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vatican
the early birds. Its 6 am and the tourists are starting to flood. St. Peter's Square is not as big as i thought it would be. It was in the books and pictures that made me think that Rome must have been a very ancient place. A place filled with antiques and sculptures, the colliseum (not to mention gladiators..), and the Vatican naming few of the things that pop up in my mind when i think of Rome.
It all changed when i set foot upon this marvelous land. Rome really is a very upbeat and modern city boasting of its rich cultural heritage and ancestry.
This travel had many first time experiences for me. My first subzero degree temperature.. which i felt i was very unprepared. My plane had touched Italian soil at around 5.30 in the morning and I was surprised that Fiumicino airport was not that big and not that impressive as compared to asian airports like the one in Kuala Lumpur. An airport bus picked all the passengers from the plane and a -3 degrees greeted us. Too cold for me since im still wearing a very thin cotton shirt which is suitable only for mild and tropical climateas my winter clothes are all packed inside my baggage.
First things first, I looked for an ATM hoping that my card will
st. Peter's Basilica
in front of the main church of the catholics. be recognized. Geez. it spilled out a hefty 250 Euros (about 17000 pesos i think). I sat at the nearby waiting area thinking of my next plan when i heard someone speaking tagalog. Approached him and asked (in my language) where to find the train that goes straight to Rome's main railway station. Luckily the man told me that he has some free time and is willing to bring me to the station. It was about 30 minutes ride going to the railway station and during that 30 minutes.. he always address me as "boy" duh! im old enough to be his son in law! The real deal is that I get to sit in the passenger seat of his nice SUV while listening to his life story. i dont know, but its a Filipino thing guess, i mean... telling your life story to someone who is a total stranger.
Sure he did bring me to the Main railway station, left my baggages at the station's rentable lockers (10 Euros for 6 hours is good enough i think) and bought a whole day pass for the buses in Rome which surprisingly i didnt used because i never knew that
John Paul II's tomb
the recently deceased pope. the most famous tomb during that time. People flock here to see a piece of history Rome wasnt really that big.. i mean.. you really CAN walk around it within a day and not miss something.
He dropped me at the entrance to the Vatican which I luckily agreed with... what I didnt like is that he asked if a can give him a bit for the Auto Gas!! Geez... Filipinos!! and me... the stupid one... gave him 20 euros thinking that its just small.. (yeah.. I was still a bit new to the money change thing...) I did regret my move after converting it to pesos (1400 pesos at that time!- whew.. that amount is bit big for a tip..)
6 in the morning at the center of Vatican. Nice! no tourist yet, no crowd. I have the whole vatican square to myself. Although 3 degrees is a bit freezing and my jacket i think is not sufficient. I went to the catamcombs where they bury the popes, a bit spooky since some of the epitaphs are centuries old. Must have been a very historical place this is. And to no surprise, the most famous one is the one by the recently deceased pope John Paul II.
Another interesting sarcophagus is the one
street performers
one of the many street performers around Rome. These are the "living statues" they only move to acknowledge people giving them money. This one i think is a "jedi" there are also mummies, cupids, and other weired stuffs roaming around Rome supposedly by St. Peter himself. I hadnt had the chance to investigate since it is well guarded and you can only see it through a glass panel about 8 meters away from where I am standing. going outside the church, was planning to have a picture of one of the Swiss guards in front of the Cathedral but never thought that they would be the touristy-snob type. they dont want to be the spectacles of the crowd, which I did gave my respect for them. Not like the Royal guards of UK i guess... hehe
Castel St. Angelo is just a few minutes walk from the Vatican Square. (Yeah... Dan Brown's Angel and Demons is what makes Rome really interesting. And yes, there are Angels and Demons Tour around Rome but they costs much. Better to walk and discover Rome's streets and alleys by yourself.) Ever turn and every streets gives you full account of how the Romans lived hundreds of years ago. They truly are marvelous architects since the buildings and monuments they erected hundreds of years ago are really astounding!
another one of my favorite Rome sights is Piazza Navona. a huge piazza in the shape of a hippodrome. marvelous fountains, great church, fancy bazaar, and street musicians that will make you sit down and listen. Also went to the Sta Cecilia Conservatorio, the premier italian music school, only to find out that it was closed that day. Eventhough My handy phone camera works (geez. I forgot my camera back home! of all the things I should forget, why should it be the Camera? the most crucial thing to bring during trips like these....) I had the chance to capture a picture of the famous institution facade. Went south towards the famous Colliseum afterwards. at this time of the day (around 3pm) a long queue going inside made me think that It will be better if I walk around the Forums Ruin, just a few meters from the Colliseum (heck.. a 5 euros picture with the gladiator and senator costumed staff is worth!).
After rounding up all the sights around Rome I went back to the Train station about 30 minutes earlier (yes. by using my touristy map, i was able to find everything in Rome by walking). I was impressed of how the Italians follow the exact time. the train really arrives and departs the assigned time. I had my train ticket validated by the machine besides the station.
Dove s il treno binaryo tredici?? Quando il treno che va a Firenze lascia la piattaforma? (wow now i can really use all the italians i have learned back home!!) Luckily I knew some words - and the language inflection too. If youi want to learn Italian culture then you must speak like an Italian!! Nothing beats like the Italian with the authentic accent!
Now im off to Florence (which was about 3 hours train ride north of Rome). The center of Renaissance Europe. Getting ready for a hardcore first hand expereince with medieval art. Now this is life!
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