Roma.

So, my second full day in Rome and I am leaving early tomorrow morning to go to Naples. Two full days here isn't by any means enough to explore this city properly, but I have managed to achieve some of the things I wanted to do.

On my first afternoon here I wasn't feeling too good and I arrived quite late in the day at about 4pm. I went into the city though (I am staying quite far out from the centre) and had a look round the Pantheon. It wasn't what I was expecting. I think my mind had built up a picture of a more Greek-style temple, so I was a bit confused when I got there!

My first full day (yesterday) was much better. I spent most of the day wandering around the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine hill. I was absolutely in my element! This was the main reason for my visit to Rome (and indeed Naples) this time round. The weather was beautiful yesterday despite forecast of heavy rain and storms. It probably sounds weird and geeky, but I actually had tears in my eyes at some points. I felt so overwhelmed by the sheer history and the power of this place. Just mind-blowing.

Today I had a bit of a lie-in as I'd been woken up by the aforementioned forecast thunderstorms in the night. I went with two of the guys from the hostel to Vatican City and we looked round St. Peter's Basilica. It seemed like a strange place for worship. Everything is so opulent and showy that I think I would find it distracting and difficult to focus on prayer. But then I'm not Catholic and probably pray in a different way. But all the same it was very beautiful inside. The camera on my phone could in no way do it justice but I took a couple of snaps anyway! I'll share them when I'm home so that they're not the wrong way round!

I kind of feel like I should have done more in Rome. Today involved a lot of wandering, but it wasn't fruitless. We came upon an excavated site near a tram stop which was he ruins of some ancient Roman temple, which also appeared to be the favourite sleeping ground for the local cats! Probably lots of lovely mice to chase, and plenty of warm, sunny spots!

Tonight I think about five of us from the hostel are going to go out for a meal and then I need to get pack up ready to go in the morning. I'm looking forward to Naples. Obviously, as I said, the ancient Roman stuff is a big part of it for me, but I will also have a full day to explore the city/Amalfi coast. And then it's home on Monday. I'll try to do a blog in Naples, mostly for my own sense of completeness. For now, I'm going to sit in the hostel garden, write in my journal, and make the most of these days of freedom.

Firenze.

I got to Florence today. Had a bit of a nothingy morning in Venice as it was raining quite heavily and I had to get my train at lunchtime. But it was quite nice to sit and relax for a while before travelling.
Italian trains really are great! Very comfortable and quick! I got to Florence at about 12:30, and after checking in at my hostel (which is a really beautiful place to stay) I went on a wander for some sights and some food. James, you will be proud of me. I went the most direct route I could find to Emporio Gelateria in the Oltrarno area, and had myself a gelato lunch! The photo is of my gelato (chocolate, ricotta and fig, and mascarpone and nutella) with the River Arno and the Ponte Vecchio in the background.
After this I headed towards the Uffizi and the Duomo, the other side of the river, and instantly fell head over heels in love with this city. Such a beautiful place. Everything is so colourful and ornate. Such care and love seem to have gone into the architecture here, and I can feel it in every street I walk down.
I sat in the Piazza Santa Maria Novella and had a cappucino (possibly the best coffee i've ever had!) at a little bar. The sun was starting to set, illuminating the yellows and cream of the buildings even more, which was accentuated by the brooding dark clouds behind. Stunning :-)
I'm back at the hostel now, deciding whether to eat cheaply at the hostel (€3) or splash out somewhere else (€7) haha! No contest! I'm eating out!
Also this hostel sells bottles of chianti for €2.50... Someone buy some cheese and we've got ourselves a party!
Love to everyone reading xx
Sorry about the pictures being the wrong way round! My blogger app doesn't seem to understand portrait!

Venezia.

Buonasera!
I arrived here safely and my journey went very smoothly. Much to my delight as well, it's not really rained since i've been here. Just been quite overcast and grey. But it hasn't detracted from the beauty of this unique city.
My hostel is lovely, set back from the Rialto Market area in a little square. I've just been chatting to a girl from Hong Kong who is doing a similar journey to mine. It feels good to be bold and meet new people. Very liberating!
I didn't really get chance to start exploring today until about 4:30ish, so I mooched around the Pizza San Marco (which was such a beautiful shock coming out from a series of narrow, tall-buildinged streets into this huge square with some of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen). I decided to get in for a look around the Palazzo Ducale before it closed at 7pm, and was awed and humbled by the size of the place. Because it was late in the day, it wasn't too busy. At one point I had the largest room in Europe all to myself. I followed the route from these grand, ornate rooms down to the prisons, across the Bridge of Sighs. The contrast was huge, even just in the temperature. I actually felt my skin shudder a bit, looking into these cells where people had once been placed, centuries ago.
On my way back to the hostel, I needed to find some food for dinner. I spied an osteria in a side street and a smile spread across my face. These little places sell wine and bits of bread with ham and other ingredients. I stood at a little bar for about 40 minutes, surrounded by Italian voices, and wrote in my journal. Then I came back here and felt like I wanted to share it with you all as well :-) sorry if I've rambled (two small glasses of wine are clearly enough for me!). I hope you've enjoyed reading.
Not sure what tomorrow holds yet, other than an early start. More updates and stories soon!
Lots of love too all.
Ciao xx

lone.

I developed a black and white film recently in the darkroom which I had shot and finished almost a year ago in April-May 2011. The shots on the film were a mixture of two trips, the first was a Sheffield Uni PhotoSoc trip to Edinburgh for a weekend, and the second was a day trip to Hardwick Hall. The latter trip held no major events or happenings, but was a particularly poignant day for me.


I had got my National Trust membership the previous summer and had been wanting to go to Hardwick Hall for months, but hadn't managed to achieve it. I'd been waiting so that I could go with a friend, but for months we couldn't get our schedules to collide. In May 2011, on the day after my last exam, the sunlight was drifting through a haze of clouds, and everything appeared to have that warm hue which you often find in the summertime. I had nothing that needed to be done. No expectations of me. No prior engagements. So I drove to Hardwick Hall on my own, singing in my car on the way, and spent the day there.
I spent hours taking photos, drawing, thinking, breathing, listening to music, eating lunch, engaging other people (which is something you almost forget how to do when locked away during exam time). It was such a simple day, but it felt important to me as an occasion where I took a small but brave step and ventured somewhere new on my own. I also felt liberated putting myself first and immersing myself in all the things which make me feel more human, connected, and free.


When I saw the negatives of this trip as I pulled the roll of film out of the developing tank, I felt reassured by this previous demonstration of my self-confidence, and my ability to enjoy time alone.


In four days, I am embarking on a lone trip to Italy, not for one day, but for ten days. It is one of the most exciting, and most scary things I have ever done. I'm not sure what to expect, but I am confident that my mind and my spirit will be enriched in many ways by all the things, people and places that I am going to experience. And I take courage from the memories of my day at Hardwick Hall that being alone is not necessarily lonely, and that I am about to have a great adventure.

 

Apologies if the images look a little bit pixelated. I think they've got a bit squashed by some technology somewhere.

faith.

Taken in Edinburgh, Easter 2011. 

springing.

Spring has always been my favourite time of year, when you can sense this grand feeling of excited anticipation of everything bursting into green and colour. The days are getting warmer (apart from Sheffield's April blizzard yesterday!) and also getting longer. Getting up in the morning feels almost like a joy, as though the sun is streaming in through my window to personally greet me and fill me full of light. It's novel not to have to wear six layers of clothes every day!


My apple trees are just about to pop with blossoms, and I'm going to try and document the process in some sort of time-lapse thing. With the four-day Easter weekend ahead, I plan to spend as much time outside as possible, soaking up the season!