Two words: never again.
Since I've already been to Florence, I really wanted to go to Pisa. Thinking that I could navigate the train system, I figured we could do both. But then a couple more people wanted to come with us, so I said sure. Then a few more, and their parents. Okay. Then a few more. And their parents. By the time we head out in the morning, we had a group of 16 people, 6 of whom were a little elderly. This had disaster written all over it.
We missed the first train so we had to wait an hour for the next train to Pisa. Once there, we had to walk a little bit until we got to the Field of Miracles, where the tower and the cathedral were situated. Before everyone scattered, we agreed on a meeting place and time. I spent most of it using my friend's mobile wifi hotspot to figure out our next move. I was able to get a selfie with the tower before we moved on.
The train station we needed to reach to catch the train to Florence was a 20 minute walk away. Everyone wanted to take taxis, so we tried to find one. There was a 6-person taxi who took the first group. It took a while to flag down another, but it would only fit 4 people, so we sent off the next group. After what seemed like forever, the original 6-person taxi showed up again, so we piled in and left. Unfortunately, we missed the direct train to Florence, but we quickly got tickets and piled onto the next train, which would take a little longer due to the stops.
By the time we got to Florence, we really only had about 30 minutes before we had to catch the train to go back. After bathroom breaks and buying our return tickets, we walked to the Duomo. It wasn't hard to spot. People started scattering again, but it was so crowded and loud, I was afraid we were going to lose someone. Janet had the good sense to gather the elders and start walking back to the station first. I stayed back, made sure we had everyone, then did a mad sprint back to the station. Running through the roundabout was probably the worst idea, but we had a minute to go. By some miracle, we all made it onto the train as it was about to pull out.
The stress wasn't over yet. We had to change trains in Pisa, and according to the schedule we had a five-minute window. If we were late, or the other train left early, we'd be in trouble. Luckily, the second train was late, so we were able to make it without too much running.
So the room, in my case, was a train car, and the view was mostly of the Italian countryside speeding past the window. I felt terrible that they didn't get to see much of Florence, but they all said they appreciated my efforts, which was nice.
But still...never again.
"You better know know know that I have conditions, I make the rules and make the decisions"
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Grand Prix
One of my coworkers came to Monaco last year to watch the Grand Prix. I'm sure it would have been pretty thrilling, but given our timeframe, it probably would have made it more difficult to get through the city than it already was with the train strike. We had to take a taxi to and from Villefranche-sur-Mer, but luckily our group was small and we fit into one.
Not a whole lot to see, except for the evidence of how the 1% of the 1% live their lives. We paid our respects to Princess Grace and Prince Rainier at the cathedral. We gaped at the yachts parked in the marina. We took photos of the extremely fancy (and sometimes ironic) cars.
Funnily enough, the best part came once we had returned to Villefranche-sur-Mer and were shopping in the little stores by the port. We found foie gras at a decent price in little glass jars. I knew I was taking a risk of having my clothes smelling like duck liver by the time I got home, but it was totally worth it.
"Standing where I am now, standing up at all, I was used to feeling like I was never gonna see myself at the finish line"
Not a whole lot to see, except for the evidence of how the 1% of the 1% live their lives. We paid our respects to Princess Grace and Prince Rainier at the cathedral. We gaped at the yachts parked in the marina. We took photos of the extremely fancy (and sometimes ironic) cars.
Funnily enough, the best part came once we had returned to Villefranche-sur-Mer and were shopping in the little stores by the port. We found foie gras at a decent price in little glass jars. I knew I was taking a risk of having my clothes smelling like duck liver by the time I got home, but it was totally worth it.
"Standing where I am now, standing up at all, I was used to feeling like I was never gonna see myself at the finish line"
Monday, June 16, 2014
The French Connection
Marseille was by far the most surprising stop of the cruise. I think it was because I had absolutely no expectations. I didn't know any famous landmarks, I didn't know what it was known for (other than bouillabaisse). It was just another stop in the south of France.
The old port is actually really nice. We took a little tourist train up the hill to the giant cathedral, Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, which again was a good call because the uphill was pretty intense. Another very impressive religious building, another very impressive aerial view of a European port town. However, a little off shore on a tiny island, you could see the Chateau d'If, which was the inspiration for "The Count of Monte Cristo". I've never read the book before, but ironically it's been a part of several films I've seen a number of times (The Shawshank Redemption, V for Vendetta).
We didn't get to try the bouillabaisse, but I was able to do some shopping. It turns out that Marseille is known for olive oil soap. And, of course, I forgot about the Herbs de Provence. I know, it's just herbs, but these are actually from Provence!
"I've got my mind made up, man, I can't let go"
The old port is actually really nice. We took a little tourist train up the hill to the giant cathedral, Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, which again was a good call because the uphill was pretty intense. Another very impressive religious building, another very impressive aerial view of a European port town. However, a little off shore on a tiny island, you could see the Chateau d'If, which was the inspiration for "The Count of Monte Cristo". I've never read the book before, but ironically it's been a part of several films I've seen a number of times (The Shawshank Redemption, V for Vendetta).
We didn't get to try the bouillabaisse, but I was able to do some shopping. It turns out that Marseille is known for olive oil soap. And, of course, I forgot about the Herbs de Provence. I know, it's just herbs, but these are actually from Provence!
"I've got my mind made up, man, I can't let go"
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Love and Basketball
So, as it turns out, there aren't a lot of well-known films that are set or filmed in Barcelona. The only other one was "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", which would have been a bit too obvious. And I haven't actually seen either of these films, but I thought this one made a more interesting blog title.
One of the things I found myself doing during most of this trip was the touristy stuff. Things that I had, in the past, avoided like the plague. In the case of Barcelona, I found myself on a Hop-On-Hop-Off double decker bus. You know, the ones with the open roof. I see them all the time downtown and I use them as a gauge to determine if it's a busy tourist period or not. I had never ever considered getting on one of these before. But, with limited time and a large group, it made the most sense.
The buses I've seen have always had a person on a microphone, talking about what you're looking at on the left or right of the bus. In the age of technology, it seems that the person has been replaced with an automated recording in about a dozen different languages. You just plug the provided earphones into the jack by your seat and choose the channel that corresponds to your language. It makes so much sense. However, the problem remains that by the time they tell you about the thing you're looking at, there's almost no time to get a decent photo of it.
We were able to see pretty much the majority of the city, if only for a brief moment. We did stop at the Basilica de la Sagrada Família, the church that will never be completed. Gaudí was a stickler for details, that's for sure. We also took the cable car up to the top of the hill to Montjuïc Castle. Finally we were able to walk around Las Ramblas before heading back to the boat. Not a lot of shopping to be done, but we did get to eat. Mmm...paella...
"I had this perfect dream, this dream was me and you"
One of the things I found myself doing during most of this trip was the touristy stuff. Things that I had, in the past, avoided like the plague. In the case of Barcelona, I found myself on a Hop-On-Hop-Off double decker bus. You know, the ones with the open roof. I see them all the time downtown and I use them as a gauge to determine if it's a busy tourist period or not. I had never ever considered getting on one of these before. But, with limited time and a large group, it made the most sense.
The buses I've seen have always had a person on a microphone, talking about what you're looking at on the left or right of the bus. In the age of technology, it seems that the person has been replaced with an automated recording in about a dozen different languages. You just plug the provided earphones into the jack by your seat and choose the channel that corresponds to your language. It makes so much sense. However, the problem remains that by the time they tell you about the thing you're looking at, there's almost no time to get a decent photo of it.
We were able to see pretty much the majority of the city, if only for a brief moment. We did stop at the Basilica de la Sagrada Família, the church that will never be completed. Gaudí was a stickler for details, that's for sure. We also took the cable car up to the top of the hill to Montjuïc Castle. Finally we were able to walk around Las Ramblas before heading back to the boat. Not a lot of shopping to be done, but we did get to eat. Mmm...paella...
"I had this perfect dream, this dream was me and you"
Friday, June 13, 2014
Pompeii
Okay, so I heard this was a terrible movie. But this was easily one of my favourite stops of the cruise.
Being a wimp, I decided to pay the silly shore excursion fee and let someone else guide me through the ancient wasteland. The first thing was to hike up Mount Vesuvius. The volcano (which is still active) is about 1,200 metres tall. Luckily, the bus took us up the first 1,000 metres (through a number of harrowing twists and turns), and then we just had to hike up the remaining 200. Sadly, a haze had settle over Naples that day, so we couldn't get the view of the city or of the island of Capri, where most of our group had gone. But the view of the crater was excellent (once we got there).
Mount Vesuvius blew up and destroyed the neighbouring towns like Herculaneum and Pompeii in 79 AD. This was exactly 1,900 years before I was born. For the closer towns, everyone was pretty much killed instantly, but Pompeii was destroyed 2 days after the eruption. Someone asked the tour guide why the people didn't run away. The simple answer was that, at that time, nobody knew what was happening. We take knowledge for granted so much these days. A click of a button and we can learn about anything we want. Imagine, there was a time when people didn't know what a volcanic eruption was, or that they should get the hell out of there when it happens. On the other hand, even with all of this crazy technology, some things still remain a mystery...
"But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?"
Being a wimp, I decided to pay the silly shore excursion fee and let someone else guide me through the ancient wasteland. The first thing was to hike up Mount Vesuvius. The volcano (which is still active) is about 1,200 metres tall. Luckily, the bus took us up the first 1,000 metres (through a number of harrowing twists and turns), and then we just had to hike up the remaining 200. Sadly, a haze had settle over Naples that day, so we couldn't get the view of the city or of the island of Capri, where most of our group had gone. But the view of the crater was excellent (once we got there).
Mount Vesuvius blew up and destroyed the neighbouring towns like Herculaneum and Pompeii in 79 AD. This was exactly 1,900 years before I was born. For the closer towns, everyone was pretty much killed instantly, but Pompeii was destroyed 2 days after the eruption. Someone asked the tour guide why the people didn't run away. The simple answer was that, at that time, nobody knew what was happening. We take knowledge for granted so much these days. A click of a button and we can learn about anything we want. Imagine, there was a time when people didn't know what a volcanic eruption was, or that they should get the hell out of there when it happens. On the other hand, even with all of this crazy technology, some things still remain a mystery...
"But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?"
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Gladiator
The one thing about Rome that I appreciated the most was the water. Everywhere (mostly near every church, piazza and fountain but sometimes in the most unlikeliest places) there are nasoni - water spouts that continuously dispense clean spring water for the public. They even have a neat design where if you block the outlet with your hand, the water would be diverted through a hole in the top so that you can drink directly from it without having to turn your head upside down. Some people would use it to splash water on their heads to cool off, others put a bucket underneath to gather water to clean clothes or tools, but most people used it to refill their water bottles. I have never, ever, drank so much water in one day in my whole life. I refilled my bottle a dozen times or more. Every time I saw a nasone, I immediately pulled out the bottle and got in line. It's amazing that I have any electrolytes in me at all anymore.
Today was the big day: the Colosseum. But first, as the guide book suggested, I was going to go to the Roman Forum and Palentine Hill, which is included in the admission ticket and is where you can buy it without having to wait in an enormous line. I stopped at the Campidoglio first, thinking it would flow naturally from one site to another. But, once again, I found myself circling the perimeter, trying to find the entrance. However, I did end up passing by Circus Maximus, where the great chariot races were held. I eventually made it into the Forum. It was really neat seeing what was once a great city. The Colosseum was worse than the Vatican for lineups. But I was able to breeze through again. In a word - amazing. The place could hold up to 70,000 people back in the day. The history in Rome is mind boggling. Stone paths walked on millennia ago by emperors and scholars, marble columns that have stood for ages, statues of real people who have long turned to dust. The size of the buildings they could build with the technology they had on hand is unbelievable.
The one thing Rome didn't really do well was their transit system. There are two subway lines that run through part of the city and intersect at one point in the middle. They are in the process of building 3 more lines, but those are years away. Their bus system is kind of wonky too. It's based on the honour system, like a lot of European train systems are. The bus drivers only drive and let people on or off; they don't check fares. There's also no cash fares - you have to pre-purchase a ticket from somewhere else, like the subway station or at tobacco shops. Occasionally, an agent will board a bus and start checking everyone. If you don't have a valid ticket, you'll get fined on the spot.
I met up with my friends in the evening, and we decided to go out and take night photos of the main tourist sights. We were also going to meet up with my friend Peter's sister at the Spanish steps. We weren't close to the subway line, so we decided to try the bus. After staring at the signage for a while, Victoria decided to ask the guy sitting at the stop for help. Luckily for us, he spoke English fluently. He suggested taking the same bus he was taking and getting off at the last stop, then walking. We agreed and waited with him. As we talked more, it turned out he's a musician. His name was Marco and his band, Stag, performs mostly around Italy but they write and sing English-language pop songs. He said that Italian is good for opera, but not for other kinds of music. One of his major influences was Coldplay, which basically sold it for me. He gave us a copy of his CD, which we're going to share amongst ourselves. In the end, we were able to take the bus for free and when we got off the bus we said goodbye Italian style (double kiss on the cheeks). Peter was awkward, to say the least, but he did it anyway. His only comment was that his beard was scratchy.
"And if you were to ask me, after all that we've been through, still believe in magic, yes I do"
Today was the big day: the Colosseum. But first, as the guide book suggested, I was going to go to the Roman Forum and Palentine Hill, which is included in the admission ticket and is where you can buy it without having to wait in an enormous line. I stopped at the Campidoglio first, thinking it would flow naturally from one site to another. But, once again, I found myself circling the perimeter, trying to find the entrance. However, I did end up passing by Circus Maximus, where the great chariot races were held. I eventually made it into the Forum. It was really neat seeing what was once a great city. The Colosseum was worse than the Vatican for lineups. But I was able to breeze through again. In a word - amazing. The place could hold up to 70,000 people back in the day. The history in Rome is mind boggling. Stone paths walked on millennia ago by emperors and scholars, marble columns that have stood for ages, statues of real people who have long turned to dust. The size of the buildings they could build with the technology they had on hand is unbelievable.
The one thing Rome didn't really do well was their transit system. There are two subway lines that run through part of the city and intersect at one point in the middle. They are in the process of building 3 more lines, but those are years away. Their bus system is kind of wonky too. It's based on the honour system, like a lot of European train systems are. The bus drivers only drive and let people on or off; they don't check fares. There's also no cash fares - you have to pre-purchase a ticket from somewhere else, like the subway station or at tobacco shops. Occasionally, an agent will board a bus and start checking everyone. If you don't have a valid ticket, you'll get fined on the spot.
I met up with my friends in the evening, and we decided to go out and take night photos of the main tourist sights. We were also going to meet up with my friend Peter's sister at the Spanish steps. We weren't close to the subway line, so we decided to try the bus. After staring at the signage for a while, Victoria decided to ask the guy sitting at the stop for help. Luckily for us, he spoke English fluently. He suggested taking the same bus he was taking and getting off at the last stop, then walking. We agreed and waited with him. As we talked more, it turned out he's a musician. His name was Marco and his band, Stag, performs mostly around Italy but they write and sing English-language pop songs. He said that Italian is good for opera, but not for other kinds of music. One of his major influences was Coldplay, which basically sold it for me. He gave us a copy of his CD, which we're going to share amongst ourselves. In the end, we were able to take the bus for free and when we got off the bus we said goodbye Italian style (double kiss on the cheeks). Peter was awkward, to say the least, but he did it anyway. His only comment was that his beard was scratchy.
"And if you were to ask me, after all that we've been through, still believe in magic, yes I do"
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Angels & Demons
As usual, I hit the ground running in Rome. A little harder than I would have liked. After the red eye flight, waiting forever (and nervously) for my luggage, and navigating through the train and subway systems, I made it to my hotel five minutes before I had to use my timed ticket to the Vatican Museum. I dumped my bags into the smallest room imaginable, splashed my face and ran out the door. I ran out so fast that I realized halfway down the street that I had no maps with me at all. Luckily, my hotel was right beside the museum, and I had looked the street view of the area before I left home.
I have never been more happy to have pre-booked something in my life than I was when I turned the corner and saw the gigantic lines stretching in both directions from the entrance. One line was for the tour groups (of which there were dozens and dozens), and the other was for everyone else who didn't reserve their ticket online. I was able to go straight in, go through security, pick up my ticket and audio guide, and then squeeze my way past the tours to get inside. I went through the various rooms and galleries, half listening to the tour guides and half listening to my audio guide. There really was no choice, as wave after wave of tour groups kept coming and going from each location. It all came to a head when I got to the Sistine Chapel. For some reason, I had a grander picture in my head. The room and the paintings in it were definitely impressive, but smaller than I had imagined. I found the crowd control tactics really amusing too. This place is a chapel, so naturally they have signs everywhere to be quiet and that photos and videos were not allowed. So, of course, people were talking and taking photos everywhere. The white noise would build to a point that the guards would start shushing, and when that didn't work one of them would get on the PA system and say in a very imposing Italian tone, "SILENZIO...NO PHOTO, NO VIDEO". The noise would die down immediately, but after a few minutes would gradually build again, and the cycle would continue. I thought that was hilarious.
After the museum, I walked around to St. Peter's Square, and my need for grandiose size was satisfied. It was enormous, as was the basilica. It was late in the afternoon so the line to get in was considerably shorter than normal. While I was inside, was hit by two things: the creepiness of seeing dead popes on display in glass cases, and the sheer disrespect and disregard for the rules shown by almost everyone. No photos? No hats? No sleeveless blouses or shorts? No touching the monuments? Yeah, whatever. I may not be Roman Catholic, or of any denomination, but I try to respect the beliefs and customs of all of them. I made the decision to just take in the surroundings and not to join in the masses of photo takers.
As I mentioned earlier, I had left the hotel with no map. But, I knew where my hotel was in relation to the Vatican, so since I had walked halfway around and ended up generally on the opposite side, I thought I might as well continue around and make a full lap, keeping the city wall in sight which would ensure that I wouldn't get lost. What I failed to realize was that the other half of the Vatican was not only uphill (VERY uphill) but also not designed to be pedestrian friendly. Add to that an unusual heat wave and I basically trudged my way back to the hotel. After a much needed shower, I could only think of one thing that I wanted to eat before going to bed...
Gelato.
"Ain't it fun living in the real world"
I have never been more happy to have pre-booked something in my life than I was when I turned the corner and saw the gigantic lines stretching in both directions from the entrance. One line was for the tour groups (of which there were dozens and dozens), and the other was for everyone else who didn't reserve their ticket online. I was able to go straight in, go through security, pick up my ticket and audio guide, and then squeeze my way past the tours to get inside. I went through the various rooms and galleries, half listening to the tour guides and half listening to my audio guide. There really was no choice, as wave after wave of tour groups kept coming and going from each location. It all came to a head when I got to the Sistine Chapel. For some reason, I had a grander picture in my head. The room and the paintings in it were definitely impressive, but smaller than I had imagined. I found the crowd control tactics really amusing too. This place is a chapel, so naturally they have signs everywhere to be quiet and that photos and videos were not allowed. So, of course, people were talking and taking photos everywhere. The white noise would build to a point that the guards would start shushing, and when that didn't work one of them would get on the PA system and say in a very imposing Italian tone, "SILENZIO...NO PHOTO, NO VIDEO". The noise would die down immediately, but after a few minutes would gradually build again, and the cycle would continue. I thought that was hilarious.
After the museum, I walked around to St. Peter's Square, and my need for grandiose size was satisfied. It was enormous, as was the basilica. It was late in the afternoon so the line to get in was considerably shorter than normal. While I was inside, was hit by two things: the creepiness of seeing dead popes on display in glass cases, and the sheer disrespect and disregard for the rules shown by almost everyone. No photos? No hats? No sleeveless blouses or shorts? No touching the monuments? Yeah, whatever. I may not be Roman Catholic, or of any denomination, but I try to respect the beliefs and customs of all of them. I made the decision to just take in the surroundings and not to join in the masses of photo takers.
As I mentioned earlier, I had left the hotel with no map. But, I knew where my hotel was in relation to the Vatican, so since I had walked halfway around and ended up generally on the opposite side, I thought I might as well continue around and make a full lap, keeping the city wall in sight which would ensure that I wouldn't get lost. What I failed to realize was that the other half of the Vatican was not only uphill (VERY uphill) but also not designed to be pedestrian friendly. Add to that an unusual heat wave and I basically trudged my way back to the hotel. After a much needed shower, I could only think of one thing that I wanted to eat before going to bed...
Gelato.
"Ain't it fun living in the real world"
Monday, June 09, 2014
Roman Holiday
I've been waiting for this for many months (and years before that, I suppose). My own Roman Holiday.
A friend of mine had recently gotten married in a very small City Hall ceremony. There was no reception in town. However, they decided to go on a Mediterranean cruise and invited family and friends to join in. I think it took me about 2 seconds to think about it before I responded. The best part was that of all the ports of call for this cruise, I had only been to one place (Florence). So it was going to be a new adventure, even for me.
Roman Holiday was such a great film. And it hit me that I'm going to see so many places that were captured in film in some way. So this will be my Hollywood tour of Europe, starting with the Eternal City. Stay tuned.
"Everything's so small when you're on top of the world"
A friend of mine had recently gotten married in a very small City Hall ceremony. There was no reception in town. However, they decided to go on a Mediterranean cruise and invited family and friends to join in. I think it took me about 2 seconds to think about it before I responded. The best part was that of all the ports of call for this cruise, I had only been to one place (Florence). So it was going to be a new adventure, even for me.
Roman Holiday was such a great film. And it hit me that I'm going to see so many places that were captured in film in some way. So this will be my Hollywood tour of Europe, starting with the Eternal City. Stay tuned.
"Everything's so small when you're on top of the world"