Lake Como Memories

It has been over three years since my last post. Priorities changed. Life happened. I retreated. I haven’t blogged in years; but this pandemic has me holding on to every moment of happiness that I can find. Things that I had taken for granted have regained their meaning. 

So here I am.

This trip to Lake Como was back in 2019, when life seemed utterly carefree. The fact that I’ve come back to these old pictures during this challenging time, is a testament to how much joy they evoke. The mere thought of sunlight glittering against the water surface lifts me up. Sun-drenched roads. Brief summer rain. Memories of trees heavy with blossoms parade my mind; and I cannot help but smile. I hope that through this post I can share my joy with you and remind you of brighter days.

Thank you for reading!

         

 

The Perfect Whim

Verona was a whim. I had a few days free the following month and my restless soul wanted to wander. Without second thoughts I went to the train station, grabbed a copy of the timetable of departing trains, and randomly picked a destination. Except for Juliet’s Balcony, I had no idea what Verona had to offer, but I figured that with Italy I simply cannot go wrong. I love planning and organizing trips but for Verona I did not do any research at all, which was somewhat unnerving for the plan-freak in me. Yet, spontaneity was the word for the day.

After a comfortable train ride, which offered magnificent views of the countryside, I arrived in Verona with absolutely no expectations. Having no clue as to what was hidden in the city, I embarked upon the quest of discovering it. That’s the beauty of going somewhere unknown. I got to discover places instead of spending the whole day looking for them. I got to see something for the first time in actuality as opposed to seeing them for the first time on my computer screen. It heightened the sense of wonder. Every moment and every place became an experience instead of a checklist I needed to tick off.

I wandered the winding streets, spent the early morning hours reading at a quiet piazza, marveled at the painted facades, and savored my pasta while listening to beautiful Italian music in the background. Verona was an understated beauty; a wonderful place to just relax and be. It was a perfect place to soak in the Italian culture and marvel at it’s history without throngs of tourists pushing their way through the streets. It was a place for gelatos, italian cypress trees, and arched bridges. It was a place to get lost in. Now only if all whims led to such perfection, I’d be the most recklessly carefree person in the world.

Thank you for reading!

Go Feel the World

Go  See  Feel the World!

Come to think of it, if you are an avid traveler most of the tourist attractions seem to all become similar. One old European town is like any other, churches all look the same, and the next beach doesn’t differ from the one you went to a few weeks ago. And let’s not get started on museums. Yes, somehow everything just blends into one. Agree? So how do jaded travelers see the beauty of each place? What makes one suspension bridge uniquely different from all other suspension bridges? What makes that medieval castle just as worth visiting as all the others before it? What’s there to see? 

 
I believe it has less to do with actually seeing a place and more with feeling it. When I go to a new country I don’t start comparing it to all the other places I’ve seen. I want to experience it as though I’ve never left my small hometown before. I love those moments when I realize that this is more than just a tourist attraction and I am not just another tourist passively walking through. When I go up the stairs in the Coliseum in Rome, I think about the ancient Romans walking up the exact same steps to see an actual gladiator fight. On these very steps hundred of years ago, history was taking place, and what connects the present to the past are these stairs that so many tread upon and see but do not feel.

One of my favorite sculptures is “Psyché ranimée par la baiser de l’Amour” by Antonio Canova. When I looked at it for the first time I saw beyond Psyche and Cupid. I saw Antonio Canova. I saw the artist bent over his masterpiece. I could almost hear the chiseling of marble and see the sweat on his furrowed brow. I felt his passion.

Then there’s Juliet’s balcony in Verona. A complete anti-climax if I ever saw one. The garden before her balcony is small and crowded with tourists. The beautiful brick walls that in the movie “Letters to Juliet” were stuffed with letters are in reality full of graffiti and bubblegum, and the alleyway leading to the house is narrow and dingy. And yet, I will tell you to go and visit it! Shakespeare lives on in that place as life was breathed into his fictional characters. Looking up at Juliet’s balcony I don’t just recall that tragic love story but I think of how a young English playwright sat in his room weaving a plot with his inky fingers - and what magic he created with words! 

So the next time you visit a country, don’t just see the place and walk on. Make it alive. Connect with it on a personal level; let it speak to you. Then when you go home you can tell your friends that you didn’t just see the world, but you felt it as well.

Thanks for reading!

Travel Tips :: Vatican

Three things I wish I’d known before I visited Vatican City:

1. Summer Clothing 
----> You are not allowed to wear anything that exposes your thighs and shoulders. Now, i did know this so I wore leggings and a light sweater. What I did not know is that there was a way around this rule. Especially during the hot summer months, we just have to wear something airy and light. Walking around in the searing heat with pants and a sleeved top can become unbearable. Based on experience, my tip would be to wear your normal summer clothing (skirt/shorts/dresses) and then bring a large light scarf/shawl which you could drape over your shoulders or wrap around your legs when entering St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum (Yes! They also check your clothing in the museum). Afterwards, you can easily roll it up and store it away in your bag. No need to sweat for the rest of the day.

2. Waiting in line
----> The queue to St. Peter’s Basilica may look daunting but it’s not half as bad as it looks. The progress was fairly quick. For the Vatican Museum, it is best not to get there before opening time. I was standing in line before it was open and the queue was ridiculously long, going down the entire one side of the museum and right around the block. By the time I came out though (around noon time), the queue was less than half than it was in the morning. Once the museum opens, people are admitted quickly and efficiently.

3. Cupola
----> You can go up to the Cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica. A few people I know didn’t know that this is possible. Luckily, I had the great pleasure of having a priest based in Rome take me and my companions on a private tour around the Vatican. It was like having an insider tell you about all those little secrets the public doesn’t know. He brushed up our history, told anecdotes and pointed out things to us that a regular tourist would have overlooked (like the pope’s window). He told us about the cupola. So, if you are not afraid of heights then take time to got up. You will be treated with a wonderful view of the interior of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican and Rome.

If my tips helped just one person, I’m happy with that! I hope you have a wonderful time! 

Thanks for reading!

To Truly See the Vatican

Once upon a time in a place not so far away is a city state that attracts millions of visitors every year. Hoards of tourists fill its famous square and marvel at the grandness of its basilica. But then between a sojourn in Venice and the wild escapades in Rome, the foolish tourists leave this city state and forget the marvels it has to offer. When they go back home they recount stories of the Coliseum, they recall their romantic gondola ride, and they show pictures of themselves supporting the leaning tower of Pisa; the small city state already forgotten. 

   
Then one day, a newbie blogger spends days wondering which city she should feature on her blog first. She considered top destinations like Paris and London but then opted for that small city state that seems to have been neglected for far too long. 

 
She closed her eyes and tried to relive that summer day as she was rounding the corner and spotting the majestic columns of the square through an arch for the first time. She remembered walking through four rows of towering columns and being in awe. Then she saw the basilica. She thought it looked simple and small in the vast square but when she entered it she promised never to judge something from the outside. 

 
The basilica was art and art was the basilica. 

 
Faith seemed so tangible within those walls and history was speaking from every corner. In her mind’s eye she was standing again before the Pieta, she was sliding her fingers over the mosaic tiles, and she was holding the rails at the top of the cupola and looking at the country and city beyond. It was all beautiful.

 
The newbie blogger resurfaced from her reminiscing, got out her laptop and began to write. She titled the post: “To Truly See the Vatican”. 

 
You have to have a different mindset when you visit the Vatican. Don’t think fun, crazy, adventure or romance. Think culture, history, art, and faith. Think solitude, reflection, and quiet appreciation, and then you will truly see all that this city state has to offer.

Thanks for reading!