So we leave on the 19th of September (158 days away) go to Malta for 5 days to see family first, then to Rome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terra, day in Pisa then flying to Paris where we will meet up with my dad again and more family, spend about 5 days there, and then a few days in London. Will be there for just under a month, will be busy, but will be able to see lots! Have u been to any of those places before? Any pointers or lists for the occasion?
That sounds absolutely fan-bloody-tastic!
I've been to Europe twice in my adult life (that is, excluding the two years in England as a preschooler), and I love love loved it. I loved the buildings that had been continuously occupied for more than a millennium, towns that had been settled for several millennia, and that you could see the evidence of that everywhere. I loved that you can get on a train and four hours later have passed through three different countries, and three different currencies (pre-Euro), and six different languages. I loved seeing the paintings and frescos and sculptures and buildings that I'd only seen photos and slides of. I loved being able to finally use my schoolgirl French in context.
I've never been to Malta, but if you have family there, you are guaranteed to either see all the sights, or none of them (if you end up spending all the time talking with family). And it'll give you a chance to get your ear and tongue ready for speaking something other than English.
Rome, on the other hand, I have been to several times. I think it's still one of my favourite cities, perhaps second only to Florence. It took me three days to get to the Vatican Museums: I was leaving my hostel early enough (they close at 1pm, at least in winter, when I was there), but I kept getting side-tracked and distracted by poking my head into churches and the like on my way there. The only reason I finally made it was because on the third day I forbade myself from stopping anywhere else on the way.
And it was worth it. The restoration of the ceiling of the Sistine chapel had recently been completed, and they were starting work on The Last Judgement. All over the place a signs telling you not to sit on the floor, important when the crowds are there, I guess. But there's so much to drink in, and your neck gets so sore craning to look at the ceiling. (To say these images do not do the real thing justice is a grotesque understatement.)
When I eventually emerged, there were the requisite souvenir sellers, but all their postcards and other stuff were of the pre-cleaned ceiling, so held no appeal whatsoever. Although the decision to restore the ceiling, to remove centuries of soot and grime, was controversial at the time, I cannot imagine anyone who has seen the "after" would ever want to return to the "before".
But Michelangelo did so much more than just the Sistine chapel. His Doni Tondo or Holy Family, held in the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, remains astonishingly vivid - the paint seems to have barely dried. The colours are brilliant, the composition extraordinary, and even the languid naked youths in the background don't seem particularly out of place.
(You might notice that Mary's arms are rather buff, and the Sibyls look more like a drag act than biblical prophetesses. Michelangelo learnt how to paint (and sculpt) the human form by performing clandestine dissections. But he was only able to dissect male cadavers, so his women all look distinctly masculine. With very weird tits.)
Anyway, if you like that, you must go to the Louvre, in Paris to see his magnificent incomplete marble sculptures. His David doesn't do so much for me, but the Slaves are wonderful.
Not so much into 500 year old naked men? How about 500 year old churches (give or take a century or so)?
St Peter's Basilica is absolutely worth a visit, of course. But even before you get there, walking through the forecourt is like getting the biggest hug in the world, wrapped in the arms of Bernini's colonnades.
And you get to admire the brilliantly-hued uniforms of the Swiss Guards while you're there!
I've been lucky enough to attend Christmas Mass at St Peter's, officiated over by John-Paul II (it was Christmas 1992, I think). Although frail of body and voice, he spoke clearly in several languages. Pretty much the whole audience were tourists (like us), many of them in nun's habits (not us). (Do make sure you have a long sleeved top and skirt you can cover yourself with when going into churches.)
But as I noted before there are so many other wonderful churches in Rome, heck in Europe. The Florence Cathedral is a gorgeous example of gothic architecture, and it's dome is a marvel of Renaissance engineering. Be sure to go up the campanile (bell tower) for a wonderful view of the city. It's the campanile that's on a bit of a tilt in Pisa. The Pisan cathedral didn't do a huge amount for me. The stark while buildings are perched on a manicured, almost lurid green lawn, and with a blue sky above, it seemed less real than the tacky plaster of paris souvenirs sold by vendors up and down the adjacent plaza.
Of course, it is also gorgeous inside. I might have been in a less charitable mood that day. Or perhaps it was one of the first places I encountered lots of tourists.
When you're in Paris you will, of course, visit Notre Dame. But you must also visit the nearby Sainte Chapelle, with its soaring stained glass windows.
There's another gorgeous chapel, whose name escapes me for the moment. It was designed by a famous artist, and is predominantly in blue, might be one of the Impressionists or thereabouts. Damn it! I can't get the name up. Begins with C I think (the artist). Gnargh.
Moving on, and speaking of The Impressionists, you must also visit L'Orangerie, on the grounds of the Tuileries Palace. Monet's waterlily murals are beautiful, but the building and grounds are exquisite.
.Back to Italy (I keep getting distracted). Venice is delightful, again with the most marvellous architecture. It is actually very difficult to get lost in the old city, given it's size and the ease with which you can get your bearings as soon as you locate the Grand Canal. Nonetheless, my two sisters managed to get lost - walking together, they took turns deciding whether to go left, right or straight ahead at each intersection. Even so, they were barely lost for less than an hour, which is pretty impressive given their rather less than pinpoint sense of direction.
We were there in winter, so had to contend with the acqua alta (or 'high water'). A combination of tides and weather means that, from time to time, the water level is above ground level. The forecast water heights are displayed on posters inside each of the vaporetti, so the timing doesn't take you by surprise. Seeing water bubble up out of the drains in St Mark's Square is, however, surprising. It seems to happen quite slowly, but before you know it, you're trapped in a corner of the cathedral and realise you'll either have to wait it out or wade it out. The Venetians, of course, are not so careless. They walk about on the duckboard, still dressed to the elegant nines and wearing suede boots.
(These are tourists, not locals. You can tell because they aren't well enough dressed.)
I haven't been to Cinque Terra, although my parents have done a week long pub-to-pub walking trip through there, and adored it. I still have a calendar of the place sitting around here somewhere, reluctant to throw it out even though it's several years out of date.
Anyway, that's enough to get you started. If you want more, let me know! It might be a good way to keep me writing once I get back from NY.
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