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Published: June 27th 2005
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Date: 29.12.2004
Destination: Pisa, Italy
Day: 3
We reached Rome early in the morning. The night train is not as good as those in Germany, here it was more crowded and some of the passengers didn't care to make reservation, so they just sit places that are empty. We sat with a couple from Albania and they are the most talkative people I have ever met. We can't even have a short nap. After reaching Rome, we decided to go straight to Pisa which is a 3 hour journey instead of walking around Rome so tired. So, after checking into the hostel which is near the main train station, we sat a normal express train towards Pisa. Along the way, the ocean was just on the left side. Nobody was swimming because it is near winter. Too bad...
Pisa is a small town with nothing much to see except one. The Leaning Tower of Pisa. After asking for direction, we boarded a 5-minutes bus ride to the Campo dei Miracoli where the tower situated. This world famous tower is surrounded by two other large buildings but the tower itself is amazing. Really leaning toward a side. With a steel
backbone, the tower was supported from really tumbling down. The soils in the opposite leaning side was also drilled out to make it more stable. The people in Pisa take advantage of the frequent visitors by selling cheap replica of the tower in souvenir stalls along the square. Lots of people were taking photos and the most frequent post is by putting your hand in the position of trying to stop the tower from falling. Basically, that is it, just the tower. So after spending approximately 2 hours in Pisa, off we went back to Rome.
After sleeping and refreshed on the trip back to Rome, we started walking around Rome to have a peek at the night view because tomorrow night, we will be on our way to Switzerland so this was the only chance. The nice lady from the hostel told us some of the places to avoid in Rome for safety reason but after walking around, we found it perfectly safe as there are a lot of police present. We walked to the famous Colliseum and sadly the lighting was not enough to bright up this amazing place. Then we walked along the Roman forum towards
the Piazza Venezia. This is a grand building dedicated to the king of Italy and unlike the Colliseum, this place was brightly lit. The two pools in front were very beautiful with clear green-coloured water. The one thing incomplete about Rome is the insufficient Metro station. The Metro is just lined up in a x-line. While walking, I realised people are more now. Perhaps they like the cold night rather than the hot sun.
Then we went further reaching high commercial buildings and suddenly walking behind the building, we came to the Trevi fountain. This is the most beautiful fountain, in my opinion, in the world. Beautiful sculpture of Zeus and other heavenly creatures, with water flowing around and crystal clear. It is believed to bring luck if you throw a coin in it. The place was full of tourist and getting a nice place to take some photos was hard but luckily we managed it. We sat around for a while, enjoying the nice monument before heading back. We tried to find the Metro but at last the bus seemed to be an easier option. Tomorrow, we will be heading to another country, Vatican City....
Date: 30.12.2004
Destination: Vatican City and Rome, Italy
Day: 4
We woke up early and had our free breakfast from the hostel, a piece of croissant and a cup of espresso at a cafe nearby. A simple but truly nice breakfast at a table where everybody seems to be walking past you. Then off we go to the Vatican City. It is one of the smallest city in Europe and very near to Rome, just a 20 minutes ride. We went there early to beat the crowd and we have to choose either the cathedral or the museum and we decided the latter. The cathedral is a huge building that houses the pope resident and the tombs of past popes. It is also the most important building in Christian. Just infront of the Cathedral was a christmas tree used during the past Christmas, I presumed. We went straight to the long line from the Cathedral waiting for our turn but not quite sure where it was heading. The line was still manageable consider it will be very very long later. Then, it is our turn and we realised it was heading towards the Cathedral dome and it is a few hundred steps up. So, we gathered our strength and started climbing and climbing and climbing... On top of the dome, the view was amazing and I know we were really high up because now, the people looks like ants. Too bad you can't see any of Rome monument up here. After snapping some photos, down we went. The way down was straight to the Cathedral so we will not need to line up again from outside.
The St. Peter's Cathedral, it is definately the most amazing Cathedral in the world, even compared to Milan, Cologne, Paris or London. It was so high from the floor until the ceiling. Every part of the cathedral was placed with statues of the past popes. One even have the body of a dead pope. There is a statue that really captivate me, the statue of Mary by Michelangelo. The grand bronze canopy in the middle of the Cathedral was also one of the main place where big religious prayers were held in this large Cathedral. Just by walking around the cathedral, you need at least an hour, so you can imagine the sheer size of this place.
At noon, we went back to Rome to start the city walk. We started with the Spanish Steps, a long steps up the twin towers of Trinita’ dei Monti. We just sat there like everybody else, soaking up the winter rare sunshine. Then, after some Roman McDonalds, we walked to the Trevi Fountain to have a look at the fountain in another side. Definately the night view was more amazing. A long walk past the large monument of Piazza Venezia, we came to the entrance of the Roman Forums. This place was the heart of ancient Rome, the place where political, religious and economical activities take place. The whole place was just chunk of rocks around, some large stone gate and arch, so good imagination is needed to see this place in its old glory. Definately one of the great empire in the ancient world.
As we walked further, we came to another ancient piece of history, the Colliseum. The place where the gladiators battled for their lifes. This monument is still fully intact, just a part of it was torn down. We didn't get to go in as it was a bit late already so we just took some photos outside. We tried to ask people about a rock face shaped in circle that people will put their hand inside its mouth for luck. Even until today, I can't still find the rock name. I tried to ask people about it but to no luck. So, we just walked around admiring this wonderful city.
As night came, we walked back to the hostel to take our bag and later, to a small cafe nearby the train station to have our last but not least, real Italian food. Some spagetti, pizzas and lasagnas while waiting for the train. The train we sat was the night train and the train ride was rough as it was packed but luckily we made seats reservation, so we do not need to fight for places. Italy is a nice country and Rome and Venice are some of the places worth visit, full of ancient treasures, nice culture, wonderful foods and just different! I will definately come back again in the not near future.
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