Today we got up early at three forty-five (ugh), did the last of our packing, and met downstairs. The nuns nicely made us each a parcel of food to take with us. Soon a couple of vans that our guides had ordered came and picked us and our stuff up and took us to the airport. On the drive to the airport I felt sad seeing the scenery of Rome go by for the last time but I was also glad to be going home. The flight back was actually pretty relaxing although it was punctuated by chaos in the airports. When we got back I sleepily greeted my family and went home.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Borghese Museum
Today we went to the Borghese Museum. We saw many beautiful sculptures and paintings but out of all of them there were four in particular sculptures that stood out above all of the rest. they were called David, Apollo and Daphne, Hades and Persephone, and Aeneas. My favorite of these was Apollo and Daphne. The story of Apollo and Daphne is that Cupid shot Apollo with a love arrow making him fall in love with the next person he saw - Daphne. But Daphne did not love him so she ran from him and he chased her. Daphne ran to her father (a river god) with Apollo hot on her heels and begged him to turn her into a tree so that Apollo could not have her. He obliged and the sculpture is of the moment where Apollo embraced her as she simultaneously turned into a tree. And this is part of what makes it so amazing, it seems to be a frozen moment of time. Also the expressions on the people in the sculpture are so realistic that it could almost convince you that this actually happened. Another thing is that the sculpture seems to defy gravity, parts of the sculpture are hanging in ways that I would not have thought possible. some one from my group had to come and fetch me out of the museum to tell me that we had to leave. It almost makes me cry that we weren't allowed to take pictures in there.
Next we ate the lunch that we had bought from the store next to the gift shop and walked back to the convent. There were two cool things in between to convent and the Borghese Museum that we walked through. One was the Spanish Steps. They don't really have any historical value but they are shown in some movies and they lead up to a higher level of the city (physically), there is also a small fountain out front.
The other was a large park. In that park there was green everywhere, the people were laughing, and there were many fountains all around.
During the rest we went to the store were I bought some chocolate, packed (we are leaving tomorrow), went to dinner, and went to the awesome gelato place we had been going to one last time. At this last visit I bought the eight euro cup of gelato again and when it had been filled only to the rim with my requested flavors the guy who was working there picked two random ones and slapped them on.
Next we ate the lunch that we had bought from the store next to the gift shop and walked back to the convent. There were two cool things in between to convent and the Borghese Museum that we walked through. One was the Spanish Steps. They don't really have any historical value but they are shown in some movies and they lead up to a higher level of the city (physically), there is also a small fountain out front.
The other was a large park. In that park there was green everywhere, the people were laughing, and there were many fountains all around.
During the rest we went to the store were I bought some chocolate, packed (we are leaving tomorrow), went to dinner, and went to the awesome gelato place we had been going to one last time. At this last visit I bought the eight euro cup of gelato again and when it had been filled only to the rim with my requested flavors the guy who was working there picked two random ones and slapped them on.
Trevy Fountain and.... Pantheon?
Today we had a free day. we could do whatever we wanted to do, so we didn't get up until ten o'clock and went to a cafe for breakfast. I had a ham and cheese panini and decided to order the hot chocolate again to see what would happen. It was more like regular hot chocolate this time except very thick. Next we walked by the Pantheon again. This time there was a band playing out front and inside people were allowed to walk under the ocular and there was much more light thanks to the bright sun and it was also much less crowded, very nice.
Next we went to the Trevy Fountain. there is a believe around Trevy Fountain that says that if you throw one coin in the fountain you will come back to Rome at some point, if you throw two coins in the fountain you will fall in love, and if you throw three coins in the fountain you will not return to Rome. I don't really believe in that kind of thing though and I was starting to run out money so I did not throw one in.
Next we went and saw the ruins of an ancient Roman theater where Julias Ceaser was rumored to have been murdered. It was in a large hole in the ground with a wall around it. It was also at these ruins where I had my first encounter with the cats of Rome. The cats of Rome are very interesting, they are feral cats but they are just as nice as any house cat. They are fed and sanitized by the city and they will let you walk right up to them and pet them. The little dot that I zoom in on in the video is a cat by the way.
Next we tried to go see a painting that was in a church but there was a huge political rally in the way. there were police there and everything. We tried to get through the crowd at first but soon decided to turn back.
On the way back to the convent we walked by the tomb of Augustus. It was actually nearly overgrown by plants but some restoration work had been started on it. I also found a two euro coin on the street although I did not know it until we got back to the convent because it was really dirty. I used the two euro coin to pay at dinner. I was actually surprised that they took it because a good amount of the dirt would not come off. Speaking of euros, by now my roommate Lane had accumulated a collection of every representation of Italian money from the one cent coin to the twenty euro bill and he let me take a picture of it.
On the way back to the convent we walked by the tomb of Augustus. It was actually nearly overgrown by plants but some restoration work had been started on it. I also found a two euro coin on the street although I did not know it until we got back to the convent because it was really dirty. I used the two euro coin to pay at dinner. I was actually surprised that they took it because a good amount of the dirt would not come off. Speaking of euros, by now my roommate Lane had accumulated a collection of every representation of Italian money from the one cent coin to the twenty euro bill and he let me take a picture of it.
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