Friday, January 11, 2008

Where In The World Have I Been? PART III

Rome, ItalyI think I walked the most in Rome, a very bustling city with a mystifying conglomeration of the old and the new. Ancient ruins are still being discovered, it was so odd to be walking along and come across new excavations right in the middle of town.
The Ancient Roman Forum:
The ColosseumIt's a strange feeling to be among such old remains. (That's my shadow on the wall btw)Fragment from the past:

The Vatican:It felt like I walked for miles down these elaborately decorated hallways in search of the Sistine Chapel:The Pantheon:

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Where In The World Have I Been? PART II

I was in Florence, Italy for Christmas, it was lovely there:
The Duomo is gigantic and so ornate!
Interior of the Duomo:
The Fountain of NeptuneKeeping watch:The Lucky Bronze Boar:I really liked these little produce markets:
How cute is this!These marble sculptures are so lifelike, it's amazing to think they are made of stone.Lookout David!
Don't worry, that's just a copy, I saw the real David indoors, he was very impressive ; )

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Where In The World Have I Been? PART I

Well, I just returned from an amazing three weeks in Europe! It was my first time overseas and I'm really glad I was finally able to go : ) I walked alot(pretty much all day long) and saw so many incredible things! It was such an inspiring and overwelming experience and it will definitely take a while for it to all sink in. I visited three countries: spending a week in Paris, France, then went to Italy, staying in Florence and Rome, and finally to Berlin and Frankfurt in Germany.
Thought I would share some photos from my journey beginning with Paris:

The Notre Dame was just around the corner from where we stayed:
View from atop the Notre Dame:Gargoyles are awesome!
Our apartment was on this quaint little street next to an old Gothic cathedral-it's so surreal to walk outside your door and see gargoyles staring down at you!
The Louvre-It's huge! It was really inspiring to finally see all the art I learned about in school up close. There is so much to see, I got lost in there(I did find Mona Lisa ; ). I visited the Musée d'Orsay as well-I loved seeing all the Impressionism there.
French pastries are so pretty(and yummy!) ; )
The Musée National du Moyen Age had all sorts of medieval art including the beautiful Unicorn Tapestries which were really incredible to see up close.
I thought this guy was cool!
The Sainte-Chapelle:
All of the cathedrals were so magnificent and intricate, walking inside them really envelops you in a state of wonder! Pictures just can't do them justice...Detail of the wall:
Of course no Paris trip is complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower which I went to the very top of. It was really high and really cold but awesome to see all of Paris at night!
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! More pictures from Italy and Germany to come....hopefully I'll get over this jet lag soon...