Before we will go back to the jungles of Borneo, there is a small snack for you.
Madonna e Bambini
I have started editing dozens (if not hundreds) of videos we filmed during the trip. So folks, here we go back to Bella Italia. You will find them in our video page, and the new ones are this time first and last on the list. They will appear there in chronological order. First one is more artistic, the last one… well…
Have fun!
Maiku
I think that money is everything; religion and money are the soul of our world. Vatican was an amazing fortress of a very, very rich organization; yes, my religious faith has shaken a bit after seeing the mighty of the Vatican City. Did Jesus need all this gold and huge basilicas and fancy cars and fancy clothes – oh, and not to mention that the holy city had its own fake Prada salesman on its sidewalks?
They charged us in Vatican 14 Euros per person to visit the huge museum which hosted the biggest art pieces of the history, and then we had a lovely visit to the Sistine chapel where all the action happens (during conclave, when they choose the new pope). Sistine chapel was a heaven of art. Gosh how beautiful were those frescos by Michelangelo, the beauty of every detail was amazing! Shame we couldn’t get pictures since the Vatican sold the copyrights to some Japanese TV channel. Why not sell everything there?!
Saint Peters Basilica was a huge place, my favorite style of churches since I have seen so many styles there in Italy. We visited pope JPII grave and all the popes tombs in the crypt. Oh, and we skipped the tourist line (of course we did, I am married to a genius woman that knows all the secret passages of the Vatican).
I have been amazed by the Vatican and by Rome. Rome, in fact, was such a noisy place and full of tourist that I was so fed up of it even I have loved it. I had great time clubbing with the Romans and of course during my visits to Forum Romanum and Colosseum. It has just too much to offer.
But then the peace came, cleanliness, rules and what reminds me of Helsinki a bit; Nice and France. I feel again home here and I can practice my French, I feel more home at Monaco (only if I would be that rich, gosh money can buy it all).
Monaco – the heaven of the wealthy people – was an amazing experience and again grace a la Bella Maiku, we had the great fun and did the see the most interesting part of it. We went backstage of the Formula 1 preparation area, sneaked in fact! It was hilarious to be there to see the pit stops and walk on the lane itself where the F1 cars will drive in a few weeks. Then we went to Casino and again Maiku’s good luck played back: we won some $$$$! (Oh, it’s Euros but don’t have the sign in the keyboard!)
Anyhow, the trip continues and now am officially done with the Madonna and Bambini. God save me from what other kind of museums wait for me in France, but then I had the last 3 days a great relax here in Nice. I mean no offence to Italy; it was a beautiful country and reminded me so much of home in Lebanon, but I am officially done with pizza and pasta for a while now.
France is simply the next stop. It was about time we move, I got so much used on this lifestyle now that it became for me a habit to pack every 2 days my mini house and move on, we are gypsies after all!
Sasi
P.S: check out our new videos!
Some say you would need a lifetime to discover Rome. For us, a week was enough. Not because the city itself, but just it was too crowded, too noisy. It was a long school holiday in Italy and Italian tourists had conquered the eternal city – alongside with Americans.
So we spend quite a long time in ticket lines and other queues. I dont know if it was worth it. I personally had a bit hard time in Rome. I just felt sad that the once mighty city had fallen in to hands of modern barbarians. While walking on the Forum Romanum, I had such a deep feeling of lost. In medieval times, it was a meadow of cows. The buildings were not destroyed by the attacking barbarian tribes but the Romans themselves; they used the stone material and pillars for new buildings.
But the worst of them was the church. While building their bunkers of God, the papal institution destroyed and robbed classical treasures ruthlessly. In Vatican museum, there is this one fresco in the ceiling which describes that well: in the front of a crucifix there is a classical statue smashed in to pieces. It seriously feels they had the Bible on the other hand and a sledgehammer on the other. And what they didnt destroy, they stole to their private papal collections.
I think we both had a bit of a “loosing my religion” -feelings in Italy. Sasi, the former Catholic school boy, was really angry time to time, especially to the hundreds of “Madonna e bambini” -paintings. And it is quite hard to understand why church should collect this kind of wealth to itself. Not to mention other stuff; like Savonarola’s stakes of vanity in Firenze, where he burned books and pieces of art if he decided them to be too earthly. Its nonsense to blame Muslims of this kind of actions, Christian church has done it for decades – and still does: Vatican has continously a list of forbidden books.
Aeternitas was and still is my favourite word in Latin – eternity. For me, it symbolizes the classical continuity. In hectic modern Rome, it was hard to find. But finally I managed, and the place was truly perfect: Ara Pacis Augustae, the peace altar of Augustus. This masterpiece of classical sculpture is now located inside of a completely modern building designed by Richard Meier. Italians outraged of the modern white-and-glass building next to Baroque ones. Their loss. Building is stunning, and I think combining Roman era art and modern art is just the right thing to do; Romans did that themselves in their times, with Greek, Etruscan, Phoinician etc. art and techniques.
So in Ara Pacis, no ticket queues, not even line to ladies toilet (!!) – and what a marvellous silence.
Rest in pieces, my beloved Rome. We are now in Nice, France.
Maiku
“I am telling you, it will be sunny in there.” Siena this morning felt like Finland in January: rain, cold wind blowing and rain. But as soon as we stepped out the San Gimignano bus, it was sunny, like I had forecasted in the bus.
San Gimignano, a 8000 habitant town, is one of the most amazing places we have ever visited, the best gelato (ice cream) we ever tasted (my favorite flavor white chocolate was there), and on top of it the best Pizza in Italy I would say – so far of course.
The morning rush of tourists didn’t really exist. We were lucky to see the tower village; 14 standing medieval towers out of 72 and the best landscape ever. They looked like from some fantasy movie, these stone towers scraping sky which popped up from Tuscany hills covered with mist.
Backpacking seems to be cool, and cooler, we feel alive; enjoy it all to the extreme: no time tables, no running around the clock. We are still puzzling about our next destination, France through Corsica or Greece and then Lebanon directly. We do not know. The couchsurfing has paid of, so we are able to continue for now our trip. We head to Rome tomorrow and then southern Italy I guess.
Our website is popular it seems, we have received lovely comments about it, and I advice you to take a look at our map and our photos (to be updated soon).
Sasi, the knight of the tower.
P.S: We are drinking right now an excellent white wine from San Gimignano.
Tagged architecture, history, Italy, maikusasi, san gimignano, siena, tuscany
Try to imagine this: a Tuscany hill surrounded by wine yards, a country house from 1700 and something. Wisterias and lilacs blossoming, and there is three wolves in the garden. Well, not exactly wolves, Czechoslovakian wolf dogs. Wild enough though to bite your head off if you do a wrong move. Which meant simply: not going out without the permit of the master of the wolves.
But for a reason or another, wolves seemed to like me. There were a male, female and a puppy, not family though. Puppy was a normal puppy, playful and biting with sharp baby teeth. Female was timid and shy, but for the surprise to everyone, she jumped and licked my face – a gesture she hasn’t done to strangers ever before. Because of this trust, I was also allowed to stroke the male: a huge, strong adult wolf dog, tame with the owner on the leach but unpredictable without. Anyway, he licked me too.
Even the cats (five of them) liked me, especially Alexander – named after the Great one – Alex to friends. He slept on my armpit warming me, and kissed me good morning on my mouth so passionately Sasi was jealous. Sasi said it was a bit like living in a zoo, since on top of all these, there was uncountable number of frets. Just what we belong to, a zoo.
After we left Pistoia, it has been feeling a bit like being thrown to wolves, since we were not able to find a place to stay. Sasi went so far he held a paper asking for accommodation on the streets of Siena. We got a lots of smiles but no host, so we ended to a pension which was held by a great Italian elderly lady. Tonight we were able to get beds in the youth hostel.
On the other hand, it is nice to be just two of us just for a change. Couchsurfing, as awesome as it is, can be a bit tiring sometimes since you have to socialize with your hosts. It has been really nice, but after weeks, you need quiet time on your own, at least me being a unsocial and quiet Finn (har har).
It also starts to be a point when you don’t remember clearly where you have been and what you have been doing. We have been offline due to bad internet connections for a while, so am trying to figure where we have visited past week. The things which came to my mind were loads of local train stations. From Bologna to Firenze, from Firenze to Pistoia, and from Pistoia we made day trips to Pisa and Lucca. Then finally a bus to here Siena.
I have spend 2,5 hours of my life in the queue of Uffizi Gallery in Firenze. Folks, if you want to get in there, DO get a reservation of the tickets! It was worth it though. Most of the people went to see Leonardo da Vinci’s and Michelangelo’s paintings, as well as Sandro Botticelli’s La Primavera and The Birth of Venus. Botticelli is nice, except these particular paintings have suffered a bit of inflation due to all kind of posters, mouse pads and fridge magnets. I like his delicate style though, and the other paintings by him in the same hall are almost nicer than these two most famous ones.
I must admit that I don’t admire Da Vinci. I do respect his developments of techniques of painting but the style is… I don’t know. Maybe another inflation. As well as what happened with the leaning tower of Pisa. In real life, that one was not too special at all. I have enjoyed much more about Lucca, which is not the most famous tourist destination in Tuscany. And Siena is just adorable with its medieval narrow streets. I love it. Cant wait to see more.
Maiku, with sore leg muscles after 290 steps of Torre del Maglio.
Tagged animals, art, Botticelli, cats, Couchsurfing, dogs, Firenze, Florence, history, Italy, Leonardo da Vinci, Pistoia, tourism, tuscany, Uffici gallery, wolves
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