Our last days in Rome were spent at the Vatican City. It was an amazing place with so much to see. St. Peter's tomb was probably the neatest thing, though I loved the Vatican Museum with so much good art. The Sistine Chapel was beautiful and impressive. We also went to the prison where Peter and Paul were held once. It was super-neat, but I couldn't imagine being stuck in such a dark and rocky hole. I had the best lasagna ever in Italy. I miss its food already.
If you don't already know, I am a Kentucky accent in Kentucky. I have returned to the States. My parents informed me during their visit that we were moving towns. Added to the graduations and new baby cousin that I would miss if I remained in Oxford, the changes here at home persuaded my return. I will miss Oxford incredibly, and I already do. I realize that family is more important than a few months abroad. Missing out on Oxford will be difficult, but I will be busy enough here to not be too depressed.
Jennifer and Kristie, thanks so much for being fellow explorers of Oxford. I hope you have a great summer term.
Thank you for reading my blog. I have enjoyed writing it immensely. Unfortunately, this blog must end. If you want to continue reading about my adventures (and life should be an adventure) then check out barnetter.blogspot.com. The blog is called Steal the Bacon (find an explanation there). The blog will chronicle whatever I find worth chronicling. Hopefully that will soon include me getting a job. Yikes.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
Postcard from Italy
My parents and I very much enjoyed Paris, and we spent our last day catching up on missed attractions. We first went to the cemetery at Pere Lachaise. We went on a scavenger hunt in the huge grounds finding the graves of Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Frederic Chopin, and Jim Morrison. After lunch with a view of the dead, we took the metro to the Montmarte area of Paris. The Sacred Heart basilica is the highlight there, with an amazing view of the beautiful city. The main street below the church is filled with sex shops, contrastingly. We opted not to enter the Museum of Eroticism. We spent our last hours in Paris under the Eiffel Tower eating a crepe. I look forward to visiting that dynamic city again.
The night train brought us to Milan, Italy. The trip was nice for me, since I had a bunkmate named Igor to keep me company. He studies aerospace engineering and had plenty to say about researching. Since he has lived in both France and Italy and visited the States, we found plenty to chat about. My parents weren’t as lucky, with a less friendly cabin. But they enjoyed the experience of sleeping while traveling and probably won’t forget it. The hotel in Milan fortunately allowed us to sleep in our room early in the day when we arrived although we weren’t supposed to check in until later. Easter Day was spent walking around the lovely city of Milan, where the great cathedral of Duomo sits. It was the main attraction, but a castle, a park, a restaurant that served us both lunch and dinner with pizza and pasta, and a crypt with two skeletons also kept us busy. We had to watch out for gypsies and sneaky children, who wonder around trying to reach in pockets and steal items from tourists. I saw one little girl on the metro reach in a woman’s pocket without any luck and get away without the woman noticing. Despite all we saw, Easter was relaxing in Northern Italy.
Today has been filled with the wonders of Rome. A nice and sunny train ride brought us across the Italian countryside to the ancient city. We all read Paul’s letter to the Romans on the way over, which was appropriate. The city is warm and ruinous. The coliseum, the Palatine hill where Emperors lived, the Roman forum, the Trevi fountain which is shown in the Lizzy McGuire movie (which I saw thanks to Cory), the Pantheon, and many other columns and grand buildings have captured our attention all evening. We ate pizza for snack (only the best in Italy, even better than Pizza Hut) and I had the best lasagna I’ve ever had for dinner. It’s hard to believe we’re in the home of such good food, but more importantly, such an impressive history. Much of what society knows today owes thanks to the Romans, and I guess we’re showing our gratitude in a way. Mainly, by buying their pizza.
The night train brought us to Milan, Italy. The trip was nice for me, since I had a bunkmate named Igor to keep me company. He studies aerospace engineering and had plenty to say about researching. Since he has lived in both France and Italy and visited the States, we found plenty to chat about. My parents weren’t as lucky, with a less friendly cabin. But they enjoyed the experience of sleeping while traveling and probably won’t forget it. The hotel in Milan fortunately allowed us to sleep in our room early in the day when we arrived although we weren’t supposed to check in until later. Easter Day was spent walking around the lovely city of Milan, where the great cathedral of Duomo sits. It was the main attraction, but a castle, a park, a restaurant that served us both lunch and dinner with pizza and pasta, and a crypt with two skeletons also kept us busy. We had to watch out for gypsies and sneaky children, who wonder around trying to reach in pockets and steal items from tourists. I saw one little girl on the metro reach in a woman’s pocket without any luck and get away without the woman noticing. Despite all we saw, Easter was relaxing in Northern Italy.
Today has been filled with the wonders of Rome. A nice and sunny train ride brought us across the Italian countryside to the ancient city. We all read Paul’s letter to the Romans on the way over, which was appropriate. The city is warm and ruinous. The coliseum, the Palatine hill where Emperors lived, the Roman forum, the Trevi fountain which is shown in the Lizzy McGuire movie (which I saw thanks to Cory), the Pantheon, and many other columns and grand buildings have captured our attention all evening. We ate pizza for snack (only the best in Italy, even better than Pizza Hut) and I had the best lasagna I’ve ever had for dinner. It’s hard to believe we’re in the home of such good food, but more importantly, such an impressive history. Much of what society knows today owes thanks to the Romans, and I guess we’re showing our gratitude in a way. Mainly, by buying their pizza.
Friday, April 6, 2007
A Good Friday in Paris
Our last day in Dublin was very nice. We took the city trains up and down the Irish coast checking out beach towns. Howth was a great fishing village and Sandycove held the tower which James Joyce stayed in for a few days and used for the beginning of Ulysses. We saw a castle in Malahide and the pebble beach in Bray. We ate at Hard Rock, where I ordered the Twisted Chicken Mac n' Cheese that I always do.
The flight to Paris was uneventful, but our stay here so far has not been. The city really is amazing and easy to fall in love with. It's huge, but the areas we've explored are contained enough for rememberance. The Eiffel Tower is visible out our hotel window, if we reach out. It is so much larger and grander in real life. We explored the Louvre Museum where the Mona Lisa sits along with many historic paintings and sculptures. Today we toured the Palace of Versailles where the Louis kings and Marie Antoinette lived. I sure have seen many palaces lately, and wouldn't mind living in any of them. I listened to the soundtrack for the Marie Antoinette movie while my parents listened to the audioguide as we walked through the rich rooms. We also went in Notre Dame cathedral as a Good Friday service took place. Old men in robes chatted and sung in French while seemingly worshipping a gold object on a purple cushion. I'm sure being able to understand the language might have changed my understanding of the service. The cathedral was big with beautiful stained glass, but we didn't see the hunchback anywhere. We spent the evening in the Modern Art museum where I can always relax among the odd-shaped objects and eye-puzzling pictures. The plane made out of sticks and scissors and the bright red rhino were highlights.
We've eaten plenty of crepes with chocolate and sugar fillings. We've been to many outdoor cafes for hams and cheeses and such. We had a picnic at Versailles with wine, cheese, churros!, and paella (seafood with rice) bought at a market. A very neat experience. Tomorrow is our last day in Paris and then an overnight train to Milan, Italy. Pictures will show up, some day.
The flight to Paris was uneventful, but our stay here so far has not been. The city really is amazing and easy to fall in love with. It's huge, but the areas we've explored are contained enough for rememberance. The Eiffel Tower is visible out our hotel window, if we reach out. It is so much larger and grander in real life. We explored the Louvre Museum where the Mona Lisa sits along with many historic paintings and sculptures. Today we toured the Palace of Versailles where the Louis kings and Marie Antoinette lived. I sure have seen many palaces lately, and wouldn't mind living in any of them. I listened to the soundtrack for the Marie Antoinette movie while my parents listened to the audioguide as we walked through the rich rooms. We also went in Notre Dame cathedral as a Good Friday service took place. Old men in robes chatted and sung in French while seemingly worshipping a gold object on a purple cushion. I'm sure being able to understand the language might have changed my understanding of the service. The cathedral was big with beautiful stained glass, but we didn't see the hunchback anywhere. We spent the evening in the Modern Art museum where I can always relax among the odd-shaped objects and eye-puzzling pictures. The plane made out of sticks and scissors and the bright red rhino were highlights.
We've eaten plenty of crepes with chocolate and sugar fillings. We've been to many outdoor cafes for hams and cheeses and such. We had a picnic at Versailles with wine, cheese, churros!, and paella (seafood with rice) bought at a market. A very neat experience. Tomorrow is our last day in Paris and then an overnight train to Milan, Italy. Pictures will show up, some day.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Dubliners
Mom, Dad, and I arrived in Dublin, Ireland yesterday evening after a trip to Blenheim Palace near Oxford. I got to tour the inside this time, which was very impressive. Today was the first real day that we were able to see Dublin. The city is walkable and not much like a large city really. It's like a really big town. We had lunch at a kebab place and dinner at a pub named after a character from Dubliners by James Joyce, which I studied this last term. I also saw two James Joyce statues and some for the poet Yeats as well, whom I have also studied. We went into St. Patrick's cathedral and the Guinness storehouses, a sort of museum dedicated to the beer. We saw the movie Hot Fuzz, which was funny and action-packed.
Short, yes, but I'm writing from the hotel lobby and would rather be in bed.
Short, yes, but I'm writing from the hotel lobby and would rather be in bed.
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