Dreaming of Freedom » Travelling

Brännö

Suzi — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:24:08 +0000

Wednesday seemed like the sort of day to nip out to an island so we day tripped to Brännö – a island on Göteborg’s southern archipelago. It’s easy enough to cycle to from the centre of Gothenburg – it takes about an hour. Or if you find yourself bike-less then catch the number 11 tram. Ferries depart frequently from Saltholmen to the nearest harbour on the island – Brännö Rödsten. They take about 20 minutes You can also get ferries to Brännö Husvik but these take about 45 minutes.

It’s one of the smaller islands – not much going on for visitors if you’re looking for shops and cafes. In the centre of the island you can find Brännö Värdshus and Pensionat Baggen – a restaurant and one of the few places to stayin the southern archipelago. There is also a small shop on the island as well as a museum. In the garden of one of the houses you can find Ingrids Bloomer and Plantor and stock up on little pots of green things. We arrived too late to take full advantage of any of these delights so we just walked around peacefully enjoying the late afternoon sun enjoying the car free, idyllic, peaceful spot. Once a farming community, most of the islanders now work in Gothenburg and commute on the ferries. We spent a good deal of our time there deciding if we could ever live somewhere like that. Feeling slightly sick from the ferry ride we decided against it even though it would be great fun to ride around on one of those motorised scooters with a huge tray in front.

Marstrand

Suzi — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:57:18 +0000

The bus to Marstrand from Nils Ericson Terminalen takes about an hour. Catch the 302 or the 312. The bus takes you from mainland Sweden over a bridge to the island of Koön and from there you can catch a ferry to the island of Marstrand. Marstrand has sort of spread into Koön but despite that the number of inhabitants is something like 1500 people. Although tiny it has held city status since the C13th. You step off the ferry on to a cute little street of wooden houses and tourist shops. The tourist office is conveniently located directly in front of you and you can get a map from them for free. A walk around the island doesn’t take long – we ambled round in about 1 1/2 hours. The scenery is beautiful – especially the rocky western side of the island with the waves crashing against the sides and the sea birds swooping.

The houses are concentrated around the old port on the south of the island and the east and north are covered in lovely Swedish style forest and rocks In the centre of the island stands the forbidding stone Carlstens Fästning (Carlsten’s Fort). This military fortification once served as a prison. A prison sentence on the island was effectively a death sentence, subjected to the harshest manual labour some years as many as half died. There is a C13th church and the town hall is the oldest stone building in Sweden.

It’s a beautiful place to get away to if you’ve been cooped up in the city. There are places to eat and places to stay as well as little tourist shops to spend your hard earned cash in – with it being Sweden’s most popular guest harbour the prices are higher than on the mainland.

If you’re looking for a slice of paradise – look no further.

Quattro museo and quattro churches in Rome

Suzi — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:58:20 +0000

It turned out that our last day in Rome has been a feast of museums. We started with the closest – the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme Roma which has Roman mosaics, frescos, sculptures and coins. On the top floor (and boy do you notice climbing those stairs) there is a room dedicated to some wall paintings of a garden. Originally these paintings surrounded the actual garden enclosing it in a delightful wrapping! In the museum the paintings are arranged over fours walls of a room and the blues and greens make you feel as if you are in some exotic hothouse.

We then moved on to the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica in the Barberini Palace which had some nice stuff including three Caravaggios, two El Grecos and a portrait by Raphael. The sun was beautifully hot so after admiring the ceiling fresco of the last huge room I escaped to soak up some sun by the fountain.

On the way to the fourth museum we spotted the Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia so we popped in there to have a look. It’s a nice little museum and had a special Caravaggio exhibition on at the moment that we didn’t have time to go in and see.

Last by by no means least we went to the Museo Nazionale Romano di Palazzo Altemps. The collection is housed in a lovely Renaissance Palace which has an atmospheric courtyard with a fountain and statues dotted about. They are digging up the left of the courtyard to reveal Medieval remains of buildings that once stood on the spot. The collection itself is remarkably odd – it’s mostly ancient statues that have been fixed up or had the wrong heads stuck on the wrong body. It was a gentle end to a busy day and we stood on the balcony underneath some lovely fescos and breathed in the scent of orange blossom.

Of course a day in Rome wouldn’t be complete with a visit to a church or two and as we’d done four museums it seemed only fair to visit four churches. Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri is a converted Roman baths and the designs for it were done by Michelangelo. Sadly only his plan for the vaulted ceilings were used. Chiesa di San Luigi dei francesi houses three Caravaggios in St Matthew’s Chapel but we had to fight through the crowds to see them. Basilica di Sant’Agostino in Campo Marzio has the Madonna of the Pilgrims by Caravaggio which is really splendid and a Rapheal fresco on one of the pillar. Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone is a hugh Baroque construction and was designed by Borromini. It overlooks the Piazza Navona and a fountain designed by rival architect Bernini. The Plazza at seven was full of artists, street musicians and entertainers. Tourists sit out on tiny tables with glasses of wine and drink in the atmosphere. Handsome policemen in blue uniforms stand about but it doesn’t stop the men selling their somewhat suspicious handbags and sunglasses from the pavement to anyone who has a few Euros burning a hole in their pocket.

The last half an hour of the day in St Peter

Suzi — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:57:39 +0000

I think I’ve walked about ten miles today. We went up to Villa Borghese which is a large park surrounded by art galleries. We wanted to go in to the Galleria Borghese but you have to book up about a week in advance. You don’t have to book for the Galleria Nazionale d’arte moderna e contemporanea which has some lovely art and sculpture. The art ranges from nineteenth century to more modern pieces. I was particularly drawn to the the 20s and 30s stuff.
Back outside the sun seemed to have disappeared but we stuck to our plan of meandering through the gardens, on our way to find the lake we stumbled across Museo Carlo Bilotti which has a lovely Warhol picture of his wife and daughter.
The park was beautiful, lots of people but lots of space. We spent some time photographing some expert skaters who where showing off their skill to Madonna music. We walked back along the River Tiber, on the way home we stopped by St Peter’s Basilica and as the queues were non-existent we went in and got half an hour to wander around before the bell went for home time.

Roman ruins

Suzi — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:09:04 +0000

The sky was somewhat overcast today and so under grey clouds we traipsed down to have a closer look at the Colosseum possibly one of the most famous sights in the world. Right next to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum and the Palatine and so we wandered in and walked amongst the ruins. You can get a good view of the Forum from Capitoline Hill if you can’t face the queues or the entrance fees, but there is something special about walking next to massive columns, random pieces of masonry and headless statues. The hill behind it with the ruins of ancient villas and olive trees is calm by comparison with the rest of Rome and again quite a special experience. You can’t have too many Roman ruins so we braved the busy roads to get to the Terme di Caracalla – huge remains of once amazing Roman baths built by Emperor Caracalla in the 3rd century. Seaguls call and swoop protecting their nests in the ruins, the once grand marble covered structure is stripped to its hand-made red brick core and only a few of the mosaic floors remain yet the sheer size of it makes you marvel at the great empire.

A walk to the Vatican

Suzi — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:26:47 +0000

On the Piazza di Campo de Fiori there is a market. It’s quite a small market and not particularly cheap but it is actually quite nice with a spacious feel to it and not too crowded. Tim munched oranges and olives, Mum pears and I bought home a little bag of apples to eat in the comfort of the flat.

The queues outside St Peter’s Basilica were too much for my feet and I sought refuge in Castroni – where I stood by the bar and had an un-classy and childish 1pm cappuccino. The shop is delightful grotto of edible treasures.

You can hardly miss the Mausoleo di Adriano or the Castel S. Angelo la Mole next to Vatican City – a 2nd century Rome mausoleum for Hadrian – him of the wall. It was converted into a papal fortress and boasts beautiful 15th century frescos, fantastic views of Rome and my favourite a room with the hugest chest I have ever seen – one can only imagine it stuffed full of papal gold. Apparently there is a secret passageway that leads back to the Pope’s digs. Nowadays I guess he keeps his treasures in the Vatican or a Swiss bank account.

We passed through a metal detector and smiled at the museum staff with their Italian flag trainers to walk around the an exhibition at the Piazza del Tribunali – it was all in Italian so for us it was all in pictures.

We headed across the river to see the Mausoleo di Augusto – a mini version of Adrian’s Mole that you can’t yet go in and walk around and we stumbled across the Museo dell’Ara Pacis. It’s a beautiful marble and glass modern sort of building which houses the incredible Ara Pacis – an alter of peace constructed by the emperor Augustus. It’s quite extraordinary to think that the carvings of beautiful white marble are about 2000 years old.

On the way to see the Caravaggios at the church of Santa Maria Del Popolo we passed by three other churches and the delightful identical twin churches (spot the little differences) in the Piazza Del Popolo. The Piazza Del Popolo was a popular dropping off point for those on their Grand Tours of the C19th and that made us think of home and dinner.

Circus Maximus and Capitoline Hill

Suzi — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:32:02 +0000

I walked around Rome – passed the Terme di Caracalla ruins and to site of Circus Maximus where you can get some lovely photos of the back of the Palatine. I then walked towards to Capitoline Hill passing a couple of lovely small churches. All the churches in Rome are free to go in but you must make sure your shoulders and knees are covered. On Capitoline Hill there is a grand museum, a fantastic church and the small bronze statue of Romulus and Remus suckling from the wolf. Like most of the hills and high buildings here you get to look down on the terracotta and burnt umber colours of the walls and roofs, the tall Italian stone and maritime pines spreading a shady canopy over the pavements far below. All this is interspersed with the white domes of churches and always in the distance St Peter’s sits there calling you eternally.

First view of Rome

Suzi — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:36:54 +0000

Our flat is tucked away off the busy streets but it only takes a few minutes to walk down to the Colosseum. It’s quite extraordinary to see the ancient building blacked with exhaust fumes and surrounded by tourists – a memory of a time so long ago. At one of the gates a group of blue robed nuns stood in a circle eagerly listening to a fellow sister and avidly taking notes. Just to the side of it the remains of the Roman Forum lay about long sunken under a meadow and now exposed like an emptied swimming pool. On the hill above it, known as the Palatine, the remains of the villas of the rich and powerful who walked around the Forum and enjoyed themselves in the Colosseum. School children line up mostly unaware of what they are seeing.

The Pantheon has survived in a marvellous stroke of luck and is the only Roman temple standing in an approximate entirety and inside is the most beautiful marble temple which a ceiling which around 2000 years old looks just like something from an Art Deco dream. The apex of the ceiling is an open circle that lets in both the Gods and the rain. Tiny holes on the marble floor let the rain water drain away. For about 1500 years it’s been used as a church which has both saved it but also defiled it with crucifixes and statues. Raphael’s tomb is inside as well as crowds of tourists.

The Italian churches are quite extraordinary. Most have amazing paintings covering the walls and life like statutes painted and gazing down on you. The Italians kneel and cross themselves when approaching the alter, the statues or even entering the church. Grown men kneel and pray. The confession boxes have occupants and appear to be sound proofed.

The Trevi Fountain is a Baroque feast for the eyes. Evidently cleaned and well maintained the statues sparkle white and the water an aqua blue.

The streets are thronged with people and the roads with scooters and cars. I stood and watched a traffic policeman conducting the traffic outside the Vittorio Emanuele monument. In a frenzy of movement the vehicles in front of him whizzed past his tiny podium until the white gloved hand fluttered up and invited the vehicles from the left to come instead. The signals were interpreted somewhat loosely by both scooters and cars and in the midst of all this a zebra crossing that had cool calm Italians walking through the waves of traffic. Most remarkably I didn’t see a single accident for the whole ten minutes I was there.

Finally all the roads led to Rome

Suzi — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:24:36 +0000

I’m in Rome. Flew from Stansted this afternoon to Roma Ciampino airport. I’ve never flown to Rome before so was pleasantly surprised to feel like we were flying over lots of land which gives you a bit more of an interesting flight. It was pretty smooth and easy journey but it’s been so long since I flew that I was terribly scared and would have asked to stop and get off if only I could. It was however fine!
Getting onto the flight was really the hardest thing – once we got to Ciampino Airport we wandered outside into the warm 6 o’clock sunshine and conveniently found people selling bus tickets to Rome which was great as we had no clue how we’d actually get to Rome and the airport is 15km outside. The bus leaves regularly, takes about 40 minutes and the ticket was only 8 Euros for a return each which seemed very reasonable. We went with Bus Shuttle but right next to our bus was another one run byTerravision and there didn’t seem much difference in the price or anything else.

Italy seems very relaxed after England. People walk slowly and seem to always be in groups chatting especially if they are in any official capacity wearing a uniform!

Of course the minute we drove into Rome we heard the hooting and beeping starting but generally the traffic isn’t as bad as I feared. It’s pretty hard to cross some roads if you’re a pedestrian and there isn’t actually a red light to stop the cars but apart from that it’s not awful. Our bus dropped us off at Stazione Termini which is right in the centre and from there we walked – me dragging my suitcase over the cobbles and kerbs to our apartment on Via Ciancaleoni – which is tucked away in an old part of the city up some steps in an impossibly Italian ally filled with flower pots and scooters and looking like something straight out of a film. The apartment is lovely – we found it on Trip Advisor and I’d really recommend it. It’s clean, convenient, the host is lovely and it’s a renovated building with parts that date back to Roman times.

It seems we’d been travelling all day and we were pretty shattered but managed to find our local supermarket and stocked up on Italian looking things and came back to our lovely apartment and cooked a meal very similar to the one we’d have cooked in England but somehow it tasted so much better!

A very mild and reasonable January

Suzi — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:42:11 +0000

Well it’s turning out to be a very mild and reasonable January. I’m spending the week in Rutland in celebration of this. I’m dividing my days between readings Adam’s novel and walking the three or so miles into Oakham. The evenings seem a perfect time for prancing about with my Kindle in its hot pink case trying to read News from Nowhere by William Morris so I can have a coherent and intelligent conversation with Clinton and Yuko about it. K is here working on his code and relaxing after a few months of cramming words onto pages in an attempt to get his masters thesis all done and dusted.

Barnsdale Hall Hotel is as always a very pleasant place to spend time and I never tire of the view of Rutland Water. After spending so long in a city you forget just how wonderful it is to be in the countryside with a view!

Christmas seems a dim and distant memory now but it was all very nice if somewhat cold. The tree has now disappeared from my house and the ornaments crammed into boxes which I will now proceed to move from cupboard to cupboard for the next eleven months trying to find the perfect home for them. Luckily the cupboards are still full of Christmas cake so that alone has helped get me through January. Now comes the build up for Valentine’s Day and I am attempting to find a venue for my ‘Not Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Party’ for everyone who is looking forward to the half price chocolates! As if that happens anymore! Bring back real sales and discounted chocolates I say!