Traveling to Paris

The landing at the Beauvais Airport in Paris was rough. It was late at night, around 11pm, and the air was fridged. After a chaotic cab ride to the hostel, we finally made it to the hostel and recharged for the next 4 days of one of the most memerable times of my life.

Paris was bigger than I had ever imagined. The city streets and the buildings that lined them were much newer than what we were used to here in Urbino. Two way streets, sidewalks, stoplights, these were all things you dont find in the centro storico of Urbino or any other small Italian city. The mornings were glorious. The sun hits the pavement at a different angle than San Antonio (since Urbino is at the longitude of Detroit and Paris is even higher) and casts shadows and reflections with a golden tint.

Our journeys throught Paris were amazing. We walked everywhere we could until we couldnt walk anymore. By day 3 Marco and I were just discovering the convience of the Paris metro system and, if you didnt know, Paris has one of the best metro systems in the world. Our journys led us to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame and so many other places of the city. We saw so many great things along the way also, street venders, clowns, musicians, even a full orchestra performance in a small square off of a main road. The little wonders of a city are what makes it so great. Yes the monuments were amazing and each an experience of its own, but the best experiences for me where walking the bautiful, busy streets of Paris.

As we stood atop the Eiffel Tower, we noticed a completely new and modern city far in the distance of the citys edge. This struck our curiosity and in a last minute decision, Marco and I decided to hop on a metro towards Le Defense, or what some might call "the new Paris". The ride there was quick, about 15 mins with the excellent metro system. It was approaching dark when we arrived and the sky scrapers began to light their interiors. As we turned the corner of the subway stairs, we were in the middle of the city in a large square surrounded by flashing lights, skyscrapers and the epic Grand Arch.

If you decide to go to Paris, I would suggest taking an evening to see Le Defense. It was the perfect way to end our trip! As our journey came to an end in Paris, we were packing and preparing for our next destination, Barcelona Spain. I was sad to leave Paris. I had never experienced a city in such a way. I had been to many large cities, but none as warm and inviting as Paris expecially one that offered so many things to enjoy. It would have taken months to see everything. I will take those amazing 4 days with me as I continue my life journey, and someday I will be back in Paris, walking its beautiful busy streets once again. -Daniel L.

Rome, Italy (Part I)

We arrived in Rome about 10:30 a.m. tuesday, November the 8th. We took the metro, which was better than walking, to the hotel which was located next to the Vatican Musuem. We broke for lunch and our meeting point was Piazza del Popolo.This piazza name is translated into the "peoples square"; it was also the starting point to modern day Rimini. It was an amazing place to be, in the center lies an Egyptian Obelisk, which is beautiful in itself. There is also fountains on either side of the piazza.
Soon after the discussing about the piazza, the weather got the best of us. Gathered under the arch, we had no choice but to buy umbrellas from the street vendors. Our next stop was one of the buildings I was waiting to see this whole trip, The Pantheon. I had seen it before we arrive in Urbino, but it was amazing to see it in the rain. It was also dark, which made it a memorable experience. I walked in only to see the center blocked off due to the rain falling down from the oculus. I saw The Pantheon when it was sunny outside, which was amazing, but its a whole other experience when its raining. The building itself is massive, once you walk in, you can't help but walk around with your jaw to the ground.The second day, we started the day off at the Roman Forum to do some sketching. I had seen this area from the outside, and walking in to see all this ruins was something else. Everywhere you look, there is something to see; a fragment of a cornice, a Corinthian capital, pieces of buildings, etc. After about an hour or so sketching and exploring the Forum, the highlight of day was a couple minutes away. From a distance, it over powers everything around it, its height soars over the surrounding context, and its history is conveyed through its material. The Colosseum is one amazing feat, illustrating one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.The interior of the Colosseum is a whole other story, it conveys the feeling of hearing thousands of Romans screaming and cheering overlooking the event that was occuring. As I walked around, I was confused and at the same time amazed on how they achieved the construction of this building. The center of the Colosseum shows about one-third of what the stage would look like back in the Roman times. Knowing that this building has survived from the time it was completed in 80 A.D. is just mind blowing! A magnificent work of architecture and a must see building when in Rome.