Pasta, Pizza, Mama Mia! Pt. 2

Day 2: The Strike That Changed Everything

We woke up early to catch a train to Naples, to be followed by Pompeii, but alas luck was not on our side. It took us about half an hour to realize that 'Suppresso' means Canceled. Upon further investigation we learned that there was a 24h metro strike that was to end at 5pm that day...oh Rome. So instead we visited as many churches as was physically possible in the time and space we had.

One of the most impressive churches displayed the 'Ecstasy of Saint Theresa', which pretty much shows St. T receiving God's light and having a...very strong reaction....well see for yourself.

The angel is delivering God's 'spear' of light. This is one (only one) of Bernini's masterpieces. More to come (ha...).

We caught a tour of the city in the afternoon, which brought us to the Monument dedicated to all the Italian soldiers, past, present, and even future, who give up their lives for their country. In this shot below I also captured a typical Italian scene: couple riding on a scooter! At the top of the steps (beneath the columns) there are two fires that are always lit and guarded by soldiers.

We saw the ruins of the Roman Forum (nothing funny happened on the way...ha), which is more like the kind of thing I expected in Rome. How cool for a people to have these ancient ruins in the midst of their city!

This statue located at the base of the Monument displays the myth of the origins of Rome. Romulus and Remus were twins who were separated from their mother by their evil uncle, who had killed their father and left them to die. Luckily, they were raised by a she-wolf (that's actually how they put it, 'she-wolf'). They became shepherds, realized their true identity (some distant relations to royalty), became leaders, and founded Rome. Here is them below with the only mother they ever knew (the she-wolf, not the giant above them).

THE COLOSSEUM!!!!! To me, this is the ultimate icon of Rome. Love it!

Then we met up with Edoardo, a charming Italian who I met at a pubcrawl on St. Patty's in London. He brought his friend Gulielmo (Italian for William) and G's gf Georgina (that's the english version of her name, I didn't catch the Italian). They hung out with us in a nearby park that was full of trees and little boys playing soccer and groups of people smoking (...) which gave us a real taste of chillaxing in Italy. They had to leave early and we never did end up hanging out again...but it was fun.

Gaeby, Kirsten, and I found a restaurant near our hostel and ended our day with another delicious meal of pasta. THE BEST.

Pasta, Pizza, Mama Mia!

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY AND COUNTRY I'VE VISITED THUS FAR.

I've decided to share my adventures from Rome by day because I took over 500 pictures...and it's just a lot easier to do it this way.

DAY 1: Arrival

We caught an early flight and arrived around 9am in la bella città di Roma, and it was HOT. I had been eagerly anticipating the warmth of Rome, and the sun was extremely well received. We dumped our stuff off at our all girls hostel (ha!) on Via Castelfidardo and set off to conquer every church in the city. At least that's what it felt...I'm sure we only covered a fraction of them.

My first experience with suggestive fascism was outside the Italian President's building. The Italian flag was flying proudly, guards marched around, everybody sang the national anthem....in the words of Gaeby 'it just didn't seem like something a democratic country would do, like we wouldn't do that for Stephen Harper'.

Next we discovered the Trevy Fountain. Apparently if you toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain you'll return to Rome. I don't really understand the logistics of that belief...I think that if you want to return to a city you love then you'll just do it anyway...

You can't really tell how huge this fountain is from this photo, but its pretty massive, like many of the sculptures in Rome. It's also PRETTY COOL. And crowded. We escaped the crowd to grab our first bite of Gelato. It was delicious. The men who served us also offered us a bite of them because apparently they were delicious as well. I think I love Italian men. What a sense of humour!

One of the highlights of the trip, which I think we all could agree on, was our visit the the Borghese Gallery, which houses some of the magnificent work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. My favourites were the statues of 'The Rape of Proserpina', where Persephone, in agony at parting with the earthly world, is being dragged to the underworld by a smiling Hades; 'David', which depicts the biblical story of the underdog defeating the giant; and 'Apollo and Daphne', which shows Apollo at the end of his pursuit of Daphne, but just as he reaches out to snatch her, she turns into a tree. Really, nothing I have said can capture the magnitude, beauty, or incredible talent that is portrayed in Bernini's statues. Below is a close up shot from The Rape of Proserpina, just to show you how supple Bernini makes marble look.

For more photos of these impeccable statues, see THIS. The stories behind each are also pretty cool, and I'd advise checking them out too.

After a day of walking we made our way to the Spanish Steps to meet up with my cousin Will, who's spent the last three years living the dream and working in Rome. Yes, it's possible. The view from the top was stunning, and mingled with artists with their caricatures and tourists admiring them.

When in Rome.... love seems to be more romantic ...ha! (and yes we used that saying as often as we could..even when it didn't really apply to the situation...)

We met up with Will (it was a glorious reuniting in the Spanish Steps, complete with the Italian greeting of kisses on the cheek...which is something I really love about Italy) and he took us to a fabulously authentic Italian restaurant for an authentic meal of pasta. I got Gnochi as it was Thursday, which is apparently what people eat on Thursdays. I love Rome.

Just being X-TREME

Here's an update on what's been going on for the past while..

I AM A DODGEBALL CHAMPION. 

This is the first sports event that I have ever come in First Place. It was a proud moment for the whole team. We started off a little wobbly with two losses, but once we developed a strategy we were UNSTOPPABLE. Hint: It's more beneficial for everyone if the girls give the balls to the boys rather than throw them ourselves. 

(From left to right: James, Davo, Charlie, me, Kelsey, Chanelle)

So that was exciting, and just when you thought "Gee, Meghan is super tough, she won a game that is all about whipping balls at the other team and not getting hit yourself", what do I do? Can you guess? Bet you didn't guess PAINTBALLING! OH YEAH! THAT'S RIGHT!

This is our group from the Castle:

(From left to right...not that you can really tell...Rosh, Brent, Katie, me (I'm doing the One-Knee-Pose), Alan (the Australian prof), Maggie, Meghan (another Meghan, but in first year). 

So there ya go. When you see me next I will be covered in tatoos and piercings and I'll be a heavy weight champion. Hey, sky's the limit. 

XXX

The city of marijuana, prostitutes, bicycling, canals, and freedom. Amsterdam is a city that truly values what the people want in their community, hence their liberal attitude towards life. Their motto is you can do whatever you like as long as it doesn't bother anyone else. I love Amsterdam.

As we zig-zagged our way through the streets we passed over many a canal, such as this one below. Boats parked beside cars, and bicycles wizzing past.

There is a ton of art throughout the city, from the Van Gogh Museum (VG lived in Amsterdam for a while) to anonymous bronze pieces stuck surreptitiously on the cobble-stoned sidewalk....ok so maybe its not that discreet, but it's cool that you can just be walking around and come across something like this, no? Our tour guide told us that some authorities removed it some time after it was placed there, and the public made such an outcry that it was put back.

AHHHHHHH

Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bicycle. We wanted to rent some for a day, but as you can see the weather was against us. We were warned that the people of Amsterdam like to play a game: points for every tourist you hit. The ringing of bicycle bells was constantly in our ears, and we were quickly trained to jump out of the way.

Did I mention that it's legal to buy and sell Cannabis seeds? While it is not illegal to smoke weed, it is not exactly legal. You have to go to a "Coffee Shop" to buy that stuff, and the shop owners aren't allowed to advertise that they sell weed....but they still make it pretty obvious.

Your eyes do not deceive you, these houses are leaning at odd angles, and it was done on purpose. I think it was because they seemed bigger and more impressive...ha. Imagine standing in front of one of these and looking up to see it loom over you...but then you see it from the side and it just looks like the builders were high (HA! PUN!).

'Nuff said.

Heineken Museum! We learned how this beautiful brew is blended together. At the end we were given two complimentary drinks. Geah. Later that night we went on a pub crawl, so the museum was both educational and practical, as we could get our drink on. Below is Meaghan and Kelsey and a brewing vat.

Erotica Museum, can't visit Amsterdam without a stop at this gem. We saw drawings by John Lennon, and a whole lot of naked people in interesting positions. At the top floor we tried on some costumes..as you can see from the pic below. That's me on the left, and Laura on the right... scandalous!

I don't want to talk about this one.

Hurray for Clogs! It's true, people in Holland used to wear wooden clogs for shoes. How they made those comfortable, I have no idea. You'll notice 'XXX' painted on top this shoe. It was also on the pink elephant's tie from the above picture. Those three X's are all over the city, on buildings, benches, trees. I don't think our tour guide ever explained why it's so symbolic of Amsterdam, but I think it's because...well, try saying it three times fast.

 (From Left to Right, me, Kelsey, Laura C, and Meaghan)

If I've convinced you that Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful and entertaining cities that I've visited so far (and I hope I have) then you should get on a plane at your earliest convenience and get over there before it's too late. The government is planning to shut down many 'coffee shops', and soon you will have to be a citizen of the country to engage with weed (however it is that you do it). The gov doesn't like the negative tourism that their city attracts. We were some of the last lucky ones to experience this city at it's best. 

Once again, despite my previous words of urgency, don't plan your trip until Spring when you can ride bicycles and goggle of their splendid array of flowers. And take me with you.

P.S. You'll notice that there aren't any pictures of prostitutes. This is because if they see you taking their picture, they will hurl a jug of piss at you. Picture taking is viewed as incredibly rude, so don't even think about it!

We'll Always Have Paris

Ok, so maybe this happened a couple weeks ago...but Paris is too big and important to be forgotten. After all, we'll always have Paris, right?

Here is the view from Pont Des Arts, where lovers put locks on the bridge and throw the key into the Seine as a token of their undying love for each other. And then, every couple of months, the police come and cut them off. Clearly too many people are in love in Paris.

On our first night in Paris, a bunch of us bought two bottles of wine and rode the metro to this very spot. Apparently in the summer that's what everyone does, and they sit out on the bridge drinking wine and being french. However, when we did this there was only a sketchy group of men clumped together smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. To be fair, it was a cold winter's night. We hadn't thought to buy a bottle opener, so one of us used a marker to pop in the cork. Success! We were officially french.

The next three are views from outside the Louvre. If you look closely, there is a seagull sitting atop the rider's head.

Below is the Arc de Triomphe with Laura. It was that enjoyable, even in the freezing cold.

How romantic: a couple walking through a park, the ferriswheel in the background, birds flying overhead... can't you just feel the love? Only in Paris.

Eiffel Tower. Believe it. As viewed from the bottom on a cold misty night. This was taken just after our failed cruise on the Seine. A cruise isn't that great when its raining and you are stuck inside and can't see anything because of the fog. However, post-cruise was really fun. Laura and I stopped to buy chocolate crépes, got separated from the group, and continued walking only to realize we were hopelessly lost. Just then we ran into Brent, Rosh and Katie, and discovered we were standing outside the metro station. Our gratitude was immense.

Pressure points (inside the Louvre).

This is Antonio Canova's statue of 'Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss', as seen from within the Louvre. It was pretty much my favourite thing in the entire museum. 

Notre Dame de Paris, trans: Our Lady of Paris. She's a beaut, oui?

Our tour guide told us that during the French Revolution, the people cut off all of the heads of the bottom statues because they believed them to be past kings of France. These heads were saved by a school teacher who somehow found them and buried them in his backyard. The heads were eventually found and replaced (post-revolution). However, one man is still without a head. He is St. Denis, the first bishop of Paris. The pagans had him be-headed for converting people to Christianity, therefore he is always depicted holding his own head.

 Street art around Montmartre. He looks so french!

 How interesting, some english graffiti. Too bad it's so depressing...

So there we go, Paris in twelve pictures. Unfortunately I was sick the entire time with a cold and the weather was miserable, so it wasn't the best impression. If you ever go to Paris, go in Spring. Apparently that's prime love-season. And everyone boobs (i didn't write the b-word, it was Matt the bartender. I'm writing this in the pub and he asked to write one word...go figure). And everyone knows that you go to Paris either to fall in love, or because you're already in love. Otherwise, colours turn grey and treasures erode before you.

In Bruges....and Brussels (Belgium)

HEY THERE. This spiffy entry marks the beginning of my school's mid-term trip to Belgium and France. I know this update is a bit late, but it's still documentary-worthy. Have you seen the movie In Bruges? With Colin Farrel? WATCH IT NOW. It takes place in the cute tiny town of Bruges, which is in Belgium. Loved the film, loved the city - home of Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate, which we all know is the best in the world. In Bruges, they love their swans that swim in the canals. There's actually a group of people who feed and look after them. However, while our tour guide was explaining this to us, one was trying to eat a blue plastic bag in the water. No one did anything!! Luckily it gave up and swam away, but it deeply discredited anything else this woman had to say.

In Bruges, the streets are cobblestoned and horses pull buggies down the streets. The buildings are old and majestic, and people speak either french, english, or their native language which sounds like Dutch/German. Swans swim in the canals...as they say in the movie, it's a fairytale town.

You might recognize this one below from the movie!

I think this was their town square...cute spot!

With a box of chocolates in everyone's bag, we left Bruges for Brussels. Still in Belgium and with much more action. There is a bar that is rumoured to have 2000 beer on tap! Hmm that's a bit excessive, perhaps it was only 200. We checked it out on our first night and the flavours were impressive. Kirsten asked for their darkest brew and was given a Cherry-flavoured beer. 

Here's a pic of the boys with their boots full of beer. They wanted to try as many flavours as they could. Friends from Halifax, you might recognize David Rennie on the right. We call him Davo. You might know him as 'the one with the big smile'.

Along with their chocolates and waffles, Belgium is known for its superb beer and, of course, Mannekken Pis. There is a group of people in Brussels who design outfits for MP and dress him up for tourists. We had the privilege of spotting him him with and without such attire.

Here is MP dressed as a boy scout.

Here is the gang of girls from left to right: Natalie Gaeby Kirsten Kelsey Laura and Me. We are standing in a concrete courtyard of impressively old and architecturely beautiful buildings.

You will perhaps notice a theme in my blog pictures...we like to take them while jumping. It makes everything so much more interesting, like when you're telling a story and you add "and then I found 20 bucks" at the end. So much better.

Here is a city street scene, complete with Tintin and Captain Haddock mural on the right.

We visited some cathedrals during our day of exploring. including this one below. I've grown to love cathedrals, but how could you not? They're a different kind of beauty that create an atmosphere of peace and calm. You don't need to be religious to appreciate this.

This guy was on a giant stone tomb with other grand statues surrounding it, but I found Death himself quite haunting.

The end of our adventures brought us to the Comic Museum, which had hundreds of different comics on display. They were mostly in french, but contraptions such as this one can be enjoyed in any language.

On our way out, Laura and I stopped to take pictures with a bust of Tintin...(the hat and sunglasses were our own addition). 

Then I blasted off to the moon.

Tew Rrrrrrrrrright: An Explanation

Here's what's going on in these pics...

1. The Door with the Scottish Thistle - on this trip Gaeby, Kelsey, and I decided that 'getting thistled' was the Scottish version of 'getting drunk'. Aside from that, it was just a cool door...very patriotic.

2. Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow - these heads hung high from the ceiling, each expressing anger, sorrow, delight, confusion, surprise....etc. They give the neat effect of floating heads, no? I think they were actually called the Floating Heads.

3. Stunning views of a loch during our day-trip into the highlands. At this point the sun was just coming out and shedding light upon what became a beautiful day. I definately had a breath of fresh air (get it? my blog title? ...)

4. Highland Hills.

5. Me and the Highland Hills.

6. The remains of a Castle...wow these explanations are suuuuuper helpful...

7 - 9. Jumping for Joy at Loch Ness.

10. The Forecasting Stone at Loch Ness. Needless to say, it was sunny.

11. This is either The Hub or a cool steeple that you can pay to go up and look across the city. Either way it's in Edinburgh and is a frighteningly good example of gothic architecture (because gothic things are frightening, like Frankenstein, you know?)

12. BORTHWICKS REPRESENT!!!!! Found this gem of an alley-way on my way up to the Castle along the Royal Mile. The Borthwicks were very important people back in the day, right hand to Scottish royalty. Respectable people. My dad told me I've got blue blood.

13. It's good luck to rub David Hume's toe. I rubbed both just to be sure.

14. Our first DEEP FRIED MARS BAR. Yeah, they do that in Scotland, and yeah, it was delicious....and then my stomach hurt.

15. Skeleton on a grave stone in an old church yard.

16. I couldn't resist....tree bum! And the grave stones along Flodden Wall look like picture frames.

17. View around Grass Market.

18. Us standing with Paul, our super-awesome tour guide, in front of the smallest pub in Edinburgh. It was just the three of us with Paul, which gave him the liberty to tell all his hilarious jokes, as we were keen listeners. One of my favs was when he was showing us the Scottish Parliament buildings, which didn't get established until 1999 because before then Scotland was ruled by the English government. So that night they partied like it was 1999!! HAAAAAAAA. Needless to say, we all got along very well.

19. View of the city from atop the craigs (rough hills in Edinburgh).

20. Arthur's Seat. No, its not King Arthur. It's a different one, and yes, he sat down once he got to the top, but you would too after a climb like that!

Overall, Scotland is a sweet country to visit. Glasgow is more artsy with 600,000 pop and Edinburgh is more old beauty and historical, with 400,000 pop. Loved both cities for different reasons, and I would absolutely return to either.

OH and apparently, according to my friend Mike who's living there on an exchange right now, he said that if you don't understand what someone has said, you say 'too right' and say back what they've just said. Except you can't hear the accent over the internet, but you know how that R would sound...so scottish!