Rome Shopping

Today was our shopping day in Rome. We slept in a bit (were still out by 10am) and went to a shopping area we saw on our bus tour. And, I got my purse!!! The style I've been looking for for about a year :)

Michelle had gotten a Fossil Explorer Tote in Espresso and I liked it, but it was just a bit too boxy for me. And the short handles wouldn't fit on my shoulder, which I knew would annoy me. So, I've been shopping around and have found a few in this style, but nothing quite like what I wanted. Till Rome. And, I found one in a dark navy blue (almost black). And I love it :) In case you haven't figure it out yet - It's perfect!

Anywho, we did some shopping, ate lunch and walked around. We had planned to try to go to the Colosseum, but we didn't get around to it. We had driven past it with the bus tour so we felt okay about not getting to it. I think if we had had one more day, we would have but - next time :)

Here's the link to Rome: Shopping Day

Vatican Tour

Today we had our Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica Skip the Line tour. It was only 3 hours but it wiped us out. The Vatican Museums are plural because they are actually collections of different Pope's and influential persons rather than art preserved and displayed for historical documentation. So, we saw several of these collections (but not all - again, it was just a 3 hour tour). Our tour guide explained that back in the time that many of the statues were created, they were dressed in clothing of that time period, were painted to look life-like, including make-up, and some even wore jewelry (pierced ears and everything).

After we saw the Sistine Chapel. It was magnificent. I can't imagine spending three years straight working on painting a ceiling and then spending another 4 years painting one wall, but the time taken is evident in the quality of the work. Our guide explained the different depictions beforehand as silence is required within the chapel. The purpose really was to help the Cardinals choosing the next Pope remember what their purpose is and the history of Christianity. With that being said, Michelangelo was not interested in being constrained by a conservative mind-set and this is evident in some of the faces of his subjects (different personages bear likenesses of people he both admired and did not admire - to put it nicely). I wasn't quite sure what to expect with the Sistine Chapel, but I was expecting something a bit bigger - probably because I have see so many grand cathedrals - but it's a chapel, not a cathedral. Still, it is very well worth seeing.

Lastly, we saw St. Peter's Basilica. It is an enormous Basilica. The dome is huge. There is writing painted around the inside edge - each letter is 6 feet tall - and it didn't look like they were that tall. Everything was created out of marble, including the pictures. They look like paintings, but they are actually created by minuscule pieces of marble, glass, and gold pieced together in a mosaic. Again, they looked like paintings unless you looked very closely at them.

Afterwards Michelle and I went back to our apartment for lunch and didn't leave. We needed some time to recuperate.

Again, here is the link to our video. I am thinking I won't get pictures posted till much later, possibly even once I return to the States - but don't worry. You'll get to see some pictures too :)

Vatican Tour

Rome City Bus Tour

Success!!! We had a wonderful first full day in Rome. e had planned to get up at 8 and head out by 9:30 but I set the wrong day for our alarm and we didn't get up till 9. But it all worked out and probably  gave us that little bit more of rest we needed to get the most out of our day. We were still out by 10/10:30 and walked over to the Vatican to find the bus stop for our Hop-on Hop-off city bus tour. It took us a few minutes to find the right place, but it worked and we were able to hop on the next bus (perfect timing).
We decided to ride the full tour once and then choose where we wanted to get off, so that's what we did. Michelle took pictures while I took film (link to our second video below), though we switched a few times. It was a bright, hot day - a bit unexpected from the weather forecast, but we had remembered to put our sunscreen on before leaving that morning and were fine. We could have benefited from cooler clothing, but… oh well. After riding the tour for one circuit, we decided to get lunch and ate near the Vatican. Then we walked back to the apartment for a quick recharge (reapply sunscreen, change, etc), gelato (extra dark chocolate and coffee) and headed back to the bus. We had decided to get off at the Fontana di Trevi and Pantheon and that's exactly what we did. Between the two places are lots of little streets full of shops and restaurants and we decided we wanted to come back sometime when we could meander a bit more (the last bus left at 7, so if we wanted to ride it back we had to be at the bus stop in time). Originally we thought we would get off at the Colosseum, but we ran out of time for that and the Colosseum was closed as well.
Riding on the top of a double decker bus is a marvelous way to see a city - unobstructed views, nice breeze, fresh air, and your feet get a break ;)
After we returned to the Vatican stop, we headed back to the apartment (our location really is great - as long as we can find our way back to the Vatican we can find our way to our apartment and it's only about a 7 minute walk - if you speed walk like us) and got gelato again (mango, coconut and mint). Our evening was really nice and relaxing. We prepared dinner, ate, and planned out next day.

Again, here is the link to our second video (on Michelle's vlog) - I'll post pictures at a later time - when I get a chance to sort through them a bit…

Link to Follow me around: Rome, Italy pt. 2

Michelle's Arrival and our first day in Rome

A bit more about Michelle's arrival - I was late!! :( Not by much, but I wanted to be there when she got out and I wasn't. And it was entirely my fault. I didn't leave Blanc quite as early as I had wanted (was scrambling around trying to get things in order the way I wanted - and I got it all done) and then I had to wait 10 minutes for the RER to Charles de Gaulle. Once I got there I had to get on a shuttle to terminal 1 and then figure out which floor the arrivals were on. It wasn't too difficult, but because I already knew I was running late, I felt a bit flustered. Once I found her we got back to the shuttle and the RER and made our way back to the apartment. After dropping off her bags we got some groceries and visited the boulangerie and I sent off some letters and a job application (really is coming to an end here).
We packed, and got everything ready for our departure for Rome the next morning and then went to bed (well, I posted several times first…).

Getting to Orly airport was pretty easy. I had never gone there by RER before so wasn't sure how smoothly it would go, but it was really easy. And finding our check in point wasn't too difficult. Then we sat down and waited to board out plane. Once on the plane, I passed out and woke up about 40 minutes before landing (it was only an hour and forty minute flight). Waiting for our checked bag took awhile and then we had to figure out how to get to our apartment. It was fairly direct, but as we are unfamiliar with the train system in Italy  and the owner was waiting for us at the apartment if felt like it took awhile, but we got there and had a grand old time settling in.

Link to our Rome Apartment.

I'll post pictures as some point, but right now there is a link below to Michelle's vlog with a video of our  first day in Rome.

Follow me around: France, Italy, UK and Switzerland pt. 1

Strep throat??? Really?!!

As I stated, I had an ear test on Friday. It went as expected - good sign it's not worse and it indicated that the cholesteatoma has not affected my inner ear yet. On Saturday I went to Jill and Patrick's and got to see Annina and Anna again!!! Annina was visiting for the weekend, so we did some shopping on Saturday (it was raining, so we scrapped some of out other ideas) and went to Hillsong for church on Sunday. After that we walked around the Latin Quarter for a bit, but it was getting late and we were getting tired, so we headed back. Plus, it was raining off and on all day - 10 to 20 minutes of pouring rain and then an hour of bright sun, then the rain again - interesting weather.

On Sunday I woke up with a sore throat but thought it would pass. It didn't. It just got worse and Monday I was starting to get worried. Monday evening I saw white spots... and I had been running a fever. Crap daggers. Probably strep throat, right? Never had it before in my life and I get it in France. So, Tuesday morning I called the doctor (on my own, in French) and went to the doctor's (on my own, in French) and got some antibiotics and steroids. I was feeling pretty awful on Tuesday - I would hold my spit in my mouth as long as possible before swallowing (sometimes opting to just spit it out) because every time I swallowed, my whole body would clench up from the pain. The my throat was beet red, I had white spots going down the back, the skin around my eyes was red, the back of my eyes itched, my ears hurt, my neck was warm to the touch and tender - I could even turn my head without it hurting. But, my lymph nodes weren't swollen. Interesting. The doctor decided I had strep without running any tests (for which I was grateful because I just wanted meds and didn't want to have to go to a lab to get the test done and go back for the results later). I was in pretty bad shape - talking was nearly out of the question (and really was if I had a choice). The doctor's office was literally the building next to Jill and Patrick's and the pharmacy was the next one and just the little walking that took (and waiting in the doctor's office) I was wiped. Just over an hour of activity and I took over a 4 hour nap. I had intended to go back up to Blanc that day, but that didn't happen. In fact, Jill asked me what I was planning to do and when I said I didn't think I could make it back up she said, "Good, I was going to say if you have to go back up, ok, but if not I wouldn't let you leave because you look absolutely miserable." And then she made me jello :) Thanks Jill!!!

But...

The next day was a whole other story. I felt much better, not normal, still sore, icky, etc. but I was able to take public transport to Mimi so she could take me to the surgeon to give him my hearing results. And that didn't wipe me out - I was tired, but not wiped. He checked me out too, and thought that it might not be strep since my lymph nodes weren't swollen, but I've noticed over the past many years that they don't really swell. So, perhaps I've only had viral infections for the past 10 or so years. Or, perhaps the bacterial infections haven't been too serious. Or, maybe my lymph nodes don't function correctly... Who knows, all I care about is the fact that today I feel nearly back to normal. Which is good, since Michelle is here and we start our grand adventure tomorrow. Italy, here we come!

Alsace

Just two days after my excursion to Mont St Michel, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and stay with a lovely family in Saverne - just outside of Strasbourg. I took a train and Agnés met me and drove me to her house and proceeded to take me around Alsace and Strasbourg for the next two days. But I get a bit ahead of myself. I'm not sure that I ever mentioned this before, but way back in the fall, at the General Assembly meeting I attended for Grain de Blé (les Semailles) I met Agnés and she invited me to come to her place if it would work for Grain de Blé. I was still taking classes, so it wasn't a possibility then, but I thought about the invitation many times and hoped something would come of it. I didn't hear anything for many months, and finally I decided to start asking some questions - which led to my emailing her and asking if I could still take her up on her invitation. I do so wish that I could have been able to stay with them a bit longer - they are a lovely family and Alsace is such a beautiful place, but I'm glad that I had the courage to ask and the opportunity to go, even just for a couple of days.

Agnés is an artist (specifically a weaver), and it is evident from the moment you walk into her house.

My first evening there, Emmy, her daughter, invited me to a Zumba class - my first time in about 2 years, and I did really well. I guess trekking across Paris with my suitcase has done more for my physical health than I realized. I was pretty amazed at how well I kept up...

The next morning, Agnés and I visited a monastery, of Saint Odile, and then drove around to these quaint little villages that are scattered around everywhere. it was lovely. I didn't take many pictures because I was just soaking it in, but here are a few from the monastery...

Not at the monastery, but a artists village

Looking out over the valley

The next day we went into Strasbourg. She drove me around and explained the architecture. Then we walked a bit, went to the Notre Dame de Strasbourg, ate some lunch and took a boat tour. Again, a lovely day.

Notre Dame - Gothic style, but the intricate stage

The organ

The Pulpit

Steps of the pulpit

Astrological Clock

Pillar of Angels

Side of Notre Dame

We were on a covered boat, so there are some reflections...

I returned to Mimi's on Thursday for my hearing test - and my time in Alsace came to an end...

Mont St Michel

Saturday, May 3rd I took a day trip to Mont St Michel. I took a chartered bus with 40 some other people (along with a second bus which had the same number of people) and rode through the French countryside for about 4 hours to Mont St Michel. It was a pleasant ride - the views were nice and the guides gave us the history of the different areas we passed, especially in Normandy.

And as we approached Mont St Michel

 Before taking a shuttle over to the island, we had lunch, and I met two lovely ladies from Singapore. They were just finishing up their two week vacation time (some time in England and some in Paris) and this was their second to last day. It was enjoyable to get to know them a bit and after our guided tour (we were in the same group) we walked through the little town (if you can call it that) and back to the mainland together.

At the Mont St Michel, the monks lived in the highest level - built in the Gothic style - the VIP pilgrims (kings, dukes, etc.) spent most of their time in the second level - built in the Romanesque style - and the normal pilgrims stayed in what would have been the original structure - the first level. The abbey is magnificent, but I enjoyed it much more  than I would have had I not had a guide - I could get some of the history and culture that I never would have otherwise. One random, yet interesting fact, is that due to a dyke being built out to the island, silt has build up creating flatland that has to be dug out. So, they are in the process of building a bridge so they can destroy  the dyke and hopefully restore the bay to what it once was: a place where the tides rushed in as fast as a galloping horse...

Walking down the dyke - bridge to the right

Looking back toward the mainland - the bridge and dyke side by side and all the flat land around it. You can take guided  walking tours of the bay, but as there are areas of quicksand, you are not supposed to walk out on your own.

Looking down over the 'village'

Entrance to the now Gothic style chapel

A large wheel used to help hoist up rocks to build the abbey - men would walk inside the wheel (like mice or hamsters in their little wheels) to turn it and bring the stones to the upper level.