It's sad to think that all of these experiences are blending together, but it's true. I've been learning just as much about extended traveling as I have about the places I have traveled too. The dichotomy between the two is very interesting. I realize now that I will never have an adequate understanding of the places I visit, only an impression.
Even after spending 4 months in Rome, I have nothing more than an impression of the city. I've tried my best to get to know the city, the people, and the culture, but the more I see the less I know (to quote Micheal Franti).
I'm recognizing my limitations.
I forgot the original intentions of this trip. By trip, I mean study abroad. That's right, I've been calling it a trip now. To call it study abroad would imply that I'm studying. We should just call it being abroad.
I fell behind on my blog posts. But, for me, it is important that I record everything that I do on this trip. Everyone says that 'study' abroad is the greatest experience of their college career. I just want to remember why it was the greatest experience of my college career.
Oh yes, the Veneto weekend trip. I believe I have some pictures to spark my memory.
This guy here is Galileo Galilei and the town you can see behind him is the wonderful little town of Padova. This is where our Veneto weekend started. I should clarify that Veneto is a north-eastern region of Italy and is famous for its capitol city, Venice.
Unfortunately, Venice has overshadowed many of the beautiful towns like Padova. I could tell that there is a bit of animosity between the two when I listened the tour guide talk about Venice with some disdain. Italian towns are very proud; being Italian comes second to being from a particular Italian town.
Each Italian town tends to have a favorite saint. They will dedicate buckets of money, build churches, and even enter into violent skirmishes for their saints. The saint worshiped in Padova is Saint Anthony. He was apparently a great speaker and was one of the quickest to become a Saint, being canonized less than a year after he died. For some reason, he is great to pray to if you've lost something.
The Padova citizens built this, the Basilica of Saint Anthony, for their beloved saint. It was absolutely beautiful, especially inside.
Inside, there was a beautiful, highly-detailed tomb containing the remains of Saint Anthony. This particular feature required a good amount of effort on the behalf of Padova. They had to arrange a voyage into Egypt to steal his body back. When they finally got his tomb back to Padova, they opened it up to see that his tongue and vocal cords had not yet decomposed.
What could make for a better focal piece that that?
In the back of this church, there is a shrine to Saint Anthony. Center stage, soaking in formaldehyde are his vocal cords, his tongue and his jaw.
Strange.
This appeared to be the only main attraction of Padova. However, there was a much larger cathedral in the town which hardly received any attention. The interesting thing about this one is that it is still unfinished. The project was too large and there was not enough money to finish it. Not to mention, the obsession with Saint Anthony had taken over.
I really wanted to check it out.
The unfinished feel of the massive cathedral was very eerie. There were only 4 or 5 people inside this colossal structure. It was cold and dark. The height made me dizzy and the sheer size of the cathedral made the altar seem tiny and even creepier. It was very odd.
Since then, doors have been installed, but it is still the popular gathering spot of the town.
Apparently, there is a popular tradition of gathering around a podium where people are allowed to stand and be heard. When they are done, another person may take the podium and continue the discussion. There was a lot of yelling and gesturing in Italian, which I found to be very entertaining.
The JCU travel group had some dinner and went to bed. My roommate for the night was named Charlie and he was from Wisconsin.
The next morning, while we were waiting for the train to Venice, I met him and his other Wisconsin friends and played a little eucher. It was good to finally meet some card players.
It's sad to see how few college kids actually know any card games. I was looking forward to playing cards in college but the opportunities are surprisingly sparse. Good thing I have a girlfriend who knows how to play cribbage!
The train to Venice was really neat.
Venice (in Italian, Venezia) was one of the few places not inhabited by the Ancient Roman Empire. Not until the fall of the Empire, was it slowly inhabited by island settlers. They gained a presence in the area and an expertise in nautical navigation. Using this expertise, they began to control parts of the Mediterranean. They used their control to gain wealth and they used this wealth to expand the city. Venice quickly became one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, hence one of the most powerful too.
As they grew in population and in wealth, they had to expand their territory. Since they only lived on a series of islands in a lagoon, they had no choice but to artificially expand the islands. Just about everything you walk on in Venice today is an artificial expansion of the original islands. They did this by bringing in timber and slowly submerging them around the island. Wood solidifies underwater and doesn't rot, so after centuries of this process, you finally have what we have today.
A dense mass of buildings placed on artificial islands with tiny waterways everywhere.
No automobiles are allowed in Venice, except for the little parking lot to the west. That doesn't mean there isn't any traffic. In Venice, everything that normally takes place in an automobile is replaced by a nautical vessel. I mean everything! You have water taxis, water buses, water garbage trucks, water supply trucks, personal water crafts, and even the Carabinieri are on the water.
It's really quite fascinating.
Venice today is much different from the Venice of way-back-when. Today it is almost like Disney Land in some places. The tourism here is out of control.
The Venice of way-back-when is very interesting. Just about everyone that lived in Venice was insanely rich. Each family had their own Gondolier and the only way they traveled around the city was by Gondola. The pedestrian friendliness of Venice today is solely a result of tourism: the bridges and the paved streets. Before tourism, the only way to get around was by boat or swimming (nobody really swam). That is why the front sides of the homes and palaces, including the front doors, all face the water! This was their front yard.
Which brings me to the Gondolas. They are every bit as unique as you would imagine them to be. Each one is hand crafted specifically to fit the specific Gondolier. They are all counter balanced so that the Gondolier can stand to one side and keep the boat even. There is a weight in the front to keep the bow down. This weight is shaped to symbolize the 6 main islands of Venice and the one outlying island with 6 notches bunched together in the front and one by itself on the back. Finally, the central part of the weight is shaped in an S like the grand canal that splits the 6 main islands down the center.
(Credit: http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com)
Originally used to move rich people around Venice, they are now used to move rich tourists around Venice.
Back in the day, all of these gondolas were extravagantly decorated and colored since they were the icons for the rich families of Venice. This ceased to be when the people in charge saw that the decorative competition was getting out of hand. By law, they all had to be colored black, and this tradition has since continued.
My day was mostly spent walking around Venice. I would say that that is the best thing to do there. The streets are very unique and the thousands of little random waterways are very picturesque. I walked through a fish market and the famous San Marco Square. It was all very beautiful. It was also all sinking or falling over (left picture).
My choice for lunch wasn't very difficult. I had a seafood dish with some wine.
I almost missed my train back to Padova since I had underestimated the size of Venice. My friends and I had ended up on the far side of Venice with only a half hour to make it to the train. We made it with 5 minutes to spare.
The train took off and we were all very exhausted. After traversing the scenic bridge back to the mainland, most of the JCU group fell asleep. We returned to Padova and had dinner at the same restaurant as last night. Afterwards, I grabbed a bottle of wine and watched some Italian MTV and some other American movies dubbed into Italian.
The next morning, we were heading to Verona. Unfortunately for me, Verona was made famous by watching the disastrous, train-wreck of a movie, Letters to Juliet. The movie takes place in Verona and spins off of the romantic idea that anyone can write a "letter to Juliet," post it on the wall of the former house of the Capulets, and expect a response. Today, the famous Shakespearean house and balcony has become overrun with tourism, graffiti, and chewing gum.
It was a disappointment.
The rest of Verona was beautiful. Our tour guide brought us to a very beautiful church on a hill across the river which featured a breathtaking view of the city.
Verona, as opposed to Venice, was occupied by the Roman Empire and, due to its corner seat on the river, has been a strategic location for competing powers throughout history. Today, it is famous for really delicious wine and red marble. They have a nearby quarry, so the marble is abundant in the city. In fact, one road, which connects the river to an ancient Roman amphitheater, is paved completely in Marble.
After having lunch and purchasing a bottle of Verona red wine at the market, I visited the old amphitheater. It's very similar to the one in Rome, but it is preserved in a much different way. The Colosseum in Rome is preserved as a Church and as a memorial to the Christians who were persecuted there. The amphitheater in Verona is preserved as a concert hall for classical music, opera, and now popular music. They were both originally used for gladiator fights and other games. Imagine going to a concert in one of these.
Overall, I really enjoyed my short stay in Verona. It's a very beautiful little town.
I watched three movies on the bus ride back home to Rome. I was intent, when I first arrived in Rome, on reading more and watching less. Unfortunately, as I adjusted to my new environment, I reverted to my old habits.
Let's just say that Zoolander is better than I remember it being.
