East.Side.Back.Street

Hi Everyone! Hope all of you are doing well! Lola and I just came back from our Italy trip. It was a satisfying, fulfiling and enriching trip because we did everything we planned to do and learned much through the 4 guided tours we attended.

First up, the trip to Venice. Our hostel was at Villa Dori booked by Gavin. Although it was posh, the location was bad and we spent much time looking for the place. This was made worse that most of the bus drivers were bad mannered and could not speak english. Speaking of which, I realised that most of the Italians look like Mafia, all in their shades and nicely trimmed sideburns. Not a very good start of the whole trip. But gradually the trip to Venice turned out to be a great one. Venice is an island surrounded by water. When Lola and I were lost at one point in time and we asked a person for directions, she asked,"Are you traveling by foot or boat?" I was dumbfolded for a moment but this question points out exactly the way of life of the Venetians. No cars, no roads, only rivers and boats.

Waterworld











Water at the alley


















Weather was really cold. Heard that Venice was snowing on the night before we arrived













Standing in front of the Gondolas. It is being moved towed manually. 80 Euros per trip. Wow!













Water stations replacing train stations. Station people required to tie ropes upon reaching every station. Laura and I took the boat ride and we took in the sights of architectures and churches and sound of the engines of the boats as we rode the canals of Venice













Shops selling masks are plentiful in Venice













Laura and I having a Venetian dish, Spaghetti with Cuttlefish Sauce. It turns out to look like black spaghetti and leaves your whole mouth black. Taste? Delicious

Next, we took a train to Florence. The timing of the arrival is bad as we reached Florence only at night. We missed the bus which comes every one hour and hence reached our hostel only at 12 plus in the morning. As we travelled southwards, the weather starts to get warmer and not as wet. We joined 2 free tours offered by the hostels, and got to view many magnificient sculptures and architectures such as the David by Michelangelo in the Musee Academia.

Great Scenery from the bridge

The Old Bridge, named like this because it is the first bridge built in Florence and the only bridge which is undamaged by WW2 because of the 'grace' of Hitler. It used to be a place for butchers because of the abundance of water their trade require but because of the stench the government converted it into a place for goldsmiths

Legend has it that touching the snout of the pig brings good luck and if a coin placed in its mouth drops into the drain beneath it, I will be able to return to Florence again. Well I did both so you guys watch out during CNY gambling

There was a mini-parade going on and we were lucky to be there to catch it. The Italians were not really serious marching around in the parades and were more in a festive mood

David. This unfortunately is not the original copy. There are other Davids by other artists such as Donatello, but the most famous one is by Michelangelo. It pictures David, of course, the person who used his intellect to defeat the giant enemy, signifying Florence's relatively smaller size, unafraid of bigger enemies. Michelangelo also designed David's angry gaze in the direction of Rome when Italy was not a unified country as a sign to ward the invaders from Rome

Outside the palace of the richest family in Florence, the Mediche family (I think the spelling is wrong). They sponsored most of the architectures available in Florence now but were sent to exiled as Florence turned into a Republic

Another piece of art by Michelangelo. Only his depiction of Jesus have no beard. We were able to see this work because our guide asked the person to show it to us. I find joining walking tours beneficial because they are able to offer us many more facts and perspectives than we would be able to find out ourselves

Some of the typical buildings of Florence where the 1st storey of buildings are extended outwards, and hence wider than the ground level. This is because buildings were taxed based on the amount of ground they cover on the ground floor. This allowed people to avoid paying more taxes and is termed as 'short hand'

Cute bus

After Florence, we took a bus to Pisa. Initially we planned for 2 nights in Pisa but we heard that there was more to see and do in Rome so we cut short our stay to a night. Although it was tedious the effort was worth it as Rome was a wonderful place. Pisa was a fantastic place as well. Firstly, the hostel which we stayed in was excellent. It provided excellent service and hospitality that I was very impressed. Secondly, Pisa was a nice stopover because it was not as touristy and more relaxing. Pisa does not only have the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but also other sights in the same area as well. The great weather was another plus point.

Laura and I having some fun with photography

Haha Lam how? You are everywhere I go. Even the Pisa bus line is named after you

Our last stop was Rome. Rome had simply too much to offer: Vatican, Colosseum, Pantheon, etc. A picture really paints a thousand words

Da Pope. We were able to catch him because he gives an audience every Wednesday. He speaks in Latin, English, Italian, French, and German. Oh my. And Laura is pointing to the exact room which the Pope passes every Wednesday at 12pm

The Colosseum. It was built by 100,000 prisoners of war (Jews again) and completed in 8 years. The Colosseum we see today is nothing of the past due to earthquakes, fires and pollution, and there were many holes because people tried to reuse the metal used to secure the structure. After it was finished there was 100 days of celebration where 5000 animals including lions, tigers, giraffes, rhinos, elephants and other animals imported from all over the world the Roman empire had conquered were killed, and around 9000 gladiators died as well

Inside the Colosseum

Outside

At the Roman Forum. One of the most amazing sights in Rome. It is basically a wreck of ruins now. The layers of buildings are very deep as in the past, buildings are built atop the other. So the deeper you dig, the older the building you can find

Along the Sacred Road

Archeological excavations taking place. Our guide happens to be a Phd holder in archeology so the tour was quite informative

The green door is higher than the ground level and there are no steps because previously the ground level was at the green door, and it is only this deep now because of excavation works

Julius Caesars' tomb. If the guide had not told us we would not have noticed. Quite shabby

There are spring fountains all over Rome and the water is drinkable. Rome has the most number of spring water per person in the world

The Roman Forum again, after 99 steps

At the famous Trevi Fountain

The Pinocchio is a big thing in Italy because the story originated from Tuscany of Italy. You can see Pinocchio figurines in shops all around

The Pantheon. Almost 2000 years old, marbles on the floor are imported from Turkey, Egypt and North Africa, and houses the tomb of the First Roman Emperor and Queen, and tomb of Raphael as well

The Vatican is another great place to be. Our guide told us that people working in the Vatican are very lucky in the sense that things are cheaper in the Vatican as compared to Rome as it is not being taxed at the same rates as Rome. FYI Vatican is a country by itself and is self sufficient such that it has a university, hospital, post office etc. Lola kept joking if we needed our passports to enter it haha

St Peter's Basilica, the mother church of churches. Enormous

Inside the Basilica. This is the holy door which is opened every 25 years and people passing through it are removed of all their sins. The Pope will begin the ceremony by breaking the wall. We can all go back in 2025 for the next opening

St Peter

The state walls of Vatican

At

This is the square of the Vatican where the 2 arms of the ring are exended like welcoming arms to welcome visitors of faith from all over the world

This is a crest of the Vatican. The crown has 3 tiers signifying the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Golden and Silver Keys signify the keys to Heaven and Earth. In one of the paintings in the Sistine Chapel, Jesus is depicted handing over the silver key to St Peter

One of the many statues which Michelangelo's works were inspired from

One of the Illusions on the ceilings of the Vatican Museum. Everything looks 3-d but is actually flat. Impressive

At the Sistine's Chapel, again we saw the masterpieces of Michelangelo. From our guides, we know that he was commissioned by Pope At Julius to paint the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, and photography was strictly forbidden against it. People were discouraged from speaking inside because the humidity caused by talking may cause damage to the artworks. Michelangelo took 4 years to finish the paintings. He did most of the paintings himself, and brought food enough for a day up the ladders and also a bucket for relieving himself so that he wasted no time in finishing the paintings. He went to bed in the attires he wore everyday until the skin of his feet was stuck to the leather boots he was wearing. Truly a devoted but eccentric artist. This is our guide giving us the ideas of the Sistine Chapel before we were left to visit it on our own

Most of the times, Laura and I had bread, nutella, bananas and oranges for our breakfast and lunch and looked for a cheap chinese food or fastfood for dinner. We forgot to check in our Nutella and it was refused at the customs, hence both of us decided to finish it before entering. Gian peng but bo bian

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