Things started out on a rather sour note with Farid forgetting his passport and missing the flight, and then the train that we planned to catch to Venice being cancelled due to strike. Delayed or cancelled trains are common in Italy, impossible to find in Germany. The contrast between the Germans and Italians became pretty clear by the end of the trip. If anyone talks about hot Italians, I will tell them Germans are definitely better looking. Maybe not in your face sexier, but taller, simpler and prettier. The people there were rough and loud, Germans being so much more polite and polished.
Pisa is a tiny place, with nothing more than the complex with the Leaning tower. Yet another city with a river running through it and lots of bridges built across it. We had our last gelato by the river on the last night.
We had to go to Florence, to find another train to Venice. We had 2 hours, and I had this panaromic image of Florence in my head, that I wanted to capture. I didnt know what the place from where you get the view was called. I went up to a guy with an SLR who looked like a tourist, and explained what I was looking for, and voila, he said Piazza Michaelangelo and we set off. We reached there a little before sunset and this snap is the best of the 50 or so I clicked. This was all I wanted from Florence, and I got it because of the cancelled train. The silver lining.
Venice, the floating city, was extremely pretty. I loved it more at night, with all the crowds gone and with 'Wish you were here' on repeat in my head. The place was unique with the vaporettos (water taxis), gondolas and the narrow water streets running along the old colourful buildings. I went to a beach after months. Also memorable was the final boat ride we took in the evening, to take us wherever it went. The sunset and the clouds were magnificent, and my camera was happy.
Next stop, Milan. I was there for one reason. The reason why any football fan would go to Milan. The San Siro. Toured the museum and the stadium, but sadly had flight tickets to Rome booked and couldnt stay for the match that night. Nonetheless, I was delighted to be at one of the most important footballing destinations in the world. And I picked up a gold plated coin with the Stadium on it.
Next stop, Milan. I was there for one reason. The reason why any football fan would go to Milan. The San Siro. Toured the museum and the stadium, but sadly had flight tickets to Rome booked and couldnt stay for the match that night. Nonetheless, I was delighted to be at one of the most important footballing destinations in the world. And I picked up a gold plated coin with the Stadium on it.
We flew to Rome that evening. Thank God for Ryanair and its incredibly cheap flights. Lots of time and money saved. What was really funny was the prerecorded victory music played on landing. Anyway, reached Rome Ciampino airport, which was not too far from the centre unlike the Munich(memmingen) airport. The metro in Rome was really shabby, though the graffiti on the trains was pretty cool. We checked into Sweet Hostel and the nicelooking girl at the reception asked us to join for a dinner party at a club tat night. Sounded cool to me, like a chance to check out Rome nightlife, but Farid wasnt interested. Bloody hell !!! So we went to the Collosseum , which was a 10 minute walk from the hostel. There I was, next to the most impressive historical structure, thinking about Maximus in Gladiator. It was mindblowing. I put the camera on the platform, from where I could capture the whole building. Lots of shots later, after repeated adjustments to my tripod ( a combination of wallet, lens cover and handkerchief ), I got the perfect photo, with a 20 second exposure. The lost chance to party was already out of my head. Then we headed of on a crazy tour, tring to find a place to eat. Farid would just not settle for a place, he had some dish in mind which was nowhere to be found. We finally got into one place, had pasta, which tasted just ordinary. Then, with the long awaiting us, went to sleep kinda early.
The next morning we picked up a Roma pass, which was probably the only the mistake we made. We headed to the Vatican and reached the magnificent St. Peters square. Then we saw the St. Peters Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Actually I felt quite bored staring at all the art in the endless Museums. And it didnt make too much sense, because we didnt get a guide. We left the Vatican and headed towards our camp, Fabulous Camping. It was outside Rome, and our room was a nice little place, not bigger than 100 square feet, with 3 beds and a loo. It really was fabulous. Just that it wasnt close to the beach as I had thought. The sun had already set, but I had made my mind to hit the beach come what may. So we took a bus in the direction of the beach, with Ketan worried how we would get back. And we did get back, but not before finally reaching the (tiny) beach, listening to the sounds of the moonlight illuminated ocean, and staring into emptiness. Bliss.
The next day we headed to the Ancient Centre. This time I joined a guided tour, and was transported back in time. We went inside the Colloseum, walked up to the Palatine Hill, where lay the castles of Roman emperors, and went to the amazing amazing Roman forum, and imagined being in the age of the Caesars. The guide did an awesome job of explaining the history behind all that we could see, and I was extremely impressed by the stories and the structures. Then we went to the Pantheon, with the spectacular opening in the dome, and then the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi was so beautiful I couldnt stop clicking photos of it, till I got the perfect results. And before I left, I dropped a coin into the water which, according to Roman tradition, means I will return to Rome. Now that really wouldnt be surprising, as I was totally mindblown by the Eternal city. That day, Rome made it to my favourite cities list.
(to be continued)
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