The Medieval touch of Europe – FLORENCE, PISA AND ROME

April 19th – 21st 2003

The long weekend of April 19th, 20th and 21st was simply superb. My cousin Kishen had come down from Franfurt to see Italy. He had the friday off too and so he went to Venice on friday. He reached back Milan at around 10 in the night after which we went around Milan a bit, had dinner at MacDonald's and returned to the room to retire for the night.

On 19th morning we woke up at 0530 (uuuughhhh !!!!) since we had to catch the 0720 hrs train to Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station). The train was packed to the brim and so Kishen and me had to stand for the entire journey (around 4 hrs). We had nice company - an Italian girl who was born and brought up in Argentina. She spoke English fairly well and so we could communicate. We reached Florence at 1130 and immediately went to a place known as Camping Michaelangelo which is in a place known as Piazza Michaelangelo. This piazza (square) is on a hillock sort of place from where the entire Florence (and the river which bisects it) looks wonderful. Our stay was supposed to be in tents and these tents looked really beautiful. Kishen and me were in one tent, while Venu & Ramesh (my other colleagues) were in another. After stuffing our luggages in the tent we made way to the station from where we had to catch a train to Pisa. We reached Pisa at 1600 hrs and went directly to the famous leaning tower. We wanted to climb up the tower but the time was a constraint. They allow groups of 30 to climb up and 

we had to wait for around 4 hrs if we wanted to go up. We returned back to Florence after having a cup of coffee in Pisa. We started to explore Florence by foot. We went to the Duomo(Cathedral) and were awed by the magnamity of the Church. Then we had a walk through Piazza del Signoria where there were the replicas of the sculptures by Michaelangelo. We walked all the way to Ponte Veechio. This is a bridge which spans the river and was built in 1345. Now it has many shops and houses on it !! then we strolled around Pitti Palace before settling in a restaurant for a supper of Pollo (Italian for chicken), Spinach and French fries. Then we returned to our camp. Kishen and I had still some energy left and so we left for a midnight stroll around Piazza Michaelangelo. The entire piazza was lit up and there were some street musicians who were playing lovely Italian tunes in various kinds of instruments. The ambience was absolutely fantastic. We returned hoping for a good nights sleep but this was not supposed to be the case, since it was very very cold inside the tent !!!! So that night we had a freezing sleep !

On 20th morning Kishen left for Rome by the 0840 train. This was because he had to leave Rome the same night in order to reach Frankfurt by tuesday.  We thought we'll spend some time in Florence before joining him in Rome. We went to the Duomo again but could not enter as it was easter and it was heavily crowded. A walk down to the river again and then we thought we'll reach back the station. the stroke of luck we had while returning is unimaginable !!! There was some ceremony going on outside Duomo. Colourful flags and many soldiers dressed beautifully were marching. We just stopped to see what is happening and the Pope passed by !!!! We were hoping to get a glimpse of Pope in Vatican but this was a complete surprise. Then we caught the 1054 Eurostar to Rome. Reached Rome (Roma Termini Station)at 1230 and found Kishen waiting for us. Went to the hostel which we had booked. This hostel, Sunshine 2 Hostel, was right in the city center in a place known as Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele. We dumped our luggage there and immediately left for Vatican. Procured a day pass for 3 Euros 10 Cents and took a metro to St.Peter's Basilica in Vatican. We are not allowed to enter the actual country (Vatican city) but we can go into the cathedral. Again, being Easter, it was full and we thought the interiors of the basilica can be admired at a future date. Then we started out to explore Rome by foot. Rome and the Vatican are separated by the river Tiber. Rome is an enchanting place. There are thousands of Piazzas and every piazza has something or the other to offer. The first one we received on our way was the fountains at Piazza Novona. These were used for aquatic sports during the medieval ages. Then we went to the famous wishing fountain - Trevi Fountain. It is said that if we sit on the rim of the fountain and throw a coin backwards wishing something, it will become true (Aishwarya Rai went around begging for a coin here in the movie 'Aur pyar ho Gaya' !!!!!). Now, after reaching so far we also took a chance. Turn your back to the fountain, toss a coin over your shoulder and a return to the city is assured along with your wish :) The crowd there was absolutely fabulous. Then we walked towards Pantheon. We spent some time there clicking photos with people who were dressed as emperors. Then we reached the Military Museum of Rome. A huge, imposing structure which looks majestic in white. Known as the Vittorio Emmanuele II this structure is worth a look though the Colosseum nearby has pulled off all the credit. This museum also has a flame which keeps burning day and night. at any given point of time 2 soldiers are giving guard to this flame. We were lucky to reach at the time of a change o f guard and so witnessed a small ceremony of the same. Then we headed towards the colosseum. This is the arena where the gladiators used to fight the wild and hungry animals. We didn't get a chance to go in as it was closing time. Then we headed towards the spanish steps. Climbed the Spanish steps which were decorated with the flower of the season. Then we walked to the Villa borghese, a garden which is maintained well. From here we took the metro back to the Colosseum to see it being lit up by the night. Walked down to the circus maxima. Then returned to Roma Termini and bade Kishen goodbye. Returned to the room and immediately slept off. Next day we woke up really aaram se at around 0830. Had a light breakfast of croissants and orange juice and went to the colosseum. Took a ticket which costed 8 Euros and went inside. Boy... it really is majestic. Not very huge and a great deal in ruins, I imagined how it would have been in the olden times. We spent a lot of time inside admiring the awe of the monument. Then we went to the Vatican city hoping that we would get a chance to have a look at the interiors of the basilica. We were lucky. The basilica has the body 

of the Pope John Paul XXIII. The interiors of the basilica has to be seen to be admired. I dont think any amount of words can recapture the beauty which is imbibed in the cathedral. After seeing it to our hearts content, we came out and did a bit of shopping around. Purchase all kinds of souvenirs, a replica of the cathedral and a replica of Michaelangelo's Venus de Milo, the original of which I saw in the Lovure Musuem, Paris. Then stopped over at a pizzeria where we had a pizza with cheese, tomato and mushrooms. I can safely proclaim that it was the best pizza I've had in my life so far. Then took a metro to Roma Termini. From here we took the 2240 express to Milano Centrale and reached today morning at 0645.

There are many things about Rome which fascinates you. One is that the entire city still has that medieval touch in it. Very rarely would you see a big building. But in Paris, there are many big buildings. Bombed and rebuilt, Paris is sophisticated but Rome is not. Even the smallest courtyard hidden in the narrowest street typically holds a tiny but significant detail - a decorated sidewalk, fresco or a beautiful fountain. Exploring the area from the Colosseum to the Spanish steps is like taking a course in European art history. I believe its one of those history lessons which anyone would love to take at least once in a lifetime.

The city of lights - PARIS

April 5^th – 6^th 2003

Paris ....dubbed as the 'City of Lights' has a gift for building grand monuments. We reached Paris from Milan on Saturday morning and our friend Saurapratim Das (SPD) was waiting for us in Paris Bercy station.

From the station SPD suggested that we cover a few places before heading for his house in Suresnes. So we started out on foot. The first place we went was the Cathedral of Madelline. A huge church which gives a very rich look of the medieval architecture. From the Madelline we walked down the stretch to Place de la concorde. The site of beheadings during the Revolution and tank duels during World War II, is at the opposite end of the Tuileries Gardens. The 3,300-year-old Obelisque of Luxor at its center was a gift from Egyptian viceroy Mehemet Ali to Charles X in 1929. From the concorde, on a clear day, we can see the three monuments - Arc de Triomphe, Concorde and the Grand Arch in a single line.

From the concorde we headed towards the Hotel des Invalides. During this walk we passed across one of the oldest bridges across the River Seine. This monument also has the Tomb of Napolean Bonaparte. The Hotel des Invalides (is not a Hotel as the name suggests!!!) is a museum which today has a lot of weapons which were used during the first and the second world war. Then we saw the tomb of Napolean before going ahead to the Arc de Triomphe. This arch is a fabulous one and I found a very strange resemblance to our own India Gate in New Delhi. Similar to the India Gate this also has a flame which keeps burning in memory of the people who lost their lives in the world war. After clicking some photographs we made way through the famous Champs Elysees (it’s lined with shops, showrooms and cinemas) to the Grand Arch. The Grand Arch is a modern marvel amid huge buildings. Among these buildings is a twin tower which houses the headquarters of Societe Generale (A famous bank in Paris). From the Grand Arch we went to SPD's house which is in Suresnes. We had to change two trains and one tram but even that was fun. Had a lunch of Prawns Fried Rice and a cauliflower/potato curry which enticed our gastronomic juices (these had gone dead for around 20 days, eating sweet Italian dishes and bread :} ).

After the sumptuous lunch we made way towards the MonteMartre where the white domed splendor of Sacre Coeur is situated. We spent a few minutes in the church and then headed towards Pompidou. The Georges centre at Pompidou houses a modern art museum which is good to see but very difficult to understand. The structure has been built in such a way that all the pipes hang out. After having a good look at the museum and the things in it and around it, we made way towards the cathedral of Notre Dame. A very famous church which at once comes to mind when we mention Paris. The rose windows and the ceiling paintings in this church are worth seeing. At the end of this we were pretty tired as we covered most of these places by foot. So we decided to have dinner before going to the tour of Eiffel tower. We had dinner in a Pakistani restaurant. The food was fabulous and we enjoyed the dinner to the hilt. The restaurant owner has become a good friend of SPD since he frequents there a lot. We met one more gang from Delhi and in the restaurant it was almost like Delhi with all of us talking in hindi. It is a very peculiar fact that we tend to notice each other and be nice to one another (I'm talking abt India-Pakistan relationship) in a total alien land but we can't do the same thing in our own countries!!! Anyway, after the food we headed towards the iron marvel - Eiffel. Such a wonderful structure built by Gustavo Eiffel, it looked like a lighted candle in the waning light of the evening. SPD had already made the trip to its apex thrice and so he stayed at the bottom itself, while we went ahead. The ticket to go up and come down was 10 Euros 20 cents but believe me the sight from above is worth it and more. We can see the entire city lighted up from above the Eiffel. We came down, purchased some soveniors and went back home - 3 dead tired persons!!!!

Next day we had a breakfast of scrambled eggs with bread toast and left for the Mueseum du Louvre. Here the entrance costs 5 Euros but they have weekly, monthly and yearly passes also. A massive museum which was once the palace of French kings, now has the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. It also has the sculptures Slaves (by Michaelangelo), the Venus de milo and the winged wictory of Samothrace. The entire museum is a very very tough to be finished in a day or even two. So we saw the wings which contained Michaelangelo's works, Leonardo Da vinci's works and the Egyptians artifacts. Students and professors spend days together in this museum to study the artifacts. So that explains the monthly and yearly passes. Then we saw the Hotel de Ville (which again is not a hotel but a government office :} ). From there we had our lunch in a Pondicherry restaurant. We had Masala Dosa and Chicken Biryani. Wow !!! Then we headed towards Bastille where there is a tower which was built in memory of people died during the French revolution. Then we headed towards Suresnes to SPD's house where we a supper of Dal-Chawal and left for Paris Bercy to catch the train back to Milan.

One thing which impressed me is that Paris has these manicured parks and flower gardens which offer a beautiful backdrop to the wonderful city.  Thanks to SPD our stay in Paris was wonderful and will always remain in my mind for years to come.

Rendevouz with the city of canals - VENICE

29^th March 2003

We took the tickets from Milano Centrale to Venice.  Its was an Intercity Express.  There were Eurostar also available, but considering that we have to pay almost 50% more, decided to go with Intercity.  We had taken the return tickets also.  The bookings were done on 28th evening.  Milano Centrale is a very ancient railway station, feel like its one of the oldest in Europe.  The fact that most part of Italy is untouched during the world wars I and II enunciates this philosophy.  We have automatic ticketing machines also there in the station.  Here we can take our own tickets and only problem is we may not be able to take the return ticket. Our train timings to Venice, S Lucia station was at 7.15 am.  We got up at 5.30 and by 6.00 came down to the reception and there was packed breakfast for us which we had asked them to keep it ready on Friday night.  Took that and with the Tram tickets purchased on Friday, we took the tram at 6.20 to Centrale.  Reached around 6.45 and proceeded towards the station.  Thought finding the platform would be a herculian task as  the station was very big.   But to our dismay, didnt even spend a minute to reach platform no 7.  Settled down on a window seat and was ready to enjoy the trip.  There was a EuroStart superfast train to Studgard on platform no 6 and that too was expected to start at 7.15 am.  Hoped to see the race between EuroStart and InterCity.

 

To my beliefs, EuroStar took off like a bullest and InterCity made a slow start.  Passed through the lovely country side and rivers and super highways and exactly at 10.40 we reached Venice S.Lucia station.  The narrow patch which even includes the rail lines, is supposed to be the only connection of Venice with Italy.  It was pretty cold and was forced to stick on with my decision to roam around with out my jacket on me. First went to the information center, took and map and enquired about the journey and all.  They were very helpful and they even suggested that since we are three we can go for a family ticket.  Took one and we have to punch that (rather frank it) on our first use and should be with us while we travel. Boarded the boat from Port Roma which is the first point in Venice and proceeded towards the Rialto Bridge.  Got down there and enjoyed the beauty of the bridge.  This is a very old bridge.  Saw some shops over there and was really fascinated by the conventional masks that Venice produces and especially the glass wares that Venice produces.  Believe me lovely glass wares and only problem was they were very very much expensive.  Saw the Gundolas, which are snake shaped boats which we can see in Thailand.  Spend around 1 hr there and then proceeded towards St. Marks Basilica.  Here the  Dogges Palace, St. George Church etc were situated. Decided to go and have some quick lunch and sat in one place and opened and had the food that we took along with us.  After that saw the Dogges palace and St Marks Basilica.  Then decided to spend some Euros.  I was instantly fascinated by a Venice poster that I saw there.  That was also very expensive, if we consider the conversion of Euros to rupees.  After that bought a mask and 4 gondola boats as souvenirs.  After that we went to an island church called the St George Church.  That was a wonderful church on an island. Venice, its totally a water logged place.  You wont believe that this city was built on water.  One mystery (Which probably will remain unsolved in my life) is how they managed to build such buildings in water!!!  Here around 2,00,000 tourists come and go every day and the city of Venice is very expensive.  Very ancient buildings, umpteen no of boats etc are a lovely sight to watch.

 

Then we returned back Port Roma from where we started and had a small snack session and proceeded to the train.  Our return journey was at 17.50 and reached Milano at 20.30.  Finally reached the hotel at 22.00 and slept off. Here due to summer the time is advanced by 1 hr and now I feel there is only 3.5 hrs diff between IST(Indian Standard Time) and IST (Italian Standard Time) On Sunday went to the Sferesco Castle in Milan and the Duomo. This was the second time we went to Duomo but had to go there cos wanted to see the interiors, which we missed the first time. The entry to Duomo is heavily guarded. When we saw the beautiful interiors we understood why !!!! It is so lovely and so huge that its not a surprise that its the second largest church in the world. The Castle is pretty small and if we compare it to the fort in Aurangabad or Agra , this is nothing. But even then we enjoyed seeing it.