January 9, 2008

• European Vacation 2007

  European Vacation 2007

    

  September 13 – 34^th ABOVE THE ATLANTIC

    

  On this day I turned 34.  After offering some food to the monks at Wat Thai of Los Angeles for lunch, my father dropped my mother and I at LAX at 2:45 PM.  We checked in our luggage at United Airlines’ self check-in machine which was quite handy.  My brother Van dropped by not too long before we had to depart for our gate.

    

  We finally boarded at 5:30 PM.  In-flight movies included Oceans Thirteen and Shrek the Third.  I was unable to sleep at all on this flight.  By the time we land, it’ll be tomorrow.

    

  September 14 – TOWER BRIDGE

    

  We touch downed at Heathrow Airport in London, England at 12:35 pm London time.  To our surprise, on this tour was our old neighbor Pimol Kusolpaisit.  We were happy to see each other.  We boarded the tour bus along with 26 other people traveling with President Tours.  Our guide in London welcomed us.  His name is Werachai Anuworakarn.  He’s a Thai guy who has lived in England for over 20 years.  As the bus headed towards our hotel he explained to us what we were looking at from architecture (e.g. Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian) to soccer stadiums like Wembley and Stamford Bridge.  He also pointed out obscure things like a site where recently Manchester United manager (it’s the equivalent of coach in the US) Sir Alex Ferguson getting struck by a soccer fan.  At around 3 pm, the bus dropped us off at our hotel, the Jurys Inn Islington.  It’s located in a part of town called Angel.

  
  

  
  

  Yours truly at our hotel in London.                                                                                               My mother.

  We wanted to go with the others on the tour group to do whatever it was they were going to do.  However we needed to find ice to keep my mom’s insulin cool.  There was an ice machine.  After pressing on the designated pad for two minutes, it produced one ice cube.  One!  My mom was wondering what was taking so long.  I told her at this rate we’ll never get to do anything.  We then figured lets ask the pub for some ice.  The young man working there was nice enough to give us some.

    

  By the time we were ready, everyone else had left.  I figured that the two of us can do our own sightseeing.  We were hungry so we ate at the pub located in the hotel.  It was called Inn Pub (I wonder how long it took for them to name the place).  We had ourselves some fish and chips.  We each got a large piece of fish.  The batter was pretty tasty.

    

  After exchanging some dollars for pounds, we caught a bus en route to the Tower Bridge.  Since it wasn’t on the intended travel itinerary for tomorrow, I figured let’s check it out.  Taking the bus was a mistake.  It was rush hour in London on this Friday as everyone was trying to get home.  Although the distance was not that far, it took over two hours to get there.  I came to the realization that we made an error in judgment and should have taken the Underground (it’s what they call their subway).  We would have gotten there a long, long time ago and could have been doing so many other things already.

    

  By the time we arrived, it was early evening.  At long last, we arrived at the Tower Bridge.  It spans the Thames River.  Nearby across from us was the Tower of London.  The bridge has two towers with a walkway high above and the bridge itself below.  The lower level is able to raise up to allow ships to pass through.  While raised, pedestrians can scale the tower and traverse the walkway to still cross.  It is also quite attractive as it is cleverly lit in the evening.

  

  
  

   The Tower Bridge.

  

   

   

   

  The Tower Bridge

  

   

  We walked along the Thames until we came across a Thai restaurant called Kwan Thai.  My mother was famished so we ate there.  Usually I would protest since I didn’t come all this way to Europe to have Thai food.  However, I was getting hungry plus I really needed the men’s room so I wholeheartedly agreed.  By this time, I had been awake for over 24 hours.  I am now Jack Bauer…without the stress, adrenaline, and Chloe O’Brian’s assistance.

    

  We took the underground back to our hotel.  I was glad to have seen the Tower Bridge.  However I was very miffed at the lost time that we should have had if we only had taken the Underground.  At least my mother enjoyed seeing the bridge and dinner.  Those made me feel a bit better.  I had learned that England got wasted by South Africa in the Rugby World Cup 36-0.  We were both exhausted; thus; collapsed onto our respective beds.

  
  

  The Underground in London 

  The bathroom at our hotel was interesting.  I saw the toilet and immediately I thought to myself “I have seen this kind somewhere before”.  I finally recalled that it was in India.  I also remember that there is some sort of trick to make this puppy work.  It then hit me…it’s what I call a pump toilet.  You have to pump the flusher 3-4 times to get the water to gush out.  Aah, these little differences!

    

  September 15 – LONDON HIGHLIGHTS

    

  We woke up at 6 PM to a cool morning.  After an uninspiring continental breakfast, we boarded the bus at 9 AM.  We passed by the city’s financial district.  Since it’s a Saturday morning, we were able to move briskly unlike our trek to the Tower Bridge yesterday.

    

  Our first stop is St. Paul’s Cathedral.  Many grand ceremonies take place here.  This was where Prince Charles wedded Princess Diana.  It was designed by Christopher Wren.  He modeled it after St. Peter’s in the Vatican.  It was pretty big and majestic.  We took several photos including group shots.

     

    
  

  St. Paul’s Cathedral

  As we crossed the Thames, we got a terrific view of the House of Parliament.  Once across, first thing we did was take photos with Big Ben in the background.  It was functional as I checked my watch.  I had heard here and there that it was undergoing renovation or repair but it was working.

  

  London Eye, House of Parliament, Big Ben

    

  Left: Mom and I with Big Ben in background.  Right: House of Parliament 

   

  We then admired nearby Westminster Abbey.  This 1000-year old historic church houses many of England’s most noted people e.g. Sir Isaac Newton.  It was very large and picturesque.  My mom and I stepped into nearby St. Margaret’s church.  I snapped a shot.

  

   

  Westminster Abbey

    

   

   

   

                             Mom and Westminster Abbey                                                                        Mom inside St. Margaret’s Church 

  We then walked to the nearby House of Parliament.   It was artistic with the Victoria Tower to our right and Westminster Hall to our left.  In front of it was a statue of Richard the Lion-Hearted.

  
  

   

            Victoria Tower – House of Parliament with my mom.             Westminster Hall – House of Parliament, with Pimol and me.

  

   

   

  
  

  Back of Westminster Abbey

   

   

  
  

  Front of Westminster Abbey.

  We then headed to a public toilet before proceeding.  I didn’t use it since I didn’t need it.  While waiting for my mother, I found a sign bragging that this toilet won the “Loo of the Year” award.  I just didn’t think that they handed out awards for such things.  I can only picture the architect’s acceptance speech.  You just can’t help but feel warm and squishy inside.

    

  Next, we went to Hyde Park to a monument to Prince Albert.  He was Queen Victoria’s husband.  She erected this monument to him with the statue of Albert completed gilded.  She shone a bright gold in the sun.  Across from the monument is Royal Albert Hall.  This is where many of London’s grandest concerts and performances take place.

     
  

  Royal Albert Hall

  
  

   

   

  Statue of Prince Albert in Hyde Park

  Lastly, we went to Buckingham Palace.  This is the domicile of Queen Elizabeth II.  Pimol, my mom, and I snapped photos here and there.  It was getting a bit warm but tolerable.

  
  

             Me at Buckingham Palace                                                       My mother and Pimol at Buckingham Palace

  We had lunch at a Chinese place called Crispy Duck.  I had a wonton noodle soup.

    

  After a brief stop at our hotel, most of us embarked on a special added tour.  Werachai took us to the Tower of London.  Before entering, in the distance was the Tower Bridge.  Inside the Tower of London, he explained to us the different levels of the inner structure, the White Tower.  Top levels were the living spaces of the royals.  Middle layers were security.  The bottom floor was the dungeon.

  

  Tower of London                                                                    Mom and a couple of new friends

   

    

  There were also ravens here.  There is a belief that if the ravens ever left, the White Tower would crumble.  Due to that, there are eight ravens that got impaired so they could not fly away.

   

  

   The White Tower, Tower of London

  
  

  Also housed here are the crown jewels of England.  My mother was very excited to see this.  She’s into jewels.  We admired it from both sides of the moving walkways.  However, photography was not allowed.

   

  

   Home of the Crown Jewels

  
  

  The guide then took us to an expanse where eight people got executed (like Anne Boleyn, former queen of Henry VIII).

    

  He then led us to the Bloody Tower.  It is where Sir Walter Raleigh was wrongfully imprisoned for 14 years.  Also many a bloody tale of death is associated with this place.

   

   

  The Bloody Tower, Tower of London

  Werachai tried to take us to the National Gallery but it was too late to go inside.  Not to worry, the National Gallery is located at Trafalgar Square.  In the middle is the statue of Horatio Nelson.  This is where London gathers for large events like New Year’s Day or when it was announced that it would host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

  

  Statue of Lord Horatio Nelson, Trafalgar Square                                                                 Trafalgar Square

  We went to the British Museum but it was closing so we didn’t get to see anything.  What a shame.  It was one of the things I really wanted to see in London.  They even had some of those famed Chinese terra cotta soldiers on display.  Man, oh man!

    

  We had dinner at Thai Garden.  I had a forgettable musamun curry.  My mom’s is worlds better.  We took the underground and bus back to our hotel.  We thanked Werachai for showing us around London.

  

  London scenery

  That evening, I noticed that I was coming on with the sniffles.  Not good when you have four more countries to visit.

    

  September 16 – NOTRE DAME AND THE SEINE

    

  We had a 4:15 AM wake up call.  The continental breakfast was again at best uninspiring.  At 4:45 AM, we met our Trafalgar tour director Julie Thistlethwaite.  We disembarked from the Jurys Inn at 5:40 AM.

    

  Two hours later the bus arrived at Dover.  It is the closest point in England to France.  Julie pointed out why people refer to the cliffs of Dover as being white.  In fact, they are.  It is due to a high concentration of chalk in the cliffs.  It’s nice to take some snapshots of the famed white cliffs of Dover.

  

  

  The White Cliffs of Dover

  The bus boarded a ferry which crossed the English Channel in an hour.  While aboard, we had some brunch.  This ferry has a lot of amenities – restaurant, arcade, gambling machines, shops, bar and lounge.

   

  The ferry landed in Calais, France.  The bus drove four hours until we arrived in a part of Paris called the Porte D’Italie.  We stayed at the Hotel Novotel.  This was a very modern hotel.  The desk has a table that can swing out.  The little bench has a removable level that can serve as a bed table.  We also had a little fridge and safe.  My mom saw only one bed and thought about where I would sleep.  Seeing all the transformable furniture in this room, we were correct to guess that the couch was a sofa bed.

   

  After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, we boarded to bus to the famed Cathedral Notre Dame.  This is the site where Quasimodo lurked in Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  It was very big and beautiful.  The front is famous with its two towers and the round stained glass window in the middle.  The back is also nice looking with flying buttresses shooting out of the sides.  We went inside and took some pictures.  I was fortunate to also get a picture of one of the famed stained glass windows.

  

  Me and the Cathedral Notre Dame

  

   

  Looking up at Notre Dame

  

   

  Stained glass at Notre Dame

  President Tours founder Pichian Rojsiriwat, Pimol, my mother, and I then had some lunch at Restaurant D’Indochine.  I guess they miss their Asian food so that’s what we ate.  I was hoping to go to a creperie but oh well.  I’ll find some other opportunity.  The waiter really liked us.  He was going to break open a bottle of wine on the house for us.  However, none of us drink.

  

  Pimol, Pichian, and my mom.                                                    Pimol, me, and my mom.

  We then went on a bus tour.  As we cruised along, Julie described everything we saw.  We stopped at a place with a terrific view of the Eiffel Tower.  It’s now night time.  The upper half of the tower is lit.  It was very pretty how it shone through the night sky.  We posed and snap pictures but also had to be aware of the pickpockets.  We were warned of them repeatedly by Julie.

   

  Next up was a boat tour on the Seine.  The boat first went south.  It passed the eastern side of the Ile de la Cité (it’s an island on the Seine in the middle of Paris).  Once again we came by Notre Dame.  The boat then made a U-turn and now it traveled alongside the western side of the Ile de la Cité.  To our right was one of the world’s most renowned museums, the Louvre.  We also went beneath the Alexander III bridge several times.  It is the most beautiful bridge in Paris, if not France.  It was a gift to France from Russian Tsar Alexander III.  We came by the Eiffel Tower and it glittered with twinkling lights.  Hanging between the legs of the tower is a large oval balloon.  It is supposed to be a giant rugby ball commemorating France playing host to the 2007 Rugby World Cup.  In the middle of the Seine at the tip of the Ile de la Cité was a replica Statue of Liberty.

  

  Eiffel Tower                                                                              Statue of Liberty replica

  

  Alexander III Bridge

  Once back on shore, the bus went past the old Opera House.  According to Gaston Leroux’s novel, this was the setting for The Phantom of the Opera. 

   

  Back at the hotel, I noticed that the shower was hung tub-side.  I also saw no shower curtain.  It befuddled me until I thought to myself that perhaps with this setup, you are meant to sit and shower.  Sorry folks…ain’t my thing.  So I stood up, cleansed myself, and soaked the entire bathroom.  I also found it a tad odd that the toilet is located in its own separate room apart from the shower.  If you needed the toilet, you had to exit the bathroom into the living room area and enter the door leading to the toilet and vice versa.

   

  I spent the rest of the night watching the latter part of the FIBA Europe championship game between Spain and Russia.  It was a very good game with some NBA players I recognized (Pau Gasol, José Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa, Andrei Kirilenko).  Kirilenko was a monster.  However Spain held a one point lead and had possession when Gasol was stripped by Russian point guard John Robert Holden (yes, that’s his name…I’m not kidding).  Holden had the ball and with a couple of seconds left, he broke left, pulled up, and got the shooter’s bounce to give Russia the lead.  Gasol received the inbounds pass.  He pumped faked and then threw up a bank shot from 15 that won’t go down.  Russia has pulled off the upset thanks to the Pittsburgh-born naturalized Russian John Robert Holden!

   

  September 17 – EIFFEL TOWER, LOUVRE, CABARET

   

  Breakfast here at Hotel Novotel was a lot better than the Jurys Inn.  At least they had some eggs.  I also had some croissants and a baguette.

   

  At 7:30 AM, we took off for the Eiffel Tower.  We passed by Napoleon’s tomb, the Place de la Concorde, and drove down the Champs Elysees.  At last we were there and in fact were the first to arrive.  We even beat out the Chinese tours that typically would usually be first.  It was designed by Gustav Eiffel and was erected in 1889, one hundred years after the French Revolution.  We scaled to the second observation level where we got a fantastic view of Paris.  I saw the Arc de Triomphe in the distance.

  

  View of Paris from 2^nd observation level of the Eiffel Tower.

  

  View of Paris including Arc de Triomphe from Eiffel Tower.                 My mom and Pimol.

  

  The Eiffel Tower

  At 11:30 AM, we arrived at the Louvre.  After sharing a panini, my mom and I arrived at the meeting point as instructed by our tour guide.  It was at the upside down pyramid which should now be very famous thanks to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. 

  Upside down pyramid at The Louvre.

  The Louvre is a huge museum with over 400,000 exhibits covering 10 miles.  Obviously there was no way to see everything in the short time we have.  The guide basically took us to see the highlights.  She explained that before it was a museum, it was a palace.  Before it was a palace, it was a dungeon.  Through one of the wings (Sully, I believe), you can see a part of the old Louvre that was the bottom part of an old castle. 

  

  Part of the Louvre during its days as a dungeon.

  Next, we saw an old Egyptian sphinx.  We then came to the Venus de Milo.  It’s a statue of a woman found on the Greek island of Milos.  It was found without the arms.  Those who found it believe it could be a statue of the Greek goddess Aphrodite which in Roman is Venus; therefore, the Venus de Milo.

  

  Mom and the Venus de Milo

  Next we came to another famed statue – Winged Victory.  This statue is of a woman with wings but the head was not found.  I like the way her clothing was sculpted.  It looks like the cloth is flowing.

  

  Me with Winged Victory

  Then we came to a long, ornate room.  The ceiling was also painted.  It was very grand…evidence of it being a former palace.  This room housed jewelry used by Napoleon’s  Josephine.

  

  
  

  Jewelry in Louvre

  In the paintings gallery, our guide showed us Da Vinci’s Madonna of the Rocks.  In The Da Vinci Code, it’s where Sauniere hid the key eventually recovered by Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu.  I also took note of the parquet floor as noted also in The Da Vinci Code. 

  

  Leonardo Da Vinci’s Madonna of the Rocks

  And now we bear witness to arguably the most famous painting in the world.  You guessed it.  It’s Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.  It was protected by a window.  There was a big crowd gathered in front of it.  It was hard to get close.

  
  

  Mom and the Mona Lisa                                                                          Mona Lisa

  

  Me and the Mona Lisa

  Opposite from the Mona Lisa was the largest painting in the Louvre, the Wedding at Cana.

  

  Me and the Wedding at Cana

  There were some sculptures we came across.  They were Michelangelo’s handiwork. 

  
  

  Statues by Michelangelo

  
  

  The Pyramid at the Louvre

  Shortly afterwards, we took off from the Louvre to the old Opera House.  This place is very beautiful on the outside, very artistic.  We didn’t get to go inside.  Pichian, Pimol, my mom, and I had some lunch at L’Entracte Opera.  It was just across the street from the Opera House.  My mom had a jambon baguette.  I had a confiture crepe (crepe with strawberry jam).

  
  

  The old Paris opera house

  That evening we had dinner and cabaret at La Nouvelle Eve.  Dinner began with a choice of salmon paté or goose fois gras.  I went with the salmon.  Main course was either salmon or chateau Brillion.  I chose the chateau Brillion.  Third course was cheese.  I had one of each.  There was Swiss, brie, goat, and I didn’t quite get that fourth one.  Lastly was dessert.

  

  At La Nouvelle Eve

  The show has begun.  No photography was allowed.  As for the entertainment, there was a mix of song and dance.  About half of them featured topless cabaret dancers.  There was also an acrobat who performed on the trapeze.  She managed to keep herself on the trapeze via her feet, her heels, and then the back of her neck.  She was also very nimble and overall very good.

   

  There was this guy.  He dragged one of the guys on our tour (Frank) onto the stage.  Frank just played along.  Basically he wanted Frank to help him with props as he tried to balance himself on a board atop a cylinder atop a chair.  The antics this guy had in store with Frank on stage was one of the funniest things I had seen.  I haven’t laughed this hard in ages.  Many others on the bus had the same sentiment.  For his efforts, Frank was given a diploma.

   

  There was also a strange act with this guy painted white with a floating second head.  The girls performed the can can.  The star of the show, Caroline Collins, hosted a geezer dance-off.  She picked out four old guys from the audience.  First she showed them what moves they needed to do and then it’s their turn one by one.  The one with the loudest applause wins.  This Australian guy won.  For winning, a dancer came out from backstage wearing a wedding dress.  She then removed the dress and was left with nothing on but her panties and stockings.  She dragged the dude backstage.  The dude, moments later, emerged holding a doll baby.  That got a big laugh.  Caroline remarked that he’s a real fast worker.

   

  When we left La Nouvelle Eve, it was raining lightly.  As we walked to the bus, in the distance we saw the Moulin Rouge.  Julie says that though the Moulin Rouge is more well-known, the show, service, and food here is better.  Carol, a woman on our tour, concurred for she has been to the Moulin Rouge.

   

  September 18 – LUCERNE

   

  We left Paris at 7:30 AM.  About three hours later we had lunch at some stop called L’arche.  It’s like a roadside stop with eateries and shops.  Had me some rice with sausage and spinach.

   

  The rain persisted.  Soon after, we entered Switzerland.  The first city we passed by was Basel.  This is the birthplace of the world’s top tennis player, Roger Federer.  Though Switzerland is a landlocked country, Basel is a port city since the Rhine River passes through it.

   

  We arrived in Lucerne at around 5:10 pm.  It was still raining lightly.  We walked from the bus to the Lion Monument.  It is a statue of a lion wounded by a broken spear.  It commemorates the 600 Swiss guards who were slaughtered by the French citizens during the French revolution as they stormed the palace.

  

  The Lion Monument at Lucerne.

  We then shopped in a place called Bucherer.  They specialize in watches though they also sell other known Swiss knickknacks like army knives and cuckoo clocks.  All the big names were here e.g. Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer, etc.  Since today was my mom’s birthday, I told her to pick out something and it’s on me.  She decided on a blue Rado.  We also picked up a B Swiss for my father.

   

  We walked along Lake Lucerne and crossed the old chapel bridge.  The rain halted leaving a nice, cool atmosphere.  The view was terrific everywhere.  The buildings were picturesque.  To one side one could see Mt. Pilatus in the background.  In the lake were swans.  The bridge itself is a wooden bridge (about 400 years old, I think) adorned with flowers.

  
  

  Mom on old Chapel Bridge meets new friend.                        Me on the old Chapel Bridge.

  

  View of Lucerne from the Old Chapel Bridge.

  We had dinner at the place we’ll be spending the night, the Hotel Steghof.  It began with a tasty tomato soup with bread.  The main course was rice smothered with gravy consisting of chicken, green beans, peas, and cauliflower.  Dessert was a pink and white ice cream made to look like the Swiss flag.

   

  The elevator to our room fits only three people.  There is no inner door so as we went up, we could see the floors flying by downwards.  Once there, we simply push the outer door open.

   

  Our room was a throwback to a different decade.  There was an 8” TV with a busted remote.  The room was so small; the two beds were next to each other.  There was barely enough room to walk around the beds.  The lights were dim at best.  There was also no shampoo.  I wanted to do some more sightseeing by my mother was ill and didn’t want to be left alone.  She also was not going to walk anymore so this night is over.

   

  9/19/07 – LAKE LUCERNE AND THE STANSERHORN

   

  After a continental breakfast, we boarded a boat which crossed Lake Lucerne.  We got a terrific view of Mt. Pilatus.  The driver was also a guide.  He pointed out houses that belonged to composer Richard Wagner, actresses Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn, and where Queen Elizabeth II stayed.  The shore where the latter three had residences was very lush and green.

  

  Lucerne with Mt. Pilatus in the background

  We have now reached the base of the Stanserhorn.  It is a peak belonging to the Swiss Alps.  First we rode a funicular (cable train) about halfway or maybe one-third of the way.  Then we connected onto cable car similar to the one in Palms Springs.  It took us to the top of the Stanserhorn (6300 ft) where sits the Rondorama, a rotating restaurant.  Here, one can get a good view of the Alps.  However, it’s hard to see the mountains due to all the clouds.

  
  

  Atop the Stanserhorn…not Bespin.                                        En route down from Stanserhorn via funicular

  Here, we had lunch.  My mother and I also brought some knickknacks and a sweater.  I also bought a 2 GB card for the digital camera.  Now we can take as many photos as our hearts desired.

   

  After coming down from the Stanserhorn, we headed for Italy.  Once in Italy, we stopped briefly in Parma for a quick break.  The tour bus will always stop every two hours.  I am so thankful for that.  It allows everyone to stretch their legs, get a quick bite, use the restrooms, etc.

   

  That evening we arrived in Florence, Italy.  Our abode for the evening is the Wall Art Hotel.  They treated us dinner.  After the bread was delicious lasagna.  It was so good, I asked for more unknowing that it was only the second of four courses.  They gave it to me anyways.  Third course was beef with some veggies and potatoes.  Dessert was a caramel flan.

   

  Our hotel room was fabulous.  It was modern, roomy, and had a fantastic bathroom.  It was much different from the Steghof.  However it had one unsavory quality.  It absolutely reeked of cigarette smoke.  We think it’s in the walls and sheets. 

   

  Watched some Champions League soccer that evening as Fenerbahce defeated Inter Milan 1-0.  Fenerbahce deserved the win as they came out with more energy and desire than Inter ever did.

   

  9/20/07 – FLORENCE AND MODERN ROME

   

  Breakfast was at 7:15 AM.  In the dining room, the walls are adorned with art hence the name Wall Art Hotel.  There were two pieces – Festa Cinese and a colorful recreation of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica.

  

  Recreation of Picasso’s Guernica.  Wall Art Hotel, Florence, Italy

  At 8 AM, we left the hotel to view old Florence.  En route, Florence looked like a typical working town – modern, industrial, nothing to suggest it being the center of the Renaissance until we arrived at old Florence.  Remnants of the old city walls still remain.  The Arno River cuts through the city.  The bus took us to a hill where we got a terrific of the city from above.  We had two group pictures.  Nearby was a replica of Michelangelo’s David.

  
  

  Our tour guide Julie, my mom, and driver Guiseppe.                                              Yours truly at Florence.

  

  Replica of Michelangelo’s David

   

  We then went to the Church of Santa Croce.  Inside lie buried tombs of famous Florentines like Michelangelo.  Outside of it was a statue of Dante Alighieri (wrote The Divine Comedy).

  
  

  Mom & I at Church of Santa Croce                                                          Me & statue of Dante Alighieri

  We went inside the biggest leather shop in town – Peruzzi.  There, my mom bought a bag.  I bought nothing which is typical. 

  

  Florence

  Later, we along with Pimol and Pichian had lunch at the nearby Trattoria il Trabuscio (I might have misspelled this one).  I had a pizza Fiorentina and spaghetti Bolognese.

   

  It was a four hour trek to Rome.  There, we checked into the Ergife Palace Hotel.  It had a fantastic concierge, foyer, and lounge.  The hotel also had a large swimming pool with pool side bar and patio area.  Then we got to our room.  It was as small if not smaller than the Steghof.  There was a small TV six feet above the floor!  The fridge was inside an enclosed cabinet which was very warm to the touch.  Once again, the beds were next to each other.  This is no different than two people on one king sized bed.  Once my mom put her luggage on the one table, the only place for my luggage was either my own bed or the balcony. 

   

  Just when I thought I saw it all, then I went to the bathroom.  The hook to hang stuff was directly over the toilet.  The room was so small, there was no need for a bidet but it had one anyways.  I had to squirm onto the toilet between the toilet and very nearby sink.  Once on, my left knee was under the sink as my chin was less than foot away from the sink edge.  The flusher also gets stuck occasionally.

   

  My mother was quite ill.  She decided to conserve her strength for tomorrow’s tour of the Vatican so she is foregoing tonight’s walking tour of modern Rome.

   

  Our guide took us to the Spanish steps.  There were many people here.  These steps were called that due to their proximity to the Spanish embassy.  We then walked through many shopping streets here.  It was pretty scenic with old world charm.  I learned that modern Rome is built atop ancient Rome.

  

   Spanish Steps, lower section

   

  We then came across the Pantheon.  It was used by the ancient Romans to worship their gods.  It was pretty big and I always had a thing for domes.

  The Pantheon

  We wound up at the Piazza di Navona.  The buildings around us were built atop what used to be seats.  This piazza was formerly a chariot racing oval.  The expanse now is filled with artists (sketch, caricature, and painters), some street musicians, performers, and toy vendors.  Pimol and I had dinner at Pizzeria Millina.  I had a sausage one.  I also brought a potato and rosemary pizza which I stuck inside my jacket pouch for my mom.

   

  En route back to the bus, while crossing the Arno River, we saw St. Peter’s Cathedral.  It was gorgeously lit and shone brightly in the night sky.

   

  That night, I purchased some batteries at the Spa Boutique in the hotel.  My worries about the camera dying ended.

   

  9/21/07 – VATICAN CITY, COLOSSEUM, DINNER

   

  We left the hotel at 7 AM that morning for the Vatican Museum.  While in line before the museum opened, there were several vendors selling books, calendars, postcards, and scarves.

   

  Mom and Pimol scaling steps en route to Vatican Museum.                   Outside entrance to Vatican Museum

  We finally got in at 8 AM.  Inside the museum is beautiful, especially the ceiling.  There was a portion where it looked like the ceiling had pieces of white wood glued on to form frames or squares around paintings but it actually was paint all along.  The artist who painted this made it look 3-D when it was just 2-D.

  Inside Vatican Museum

  

  False 3-D ceiling

  The tapestries were very interesting, too.  Things in the tapestries seemingly turned as you walked by.  It’s a strange effect similar to Gainsborough’s Blue Boy constantly looking at you regardless of where you are in the room.  However to see a stone in front of Jesus seemingly turn at a different angle is pretty mesmerizing.

  

  Ornate ceiling

  The museum is five miles long.  We did not walk the entire stretch…just looked at highlights.  Some places you may take pictures.  Some places you cannot use flash.

   

  We then entered the Sistine Chapel.  No cameras were allowed whatsoever.  It is famous for the ceiling which was painted by Michelangelo.  It was magnificent.  I wished I could have snapped some photos.  In the middle of the ceiling was the famous painting Creation of Adam where God and Adam’s index fingers almost meet.  In Adam’s knee, as the guide pointed out, was a hint of a woman.  On one end of the chapel was another painting done by Michelangelo…The Last Judgment.  It features some going to heaven and others being condemned to hell.  Our guide pointed out that the face on the skin held by St. Bartholomew was actually the face of Michelangelo.  It was his way to expressing how he felt stripped away by the toils of trying to paint this chapel.  She also explained that there was a cardinal was very critical of Michelangelo because he felt that painting nude people was inappropriate in a church.  Due to that, Michelangelo painted everyone covered up, though not by much.  As a form of rebellion, Michelangelo painted a nude man with donkey ears whose private parts were covered by a snake that has wrapped itself around him.  This figure was condemned to hell.  The face of the man was identical to the cardinal.  That had to piss him off bigtime.

   

  We then moved on to St. Peter’s Cathedral.  This is the largest church in the world and the center of Roman Catholicism.  It is huge.  Every inch of this structure, inside and outside, is a piece of art fully adorned with statues, artsy patterns, and mosaics.   We could take all the pictures we wanted because there are no paintings here.  Everything that looked like a painting was actually a mosaic.  Inside, we saw Michelangelo’s renowned Pieta.  It is a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the corpse of Jesus.  There was also a statue of St. Peter.  I guess people believed it was good luck to touch the foot of the statue.  Due to that, people have rubbed the foot for all these centuries leaving it smoothed out to where it no longer resembled a foot.  Near the processional area was a large bronze canopy by Bernini.

  

  Michelangelo’s Pieta

   

  Outside we saw some very colorfully dressed guards.  They were Swiss guards similar to the ones slaughtered during the French Revolution.  We were told that Michelangelo designed the attire for these guards, too.

      Inside St. Peter’s

  

                  Statue of St. Peter                                                                   Mosaic, not painting

  

  St. Peter’s from outside

  

   

  

  St. Peter’s

  We had some lasagna for lunch.  Due to the size of St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museum, we were all weary in the lower extremities.  That was a lot of walking.

  

  Tired mom

  We then boarded our bus which took us past some ancient ruins and finally to the Colosseum.  This was the grand arena to stage events such as gladiator and recreated sea battles during the days of the Roman Empire.  My mother was too tired after the Vatican sightseeing so she declined to see the Colosseum.  Coming to Italy, I definitely wanted to see this.  It’s amazing that after 1900 years the majority of it still stands.  It’s a testament to the builders and architects back then.  One thing we noticed was the many holes in the walls.  It turns out that during the world wars, the soldiers needed metal for ammunition.  Since the blocks of the Colosseum were held together via metal spikes, they drilled holes to get the metal spikes.  Despite my weariness from the Vatican, I told myself that I might not ever see this again so if we need to climb more stairs then I’ll do it.  Fortunately, there was an elevator!  We jokingly asked the guide if this was also part of the original architecture.  Ah yes, a good old-fashioned Roman elevator.

  

  

  

  

  Pictures from the Colosseum

  We went back to the hotel where we slept for two hours.  Afterwards, it was off to dinner at Mangrovia Restaurant.  We had a four course meal.  First was bruschetta.  Next were spinach and meat ravioli and tortellini.  Then we had beef medallions.  Finally it ended with ice cream and fruit.  The waiter was quite amusing.  He would give us the pasta dish one by one, one table at a time.  However the last person he gave a dish to he would kiss them on the cheek.  Usually it would be the prettiest girl at each table.  During the evening there was also musical entertainment via two men.  One played the guitar and sang.  The other played the flute.  I requested Besame Mucho. 

  

  Dinner entertainment at Mangrovia Restaurant

  Afterwards we went to the Trevi Fountain.  It was very beautiful and awfully crowded.  Like tradition, I tossed two coins into the fountain.  Even though there is a song that mentions three coins, our guide said that two is sufficient.  First coin was for good luck.  The second was so that one day I would return to Rome.

  
  

  Mom at Trevi Fountain                                                             Throwing coins into Trevi Fountain

  Back at the hotel, we bade farewell to our guide Julie and driver Guiseppe.  Both did a fantastic job and made our trip truly wonderful and unforgettable.

   

  9/22/07 – HOMEWARD BOUND

   

  A shuttle picked us up at 6 AM.  Others who were picked up were Frank, Josie, Carol, and Emma.  It took us to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (a.k.a. Fiumicino).  My mother and I had some breakfast.  I then did some shopping for some stuff to bring back to people.  We departed via Lufthansa from Rome at 9 AM. 

   

  We were supposed to land in Munich and take off 30 minutes later en route for Los Angeles.  However the flight was 35 minutes late so once we landed, we had to haul our butts over STAT.  Wouldn’t you know it that the gate we needed to get to was all the way on the other side of the building?  I walked carrying both carry-ons.  My mom had the rest of the stuff.  We were just 150 yards away when we heard “Last call”.  Finally we were there.

   

  The flight from Munich to Los Angeles took 12 hours.  I must say, the lavatories were pretty nice.  To go, you literally had to walk down a flight of stairs to an area where there was nothing but lavatories.  Ten people could wait down there.  Because of the usual discomfort I get from flying economy, sitting on the lavatory toilet was relief.  At least I could stretch my legs.  Back at my seat, I even fell asleep for about five hours which really shortened my flight.  Perhaps it was from trying to get to the gate in time.

   

  We landed at LAX at 2:25 pm.  It was nice to be home.  One thing I found interesting was how movies generally premiere in Europe months after the US premiere.  Throughout my trip, there were ads for Grindhouse and 28 Weeks Later.  On TV, Quentin Tarantino did an interview promoting Grindhouse.  I think in America these are already out on DVD.

   

  I enjoyed every place we went to equally; therefore, did not have a favorite.  Each place had similarities yet differences which made them unique.  They all have long histories which add to their charm. 

   

  Other than when we were in Switzerland, I was wary of pickpockets in all the other places we went to.  We were warned repeatedly by friends and family before landed in Europe.  Even the guide kept reminding us to be alert.  It made me wary when I was taking pictures or posing for them.  To my good fortune, I did not lose anything.

   

  I had a most stupendous first time in Europe.  One of these days I’ll go back. 

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