Bad Blogger!

Having sufficiently neglected Rome and all its joys over the last two months, I think it's about time to press on with documenting the experience. We return (finally) to the jam-packed sightseeing day. The first portion consisted of visits to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, where we managed to cool of a bit with some gelato.

From Trevi, we walked west to the Pantheon, which is probably one of the most impressive structures in Rome, if not for its sheer size and presence in the piazza, then for its stability and soundness.

A slightly blurry, but still incredible Pantheon.

It may not look like it, but this is an enormous structure. It's overwhelming walking into the Pantheon. The sunlight coming through the center of the roof reaches every crevice inside, yet is not in the least harsh or invasive. It provides a soft warmth, every so slightly detectable when wandering about, taking in the minute details of the interior.

Light shining into the Pantheon

The Pantheon lies quite close to the Piazza Navona, so being motivated athletes, we accepted walking a bit further for yet another experience.

I was particularly looking forward to seeing the piazza, mostly because of the famous Bernini fountain, which sits in the center of the oblong square. On my previous visit, the fountain was undergoing restoration, so I was unable to get a proper look. This time, however, it was clear of scaffolding and looking absolutely magnificent.

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers

From far away, the fountain seems like any other you might find in a Roman piazza, but upon closer inspection of the detail and craftsmanship, it is clearly a brilliant work of art.

Behind the fountain in the above image sits the Church of St. Agnes in Agony. Visitors cannot take photos inside, but the tiny church has incredibly detailed frescoes covering nearly every surface.

We spent some time wandering the piazza and looked at the art people were selling, everything from painting to photos to silly caricatures. At some point we noticed the sky getting dark to the north, and though I had previously been convinced that it couldn't possibly rain in Rome, it did just that. We walked through the drizzle back towards the metro station and when the rain picked up, we ducked inside a tiny restaurant on one of the side streets and decided to have some dinner.

Let me tell you, this pizza was fantastic.

Our classic margherita pizza.
The pizzas were huge, so most of us split one between two people.

Olive oil literally oozed from the pizza all over our hands, but after a long day of walking in the heat, it was somehow the perfect meal to satisfy our hunger. By the time we finished eating, the rain ceased and we made it back to the metro and eventually back to our hotel.

Freeky Movies

Freeky Friday: What's your favorite feel good movie?

Just in case anyone who has ever met me doesn't know: I have a thing for movies. I come by it honestly: it runs in the family. So, when it came time to picking a favorite for today's topic, I naturally had a difficult time picking just one.

My favorite movie depends on my mood at any given time. Here are a few of the best:

Source for photos

I love Christmastime movies. And I love movies that explore a number of story lines. Love Actually does so with wit, charm, fun and with the reminder that things don't always work out the way we imagine or hope. Sometimes they work out better, and sometimes...life just happens. But either way, "love is all around."

The classic story with a festive twist, Bride & Prejudice has so much color. And it's a musical. Doesn't get better than this.

And who doesn't love a good Hitchcock, let alone with two of the classiest actors of all time?

Back to Rome

On the third day, we woke up around 7:30 for breakfast before our morning swim and arrived at the pool a little before nine. We did a nice workout, with a relatively short aerobic set and some sprinting, but before calling it a day we spent some time practicing starts.

Within the last year or so, FINA accepted a new kind of block for competitions:

The new blocks, made by Omega

The adjustable “footrest” (with five placement options) provides an advantage for the track start to give a swimmer more power coming off the blocks.

I had never used this new block before this meet, so practicing starts was definitely necessary. Thankfully, I didn’t over-think the change (like I normally do), and after just a few starts, I found the right position for the footrest and made the necessary adjustment without hitches. Definitely helped boost my confidence.

 ***

We went back to the hotel, and planned out the rest of the day during lunch. We decided to catch the metro into the main part of the city to visit the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon in one fell swoop. Since our hotel was quite far removed from any metro stops, we took cabs to the Piazza Euclide (which, incidentally, is where we stayed in 2007), and rode the metro to Flaminio, then transferred lines to reach Spagna.

The return to Euclide

It was incredibly hot where we got off the metro at the Spanish Steps, but as Floridians, we managed to stomach the heat and climbed to the top to capture the incredible view.

The Spanish Steps

As usual, people crowded the steps and the piazza at this intersection of old Roman architecture and modern chic shops and restaurants.

Piazza di Spagna

After taking in the view from the top of the steps, we made the descent and began the walk to stop #2 for the day.

The walk took us down an endless number of side streets filled with tourists, with people on lunch breaks and, of course, with people eating gelato.

Just as the walk was getting unbearably hot, we finally heard running water in the distance. Just hearing that bubbling sound had a cooling effect. Another few meters and we finally happened upon the glorious Fontana di Trevi.

Rumor has it: tossing a coin into the fountain over
your left shoulder will ensure your return to
the Eternal City. 

It took a while for us to make our way through the throngs of people around the fountain, but we finally reached the front and all took turns throwing in coins.

Before we moved on to stop #3, we paid a visit to the gelato shop to the left of the fountain. Seriously, the best gelato we had all week.

The gelato place

...and our delicious gelato!

Next: The Pantheon and the Piazza Navona

Freeky Friday: Advice

Happy Friday!


Today's prompt:

Share your favorite positive advice. It could be a quote from a movie, song lyrics, or just a fun catchphrase your great uncle uses!

It was quite difficult to select a single phrase for today's post. Quality advice, in the form of song lyrics, movies or books, comes in and out of life at different times. Sometimes it fits perfectly--it's that one thing that makes sense of everything--and sometimes it's just what we need to hear, even if we don't want to.

So, what to choose? Funny, serious, sound: I have heard an extensive number of each. Everything from "chew your food," to "pay attention to the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves." (Courtesy: my father, and my cousin's swim coach, respectively.)

But, for the purposes of this prompt, I (like Julia) selected a quote from the fifth Harry Potter movie. Harry, while instructing his classmates as they practice magical defenses, offers sage advice that can also apply offscreen, outside the magical world:

"Working hard is important, but there's something that matters even more: believing in yourself."

{Source}

Belief in your ability to accomplish something in any area of life, however trivial or significant, is essential. Pair that belief with hard work: you are unstoppable. The two work hand-in-hand and provide a great deal of support in trying times. Both knowing your capabilities and acknowledging your hard work make it easier to work through obstacles and preserve your positive attitude.

Freeky Friday: July 4th Edition

Happy Friday, everyone! Let's celebrate the first of FIVE Fridays in July with a festive post about one of my favorite holidays.

What's your favorite Fourth of July memory?

July Fourth is always an interesting holiday in Florida. To begin with, you can never predict the success of fireworks shows, because the weather remains eternally unpredictable. On any given summer day we see thunderstorms, cloudiness, simple rain, perfect sunshine...or...all of the above. So, while my Independence Day celebrations don't usually include watching fireworks, they always include some kind of celebratory family feast involving a number of close friends.

I particularly enjoyed last year's July 4th. My sister and I spent almost the entire day cooking. She took care of the main courses (BBQ chicken, potato salad, grilled vegetables...an incredibly hearty meal, and extremely delicious!) while I tackled The Pie.

[Side note: Before last year's holiday, my mom and I made a visit to a cookware store, Sur la Table, where we found this lovely pie pan:

A 12" diameter, ON SALE, red...we had to have the pie pan. Any pie made in such a pan would inevitably be the most delicious thing ever, clearly.]

So, while my sister was busy being Emeril for a minute, making the most delicious barbeque chicken of all time, I lamented the fact that Florida does not seem to have any pre-made 12" pie crusts, and settled into the task of making from scratch enough pie dough to fill the pan.

Mer supported me during my dough battle as we watched Invictus, and eventually, the crust formed, the apples filled in, the pie baked and we had a delicious feast ready for company.

Last year, we were joined by one of Mer's best friends, who has become as much a Fourth of July staple in our house as potato salad and pie. Along with our friend Rob and our parents, we sat, ate, talked and laughed our way through the afternoon and into the evening.

I love July Fourth because in my house, we always seem to forget the time and just enjoy the pleasure of each other's company.

St. Peter's Basilica

The exit of the Vatican Museum feeds to the north side of St. Peter's, where visitors can choose to go inside the basilica or climb to the top of the dome. A few from our group elected to make the climb (which cost €7), but I chose to revisit the inside.

Walking into St. Peter's is an experience like none other. We went in around 17:30 as the sun made its way through the western sky and shone through the incredible stained glass window in the rear of the church and the windows in the dome directly above this structure:

To the immediate right of the entrance sits La Pietà, a sculpture by Michelangelo of Mary holding the body of Jesus after the crucifixion. The marble structure is now surrounded by glass, but this protection does not detract from the beauty of the piece.

La Pietà

I decided to let my mom take some pictures, and I walked around taking in every sculpture, marble tile and crevice I came across.

Since the beatification and canonization of Pope John Paul II, his tomb now lies in the alcove next to La Pietà. The ceremony recognizing his passage into heaven and sainthood took place on 1 May 2011, presided over by Pope Benedict XVI. It was incredible to see, especially since I had seen his original interment place on my first visit to the Vatican, just months after he passed in 2005.

We stood for a while near the rear of the church, where we had a spectacular view of the inside of the dome. There are images scattered throughout the alcoves, and this time I noticed something about them I hadn’t before. Most are mosaics, not paintings, as I had previously thought. Can you imagine all these beautiful designs made by hand, on such a large scale, out of tiny tiles? Incredible.

The dome in St. Peter's

Just to give you an idea of the scale: the pen in his hand is six feet long.

A mosaic under the dome in St. Peter's

On another note, Monday seemed to be 'athlete day' at the Vatican. As we left, we spotted Kerri Walsh, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball. She was in Rome for the Beach Volleyball World Championships (coincidentally held directly behind the pool at the Foro Italico). Definitely an exciting coincidence!

Ad for the Beach Volleyball World Championships

Musei Vaticani

From our hotel, we piled into four cabs and shortly arrived at the Piazza Pio XII in front of St. Peter's. We had a short hunt for our tour guide, Walter, whom we eventually met at the center of Piazza San Pietro, near the obelisk.

St. Peter's Square

We decided to tour the Vatican Museum and see the Sistine Chapel before venturing inside St. Peter's Basilica. Walter led us north and then west along the outside of the Vatican wall to the entrance to the museum. Walking this route reminded me of Mission: Impossible III, and I half expected to spot Tom Cruise sneakily creeping over the wall.

The walk to the entrance took about ten minutes. Typically, visitors pay €15 to enter, but those of us lucky students were able to use our school IDs to enter for only €8. Definitely a nice perk!

Just outside the entrance, we stopped to take in a view of the basilica dome and a portion of the Vatican gardens.

A small peek at the Vatican Gardens

Walter then led us through a large courtyard to the hall of statutes, which held an endless number of busts and sarcophagi dating to ancient Rome. He called it the Hollywood of ancient Rome, because all the busts depicted famous Romans.

The Hall of Statues

We walked outside to the octagonal courtyard, which held a number of Roman baths made from different types of marble and a series of statues and columns. The most famous sculpture in the courtyard was definitely the most impressive. Laocoön and His Sons, depicts a man fighting two snakes, sent as punishment by the goddess Athena, as his sons cowering on each side. This beautiful work of artistry conveys the anguish of the subjects and is incredible to behold. It's hard to imagine the painstaking work that went into creating such a complex and detailed sculpture.

Laocoön and His Sons

From there we went through another area full of statues dedicated to animals, the "inspiration from nature," Walter explained, which led to a series of other rooms housing everything from urns to candelabras to tapestries.

We were directed through the rooms of Raphael, the famous artist, who used colors and light like none other. The most prominent fresco, the School of Athens, is enormous and absolutely beautiful. The fresco depicts prominent philosophers, with Plato and Aristotle in the center.

School of Athens

The figure leaning on the box in the center of the fresco was painted in Michelangelo's likeness, after Raphael saw his work in the Sistine Chapel.

One of the four Raphael rooms had at one time been the bedroom for the pope. With frescoes completely covering the walls and ceilings, it seemed an overwhelming setting for a bedroom, and I came to the conclusion that with such detail everywhere, it must have been incredibly distracting. How do you sleep when there's so much to look at?

Liberation of St. Peter by an Angel {Source}

We concluded with the Sistine Chapel, a perfect last stop to the tour.

Now, if I thought the Raphael rooms were detailed, then no word exists to describe the frescoes in the chapel. Just the sheer scale of each panel, the size of the entire room and the color and contrast in each segment left everyone in awe. You could spend hours looking around the chapel and still not see everything. Unfortunately, with throngs of people waiting to gander a view of the Creation of Adam and the security guards silencing the crowd and keeping people from taking pictures, everyone must settle for just a few minutes of time beholding the masterpieces.