I Think We've Reached a Dead End. Pun Intended?

After saying goodbye to all the lovely SMC chicks staying only for the semester, my friend Katie and I grabbed the bus into the Dublin airport where we spent the night trying (unsuccessfully) to sleep as we waited for our 6:30 am flight. At times like these, I wish that public transport started earlier in the day.

We made it to Milan without any other difficulties, but getting to our hostel was another story.  Public transport failed us once again.  The bus and metro workers were striking, or as one Italian man informed me in broken English, "There is a manifestation."  I think he meant demonstration, but we got the gist.  Somehow we scrounged up a map and navigated our way to the hostel (which was luckily less than a half hour's walk from the train station).  After checking in we learned a little bit more about how Italians strike.  Apparently, workers inform everyone weeks beforehand when they'll be striking and they don't even strike for the entire day.  By late afternoon the metro was up and running again.  I'm not sure how effective a strike that was, but I certainly wasn't going to complain since we would have had to walk close to an hour to get to the center of Milan and see the sights.  I must say that once we were finally able to get down to the metro, I was pretty impressed with it.  The larger metro stations were brightly lit, clean, and had elaborate displays.  One in particular had several almost full-sized rooms behind glass to show off the interior decorating.


We emerged from the metro and were immediately struck by the awesome beauty of the Duomo.  I never would have imagined that such a large building could be so intricate.  Every inch of the Duomo had white marble carvings or statues.  However, the inside was surprisingly gray.  There were giant paintings hanging below the arches lining the way to the altar and beautiful little chapels tucked into the sides.  On our last day in Milan, we went back to the Duomo for mass.  It was entirely in Italian, so we had ample time to admire our surroundings again.

After touring the Duomo, Katie and I stepped outside and saw that night was coming on fast.  We did the most logical thing we could do in a situation like this: we followed the twinkle lights.  I must say that Italy does not mess around when it comes to Christmas.  Twinkle lights were everywhere!  They came down like rain on the side of one building and shone out from the giant Christmas tree in the piazza.  They also crisscrossed above our heads as we walked down the streets radiating from the Duomo.  Katie and I wandered through the different streets simply window shopping.  Milan is a fashion center and every way we turned our heads we were struck by the sight of some gorgeous dress that promised to cost more than our entire trip.  We also walked through the
                                                                                    Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II which is like a fancy strip
                                                                                    mall with a glass roof hanging over it.

The next day, Katie and I simply wandered.  We passed through the Sforza Castle and walked around the park behind it.  Heading down another street we passed several churches and saw a war memorial.  We also stumbled upon a market that was more our price range than the stylish shops we saw the night before, but it was too hectic with Christmas shoppers so we didn't stay long.  For lunch, we camped out in a small park next to one of the basilicas and watched as a group of boys started a game of soccer.  We also treated ourselves to gelato.  It was just as good in Milan as it was in Rome!

 My absolute favorite place in Milan was the Cimitero Monumentale.  It has a huge entry building but just behind is a cemetery that must contain thousands of headstones and mausoleums.  The mausoleums looked like miniature palaces or cathedrals and the headstones were often statues or stone tombs.  There were quite a few visitors and I noticed that very few graves were without flowers. The place was kind of a maze with all it's streets of graves, and we had some difficulty finding our way out.  Upon discovering our way blocked once again by a wall, I told Katie, "I think we've reached a dead end."  She immediately replied, "Pun intended?"  Haha!






After seeing the cemetery, we checked out the football stadium of San Siro because Katie is a huge fan.  We also got to see the racetrack on the way.  The wall surrounding the racetrack is entirely covered in graffiti.  Each section is like a small mural often with caricatures of popular football stars.  Running around the track were a few horses pulling small two-wheeled carts carrying their jockeys.  It looked like a bit of a crowd was gathering to watch the race and maybe place a few bets.

Besides mass at the Duomo, the stadium was our last adventure in Milan.  The next day we caught an early train to Florence!

Buon Giorno Princepessa!

Because I am the luckiest girl in all the world, a few weeks ago I flew to Rome to visit Allie, one of my besties from SMC.  I arrived Thursday night and after finding my way to the Hotel Tiziano where she lives (yeah, that's right, she lives in a hotel), I got the biggest hug of my life.  Once the air wasn't being squeezed out of my lungs and I could breathe again, I met all of the other SMC chicks taking up residence in the Tiziano.  We then went to one of the local bars and walked around a Christmas market in a nearby piazza before finally calling it a night.

Hadrian's Tomb

On Friday we started off our morning with breakfast at Pascucci's, the small cafe where all the girls get their breakfast and dinner, and then walked over to Vatican City for a tour of the Scavi.  We got to cross the Tiber River and see Castle Sant'Angelo or Hadrian's Tomb in the distance.  My favorite part of the walk was the old stone water fountain carved into one of the walls of a building.  The water was ice cold and very refreshing.  I made it my mission to drink from every one we passed.


Because Allie and the other SMC girls are friends with several of the seminarians and deacons, we got free tours of both the Scavi and St. Peter's Basilica.  When St. Peter died, he was buried with only a red rock marking his grave near a field where many Christians were martyred.  This area was a sort of necropolis for pagans with streets of mausoleums, but the graves were eventually taken over by Christians who needed to bury their dead.  Over time the mausoleums were covered by dirt and the basilica was built on the land above them many years later. When working on the foundation of the basilica in order to bury Pope Pius XI, workers discovered one of the mausoleums, and Pope Pius XII gave them permission to excavate the rest of the burial site.  However, because this discovery was made around WWII and the pope wanted to avoid Hitler's attention and interference, he required the excavators to only work at night.  Eventually a red wall with graffiti covering it was found.  Many symbols were used so as not to draw the attention of pagans, but one decoded message seemed to say "Peter is here."  Near this wall, archaeologists eventually discovered remains that are consistent with what was known of Peter at the time of his death and that were wrapped in special cloth.

Our tour of the basilica started outside in the square.  There are two arching walls on either side of the basilica and above are statues of various saints.  When one of these statues gets too worn down or broken it is replaced with an entirely new saint.  At one point in the piazza you can stand and look out at all the columns and it gives the optical illusion that there is only one set instead of two.  We caught sight of one of the Swiss guards on our way to the entrance and our guide, seminarian Doug, told us the story of the pope's protectors.  The Swiss Guards were mercenaries and mercenaries are notorious for being loyal only to money.  In 1527, Emperor Charles V marched on Rome to capture Pope Clement VII.  The pope had only Swiss Guards to defend him and instead of fleeing when they faced almost certain death, the guards fought to get the pope to safety in Hadrian's Tomb by way of a secret passage.  Only 42 of 189 guards survived.  To become a Swiss Guard today you must be Swiss, Catholic, male, single, at least 5 feet and 8.5 inches tall, and 19-30 years old.  I guess the benevolent dictator of Vatican City is not an equal opportunity employer haha!

When we finally walked into the church, I looked around and immediately started to tear up.  I'm not sure if this is because it was so beautiful or because my eyes were open so wide to take it all in that they started to water.  Either way, St. Peter's Basilica is magnificent!  Our tour guide was great in giving us information on every part of the church.  I don't have the space to put it all here but I'll mention a few of the things he taught us.

St. Peter's has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world.  The size is highlighted by markings along the floor that show the length of other large churches.  In other words, the builder is showing just how far short other churches fall.  I guess if you're building something that beautiful you're allowed some bragging rights haha!  There is one circle of red marble in the floor that was reserved for only emperors and popes, and they would usually only use during big events like a coronation.  It used to be located at the front of the basilica but it was moved to the back.  Of course, we all took turns stepping on it.

There are three sets of doors leading into the basilica.  The Door of Death is on the left and is used as an exit for funeral processions (Pope John Paul II was the first pope not to exit through these doors but the Filarete instead).  The Filarete Door is in the center and this is what we used to enter.  The Holy Door is on the right and is blocked up with concrete on the inside.  During a jubilee year, the concrete is broken and people are allowed to walk through the door.

Right next to the Holy Door stands Michaelangelo's Pieta.  When Michaelangelo finished sculpting it and put it on display, rumors circulated that it was the work of another famous artist.  This enraged Michaelangelo and he snuck in and carved his name across Mary's clothing.  He immediately regretted this and claimed that he had ruined the entire work.  Despite his requests, the pope wouldn't allow Michaelangelo to destroy it.  It is believed that this is why Michaelangelo never signed any more of his works.

I wish I could tell you everything I learned about the basilica, but you would have to see it for yourself to truly understand.  Pictures don't do it justice, but I've added some anyways!

My second day in Rome started out with blue skies which was a pleasant change from the slightly cloudy ones of the day before.  Grace (Allie's roommate), Allie, and I decided to take advantage of the good weather and climb all 320 steps up to the top of the cupola.  The view was spectacular!  We spent forever at the top just walking around and looking out at the city before we trudged back down the stairs.

Following our ascent of the cupola, we went to the Vatican museums to see the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums seem to go on endlessly.  We wound through a countless number of rooms before we finally found the shortcut to the Sistine Chapel.  Then we walked through a great many more rooms before finally arriving there.  I don't even want to think about how long it would have taken if we hadn't used the shortcut!  However, the long walk was more than worth it!  Not one of the pictures or poster I've seen of the Sistine Chapel has ever captured the beauty of it.  The entire ceiling and wall behind the altar are covered in Michaelangelo's fresco paintings.  There are even walls that have been painted to look like they are covered in rich curtains.  The three of us spent over half an hour just gazing at everything.  Because it is a holy place, there are several guards watching the crowd and every once in a while shushing them.  Once when the noise level started to climb, I decided to give it a try and give a loud "SSSSSSSHHHHHH!"  No one even glanced at me!  They all just quieted down haha!  After my small success as a guard we walked back to the hotel but stopped first at Figidarium, Allie's and Grace's favorite gelato place.  I tried a chocolate and tiramisu.  They were delicious!

On my last day in fabulous Roma, Allie and I went to mass in the Pantheon which is a beautiful old building that reminds me of a temple.  It has a huge dome with a circular skylight at the very top which they never close.  It happened to be raining that morning so they simply roped off the area where all the rain was falling.  The mass was entirely in Italian, so I think I got a little taste of how churchgoers felt back in the day of Latin masses.  After mass, we headed back to Pascucci's for lunch and then walked down the street to get my first ever cannolo!  Needless to say it was delicious!  Afterwards, we walked across the bridge and along the river.  The funny thing about Rome is that it has palm trees everywhere, but the trees along the river look like fall.  On our walk we stumbled upon an entire market devoted to chocolate!  The little stands were actually quite elaborate.  They had shoes and even tools made out of chocolate!

Walking back across the river we also passed the site of some temple ruins that are still in the process of being excavated.  Funny enough, the place has been nicknamed "Cat Heaven" because of the large number of cats that have taken up residence there.  They even have a sign with names and pictures of a few of the cats.  While we were there, we counted 9 cats in just a small section of the ruins.

There are three in this picture!

Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain.  The thing is absolutely ginormous (not to mention gorgeous)!  I was surprised by how small the piazza around it was, but the fountain takes up most of the space.  Allie and I of course stood with our backs to the fountain and threw in coins over our left shoulders while making a wish (we used pennies because, as Mom always says, "we're broke college students" haha!).  And I'd tell you my wish, but it might not come true!

From the Trevi Fountain, we made our way to the Spanish Steps.  They weren't at all what I expected.  For some reason I had a picture in my mind of a plain staircase going straight up a hill.  In reality, the Spanish Steps are much more elaborate.  We climbed up and walked along a short path to find a breathtaking view of the city.  Unfortunately, that was our last Roman adventure.  We headed back to the hotel to grab my things and get to the airport.  As I was waiting at the airport, two cats walked in as the younger one roamed about, the older one gave itself a bath and then hopped up on the seat next to me.  It was still there when I left too!

Danish (Pastries not People)

I arrived in Copenhagen late Wednesday morning with the girls, and we immediately went to the ATM to get some Danish krones.  The Danes have one of the cutest currencies out there since all their coins are shiny and covered in crowns and hearts.  After checking into the hostel, Lauren, Emily, and I set off to explore some of the city.  Our first adventure was climbing 400 steps to the summit of the Church of Our Savior.  The view was gorgeous, though unfortunately the cloudy sky inhibits my pictures from conveying this beauty.  The church tower is also home to several bells that began ringing during our struggle to reach the top.  I don't know how the hunchback of Notre Dame could ever stand such a volume!  After  getting our feet back on solid ground we walked over to a bakery where we split a delicious dessert made of marzipan, strawberries, and cream.  Needless to say it was heavenly.

 

On our second day in Copenhagen, we made our way to a beautiful park that was home to the famous Little Mermaid statue.  We rounded a harbor full of sailboats to stumble upon an unusually rowdy scene.  Unbeknownst to us simple tourists, there was a big football match (and by football I mean soccer) that weekend in Copenhagen.  Some of the visiting fans were taking the opportunity of drunkenly turning the Little Mermaid into an effigy.  A few men actually scaled the rocks to dress the statue in a t-shirt and scarf supporting their team.  It was humorous to say the least.  After seeing the statue, we walked around the rest of the park.  Part of it is a somewhat active military fort called Kastellet.  I got to see my first old-fashioned windmill there too! 

After the park, we walked down the street and saw the palace where the Danish royal family currently live.  The palace has guards stationed outside the doors and they look a lot like the British ones.  One tourist was posing for a picture next to one guard, but I guess she was standing too close because he promptly stamped the butt of his rifle on the ground and then used it to shift her over a foot.  I think she was surprised and a bit shaken by the suddenness of the whole action.  Walking further down the street, we stumbled upon an jeweler's shop with a small amber museum located just above it.  Copenhagen is known for its amber since in history many residents harvested it along the shores after the waves had torn it from the ocean floor.  It reminded me of Jurassic Park.

We spent the rest of the day struggling to get to Frederiksborg Castle just outside the city but it was unfortunately closed by the time we got there.  However, the outside looked so beautiful that we knew we had to come back the next day and try again. 

Unknowingly, we picked the absolute perfect time to visit Copenhagen, for it just so happened that on our second night the entire city was having a huge celebration!  Early every November, at exactly 8:59 pm, all the bars release Christmas beer!  They only have it for the Christmas season, so everyone goes crazy when they can finally get it!  Lauren, Emily, and I weren't that familiar with the city night life so we ended up stuck in an area filled with posh bars and no idea of where to go for a glass of Christmas beer.  After wandering for a bit, I got fed up and stopped the first young person I saw.  The second he opened his mouth to give us directions, all of our mouths dropped.  There was no mistaking his Irish brogue.  Out of all the people I could have asked for help, I stop the one Irish tourist.  And he wasn't just any Irish tourist!  His name was Shane and he was actually a teacher at a high school that three of my friends from Maynooth graduated from!  (Upon my arrival home, I asked one of my friends about Shane and he told me that he had accidentally punted a gaelic ball at Shane's head and, in turn, Shane punted it into the river haha!)  As corny as it may sound, I have to say it.  Small world!  With Shane's guidance we continued on our quest for Christmas beer and we weren't disappointed!  We entered a bar and were handed free Christmas Beer!  Though I must admit that it actually tasted pretty gross to me.

 We headed back to the hostel to get some sleep, and I think I should take the opportunity to tell you a bit about the building our hostel was neighbors with.  You may have heard of the Bella Hotel because apparently President Obama went there for a conference on climate etc. (we were told that the windmill in front of the hotel was built because of Obama's visit but that it actually doesn't work because it would make too much noise)  The cool part of the building is that it actually leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa (it leans 15 degrees while Pisa only leans 3.97).  The top juts out 10 meters farther than the base. 

 

The next morning we went back to Frederiksborg Castle and I am so glad we did because it turned out to be my favorite part of Copenhagen.  Let me tell you, Danish royalty don't mess around.  The castle is huge with several stone spiral staircases, hundreds of rooms, grand halls, a church, and a park for a backyard.  We spent hours just winding our way through the building and grounds.  I especially enjoyed looking at all the paintings of members of the royal family.  I think that the men had a secret competition to see who could groom the most ridiculous moustache, which would be a genius form of torture!  Think about it.  All the Danes would be forbidden from laughing the foolish caterpillar growing on their lord's face.  Absolute torture!

After taking the train back into the city, we wandered around the downtown shopping streets a bit before finally grabbing our bags from the hostel and rushing to catch our train that would take us to the airport.  This train was significantly more uneventful than our last one, although we did get to make friends with some Germans.  Traveling is exhausting and I was extremely happy to finally see Ireland again.  It is quite possible that I kissed the ground in full view of all the taxi drivers lined up and waiting for passengers.  They can judge me I don't care!

...Or Did You Get Lost in Amsterdam?

To continue with my "Study Week" (as they call fall break here) adventures, after a awful day of traveling, I made it safe and sound to beautiful Amsterdam!  I was so exhausted that I ended up just going straight to bed, but that was good because I got to start fresh the next morning.  I met up with four other SMC chicks from the Maynooth program to explore Amsterdam: Lauren, Emily, Katie, and Madison.  We all had different things we wanted to do so it was nice to have a bigger group so we could split up.

In the morning, Lauren, Emily, and I walked to the Rijksmuseum which is home to many of the famous paintings and other works of Dutch artists.  We started upstairs with the paintings and oh my goodness gracious were they beautiful!  My favorite was "River View by Moonlight" painted by Aert van der Neer (here is a link if you want to see it yourself http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/aria/aria_assets/SK-A-3245?page=0&lang=en&context_space=&context_id=). Johannes Vermeer's paintings were also very beautiful.  Downstairs there were all sorts of miscellaneous art pieces.  One room was entirely dedicated to illustrations in children's books and you could sit on couches and read the books that were displayed on the surrounding walls.  In another room there were two giant doll houses.  They put ladders in front of them so that you could peer into the attic and upper rooms.  I know three little girls who would have gone crazy playing with those doll houses!  There was also the figurehead from an old ship hanging above one of the doorways.

After getting our fill of culture in the Rijksmuseum, we stepped outside where what do you think accosted our eyes but the famous "I amstersdam" sign.  Photo op?  I think so!  (The next day we actually found a miniature one as well!) For some reason the "I" in the sign had a mustache, I wish I could tell you why.  


Amsterdam is of course known for its beautiful and numerous canals, but you may not know that it also seems to have just as many trams.  Lauren proved to be an expert at navigating them.  She always got us to the right stop and headed in the right direction on the right tram.  Now you may not be so impressed with this, but trust me, you should be.  Those things are confusing!  After getting off the tram, I would break out the map and maneuver us among the streets, bridges, and canals to our destination.  We made the perfect team!

The trams aren't the only way of getting around Amsterdam.  Biking is a big deal there too!  They actually have a huge, multi-level parking garage just for bikes!  All the streets and bridges are lined with bikes and bike racks too.  I especially enjoyed seeing all the men riding along on their bikes with their girlfriends sitting sidesaddle on the back.  It was so cute that Emily and I had to try it!

One of our many destinations was the Tulip Museum.  Yes, it's just as adorable as it sounds!  There was a little shop with a display on the history of tulips in the basement.  We learned that tulips actually don't have a scent (though some modern hybrids can have one).  Who knew?  I also discovered a white tulip called Maureen!

We also went to Bagijnhof which was a community of homes for single, lay Catholic women called beguines.  Even though between 1578 and 1795 Catholics were not allowed to practice their faith and much of their property was confiscated, the beguines were left in peace.  This is because they were lay women and their homes were considered personal property. Though the last beguine died in 1971, still only women live in the homes of Bagijnhof. 

That night we did two of the most touristy things possible.  First we went on a canal tour boat ride and second, we went to the Ice Bar.  We had to watch a hilariously corny video and get suited up in puffy white coats and gloves.  Then we went into freezing (literally) cold room where everything was carved out of ice.  There were icy chairs and benches and even sculptures of penguins.  After the bar, we passed through the Red Light District on our way home.  It was honestly the most depressing five minutes of my life, and that is really all there is to say about it.

On our last day in Amsterdam we went shopping in a flea market just down the street from our hostel.  Lauren got some hilarious slippers that looked just like wooden Dutch shoes!  Afterwards we headed over to one of the canals where we rented a paddle boat and wound our way among the different streets of water.  Besides a brief run in with a couple of threatening swans, we were able to relax and enjoy the beautiful buildings lining the canals.  I must admit that I am in love with those narrow yet tall houses.

After giving our legs a good work out, we made our way to a tulip market.  It was incredibly colorful!  I even picked up a packet of bulbs from one of the vendors and shipped them back to Mom.  Hopefully they'll pop up in the spring, though I may not be home in time to see them.  Lauren currently has some growing in a tin can in her room!

My final adventure in Amsterdam was a somber one.  I went with Madison and Katie to see the building that Anne Frank hid in for years during WWII.  Having just studied her diary last year at Saint Mary's, I appreciated being able to see first hand what I had only read about.  The house is a little hard to describe, and to be honest, I think Anne does it best in her diary, so please look there if you'd like an accurate picture.  The rooms are now bare because Otto Frank, Anne's father, requested that it remain unfurnished.  However, there are photos in each room of what it would have looked like when Anne lived there.  As I walked through the different rooms there were two things that especially stood out to me.  First, was the bookcase that covered the secret entrance to the attic.  Stepping through that didn't even feel real.  I couldn't believe that I was passing through the entrance to Anne's world.  The second thing that I found eerie was Anne's room.  It contained no furniture, but all her posters and pictures were still glued to the wall.  There were movie stars, the royal family, advertisements, and family photos.  As vivid as my imagination is, reading about it just doesn't compare to actually seeing it first hand.  Throughout the rest of the museum there were video presentations, quotations, and Anne's actual diaries.  It was very moving and even though a huge crowd was passing through each room, there was barely even a whisper.  As sad and spooky as it was, I'm glad that I got to see where Anne lived.

After the Anne Frank house we hurried back to the hostel to gather our things and then hopped on a night train headed for Copenhagen.  For some odd reason I was the only one to get a bed, and all the other girls were stuck in compartments that only had chairs.  I investigated my room and seeing that a suspicious looking man was there, I opted for sticking with the other girls.  Lauren, Emily, and I had bought cheese, apples, and bread for dinner, so we feasted on these while chatting (though we were interrupted several times by police with drug sniffing dogs).  Unfortunately, more and more passengers kept arriving so I was kicked out of my borrowed seat.  I made my way back to my compartment and luckily discovered that the suspicious man had left the train and that there were 3 extra beds!  I grabbed Lauren and Emily and we moved into my compartment.  There were two other men staying there as well, but they were both very nice and we chatted for a bit before finally going to sleep (I got one of the top bunks which was surprisingly comfortable).  In our conversation, however, one of the men told us that the guy who left was afraid of being searched for drugs by all the police, so he hopped off at the nearest stop!  Are my instincts sharp or what?  In the end we arrived safe and sound in Copenhagen, so no harm done.