Friday, September 19, 2008
Last Post from Overseas
Renee and I leave Roma for home in the morning. This has been an amazing trip. I’ve seen and learned so much as you can tell from the photos! I just wanted to write one last time from Europe to say that I miss you all and I’ll see you soon. Thanks for reading and taking this trip with us. It’s been great to know that friends and family have been with us the entire time. If you have any questions about something I’ve said or a picture you’ve seen, please don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll be sure to fill you in. Look for another post or two as a trip wrap up within the next day or two. Ciao!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Breathtaking - The best for last
Our train from Florence was a bit delayed for whatever reason trains are delayed so we didn’t arrive in the ancient city of Rome until around 2pm instead of the intended 12pm. Needless to say, we were anxious to get going since we’d missed 2 hours of prime sightseeing time. Side note, our hotel room has a beautiful terrace!
Not sure how we swung that but who’s complaining.
We’ve completed a whirlwind first day here in Rome and I must say, the things we’ve seen are truly blowing my mind to bits! We walked around the Colosseum (not intentionally… we plan to really take some time with it tomorrow morning), visited the Pantheon, strolled through squares and plazas, took a breather by the unbelievable Trevi Fountain, and finally made it to the Spanish Steps.
The Colosseum has an amazing ability to draw people to it. Its got a soul (if you can imagine a building having a soul) that is so powerful its hard to explain.
We haven’t been inside yet but I am really looking forward to being up-close and personal. I don’t know if I just missed out on the history class, but I didn’t realize that Rome is literally littered with ruins! Its amazing and beautiful… So much history. Not the kind of history that we are used… but thousands of years of history. The structures that we saw today were 2000 years old… still standing!
The Pantheon (for Pan = all and Theos = the gods, originally a temple for worshiping your god of choice) is said to be the best preserved ancient structure among the many that are found here. You can tell from the pictures, it’s just lovely. So perfectly structured…original granite columns in the front and a dome that others have tried to imitate for millennia are just a couple of the features. It was saved from ruin status because of the Christian church’s decision to turn the building into a church thus making it acceptable for the faith. It’s the only ancient structure that has been in use since inception. The pictures cant really do it full justice. You have to go there and just sit within the ancient walls to truly feel the presence and absord the magnitude of the structure. The dome is huge, the columns are magnificent… its truly a site.
I wish you all could see this. Everyone Should see this.
Not sure how we swung that but who’s complaining.
We’ve completed a whirlwind first day here in Rome and I must say, the things we’ve seen are truly blowing my mind to bits! We walked around the Colosseum (not intentionally… we plan to really take some time with it tomorrow morning), visited the Pantheon, strolled through squares and plazas, took a breather by the unbelievable Trevi Fountain, and finally made it to the Spanish Steps.
The Colosseum has an amazing ability to draw people to it. Its got a soul (if you can imagine a building having a soul) that is so powerful its hard to explain.
We haven’t been inside yet but I am really looking forward to being up-close and personal. I don’t know if I just missed out on the history class, but I didn’t realize that Rome is literally littered with ruins! Its amazing and beautiful… So much history. Not the kind of history that we are used… but thousands of years of history. The structures that we saw today were 2000 years old… still standing!
The Pantheon (for Pan = all and Theos = the gods, originally a temple for worshiping your god of choice) is said to be the best preserved ancient structure among the many that are found here. You can tell from the pictures, it’s just lovely. So perfectly structured…original granite columns in the front and a dome that others have tried to imitate for millennia are just a couple of the features. It was saved from ruin status because of the Christian church’s decision to turn the building into a church thus making it acceptable for the faith. It’s the only ancient structure that has been in use since inception. The pictures cant really do it full justice. You have to go there and just sit within the ancient walls to truly feel the presence and absord the magnitude of the structure. The dome is huge, the columns are magnificent… its truly a site.
I wish you all could see this. Everyone Should see this.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Birthplace of the Renaissance
I’m sure you can tell I’ve been slowing down lately with the writing… I’m losing steam as we get closer to the end of the trip… but we are still doing just as much and I am taking just as many pictures so don’t worry… things are being recorded in one way or another. Just expect more bullet point lists and photo only posts. :)
As Renée let on, we spent much of yesterday climbing the steps of the Duomo, a cathedral in the city center. The building is beautiful and the view from the top is even more magnificent.
Today we had the opportunity to see Michelangelo’s sculpture of David currently located in The Gallery of the Accademia di Belle Arti (Accademia Gallery). The sculpture was beautiful and the thought that he sculpted the figure from a huge block of marble at the age of 26 is even more amazing. It was a truly breath taking experience. Unfortunately we weren’t able to take pictures in the museum but If you click here you’ll be able to see a picture of the sculpture: David
We’ve also taken a bus tour of the city,
visited the Boboli Gardens (Giardino di Boboli) , and Walked around a lot to truly gain a real perspective of this City of the Renaissance. The city is beautiful. The art is magnificent. The food isn’t that great from what we’ve had but you can’t win them all. Take a look at some of the pictures below. We’ll see you in Rome tomorrow. Good Night.
Gerrae
As Renée let on, we spent much of yesterday climbing the steps of the Duomo, a cathedral in the city center. The building is beautiful and the view from the top is even more magnificent.
Today we had the opportunity to see Michelangelo’s sculpture of David currently located in The Gallery of the Accademia di Belle Arti (Accademia Gallery). The sculpture was beautiful and the thought that he sculpted the figure from a huge block of marble at the age of 26 is even more amazing. It was a truly breath taking experience. Unfortunately we weren’t able to take pictures in the museum but If you click here you’ll be able to see a picture of the sculpture: David
We’ve also taken a bus tour of the city,
visited the Boboli Gardens (Giardino di Boboli) , and Walked around a lot to truly gain a real perspective of this City of the Renaissance. The city is beautiful. The art is magnificent. The food isn’t that great from what we’ve had but you can’t win them all. Take a look at some of the pictures below. We’ll see you in Rome tomorrow. Good Night.
Gerrae
Monday, September 15, 2008
Live from FLORENCE!
Salve!
This is Skinny Brown Girl Checking in! (Gerrae's Sis) :)
I've made it to Italy! I truly would love to write a long post however trekking accross Florence and walking up the 463 steps within the Duomo... Either way, to save time and hold on to the little energy I still have I will list the top 5 most notworthy things that Gerrae and I did/viewed today...(in no particular order!)
1. As I said before, today we visited one of the most important sites Florence offers to its tourists and natives alike... The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, which is the cathedral church "Duomo" of Florence. The basilica is notable for its dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.
Today we waited for a good hour to get the chance to walk up all 463 steps to the top of the dome, to view the UNBELIEVABLE paintings on the ceiling as well as the AMAZING view of all Florence which we viewed at upon reaching the top. Pictures to come, when Im not so ready to say Buonanotte (hhehe). p.s. I know I typed those adjectives in all caps, but seriously...everything was really that 'cap-worthy' :)
2. I'm actually picking up on the language pretty well! My only mix up thus far has been asking for my check at a restaurant and saying, "il contE, per favore" instead of, "il contO, per favore" ...I dont know what I actually said, but the waitor looked at me so oddly, I prob. said something crazy like, "chicken please."
ok...i wanted to write 5 but im so tired im only writing 2 for now...I know, geez, sorry...im in ITALY!!! what do you want me to do? lol..... GRAZIE! BUONANOTTE!.... Thank you! Goodnight!!!
This is Skinny Brown Girl Checking in! (Gerrae's Sis) :)
I've made it to Italy! I truly would love to write a long post however trekking accross Florence and walking up the 463 steps within the Duomo... Either way, to save time and hold on to the little energy I still have I will list the top 5 most notworthy things that Gerrae and I did/viewed today...(in no particular order!)
1. As I said before, today we visited one of the most important sites Florence offers to its tourists and natives alike... The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, which is the cathedral church "Duomo" of Florence. The basilica is notable for its dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.
Today we waited for a good hour to get the chance to walk up all 463 steps to the top of the dome, to view the UNBELIEVABLE paintings on the ceiling as well as the AMAZING view of all Florence which we viewed at upon reaching the top. Pictures to come, when Im not so ready to say Buonanotte (hhehe). p.s. I know I typed those adjectives in all caps, but seriously...everything was really that 'cap-worthy' :)
2. I'm actually picking up on the language pretty well! My only mix up thus far has been asking for my check at a restaurant and saying, "il contE, per favore" instead of, "il contO, per favore" ...I dont know what I actually said, but the waitor looked at me so oddly, I prob. said something crazy like, "chicken please."
ok...i wanted to write 5 but im so tired im only writing 2 for now...I know, geez, sorry...im in ITALY!!! what do you want me to do? lol..... GRAZIE! BUONANOTTE!.... Thank you! Goodnight!!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
To Florence
Im in the Prague airport waiting for my flight. I have over 3 hours to wait but I figured it was better to travel with people that had earlier flights than to try to get to the airport on my own.
Renee has landed in Rome. This Czech keyboard is VERY strange so I cant really show my excitement.
If I were to try to type normally, that sentence would look like this
This Cyech Kezboard is verz strange so I cant reallz show mz excitement.z is a y and y is a z on here... all the symbols are all over the place.
Anyway, as always, I will try to get some final thoughts about Prauge together as soon as possible.
See you in Florence with Renee. Yaay
Renee has landed in Rome. This Czech keyboard is VERY strange so I cant really show my excitement.
If I were to try to type normally, that sentence would look like this
This Cyech Kezboard is verz strange so I cant reallz show mz excitement.z is a y and y is a z on here... all the symbols are all over the place.
Anyway, as always, I will try to get some final thoughts about Prauge together as soon as possible.
See you in Florence with Renee. Yaay
Friday, September 12, 2008
Prague is... Interesting
We’ve been spending most of our time in lectures for the past two days. We did an evening tour of the city last night and a tour of the Prague Castle today so I do have some pictures.
The lectures have proven to be interesting. Some random facts learned include the fact that the Czech Republic has the highest about of Beer Consumption per capita of any country in the world (including Ireland.) The country also has the lowest level of poverty of any country. This statistic doesn’t mean that the country is rich however. Its just means that basic needs (healthcare, University, etc.) are subsidized or completely paid for by the government. School is comletely paid for and Insurance is paid for if need be. Children have free insurance as do all students up to the age of 26.
My favorite was a presentation by a Johnson and Johnson representative from the Czech Republic branch. He spoke a lot about health care in the Czech Republic which I know is of interest to you, mom. So I took some notes. So the current look of the healthcare system is quite different from the one proposed by folks looking toward healthcare reform within the country. Currently, people don’t pay for health insurance, however ALL people are required to have it and if they cant afford it then the government provides it for them. There are only 10 “sickness funds” or insurance companies in the country. Some are privately owned and some are state owned but there is virtually no difference in the health care provided by either. There are also privately and publicly owned hospitals of which there is also no difference between the two. Hospitals see virtually no one-day or same-day surgery patients. Most people feel that in-house patient care is extended far to long in most cases. 50% of insurance funds go toward inpatient care. Women who have babies stay in the hospital for at least a week. Reform suggestions would increase out of pocket payments, decrease emergency room visits, and increase same-day surgeries and patient’s requirement to pay for some prescriptions. Currently only Generic drugs exist and there are no drug manufacturers in Prague. If you go to a drug store, EVERYTHING is behind counters and it is expected that you ask the pharmacist questions before choosing your medicine. (even “over-the-counter” type meds). Pricing of medication is done in clusters so there is no competition between pharmacies. Reform would also bring a decrease in reimbursement for drugs, standardization of healthcare practices (currently there are none) and out of pocket payments for any portion of drug prices about cluster determined rates. Oh last thing about healthcare… Nurses and Doctors make very little money. To put it into perspective, Bankers make 3 times as much as Doctors in the Czech Republic.
Here are a few pictures from today’s trip to the castle.
I also checked out another vegetarian restaurant (Radost). It was definitely very different from the restaurants in Munich. This one was a bar/club/vegetarian restaurant. It was a very strange mix that seemed to work well for the people there though I don’t know if outsiders would really dig it. The crowed was kinda punkish and bohemian (weird I’m actually in Bohemia right now…) but they were happy among themselves. I enjoyed the experience and the food was excellent. The part of town was a bit grimy though. I think it was because it was nighttime, but Prague certainly doesn’t have the same feel of comfort in the evenings that Munich has. I took the train to the restaurant (it was only one stop away) but the experience didn’t flow as nicely. I found myself clutching my bad tighter than in Munich and watching my back the entire time. (Rhodney’s voice was in my head… “you gotta pay attention to EVERYTHING so you don’t get disoriented and lost!”)Nevertheless, no problems at all.
...but I probably wouldn’t venture out there alone in the evening again. This city isn’t an “alone in the evening” type of city… despite what the locals tell you. Its more real and raw… more like back home actually…
Good night all.
The lectures have proven to be interesting. Some random facts learned include the fact that the Czech Republic has the highest about of Beer Consumption per capita of any country in the world (including Ireland.) The country also has the lowest level of poverty of any country. This statistic doesn’t mean that the country is rich however. Its just means that basic needs (healthcare, University, etc.) are subsidized or completely paid for by the government. School is comletely paid for and Insurance is paid for if need be. Children have free insurance as do all students up to the age of 26.
My favorite was a presentation by a Johnson and Johnson representative from the Czech Republic branch. He spoke a lot about health care in the Czech Republic which I know is of interest to you, mom. So I took some notes. So the current look of the healthcare system is quite different from the one proposed by folks looking toward healthcare reform within the country. Currently, people don’t pay for health insurance, however ALL people are required to have it and if they cant afford it then the government provides it for them. There are only 10 “sickness funds” or insurance companies in the country. Some are privately owned and some are state owned but there is virtually no difference in the health care provided by either. There are also privately and publicly owned hospitals of which there is also no difference between the two. Hospitals see virtually no one-day or same-day surgery patients. Most people feel that in-house patient care is extended far to long in most cases. 50% of insurance funds go toward inpatient care. Women who have babies stay in the hospital for at least a week. Reform suggestions would increase out of pocket payments, decrease emergency room visits, and increase same-day surgeries and patient’s requirement to pay for some prescriptions. Currently only Generic drugs exist and there are no drug manufacturers in Prague. If you go to a drug store, EVERYTHING is behind counters and it is expected that you ask the pharmacist questions before choosing your medicine. (even “over-the-counter” type meds). Pricing of medication is done in clusters so there is no competition between pharmacies. Reform would also bring a decrease in reimbursement for drugs, standardization of healthcare practices (currently there are none) and out of pocket payments for any portion of drug prices about cluster determined rates. Oh last thing about healthcare… Nurses and Doctors make very little money. To put it into perspective, Bankers make 3 times as much as Doctors in the Czech Republic.
Here are a few pictures from today’s trip to the castle.
I also checked out another vegetarian restaurant (Radost). It was definitely very different from the restaurants in Munich. This one was a bar/club/vegetarian restaurant. It was a very strange mix that seemed to work well for the people there though I don’t know if outsiders would really dig it. The crowed was kinda punkish and bohemian (weird I’m actually in Bohemia right now…) but they were happy among themselves. I enjoyed the experience and the food was excellent. The part of town was a bit grimy though. I think it was because it was nighttime, but Prague certainly doesn’t have the same feel of comfort in the evenings that Munich has. I took the train to the restaurant (it was only one stop away) but the experience didn’t flow as nicely. I found myself clutching my bad tighter than in Munich and watching my back the entire time. (Rhodney’s voice was in my head… “you gotta pay attention to EVERYTHING so you don’t get disoriented and lost!”)Nevertheless, no problems at all.
...but I probably wouldn’t venture out there alone in the evening again. This city isn’t an “alone in the evening” type of city… despite what the locals tell you. Its more real and raw… more like back home actually…
Good night all.
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