(no subject)
So, back in Philly. Have eaten Mexican food, driven my car, snuggled with the dog, all the important things. But I can relive my days of world travel, because it seems I will never be finished posting these damn pics!
This is Trevi Fountain. Legend says that if you throw a coin in the fountain it ensures your return to Rome.
That's me ensuring my return.
View from the Colosseum. This is a Basilica that used to be the temple of...Venus I think.
Also across from the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine.
Down the street from the Colosseum is the forum, a group of ruins that are what's left of what was essentially the city center, lots of temples and the places where they debated and etc.
And finally, the Colosseum:
During this tour, a man in our group asked his wife, "About what time is this from, like the 1800s?"
This is the underground area, under the 'stage', where animals, slaves, and equipment were kept.
The inside
The only section of the original seating that remains. Most of the Colosseum has been nearly destroyed, bits taken as souvenirs, as building material, etc.
This entire monstrosity is a monument to the first king of a unified Italy.
And now, off to Vatican City!
Exterior shots of St. Peter's Basilica
Interior. Biggest church in the Christian world. To give you an idea of scale, the orange glow at the end is a stain glass window more than 9 feet wide.
This is a pope. They are all buried in the Basilica, most of them underground in the tombs (If you've seen Angels and Demons you know what I'm talking about), and most of them have been oddly preserved. Why this one is dressed as Santa Claus is beyond me.
St. Peter's square, with all the chairs ready for mass.
Michelangelo's pieta (Virgin Mary mourning Jesus' death), inside the Basilica.
The aforementioned orange stain glass window with the 'Dove of the Holy Spirit'. 9 feet wide.
St. Peter. People (including me) touch his foot for good luck.
Ceiling of the Basilica
This is called Bernini's Baldacchino. It covers the altar of the church, and is 100 feet tall.
It's 100 feet tall, but less than half the way to the ceiling of the dome.
I called this the Pope's uber-throne. It's about 25 feet in the air and ridiculously large. Apparently they used to actually use it to sit in, but now it is used just as decoration (or, I suppose, if St. Peter came down from heaven he would sit there, since they call it his throne and his church).
This is the obelisk in St. Peter's square. If you ask Dan Brown, Bernini put this in the center of the square as an affront to the Catholic church, since it represents pagan beliefs of ancient Egypt.
A holy door inside the church. Only opened for holy holidays every few years. Seems pointless to me, but sure.
Now we're in the Vatican museum. The ceilings were some of the most amazing pieces of art in the whole place.
This looks like a sculpture/carving, but it is just a painting.
Beaaautiful mosaic floors.
The first sculpture the Vatican ever acquired, this started the entire collection. This is Laocoon, the man who tried to convince Troy not to accept the gift of the Trojan horse.
Another statue, which used to be placed in Rome as (one of many) sources of fresh water from aquaducts.
Exterior entrance to the Vatican museum.
A couple of hazy views of Rome
I am starting to get all these photos under control, but I start school in a week, so I may not finish them that quickly. Sometime this week, though, definitely I'll post pictures from Amalfi, Naples, and Pompeii.
BTW, if anyone is wondering, I miss London like crazy and want to move there ASAP.
This is Trevi Fountain. Legend says that if you throw a coin in the fountain it ensures your return to Rome.
That's me ensuring my return.
View from the Colosseum. This is a Basilica that used to be the temple of...Venus I think.
Also across from the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine.
Down the street from the Colosseum is the forum, a group of ruins that are what's left of what was essentially the city center, lots of temples and the places where they debated and etc.
And finally, the Colosseum:
During this tour, a man in our group asked his wife, "About what time is this from, like the 1800s?"
This is the underground area, under the 'stage', where animals, slaves, and equipment were kept.
The inside
The only section of the original seating that remains. Most of the Colosseum has been nearly destroyed, bits taken as souvenirs, as building material, etc.
This entire monstrosity is a monument to the first king of a unified Italy.
And now, off to Vatican City!
Exterior shots of St. Peter's Basilica
Interior. Biggest church in the Christian world. To give you an idea of scale, the orange glow at the end is a stain glass window more than 9 feet wide.
This is a pope. They are all buried in the Basilica, most of them underground in the tombs (If you've seen Angels and Demons you know what I'm talking about), and most of them have been oddly preserved. Why this one is dressed as Santa Claus is beyond me.
St. Peter's square, with all the chairs ready for mass.
Michelangelo's pieta (Virgin Mary mourning Jesus' death), inside the Basilica.
The aforementioned orange stain glass window with the 'Dove of the Holy Spirit'. 9 feet wide.
St. Peter. People (including me) touch his foot for good luck.
Ceiling of the Basilica
This is called Bernini's Baldacchino. It covers the altar of the church, and is 100 feet tall.
It's 100 feet tall, but less than half the way to the ceiling of the dome.
I called this the Pope's uber-throne. It's about 25 feet in the air and ridiculously large. Apparently they used to actually use it to sit in, but now it is used just as decoration (or, I suppose, if St. Peter came down from heaven he would sit there, since they call it his throne and his church).
This is the obelisk in St. Peter's square. If you ask Dan Brown, Bernini put this in the center of the square as an affront to the Catholic church, since it represents pagan beliefs of ancient Egypt.
A holy door inside the church. Only opened for holy holidays every few years. Seems pointless to me, but sure.
Now we're in the Vatican museum. The ceilings were some of the most amazing pieces of art in the whole place.
This looks like a sculpture/carving, but it is just a painting.
Beaaautiful mosaic floors.
The first sculpture the Vatican ever acquired, this started the entire collection. This is Laocoon, the man who tried to convince Troy not to accept the gift of the Trojan horse.
Another statue, which used to be placed in Rome as (one of many) sources of fresh water from aquaducts.
Exterior entrance to the Vatican museum.
A couple of hazy views of Rome
I am starting to get all these photos under control, but I start school in a week, so I may not finish them that quickly. Sometime this week, though, definitely I'll post pictures from Amalfi, Naples, and Pompeii.
BTW, if anyone is wondering, I miss London like crazy and want to move there ASAP.