dome, so we could see everything from above on the inside.  It was EPIC!  The middle alter, which is made of bronze and is also a work by Bernini, is 7 stories high, yes 7 STORIES HIGH, and it doesn't even come close to the same level as the dome we were at.  The lettering around the inside of the Basilica that is the dedication of the church, once you get up that high, you realized every single letter is about the same size as you, thats how big this place is.

After marveling about the inside we decided to go to the very top and see the city from there.  This was a very interesting trip.  at this point the dome is beginning to slope up very rapidly, so you are walking between the inside mosaics, and the exterior dome.  At some points we were walking up stairs that where bending around the dome, with the outer wall basicly at a 45 degree angle with us, so we had to lean against the inner wall just to walk up.  It was also very hot, and muggy, and smelled of thousands of other peoples sweat from the last few years.  It was fun to say the least.  Once we got to the top though it was all so worth it!  The Vatican we soon found out is the highest point in the city; there is no higher building, not even the Victor Emmanuel monument.  we looked down on everything in the city, and we could see everything.  It was the best view i have every seen.  worth every stair and every last penny of that 5 euros.  After the Vatican we went home, packed, and then got ready to head to Naples in the morning.

We got up early.  Too early for my taste, but we went to Naples so its ok i guess.  We took the train which was very easy.  It took about 2 hours to get there and we got to see some very nice mountains and parts of the sea when we got closer to Naples.  the only problem we had on the train was we picked seats early, but somehow we found the one first class car in the middle of about 5 2nd class cars, and we had 2nd class tickets.  So we had to move and find seats again in a 2nd class car, which wasnt too hard.  we had fun on the way, mostly we slept and just kinda chilled.  Anyhow we got to Naples.  WE WERE IN NAPLES!  actually i felt it was kind of a huge let down.  While the city was much more lived in then Rome, which is mostly a tourist city, Naples was.....well more lived in.  The only real way I can describe it as, and some of my friends came to the same conclusion, was that it reminded us a lot of Detroit.  It was dirty, lots of graffiti everywhere. Things looked like they had been grand at one point, but it all looked like it had moved past its heyday.  But i still did enjoy the city very much.  Anyhow we went to our hostel checked in, had a good 30 mins discussion with the guy at the desk about American politics, and then we got on a train for Pompeii.   

Pompeii.  We quickly decided that the appropriate theme song for the city is "Blow" by Ke$ha, as it was stuck in Brandon's head and was very fitting for the city we felt.  The only thing was is that he kept singing it and we felt that was temping the mountain which was looming in the background.  Anyhow, the great thing about pompeii is that it is a fully preserved Roman city.  the key word there being CITY.  when you think of pompeii i always thought of just a city square that somehow withstood time, however instead the entire city is still pretty much preserved just the way it was.  it was a good mile by mile and it even had a whole preserved ampatheater and theater.  It was just so amazing and so very BIG!

after that adventure we found our way to our hostel and then slept like the dead.  the next morning it was the first rainy day that we have had since we got to Italy.  but it wasnt bad.  we ate some Naples pizza, the best pizza i have ever had, untill the rain was just a drizzle.  we then saw the Royal palace of the Naples Kings, and saw some of the nice courtyards and castles of the city, but because it was sunday and we were in Italy, nothing was open.  :(   We however got lucky with the Doumu in Naples which was open.  While it was no Vatican, it is not a second rate church, it was just as nice and almost nicer in the aspect that it actually felt like it was supposed to be used as a church instead of as a showpiece.  While there I donated some money to the patron saint of the city, whose bones where buried there, St. Januarius.  While there in the very nice sactuary that they had i light a prayer candle for my grandfather, who i am very sure is happy with being remember in that place.  :)

After that we found an earlier train back to Rome which took about 3 hours, and was much more crowded.  we were lucky to find seat when we did, because there where people that stood for the entire 3 hours.  Anyhow im sure i have forgot things, but there was so much to get out ill edit things tomorrow.  bye for now

No comments:

Post a Comment