I've been to Italy and France!!!!!!!!!! I can finally claim to be a person of culture and pedigree. This is going to be a long post folks but a lot went down so bear with me.
So Kate and I decided that during our fall break, we would venture out of Switzerland and spent a jittery hour of class time booking plane tickets. Our itinerary was to arrive in Rome on a Sunday night and spend two days there before leaving for Venice. After a day and a half in Venice, we planned to haul ourselves to Paris to spend 3 and a half days. Cue the stressing out.
While waiting at the Geneva airport to board our flight to Rome, I shamelessly photographed the priest that was ahead of us in line. I figured it was a good sign.
I think that Italy probably holds the record for largest amount of pedestrian nuns, priests, and monks per capita because I saw them EVERYWHERE.
Once we landed, we trudged our way to our hostel and rested ourselves for the next day since we had tickets booked to see the Vatican Museums. Or, as I liked to say, we had a date with Jesus.
The next morning we awoke to bright sunlight and 75 degrees. I guess Italy missed the memo that it was October but I was glad for a break from the rain and fog that was rapidly descending upon Switzerland. Our tour was at 12 so we strolled through the Borghese Gardens and casually stumbled upon this.
Oh why hello Rome, fancy meeting you here. This was one of the myriad moments during which we would just look at each other and say "WHATTTTTTTTT"
While on our way we kept making jokes about how excited the pope was going to be when he saw us and trying to guess what would happen to us if one of our knees showed. Those cardinals were nowhere near prepared for the pop and sparkle we were about to throw down on their home turf.
When we arrived, we went through the whole security shenanigans, cut through giant tour groups, and made it past the knee and shoulder police before learning that the Vatican Museum was a 10 minute walk from the Basilica. Such newbs.
The Vatican Museum was OFF THE HOOK. But it was unlike any museum experience I had ever had. As a self-proclaimed Museum Freak, I thought I had seen it all. But passing out chisels and goggles every Saturday at the Bonehunter's Quarry could not have prepared me for the sensory overload we were about to embark on. Because of the sheer number of people, we had to go through the galleries in just one big amorphous herd. If you wanted to stop and take your picture with the Augustus Primaporta, well then tough cookies because you'd get trampled by everyone. One does not swim against the current at the Vatican Museums.
We did see some pretty spectacular art and artifacts, including the School of Athens and the Sistine Chapel.
In one hallway, the walls were lined with what looked like fancy gilded wardrobes. Kate suggested that those were probably where the pope keeps all of his outfits and hats. So if you see the pope in that particular gallery, he's just switching out his summer bag for his winter one.
We left the museum and walked back the the Basilica, went through security, and proceeded to bask in the glory and splendor of St. Peter's. Here's me after we did a walkthrough. As you can see, I wore my Jesus sandals in honor of the occasion.
Because of the rules about wearing shorts and tanktops in the Vatican and other Roman churches, I was nervous that I would get clocked for exposing my toes. But as I read on one blog, Jesus and all his friends wore sandals so they are deemed acceptable.
After the Vatican, we had a late lunch where we were seated next to three Danish women. When our tiramisu arrived and we proceeded to pillage it, they began chatting with us. One of them told us that they would have talked to us earlier but they all thought we were Italian. Best. Compliment. I. Have. Ever. Received. Ever.
Next on the agenda was the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We got slightly lost on our way and ended up arriving to the Colosseum from the back. This confused us profoundly. We literally looked at each other and asked "Is that the Colosseum?" From behind, it looks kind of small so we just assumed that there was the real Colosseum and this was a baby one. We went back and forth for awhile until we arrived at the Forum and determined that, yes, it was in fact the Colosseum.
"That's really the Colosseum!"
The next day, we rounded out our Roman Holiday with trips to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps. On our way the the Trevi Fountain we stopped at the Santa Maria della Vittoria church to see the Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Bernini.
The fun part about Rome was that we would just be strolling around, eating some bread, living life when, very suddenly, you turn a corner and BAM the Pantheon or the Trevi Fountain is staring you in the face. It was a pretty grand experience.
Here I am unintentionally serving some "McKayla Maroney: Unimpressed" at the Pantheon. Trust me, it was pretty difficult not to be in shock and awe at the sight of everything. Question of the day: "How did they DO that???"
I might as well have an Olympic silver medal around my neck.
After spending the rest of the day eating gelato and shopping, Kate and I were back at the airport ready to board our flight to Venice. Luckily for us, Italy was in the midst of a transportation strike. We were able to rely on airport shuttles to get us to the airport in Rome and to the main bus station in Venice. But once we got there, we were force to walk to our hostel since the water buses weren't running and we didn't want to spend the money on a taxi.
If you're looking for an effective workout, just walk around Venice with a rolling suitcase. By the 10th bridge I had to carry my bag over, I was ready to give the transportation union whatever they could possibly desire just so I could sit down and ride the water bus. The walk to the hostel was about 30 minutes and as torturous as it was to schlep all my possessions over all those bridges, it was a really beautiful night and gave us a great first impression of the city.
While we were in Rome, Kate had the idea for us to sign up for a tour of three of Venice's islands. The tour was a boat ride with stops at the three islands and the whole thing lasted for four hours. Kate deserves a Nobel Prize for coming up with that one. After trudging around Rome and now Venice, a four hour boat ride was the only thing I wanted in the entire world. And the tour did not disappoint! While sitting down was one of the highlights, we also got to see a glassblowing demonstration in Murano, a lacemaking demo on an island I can't remember what it's called, and some beautiful landscapes.
The lace making island (I was enjoying that boat ride too much to remember anything apparently) had all of these beautifully colored houses. The tour guide (who did the whole thing in Italian, English, and Spanish, snaps for that one) explained that each house is owned by a different fisherman family and they use the colors to denote which family lives there. It was cool to see how bold and saturated the colors were. I felt very proud to be Italian looking at those houses :). ALSO Pisa is not the only game in town with a leaning tower. I saw at least three on our tour. Get it together.
After we got off the boat, we had a solid lunch and then proceeded to tour the Doge's Palace. Since we only had a loose itinerary, we went to places like the Pantheon and the Doge's Palace without really knowing much about them. So it was fascinating to walk through the beautiful, albeit smelly, rooms and marvel at the ceilings and wall paintings. They even had a gold staircase. It was ALMOST as many carats as the one at my house, but it was still impressive.
So ever since we arrived in Italy, both Kate and I went back and forth on taking a gondola ride. By that morning, I was perfectly content not to do it but while were crossing the Bridge of Sighs, I think both of us had a change or heart and we just said "let's do this" and scoped out a gondolier. We went at kind of an odd time so we were able to take a longer ride since the canals were pretty empty. It was well worth it. Our gondolier even sang. A couple of times, it sounded like he was starting in on the opening chords of "Kiss the Girl" from the Little Mermaid but he kept his repertoire to strictly Italian and whistling. Oh, and he also talked on his cell phone a couple of times but it was in Italian so it sounded nice.
Our favorite moment was when we were about to pass under a bridge and some tourist straight up took a picture of us in our gondola. So as you read this, some family somewhere in the world is staring at a picture of us taking a gondola ride in Venice. Oh the memories.
After our little tour, we literally scoured the streets of Venice looking for this one specific pizza place that we saw once. The cool thing about Venice was the combination of no cars and narrow streets. We got lost a lot but it was the sort of place that I could get lost in and not mind because there was always something fascinating to see and it was kind of fun trying to navigate through the maze of streets. We found our pizza place and had one of my top three pizza experiences ever. Afterwards, we sat down in a restaurant for some tiramisu and proceeded to St. Marks Square.
That night, each of the restaurants in the square had a small musical group performing outside. It was a gorgeous warm night and I think both of us enjoyed just walking through the square and stopping to listen to the performers. One of the groups performed "My Heart Will Go On" and we lost it. Too much to handle; Venice, Titanic, and Celine.
In the square, there were a bunch of men trying to sell flowers. They would walk up to a girl and try to force a rose on her or go up to her date and try and convince him to buy one for her. We were over this real quick. At one point Kate emphatically told one guy "We're not dating" and told another one "Sorry, I'm allergic". I told one guy that I was too poor. After the square, we decided to venture over to the famous Harry's Bar, home of the original peach Bellini. We made it to the bar with no problems. But as soon as we opened the door and saw the hoards of people and the 16.85 Euro price tag on one of those Bellinis, we were over and out. I can say I've been to Harry's Bar but I guess I'll have to find a Bellini elsewhere.
The next day, we arrived at the Venice airport ready for our afternoon flight to Paris! Kate was going to stay with one of our design bffls, Marissa, while I was planning on couchsurfing. for those of you who don't know, CouchSurfing is an online orgainzation in which you create a profile and offer to host your "couch" to a traveler or you're a traveler looking for a couch to sleep on while you are visiting a particular city. The nice part is that you get to stay with someone who is very knowledgeable about the city and can offer advice on how to get around or good places to visit. It is totally free which is why I decided to take the plunge. We arrived in Paris, took the train into the city and parted ways. I rode the metro and arrived at my "couch" safely.
After a very very very long night's sleep, I ventured into Paris to visit the Musee D'Orsay. The Musee D'Orsay is a converted train station and is famous for it's extensive Impressionist collection. They were hosting a temporary exhibit about fashion and Impressionist art and it featured several pieces from the Art Institute of Chicago, where I basically spent my entire summer.
It was fabulous!!!! Afterwards, I had one of my greatest life triumphs when I ordered a croque monsieur AND a water in French at a take-away window of a cafe! I haven't spoke French in almost five years so that croque monsieur tasted extra delicious as I walked along the Seine.
I crossed the river and made my way to the Centre Pompidou. Because this is me, the Centre Pompidou is also a museum but it's collection is only modern and contemporary art. Also the building looks like it's inside out.
While I was walking to the museum, I came across this.
First, her own television network. Now, her own french retail empire.
After the Centre Pompidou, I literally ran into Kate and we met Marissa and proceeded to a real French bakery. They had this pastry that was literally just called "Elegance".
Welcome to France ya'll.
The next day, I decided to visit Versailles. Ever since I read a book about Marie Antoinette in the third grade (yeah, I know), it's been one of my dreams to visit Versailles. I arrived around 10 in the morning and it was already packed. I made it inside the palace after narrowly avoiding several attempts of others to cut me in line (this was a recurring theme throughout my experience, people trying to cut me in line. This isn't the elementary school cafeteria, there are no french toast sticks or stuffed crust pizza, know your place and stay there). The palace itself was stunning. It was just as grand as the Doge's Palace or the Vatican but in it's own unique way. The thing that really floored me about Versailles was just the sheer scale of everything; the Hall of Mirrors, the giant fountains, the tall trees, the long stretches of grass. Walking around the grounds, Versailles almost felt like one big golf course with a really nice club house.
Unfortunately, for me at least, the crowds were overwhelming. It was like the Vatican Museums in that we all just moved as one big group from room to room. I ended up moving through the rooms rather quickly just so that I wouldn't get run over or sat on.
After the main palace, I walked through the gardens to the Grand Trianon and the Petite Trianon. The gardens were playing classical music from the bushes and even though I didn't see any of the fountains when they were turned on, it was nice to walk through the hedges with Hayden and Mozart playing around me. Once I was out of the gardens, I walked down the tree lined streets and arrived at the Grand Trianon and the Petite Trianon. As far as I know, they served as "retreats" for Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. They were a retreat for me too after squirming my way around all those tourists. The trianons were far less crowded and much quieter so it was nice to actually spend some quality time looking around.
This guy was walking around with a pack of tiny horses. No explanation.
Everything at Versailles was beautiful; the nature, the gardens, the buildings. And after visiting all three palaces, I basically felt like I was on an episode of House Hunters International. "Will Tim go with Option 1: the mid-sized palace with the original 18th century furniture, Option 2: the smaller sized palace with it's own working farm and billiard room, or Option 3: the large palace complete with secret passages and it's own chapel?" Too much to handle.
After the sheer opulence and grandeur of Versailles, I felt that the only way I could spend the rest of my way was to go shopping. It was rainy but that didn't stop me. First, I made a quick stop at the Eiffel Tower. Like the Colosseum, I approached it from the back so I was in some weird park, looking up at it. I also saw some police on bikes chase down a criminal so it further cemented this as a quality first Eiffel Tower experience.
This was the wall of a museum about Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas and the wall was just covered in plants. Quality.
I made my way to the Right Bank to the Avenue Montaigne so that I could visit the Maison Dior. I have been completely obsessed with Christian Dior, especially Dior Haute Couture, since I was 12. So along with Versailles, visiting the Dior headquarters was something I have been waiting to do for a long time. Dior has consistently been one of my biggest sources of inspiration since middle school and I was just excited to be at the place where it all went down. As evidenced by these pictures.
I really know how to handle myself in public.
I spent the rest of the day shopping until I met up with Kate and Marissa. We spontaneously decided to go to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. It was cold and rainy but I wouldn't have it any other way. The best part was that we got to watch it glitter while we were on it.
Classic.
That night we threw down with some solid crepes from a street vendor and the next day, we did one better and had street waffles. Whoever came up with waffels, nutella, and bananas deserves to be canonized. For lunch that day, I decided to be fancy and ordered duck confit. I'll admit that 70% of the reason I ordered it was because it came with both fries and a salad but it was DELICIOUS. And it felt super French.
After my lunch of duck and fries and salad and nutella/banana waffle, I said goodbye to Kate and Marissa and rolled myself to the train station in order to catch my train to Zurich.
Stay tuned for Part Deux of my European travels!!!!! In the next episode, my parents and sis ter arrive and......WE GO ON THE SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR!!!!! Thanks for reading :)
