Category: nellyglass

Note: we had a 3-day stay in Arles so this is a big post.

It was long travel day from Nice to Arles involving mad dashing to catch connecting trains and buses that were either late, cancelled or jammed packed with standing room only – all because of the ongoing rail strike in France.

When we did eventually arrive in Arles, it was a clear blue day and hot. We found our room … and it was absolutely adorable, in a cool ground level apartment under Natalie’s house (our landlord), complete with private patio, friendly family cats and decorated with various artwork, some of it original (Natalie is an artist).

First thing on the agenda, laundry! Off we went to find a laverie. Arles is a small city, easily walked from one end to the other in less than 15 minutes. Laundry done, we found a grocery store to stock up on wine, snacks and breakfast items (notice the priority order) and returned to the coolness of our patio for a couple hours of relaxation.

In the evening, the temperature moderated and we set out again to search for a restaurant. We chose one near the Place du Forum on Docteur Fanton St., Les Filles du 16. Excellent food, great wine, super friendly and attentive staff… we had a wonderful meal (see the photos) while we planned our next day. Strolling home along the Rhone, we imagined Van Gogh sitting there with his easel and paints 130 years ago creating “Starry Night Over the Rhone”… our favorite of his.

Next morning dawned clear and bright. The plan was to do the self-guided walking tour called “Following Vincent’s Footsteps”. Off we went and had a wonderful day visiting nine points on the map where Van Gogh painted specific pieces during his 2 years in Arles. He created more that 300 paintings in total while he was here and it was thrilling to stand in the same spots where he created these nine. Included on the walk was a visit to the Van Gogh Foundation where we saw 31 of his original paintings. They are spectacular. His treatment of light and shadow while capturing peasant life, landscapes and stills is mesmerizing. I tried to limit my photo gallery to my five favorites. Becsuse of the afternoon heat, we didn’t make it to the final point on the map, deciding instead to save it until next morning.

Also during the walking tour, we saw several other notable landmarks such as the 2nd century obelisk in the Place du Republique, Saint Triomphe’s Church, the ancient Roman walls of the city, the amphitheater dating to 90 AD, the Summer Gardens of Arles, beautiful fountains, and just really enjoyed the slower pace of this lovely city in comparrison to other larger European cities. The color in this city comes not from the buildings themselves, but from the doors and window shutters. They are painted in every color of the artist’s pallet mostly in soft muted shades. Really different and totally fascinating. Monica had great fun planning a collage of Arles shutters.

By afternoon it was pushing 30 degrees so we retreated to the coolness of our room for a siesta. An afternoon thunderstorm passed over with its haunting deep booming echoes reverberating through the alleys followed by a gentle patter of rainfall for 30 minutes. Then it was gone and the sun came out again and we were back to full humidity.

Later on, we strolled out for dinner and dessert and then lingered on the banks of the Rhone to watch the moon rise. Peaceful, quiet, serene … all on a starry Tuesday night.

Next morning (last day in Arles) it was bright blue skies again as we set out to find the final Van Gogh spot where he painted “Les Alyscamps, L’Automne”. On the way, we passed more ancient monuments and ruins affirming the importance of Arles in antiquity. It was (according to wikipedia) an important Roman intersection of the Alurian Road and the Rhone River. Armies, statesmen, merchants… all would have passed through Arles.

After a 10 minute walk, we found our destination. Alyscamps is an ancient Roman necropolis dating to the 2nd century AD and is the final stretch of the Alurian Way (the route from Rome to the western reaches of the empire) leading to the city gates of Arles. We appreciated the cool shade of the trees as we wandered among ancient sarcophagi toward the abandoned abbey. We had the place all to ourselves except for a few pigeons, and took our time exploring this ancient treasure with its vaulted domes, stained glass and secret tunnels under the floor. Monica was quite nervous as I disappeared into a dark passage, i-phone torch in hand, not sure where I would emerge.

Leaving there, I got nice shots of the ancient city gate tower (ruins). We proceeded onward to one more Van Gogh spot just down the road. It was was not on our walking tour map but we learned that is where he painted “Le Vieux Moulin” (The Old Windmill). A short walk, and there is was…very dilapidated, over run with weeds and pigeons but still recognizable from his painting nearly 130 years ago (1888).

The rest of the morning was spent souvenir shopping and slipping into the occasional church for coolness. By noon, the temperature was already over 30 degrees, so we headed to our room to relax and blog the afternoon away… with a nice chilled bottle of Van Gogh white.

Dinner was at Galoubet just a 5 minute walk away. The evening was calm and warm. We strolled the back streets to the restaurant finding new and charming scenes to photograph, like the bicycle with geraniums and sleeping cat. Music drifted in from someplace across the river and we enjoyed a lovely last meal in Arles.

Monica had pre-booked a walking tour with “Walks of Italy” called Rome in a Day. It would be an all day adventure so up early and downtown to meet our guide at the Colosseum. Marie Therese was wonderful, so knowledgeable on the history and really added to the day with her lyrical animation of the stories she told.

We started with the Colosseum and Marie Therese took us back 2000 years ago to a time when human slaughter was grand entertainment for the 70,000 citizens who filled this stadiom… animal fights in the morning, executions at lunch, and gladiator battles in the afternoon. This structure is massive and the technology and engineering to build it back then was astounding. The fact that Emperor Constantine raided and destroyed Jerusalem and pillaged all the riches and citizens as slaves to build the Colosseum and work/die in the pits, casts a dark veil over this magnificent Wonder of the Ancient World. When the Roman Empire fell and Christianity became legal, the Colosseum was forgotten for centuries and much of the rock and marble was pillaged to build churches like St. Peter’s.

Continuing on, we walked past the Roman forum. Surprisingly, the ancient forum was only discovered in recent times during subway excavations. It extends for miles but now lies many meters under modern Rome as each new emperor tried to wipe out the memories of the previous one and build upward bigger and grander to glorify themselves.

Next our walk took us past several landmarks like Bernini’s elephant obelisk at the Santa Maria soprano Minerva church. Interestingly, the ancient Romans stole 11 obelisks from Egypt (trophies of war). They now stand in front of 11 churches in Rome and we saw 4 of them today including the one at our next stop, the Pantheon…oldest completely intact building in Rome dating to 2nd century BC. It is simple but beautiful. The sun was streaming through the oculus in the ceiling illuminating some of the statuary. Of special interest is the tomb of Raphael. We also saw the ruins of the ancient senate where Julius Caesar was murdered by the 23 other senators who feared his popularity.

After a gelato break, we continued on past the parliament buildings and the huge column depicting the life of Marc Anthony, the general of Julius Caesar who is known for helping to establish the Roman empire. The column is exquisitely carved with scenes from his life… there are thousands of images.

Our group along with several other groups continued along the narrow cobblestone streets past high end shopping stores toward the Piazza di Spagna to see the Spanish Steps. Built in the 1700’s, the 135 white marble steps are currently under cleaning restoration. At the foot of the steps is Bernini’s boat fountain and at the top is Trinita dei Montei church (with obelisk).

Next and just around the corner, we came to the world’s most famous fountain, Trevi Fountain. Built in the mid 1700’s by Nicole Salva at the junction of 3 roads (tre vie) where and ancient aquaduct brings water into the city, is is a stunning white marble masterpiece depicting Neptune flanked by 2 tritons on merhorses. The crowd there was hugh so we couldn’t get great shots or get close enough to toss a coin for luck.

Lunch time! It felt good to sit down and relax for an hour. Because, the next 2.5 hours were to tour the Vatican.

We started in the Vatican gardens behind the Pope’s apartments and then toured the museums. Of the 22 museums in the Vatican, we saw only the 3 most important ending with the Sistine Chapel. We learned so much and I can’t possibly relay it here. Suffice to say it is beyond wonderful, beyond magnificent, beyond important to human culture and history. It tells the story of Christianity in all its glory and all its shame. Exiting the museum, we entered St. Peter’s Square (huge obelisk in the center) and toured the basilica, one of the largest churches in the world. I don’t have an adjective that would property convey the grandure. It is special.

That took us till 5:00 and concluded the tour. Our guide was amazing and deserves a healthy tip. I highly recommend taking such a walking tour. We will do another one with “Walks of Italy” tomorrow (stay tuned… it should be a hoot) and again later on our trip in Sienna.

Tired and hot, we bussed home to chill before a fantastic dinner at Trattoria Osteria just up the street from us.

We arrived at noon on this lovely sunny day and caught the subway/bus combo to our apartment in the beautiful Monte Verde region of south-west Rome. This neighborhood might be comparable to the Hollywood heights of L.A. We would explore it later. Getting there took us past Circus Maximus and the Colosseum…. I was bouncing in the bus seat with excitement! By the way, roughest bus ride of my life (accounting for much of the bouncing). The shocks on the buses are all beat out from the cobblestone roads.

After a quick settle into our apartment, we headed back downtown to the old city for an afternoon of exploring. Easy walking and tolerable crowds (unlike previous cities) we first came to the ruins of Trajan’s market. Built in 100 AD by Emperor Trajan, it is a multi-leveled market-administrative complex and is considered the world’s first shopping mall.

Next we slipped inside Chiesa Santissimo Nome di Maria al Ford Triana (that’s a mouthful) for a cool moment to marvel at the guilded altar and frescoed dome.

Immediately next door is the beautiful monument and museum to Victor Emanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. The building is gorgeous, covered inside and out with statues and marble porticos. Around to the back of the museum, we climbed the rampart to Capitoline Hill and the Piazza Nuovo and got a sweeping views of the Roman forum. So incredible and evocative in the 2000 year old history that lays in ruins in front of you. If time prevails, we may be back later for a tour.

The afternoon was waning and tummies started rumbling for dinner, so we retraced our walk to the bus stop for home. On the way, we got great shots of the Colosseum fully illuminated in the sun (we are touring this tomorrow), Constantine’s Arch (315 AD and the largest triumphant arch in Italy), and Circus Maximus where chariot races were held.

A fantastic start to our visit of Rome. Ryan is in his glory. There is a bounce in his step we have not seen until now and he is impatient for us slow pokes to keep pace with him. It’s so nice to see him living his history dreams.

This was a quick layover for us and we arrived after dark, taxi to the hotel, a bite to eat (fat meat, OMG Ryan!) and off to bed.

We had 4 hours next morning to see what sights we could before we had to catch the train south. That was just enough time and luckily, Verona is a small city and easily walked. So off we went to explore the walled city. First we arrived at Castlevecchio.  Built in the 1300’s entirely of brick with imposing guard towers and iron gates, it was a military stronghold to protect Verona, a wealthy city in its day. Pont Scaligero, the bridge through the castle and across the Adige River River, is now a city thorough fare but traffic was very quiet on this Monday morning.. .. great view down and up river from here.

Onward to the center to see the ancient coluseum. Built in 30 AD, it is 50 years older than the coluseum in Rome and is still used today for concerts and plays.

Next we came to Piazza Erbe  (named for the famous herbs once sold here 2 millenia ago). Now filled with souvenir venders, it is still a very vibrant place in the heart of the city. Streets radiate outward from the piazza signifying it was the main center long ago.

Nearby the piazza is the much visited fictional house of Juliette from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette. Here in a tiny courtyard off the street we found the statue of Juliette and the famous balcony where Romeo wooed her. There were a few tourists but nothing compared to Venice and although completely fictional, was enchanting beautiful. Surrounding her statue, visitors have left their personal love notes to their loved one. Kind of neat in a touristy way.

Next and only 5 minutes away, we came to the magnificent duomo with its outstanding carvings, sculptures and frescoes. As I wandered the interior I was aware that I was viewing famous antiquities that I didn’t even know the artist or the significance. I would love to return someday with better research and a guide book in hand. Nevertheless, happy with just my camera and my appreciation for ancient beauty.

Leaving the duomo, we crossed the river and saw the ancient Roman theater on the east hillside. Now in complete ruins, it is slowly being over taken by residences but you can still make out the shape of the semi-circular ampitheater.

Continuing around the north wall back toward our hotel, we came to what our hotel receptionist referred to as “the most beautiful church in all of northern Italy”, San Zeno Maggiore. Built in the early 1100’s, it has a distinctive striped facade of brick and marble and fascinating bronze doors depicting the life of San Zeno, Patron Saint of Fishermen. No stained glass but incredible statuary inside. The wall frescoes are deteriorated but still evident. Outside is a beautiful cloister offering perfect photo opps.

And we were done and it was time to go. It only took is three hours in Verona…just enough to see some highlights and make you aware you just got a taste.

The would be a 7-hours day trip for us to the city. It was bright and beautiful and already over 25 degrees at 10:30 when we pulled into the train station. Off to the side we could see 2 cruise ships docked so we knew it would be a busy day.

We caught the water bus (#1 – the slow one that makes a dozen stops) and thoroughly enjoyed a 20 minute ride down the Grand Canal. The architecture is marvelous and no two houses are the same. The grandeur is evident from a time when Venice was the financial capital of Italy in the middle ages.

Our first stop was the beautiful domed Santa Maria della Salut church at the end of the Grand Canal. It is magnificent and filled with priceless treasures. Bonus, the 6000 cruise ship tourists were on the other side of the canal swarming to get a shot of the Bridge of Sighs beside the Doge’s Palace.

So where was our next stop can you guess? Across the canal to get a shot of the Bridge of Sighs. I wiggled my way through the throng, climbed the stairs, held my camera high over my head (lucky I’m 6 feet) and got a decent shot of this famous little bridge linking the justice courts in the Doge’s Palace with the prison across the canal. It is said you could head the inmates moaning as they were marched over the bridge to be judged.

San Marco Piazza, the San Marco Bascilica and the Doge’s Palace are all here together. This was the main business district of Venice back then and everything about it is massive. The Bascilica is free to tour but no photos allowed. Too bad, since it is truly stunning with the interior completely covered with mosaics made of small 1″ pieces of glass, gold being a prominent color.

Feeling a bit crowded and hungry,  we slipped into one of the many little streets and found a quiet restaurant for some lunch. I had the anchovy salad ☺. The waiter was hilarious with a dry since of humor.

Back into the piazza to tour the Doge’s Palace. The Doge was the leader of Venice in the day and his palace is nothing short of the most magnificent display of wealth and power. Room after room of richly carved woodwork, frescoed ceilings and walls, marble floors and hand crafted furniture. It is a gorgeous museum that gives a glimpse into Medieval nobility life. The tour takes you across the Bridge of Sighs and into the prison. What a contrast from one side of the canal to the other…from having everything to having nothing.

From there, we strolled through streets with souvenir shops toward the Rialto bridge. I didn’t get a good shot as the entire zone was packed with tourists…streets literally packed. From 1000 feet up, it must be quite a sight with the streets “flowing” alongside the canals. Nevertheless, we managed to have a gelato icecream in the midst of it all.

Next we visited another church, Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari. Built in the mid 1200, it’s size rivals that of San Marco and it’s art treasures perhaps exceed it with works by Bellini, Titian and Donatello. Plus it is dark and cool inside.. a wonderful retreat from the heat and crowds.

The afternoon was waning and soon we would need to make for the train station. The shots I most wanted of Venice never happened. I was looking for quiet little cul-de-sac streets with a courtyard at the end shared by several families and a marble fountain in the center. I know they are there somewhere and with more time, I would have found one. But we did get some nice shots of the canals with no people blocking the view so, I’m good with that.

It was a beautiful day… almost magical. I hated to leave but was glad to escape the crowds… and looked forward to our night destination, Verona.

We arrived in Milan in the late afternoon so by the time we figured out the bus system and found our apartment, there wasn’t much time for sightseeing. Our apartment was beautiful… twice the size of the one in Paris and air-conditioned. That was great since it was well over 25 degrees. We found a pizza restaurant just around the corner and had a wonderful meal. The linguini al mare was superb. So was the nebbiolo wine.

The next morning, we were up early to catch the subway downtown for our guided tour with “Walks of Italy”. The sky was blue and it promised to be a warm day. We met our guide, Christina, at the Stella Maria della Gracie church and began the tour with Leonardo Davinci’s “The Last Supper”. Over 500 years old, it has deteriorated significantly in color and detail but still evokes much emotion at the point when Jesus tells the disciples that one of them will betray him. We learned many interesting things about the scene… such as, Jesus and Judas are both reaching for the same piece of bread signifying good vs. evil. It took Leonardo 4 years to complete the fresco starting in 1495 (much longer than normal) because he was so busy with several other projects. Also, DaVinci offen signed his work by painting a knot tied into a cloth somewhere in the piese. In The Last Supper, look at the table cloth in the lower right corner. Over the centuries, this fresco has survived many atrocities such as a humid and hot environment, monks cutting a new door through Jesus’ feet, and the bombings of WWII which destroyed most of this monestary.

Moving on, we toured Chiesa di San Maurizio with its amazing frescoes that cover every square inch of the interior. This church was run by nuns in the 1500’s at a time when nuns were not allowed to interact with the public so the church has two parts… the front public church and the rear section just for the nuns. Also during this period (1500’s), women in general were not depicted in religious art. In this church, however, there are frescoes of martyred women who were killed in the most gruesome ways; brest amputation, teeth extraction, eye gouging and crushing…pause for dramatic effect!

Next we toured Castle Sforza, originating in the 14th century by the Visconti family and taken over and expanded in the 15th century by the Sforza family. These were the 2 most powerful families in all of Italy back then. The castle is immense, all brick and surrounded by a moat (now drained and inhabited by cats instead of alligators). The political history associated with this site is fascinating. Napoleon occupied it for a time when he conquered Italy and he built another Arc de Triomphe aligning the Milan Cathedral, the castle and Paris through the arc. Folks today call it the Arc of Peace.

Leaving the castle, we strolled along busy pedestrian only streets toward Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the fabulous and famous glass roofed shopping mall, with stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada and Versace. Milan truly is the fashion capital of Italy. The Galleria opened in 1877 and was revolitionary in its day for being covered. Today all moderm shopping malls are descents of this one. The marble mosaic floors are just as beautiful as the ceiling.

Exiting the west wing of the mall, we entered Piazza del Duomo to see the breathtaking Milan Duomo, 3rd largest in the world (after St. Peter’s in Rome and Seville Cathedral in Spain). Started in 1386 and completediscuss in 1965, it took 500 years to complete !!! Constructed entirely inside and out of white Italian marble, it is beyond stunning. The roof boasts 3000 statues of real people, gargoyles, angels and panoramic views of Milan. It was hot up there at noon so we didn’t stay too long. Inside the cathedral is much cooler. And oh my goodness, the stained glass windows are the tallest I have ever seen. Some of them 80 feet! They are so high and so far away, you cannot really get up close and personal with them, but still astounding just for their sheer size. The statuary, the floors, the religious manuscripts, the crypts, the immenseness of it all… so fascinating.

Back to the air conditioning of the apparent to chill for the afternoon and enjoy a glass of wine while editing photos and discussing what we had seen that day…and we barely scratched the surface. Milan is a city we could definitely see ourselves returning to one day.

Next morning up early again and to the train station to catch the train to Venice. The Milan train station is worth mentioning for it’s grandiose size and decorative ceilings and floors with marble mosaic inlay. Really lovely.

We caught the 9:30 train from Paris to Geneva. I had time during the 3 hour ride to catch up on a bit of blogging while enjoying the French countryside whipping by on the high speed train. Photo opportunities are fleeting at 300 km/hr.

Arriving in Geneva, we quickly found our hotel and hopped on the  tram to the United Nations European Headquarters in time for the 2:00 guided tour. We arrived along with 2 bus loads of raucous high school teenagers but luckily they had their own tour guide. Our guide was a young fellow from Egypt and he was well rehearsed in the history of the original League of Nations which became the United Nations after the 2nd world war. The building itself is impressive with 33 major conference rooms…we saw only 4. First a general meeting room where we were explained how meetings were conducted, then the Human Rights room with the famous ceiling by Spanish artist Miguel Barcelo… the multi colored stalactites change color as you move around the room, representing multiple perspectives. Next the largest conference room that seats 2800 delegates and which was being set up for the World Health Organization meetings next week. Finally the original League of Nations Room with the painted frescoes on the walls and ceiling. All throughout the building one strolls past fantastic art that was donated by the 193 member countries. Impressive!

Supper time! Downtown we go on the tram and easily found an authentic Swiss restaurant. Expensive!!! But really delicious. And then a stroll through the “old city” to see the narrow cobblestone streets (Julius Caesar conquered this city a few years B.C. so that gives you and idea how old some of the structures are. The St. Pierre Cathedral was closed for the day (sad face) but the walk along the lake promenade was beautiful. Home for the night and in bed by 9:00.

Next morning dawned bright and beautiful. Mon and I got up early and let Ryan sleep in as we went for a walk to Notre-Dame de Geneva Cathedral right around the block. We caught the tail end of a mass and enjoyed the acoustics as the congregation sang the closing song. Hauntingly ethereal. After they left, we took our photos. The sun was pouring in through the east windows casting multi colored rainbows across the church.

Collecting Ryan, we went for breakfast and then walked across the Rhone River (outflow from Lake Geneva) to the old city where we had been last evening. This morning, St. Pierre Cathedral was open (happy face). Dating to the 4th century, it has a Romanesuqe style. Simple and bright, the windows are under stated compared to other cathedrals we have seen. Still a lovely church. Neat to see several student artists there sketching the windows.

We strolled back to our hotel along the same lake-front promenade we walked yesterday. This morning, the jet fountain in the lake was shooting water 200 ft. into the air as the morning sun sparkled through in the mist. VERY nice! We also visited the Brunswick Monument, commemorating Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand (duke of Brunswick… a state of the Holy Roman Empire in Prussia in the 1700’s).

At by noon it was time to leave. We caught the train to Milan and thoroughly enjoyed the ride along Lake Geneva with its many vinyards sloping down to the shoreline. Down through the valley we passed beautiful and exotic villages (like Stresa) on the shores of long narrow lakes framed by the snow capped peaks of the Alps. We were charmed beyond amazement, almost like being hypnotized.

Brace yourselves… we have arrived! No delays, smooth flight, nice weather here (cool but clear), no sad faces at all. First impression? The locals here are really nice, stopping to help with directions and most speak English and smile, ammused at my very bad French.

We found our apartment where Timothe, Violet and baby Sarah were waiting for us. We settled in quickly and set out on foot to explore the neighborhood.  First up and right around the corner from our apartment, the magnificent white Sacre Coeur church. Built in the 1800s on the highest point in Montmartre, it is essentially a circular church with 360 degrees of stained glass, sculptures and painted frescoes. We climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the dome for a breathtaking view all across Paris. Wonderful! Although busy enough, the massive crowds of summer tourists have not arrived yet so we could move around easily.

Next we strolled through the art district enjoying the artists interacting with tourists, past the Moulin Rouge burlesque club in the red light district (totally respectable, at least on a Saturday afternoon), past beautiful gardens in full bloom, all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. Here, Napoleon gloriously marched his army after conquering most of Europe and declaring himself Emperor in the early 1800s. The Arc is a stunning structure with incredible sculptures inside and out. The Champs Elysees (main Paris thorough fare) runs under the Arc and straight to the Louvre Museum 4 km east in the heart of the city.

We strolled back toward our apartment, purchased some fresh fruit and pastries, found a pizza takeout, bought a nice bottle of wine and turned in for the day… tired and happy. The forecast for tomorrow looks great for more sightseeing.