When in Rome
Being the final hoorah for this semester abroad, the NSPICE group decided to spend our Spring Break travelling up and down the Italian boot. With nine days to kill, we decided to give each of the three hotspots a taste: Venice, Florence, and Rome.
The obvious highlight of the entire trip was the presence of an American celebrity. No, not Sister Sister or Samuel L. Jackson. No, much greater than this. The one and only Coop Cooper. The week-long rendezvous had a special Italian flavor that is nothing like I have ever tasted before. For samples of each city, read on.
Venice: The city that's more water than land. By far the most confusing city to find your way around, but also the most charming. No cars; just canals covered with gondolas and covered bridges. Highlight: A hot date in the most romantic city in the world. You know how I roll.
Florence: The birthplace of the Renaissance and still the artistic capital of the world. The fabulous museums, squares and sculptures combined with the scenic Tuscan countryside made for a relaxing, cultural experience. Highlight: (besides seeing the perfect human body personified in Michaelangelo's David) The boys got all dressed up before going to an Irish Pub for the Chelsea v. Liverpool showdown.
Rome: One word: history. Walking around the Ancient City, you can't help but think of all the history that took place in the greatest civilization known to man. From Paul and Peter to Caesar and Constantine, the walls really do talk. The Colosseum was crumbly and the pillars were pearly, just as I hoped they would be. We even joined the thousands of pilgrims to the religious capital of the world, Vatican City, in hopes of catching Benedict peer out his second-story window onto St. Peter's Square. No such luck. Highlight: Actually a disappointment - the Sistine Chapel. It's OK, but everything else in the Vatican Museum that leads up to it makes for an anticlimactic experience.
Thus ends the chronicles of my travels through Europe. But you shan't be frightened; Europe is simply Book I in the exploration of the land we have come to know as Narnia. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way. I've reached the lamppost and the Professor is calling...
The obvious highlight of the entire trip was the presence of an American celebrity. No, not Sister Sister or Samuel L. Jackson. No, much greater than this. The one and only Coop Cooper. The week-long rendezvous had a special Italian flavor that is nothing like I have ever tasted before. For samples of each city, read on.
Venice: The city that's more water than land. By far the most confusing city to find your way around, but also the most charming. No cars; just canals covered with gondolas and covered bridges. Highlight: A hot date in the most romantic city in the world. You know how I roll.
Florence: The birthplace of the Renaissance and still the artistic capital of the world. The fabulous museums, squares and sculptures combined with the scenic Tuscan countryside made for a relaxing, cultural experience. Highlight: (besides seeing the perfect human body personified in Michaelangelo's David) The boys got all dressed up before going to an Irish Pub for the Chelsea v. Liverpool showdown.
Rome: One word: history. Walking around the Ancient City, you can't help but think of all the history that took place in the greatest civilization known to man. From Paul and Peter to Caesar and Constantine, the walls really do talk. The Colosseum was crumbly and the pillars were pearly, just as I hoped they would be. We even joined the thousands of pilgrims to the religious capital of the world, Vatican City, in hopes of catching Benedict peer out his second-story window onto St. Peter's Square. No such luck. Highlight: Actually a disappointment - the Sistine Chapel. It's OK, but everything else in the Vatican Museum that leads up to it makes for an anticlimactic experience.
Thus ends the chronicles of my travels through Europe. But you shan't be frightened; Europe is simply Book I in the exploration of the land we have come to know as Narnia. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way. I've reached the lamppost and the Professor is calling...
posted by Aaron at 5:53 PM
6 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Is it me, or did we lose Aaron and gain an Amish friend for next year? Don't get me wrong, I'm digging the chin strap, but can you get a Dordt parking sticker for your horse AND carriage?
Did Cooper run into any more Renaissance ladies while visiting perhaps one of the most cultured countries of the world?
Fabulous comment N-Word, I heartily agree.
for some reason i posted with that goofy blog name. i just thought i should bring everyones attention to that.
okay it was actually just another attempt to get Aaron to the 21 comment mark...Im forced to live vicariously through other people's more appreciated blogs.
At first I was just going for the Hippie-liberal look, so I stopped showering, began reading Chomsky and Zinn, and of course, grew a beard. Then I decided that just being a Hippie wasn't enough. Still not indie enough. And I thought to myself, what is more counter-cultural than being a Hippie? Why, a Hippie-Amish, of course! Brilliant, I know.
I have even arranged a deal with the Humble Bean coffee shop at Dordt to let me park my tye-die carriage outside the back entrance. We're tight like that.
Post a Comment
<< Home