Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Europe 2006 Part 1: Italy - Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona
This was taken at Changi Airport, waiting to board the flight. We still looked relatively refreshed at this point in time. By the time we made our transit at Dubai Airport, we were a little worn out. :P Shall not post any pictures of that since not very flattering. ;)
After God knows how many hours, we arrived at our first stop in Europe - Italy. After our first meal in Italy, we set off for the Vatican City.
As a Roman Catholic by birth, this is the absolute must-visit place. I was struck by the whole place. Felt so small and insignificant compared to all the great works of art and architecture. I've always loved Europe and the idea of Europe. If I have the chance, I would definitely go back again.
Our next stop:
We didn't enter the Colosseum. Didn't even know whether we could go in. One can only imagine the full grandeur of the place before it was devastated by fire. The place held many memories between its fallen walls, of gladiatorial games, animal hunts, executions. Such a beautiful place for such cruel events.
By the time we made it to the Trevi Fountain, night was falling and it was difficult to get a clear shot because it was dark and it was so cold... When I was there, I had no idea of the significance of this fountain. Now when I google it I realise it had so much history. Interestingly, there is also a traditional legend which holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. Shucks. I think I didn't throw any coins in...
The next morning on our way to Florence, we spotted a familiar sign. :) Look at how cold it was!
In 1982, the historic centre of Florence was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO for the importance of its cultural heritages.
Out of the many bridges one can see over the Arno River, one of them in particular stands out as being unique — The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), whose most striking feature is the multitude of shops built upon its edges, held up by stilts. It is the only bridge in the city to have survived World War II intact.
Florence Cathedral.
The Piazza del Duomo ('Cathedral Square') is a wide, walled area at the heart of the city of Pisa, Tuscany, Italy. It is recognised as one of the main centres for medieval art in the world. Partly paved and partly grassed, it is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Duomo, the Leaning Tower, the Baptistry and the Camposanto.
It was a great pity that by then night had fallen and so the Leaning Tower could not be captured in its full glory. Most of the pictu
res came out blurry. 
The next day saw us heading to Venice.
And of course, when in Venice, how can one miss the gondola ride?
The poor lady in the same gondola as us couldn't have had that much fun. Venice isn't a good place to go if you have motion sickness.
The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: Ponte dei Sospiri) is one of many bridges in Venice. The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells.
St Mark's Basilica, St Mark's Square and the Bell Tower.
The next day it was off to Verona.
Don't know what the first picture is. :P The second one is the Arena, and the last one is actually Juliet's balcony. Verona is the setting of the story of Romeo and Juliet, made famous by William Shakespeare. Although the earliest version of the story is set in Siena, not Verona, a balcony falsely claiming historical connection to the fictional lovers has become a tourist attraction for lovers; the short passageway leading to the balcony is covered with slips of paper carrying their graffiti, and a bronze statue of Juliet stands under the balcony, one breast polished by those touching it for luck. I didn't touch it. :)
And with this, concludes the Italy part of our Europe trip. Took me 2hr 45min just to complete this post.
p/s: think the alignment is a bit screwed up. don't know how to fix it. oh well.
