Rome - Eternally appealing

I flew out of Barcelona and into Rome, more out of necessity than any real desire to see the place, for me it was the easiest connection for Belgrade and hence I found myself staying there two nights. From the outset there was nothing appealing or particularly interesting about Rome - in my mind, meaning essentially that I'd never romanticised the place, never felt the desire to go and check things out. Not that I particularly dislike Italians, I don't at all, they can be melodramatic but eh, I can take that or leave it.

Flying on a late nighter out of Girona I had a group of twenty or so young twenty-somethings or late teens, flying back in I assume from a 'boys' outing in Barcelona. They were boisterous, slightly obnoxious and admittedly got under my skin. For some reason I wasn't in the mood at all and had any of those dimwits sparked something with me I would have appreciated the value behind taking a swing.

Strolling through customers and out into the Rome evening my driver was frantically waving a sign, 'Mr Elisher', 'Why yes, that would be me'. I threw my bags into the back of the car and we were off, driving into the night. Strangely and unexpectedly this is where my perception of Rome started to shift. We had been driving for a little while and I assume had made up some ground to the city centre, motoring down a relatively small road, tree lined, it kind of reminded me of a late night country road sojourn. I momentarily had an uneasy feeling that this dude was taking me somewhere completely foreign until we made a right hander and drove directly under what looked like an ancient town wall, Aurelian walls perhaps, I can't be sure. From the moment we drove under those walls the scenery changed and snapped into an urban landscape was absolutely fascinating, a mixture of Renaissance and Baroque. Very unlike a typical European capital city and I imagine the reasoning being that it escaped relatively unscathed from World War II.

As we drove in the driver did his darndest to point out the sites even though his English was extremely patchy but that was cool also, he was doing his absolute best to show off his town and I was loving it. I can't remember everything that he showed me but as we took a spin around the Colloseum I gasped, it was truly a magnificent site. Then he mentioned something that totally spun me out, we were 'effectively' in the centre of Rome and whilst saying that he pointed to an area on his left and said something about the ruins of 'Ancient Rome'....dude, are you kidding me ? This all looks like Ancient Rome to me, where is the city !! LOL. That as I was to discover IS ROME, the Ancient is preserved as best as it could be done and it had me in awe almost immediately. I've got to add it here, but if Paris is a city of museums then Rome itself is a museum and I guess that's the best I can describe the difference between them.

Shortly we past some enormous structure, the Vittoriano I believe, although colloquially known as the Wedding Cake or Typewriter due to its gaudy look and overwhelming size, totally blocking out the view of Ancient Rome. In the day I recognised why many people thought this but on first site it was impressive under lights. A few turns later we were running down cobblestone streets and pulling up in front of the Trevi B&B. It didn't take long, just the short drive from the airport to my accommodation but I had fallen for Rome already.

I walked into a beautifully decorated 17th century building simply buzzing. This place was unbelievable and now I was kicking myself that I only had a day to spin around the city and take in the sites the next day. Although with that said, it was only 1am and hey, I had all morning if I wanted it. I dropped my bags off and took a walk down to Fontana de Trevi, not more that 50 metres away from the front door of where I was staying.

The moment I saw the fountain was one that I'll always remember. I guess not knowing an awful lot about a place and being surprised is the way to go.

Trevi fountain at night

It was brilliant, a small little square, an incredible design and such atmosphere. To provide a short background, in 1629 the then Pope, Urban VIII, requested that a new fountain be designed so as to replace the old fountain in the area. The fountain marks the terminal point for of the modern Acqua Vergine, the revivified Aqua Virgo, one of the ancient aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. It was not until 1762 that the structure was actually completed. Of course, along with the fountain goes the Two coin toss tradition - one for a speedy return to Rome and the other to find the 'one true love', and so it is, my coins were cast with those hopes firmly given to the fountain to take under consideration.

Making the most of the night I made my way a little distance to the Spanish Steps or in Italian, Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti. I've got to say, I know nothing about the background of the stairs, why they were built or what they represent but hey, I've seen them in movies a few times and the idea of 'lovers meeting' by the steps or on them is very, very true. It was a kiss-a-thon all round, lol.

The Spanish Steps

Walking back to Trevi B&B I felt the compulsion to just keep moving, it was approximately 2am but I thought what better time to have the city to myself and see some of the sites without a crowd. My next stop was in fact the Wedding Cake, and as I mentioned earlier, under lights it was truly a spectacular structure. Knowing now the view it blocks is an absolute shame but I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

My walk continued down the main road after this, basically retracing my drive from much earlier in the night. Like Paris with the Eiffel Tower, Sydney with the Opera House or New York with the Statue of Liberty, the Colloseum is synonymous with Rome and at 3am, with not a soul on the streets, it was about as majestic as it could get. I'm not sure if the pictures do it justice but it's definitely a memory I'll always treasure.

What an awe inspiring place, to be in the presence of such history, to realise the time that this structure had endured was remarkable. I mean I'm not usually taken aback my such places but the Colloseum and Angkor Wat just leave you speechless.

With great difficulty I made it back to the Trevi B&B, don't know how I managed that (another story in itself) but lets just say that at the point of 'relief' I was a second or two away from a near fatal disaster. Still feeling the thrill of being captured by the impressions that this city had already given up, I walked back down to the fountain and took a few more shots. The one below is from the back of the fountain looking out onto the square. From memory it was pretty close to 4am but it's one place in the city where in Summer you'll always find someone strolling around. I guess Rome is just that type of place.

Barcelona - guerilla style

If you don't look up you'll miss it but this shot of an 'iron man' hanging from a pole is fantastic. There's a square at the end of Las Ramblas and from memory this was a little bit past that. Not sure if there's a name for this piece or not but there you have it.

Barcelona's Archer

We all remember it right, one of the most spectacular moments in Olympic history occurred when Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo took his shot once in a lifetime shot and lit the Olympic cauldron from the track of the Estadi Olympic in Barcelona. For all those that want to know, the trajectory was such that the flame did not actually land in the cauldron but it was already so 'gassed' up that if you had banged two rocks together and generated any spark from 10 metres it would have ignited. As a sports fanatic of course I get a thrill from visiting places such as these and as Olympic Opening Ceremonies go this moment on the 26th of July, 1992 is probably the most memorable.

Camp Nou - home of Barca

Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe, home to FC Barcelona, one of the most famous and proudest of sporting teams in Europe. It's a magnificent place and yes, again, I'm biased but walking through the players tunnel from the changes rooms and out onto the touch line was such a thrill for me. It's as close as I'll ever get to experiencing the real thing. Just to imagine a capacity crowd of nearly 100,000 people, perhaps a game where you're playing a World Cup final or European championship final - well, all boyhood dreams and thoughts, all of which still gave me goosebumps.

Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

An Antoni Gaudi structure, building of which commenced in 1882 and continues to this date, still twently plus years from being complete. It's truly a masterpiece, a magnificent gothic style building that leave you in absolute awe.

Casa Mila

Casa Mila is a another building designed by Antoni Gaudi, completed anywhere between 1910-1912. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to go in but it is another truly ingenious building which is now deservedly a UNESCO World Heritage site. The interior and room are incredible pieces, more lending themselves to Surrealist ideas than anything particularly Gothic. Never the less, something well worth seeing, and something I'll investigate further on my return here.

Gothic quarter

The Gothic quarter of Barcelona is the place to explore and get lost in the wine bars, cafes and restaurants. This is definitely built for good 'ole partying. I so wish that I had a few friends with me, I wouldn't have been in the hotel for more than 30 mins each day, a change of clothes, a shower and back out onto this dreamworld.

Barcelona Telefonica Tower - Olympic precinct


My last day in Barcelona was the standard touristic venture of jumping on a bus and seeing all the well known places of the city. Barcelona was unfortunately only a short stay with me but there's something nearly tangible about its 'sultry' atmosphere. It's a seductress, a temptress and it takes you in whole. This is most definitely the place to let your hair down and have a good time. Any place where nightly 'kick-off' starts at midnight has definitely got something going for it.

Barcelona - The town that Gaudi built

You know, sometimes I get the feeling that town, cities or countries have colours, for example, Marrakech and Fez felt like they should have been wrapped in burgundy, purple and chocolate. Paris felt like shades of blue dependant on it's mood and Barcelona, well, it was like a rich sunset, oranges, reds etc. So, if I had to pick a shot that was most representative of the feel that Barcelona had for me, it would be the one below.

That's Barcelona for me, a sunset that's fiery, colourful, passionate, inspiring - something that just envelopes you. Each city is special of course and there's elements of each that are unique, intruiging and wonderous...and I have to admit, Barcelona wasn't even my favourite city but it's mood and temprement was perhaps the one that I most associated with. Other times it's not even the physical side of a city but the landscapes and the atmosphere that the music or art creates, sometimes it's that which you find most endearing, triggering those neurons in your mind.

So, my second day in Barcelona started with a stroll down on the few kms of beaches down at la Barceloneta. Not the most amazingly beautiful place but impressive in its proximity to the centre.
Homenatge a la Barceloneta

After strolling for a few hours I headed down to the Harbour Cable Car which cuts across Barcelona harbour and provides some of the most amazing views of the city. I'd got to admit, the cable car looked particularly old school and the type of rickety structure that was bound to make global headlines for collapsing in 5km per hour winds. Never the less, I'm never one to shirk my responsibilities for taking on things that are dangerous (even of the danger is only created in my mind, lol). Without question though, the views were spectacular and the trip across the harbour well worth the experience.

You know, am not in the mood so much right now to add too much more about where I went and what I did. I can say that the experiences, landscapes, the sights, sounds, people etc, formulate the impressions and feelings that you always carry with you. It might be 'travel wankery' as some people term it but I truly believe that term to be less about what travel imparts and more about either the jealousy or fear that other people carry about with them - that's cool with me, because I'm not one of them and I'm happy to be that. So, without further adieu, I present my imagines of Barcelona from day two :)

Street performer - Las Ramblas

Barcelona - Vicky Cristina

My last morning in Paris was spent wondering along the Seine, drinking a few too many cups of coffee, absorbing the sights, sounds and as much of everything else that was on offer. Unfortunately, once the strike of 12:00pm came around I jumped aboard my mini-bus shuttle and was heading out of Paris to the budget air terminal in Beauvais. Getting out of Paris was surprisingly easy and hitting the countryside even more so, under 30 mins and we were driving through rolling hills and general greenery.

Thanks to Ryan Air I was out of Paris and into Barcelona - Girona airport about 90 mins later. What this meant also was that there was going to be a 100km bus ride into the centre of Barcelona, the duration of which was approximately 20mins less than the entire Paris-Barcelona flight.

Now, some cities have a few 'grand entrances', others have iconic buildings that leave you speechless - Barcelona has the The Torre Agbar (Agbar Tower) which is 144 metres tall and designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. It's certainly an interesting building, an a surprising one considering its immediate surrounds.

The Torre Agbar - aka, the disco dildo

I assume with all the clicking of cameras and the little sniggers in the bus most people were thinking exactly the same thing.

Now driving into Barcelona itself was kind of interesting, immediate impressions were that it was a little ram shackled, edgier and definitely grittier than Madrid....it also has that 'cool' vibe, like the city knows that it's 'alternative', if that's what you'd like to call it. Really, the comparison between Barcelona and Madrid is chalk and cheese, whereas Barcelona is more overtly attractive, Madrid has it interwoven within its make up. Although as I'd come to find out, Barcelona has it's own character and attitude wrapped up within its streets, sights, sounds and people.

Now the hotel I was staying at was the h10 montcada, right on the edge of the Gothic area. As I go into town right on sunset I headed upstairs to the rooftop bar to have a few drinks, watch the sun go down and to take a couple of photos. Have got to say, it was particularly beautiful that afternoon and some of the best shots that I took from my time away came from that little while on the roof of the h10.

After enjoying the sunset I made the huge leap across the road and entered into the Barri Gòtic (Ciutat Vella), which is basically an area filled with hundreds of small winding streets, hidden squares, fountains, etc....and as I discovered, many, many very cool bars. Now here's the problem - some places you're comfortable doing solo, there's enough of a certain type of 'trait' that a town has where you don't really need anyone else to enjoy it. This area however was made more for socialising, winding away the hours with bottles of wine, bits and pieces of an enormous variety of food and accommodating the early hours of the next day with a continuance of the current one. Hangovers in Barcelona are not an option, they're expected, thus coping with them is all part of their ethos - now that's cool. Shame there was nobody else around to help me test a few of these places out !! C'mon, where were you all ???

Streets within the Barri Gotic
I love this shot - one of the bars I stopped in

This last shot makes me laugh. I stopped in at a place for some tapas and had some type of salami with pork cheek and a few glasses of red wine. I was already feeling a little light headed by then ...what you can't see however is the route needed to make it to my table. Just behind me is a set of small, tight wooden stairs that go up one floor to this levelled area indoors. The number of people that struggled, tripped and did themselves some damage on the way down was absolutely hilarious.

After eating and drinking my way into the early hours Barcelona kindly asked whether I should start thinking about heading back for 'home', I kindly obliged, but how I wound my way through the streets and actually stumbled to the front door of my hotel I'll never know. I guess even with an intravenous red wine drip I'm still on my orienteering game !

Paris - Bonne nuit Paris

Commissioned by the then French president Francois Mitterand, the Louvre pyramid outside of the Louvre is basically a large glass and metal pyramid, surrounded by three smaller ones within the courtyard of the Louvre museum. I recall that when it was completed in 1989 there seemed to be a lot of controversy regarding it's look, the argument that it clashed with the overall 'look' of the museum etc. I remember seeing it on the news and thinking, you know, it really isn't that bad...and in reality it's not, it certainly adds a new dimension to the area. It's even more spectacular at night but that shot I'll leave for a little later on in this update.

As I've been updating this blog, many months removed from the actual travel that I've undertaken, I've kind of forgotten to mention the dates of travel. To keep track, this was my fourth day in Paris, on the 9th of July, 2008. This was to be my last full day in Paris and in the 'City of museums' why not kick of the last day with the world's best known and perhaps most loved, inclusive of the world's most well known painting.

The Louvre pyramid taken from inside of the Louvre

It would take days, continuously moving through the respective rooms of the Louvre in order to see every piece in the museum. I had a few hours maximum, so of course you pick the 'classics' and 'take them out' in order of priority. Number one on the list the little painting below.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

People always comment on how small the paiting is but for me, after hearing these stories and imagining something miniscule, it's actual size was a surprise - a lot larger than I had imagined. Again, the crowds were there but not the terrifying throngs that I'd imagined either, I generally think that most people are either terribly sensitive, easily irritated or over emphasise their stories for effect. So, what to say about the Mona Lisa - first and foremost her eyes are engaging, compelling and draw you in without effort. It's said that her expression is enigmatic, displaying a certain sense of ambiguity, I think that's right. There's a sense that the person is right on the edge of smiling or perhaps showing a sense of deep love, respect or appreciation for the painter...then when you think of that you realise that it's not a photo and in fact its the creation of the painter, Leonardo, who had this person in his minds eye. Once you consider that then you quickly figure out what sort of genious this represents. It's certainly not the best or most awe inspiring painting but it is by far and away the most engaging.

I'm not sure how long I was in her presence, sometime I imagine, but my next destination was one of the most well recognised sculptures on earth.

Venus de Milo

Recognised as one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture, the Venus de Milo or the Aphrodite of Milos was created somewhwere between 130 and 100 BC and is believed to depict Aphrodite. More famous for its missing arms, that were lost somewhere along the way, the Venus de Milo, unlike the Mona Lisa is underwhelming. Maybe I just don't have a thing for statues or maybe it was where it was positioned. It was in quite a non-descript area, away from all of the other Greek sculptures, just on its lonesome with a handful of people standing about.

I've added a few more of my favourite paintings from the Louvre, most from the Renaissance period, which is any paiting from the 14th-17th century or there abouts. I may have gotten the period incorrect but lets just say, some of the paintings were enormous - some floor to ceiling action by 10mtrs or so, they just left me dumbfounded. I don't have any names of the works but I've added a few below.

After walking around the Louvre for hours and actually quite enjoying myself I thought I'd make a return trip to Monmatre and check out the Dali museum. Surrealism to me is definitely a favourite movement / period and Dali, well he's the King, right ? Unfortunately this museum disappointed me, it was small, didn't have any paitings, had a few lithographs and some photos of Dali, overall, it was lame.

Not to be disappointed, I cruised around Montmatre and decided to try and absorb the feel of the place. I also took up residence and quaint little restaurant and a few reds whilst I reflected on my last two weeks of travel.

My Montmatre pit-stop

Reflections in Red

Let the reflections begin. I sat in this restaurant for a few hours mentally retracing the steps that had brought me here and not even on this journey but I'm talking about the years prior and the decisions, both good and bad that had brought me here to this point. No epiphanies, nothing overly profound, some realisation of regrets and the realisation of opportunities that had presented themselves. I've got to say, I feel more than fortunate to have been able to see the places that I've wanted to over the years or consider myself able to be able to think of seeing certain places without doubting that the opportunity would present itself.

I did manage to drag myself away from a great little afternoon of introspection and walk the streets of Montmatre, appreciating what it had to offer and the discoveries that presented itself in each new street, in each sight. It was a great afternoon.

As the afternoon wound down I made my way down from the village promising myself that I'd have to return relatively soon. I have the an unwritten policy of not wanting to return to a place until such point in time that I've seen all the other places that I've wanted to in the world but hey, Paris is going to have to be another acception. I jumped a train via a few connections to Le Marais area and decided that Chez Robert and Louise would be a fantastic place to revisit and have an evening meal.

Chez Robert & Louise

Oh yeah !! That blood sausage and pork belly was spectacular .....if you're ever there, then do it !

As is common for me, usually when I arrive in a place I like to walk. I tend to see more and feel more when I'm on the ground walking around. As has also been my custom, my last night in a place tends to be reflective and I walk, more absorbing the sights than anything else. As I walked from Le Marais I kind of stumbled into rue St.Denis, or so that's the way I remember it. After a fantastic dinner I decided to step it up a notch with a fantastic creme brulee and a fine, fine cognac - why the hell not I say.

Totally satisfied I hit the streets again and slowly started making the return journey home. I can't exactly remember what I was thinking at the time, swimming in my own thoughts I imagine, but here are a few of the last night shots I took of Paris.

The Louvre at night

Even more slowly I made my way down the Seine and came across Boulevard St.Michel, the home straight for me. Now, as always, sometimes you encounter some of the most intruiging parts of a place a little to late, thus was the case with me and the Latin Quarter. Now this place literally was right underneath my nose but as I walked around the rest of town these small bars, streets, cafes, eateries were just crying out to be discovered. I only wish I hadn't made it there so late, it must have been close to 2am and most of the places were shutting down although the streets were still filled with people, it was amazing.

...and so at that point I had to bid Paris adieu, bonne nuit to an absolutely magic place. Paris for me just fits perfectly into the puzzle of my psyche. Some places you pass through, experience, appreciate for what it offers and then move on for the next adventure. This town I feel is going to stay with me for a while - we're going to become firm friends :)