Wednesday, January 6, 2010

My European Tour (Part 1)

Hey there guys! I've finally decided to stop procrastinating and start blogging about my trip in Western Europe. But first off I wanna say to all of you, if you have the chance to go to Paris, France, then I say jump on the opportunity.

But today's post isn't about Paris, I'm gonna save the best for last.
Today's post is about... Rome! Yes, Rome.
So withour further ado, let's begin!

Day 1
Nothing much... Just took a 16 hour flight almost halfway around the world.
It's not too bad provided that the plane has TV, which they DON'T!!!
But in anycase 16 hours goes by quickly if you just sleep.

Day 2
Touched down at the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport around 6am in the morning Rome time.
Took about an hour to pick up our luggage, yes Europeans do things slowly...
Then off we went to our bus, and we went straight to the Vatican City.

Though I'm no Christian or Catholic, but standing in St Peter's Square in the Vatican, surrounded by statues of saints looking down upon you, makes me feel nothing but a deep sense of awe. We went about the Vatican with our guide Roberto, a local Italian, and he showed us the points of interest. It's interesting to note that the whole of St Peter's Square and St Peter's Basilica can be considered an artwork. There are many optical illusions and detailed craftmanhip.

After the  Vatican City, we headed into Rome for the city tour. We visited places like the Colosseum, The Hippodrome, the Temple of Venus, the Presidential Palace and my favourite place in Rome, the Trevi Fountains.

Finally after the Trevi Fountains, we headed back to our hotel the Holiday Inn Rome.
Check back later in the afternoon or tomorrow for Part 2: Pisa and Florence.

Now, instead of boring you with my commentary, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Enjoy!


Vatican City











The statue of St Paul in front of St Peter's Basilica.


The grandly decorated interior of St Peter's Basilica


Michelangelo's Pieta, the Virgin Mary embracing Jesus.
Michelangelo's name is carved into Mary's chest.


The famous Swiss Guard

Rome





The Temple of Venus


Hadrian's Arc




The Trevi Fountains






Our final parting view of Rome before Pisa and Florence

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