It all
happened shortly and suddenly. Though I have always wanted to make it, never expected
it would come real. Contemplating, deciding planning
and execution all in a matter of a couple of weeks. And there we were on the
streets of Rome.
What a breathtaking
experience. Fourteen days of travel through the Nature’s gift of mountains and
Man’s contributions of Ancient Historic Architecture. Right from Rome to Paris
by road.
Rome is a
city of walls surrounded by seven hills. They say Rome was not built in a day.
It is literally true too. Each of the
emperors, who didn’t like to use or live in the buildings constructed by their
predecessors, constructed new buildings to their own liking. We can see a
single building having different styles in its different floors proving they
added horizontally and vertically too. All with marble and preserved well to
this day. The enviably pleasant weather makes walking through these buildings a
very nice experience. The sky above is clear with some clouds presenting never
ending kaleidoscope through the pine trees with their branches groomed like
umbrellas, thus getting the name umbrella pine.
It started
with Trevi Fountain where the beautiful song ‘Oru Raja Raniyidam’ in ‘Sivanda
Mann’ starts majestically.
St.Peters
Bascilica, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel are really great. There is
definitely a positive vibration in the
air in the chapel. The paintings on the walls and roof and the sculptures are captivating. Some 4 or5 kms of walk and climb through them
doesn’t make you tired at all.
Rome was not
built in a day. How can you see it fully in a day? But we had to move off to
cover other places in the itinerary.
Off to
Florence next. It is also a city full of magnificent buildings….ancient
Cathedrals and Baptistery and Sculptures. Walking through the city along a
river side we passed through many of them, one being the fourth largest
cathedral in the world. As for the life sized sculptures, made of marble stones
of different colours, looking marvelous you simply get awestruck looking at
them. In order to add to their natural looks the sculptures are depicting human
body in its natural form. No wonder Kannadasan said through Kanchana in the
same song “ naadu vittu naadu vandal penmai nanam indri poay vidumo”.
The next
stop is the magnificent Leaning Tower of Pisa. It invites you from a distance
and as you walk towards it, you cannot help feeling ‘it is no wonder it is one
of the Seven Wonders of the World’. You walk as if in a dream towards the tall,
slightly leaning tower without taking your eyes from it. Magnificent is a small
word to describe it. Some photo shoots near and around the tower and off we go
to retire for the day.
Since the body needs rest and there we are in
the hotel. Just have dinner and fall in the bed. All of this, travel route, travel
time with necessary breaks in between, food on time, that too Indian at least
twice a day and cozy accommodation are taken care of by the travel agency and
the tour manager. Thanks a lot Mr. Vincent and M/s Thomas Cook.
Then next
morning by bus through the hills. Yes, literally through the hills, by roads
constructed by caving the hills. Rome is a city of walls surrounded by seven
hills. The road inside the tunnels, carved in the hills, is well lit and clean
and smooth. Mostly such roads are one ways and you can see the beautifully
carved ways for the opposite vehicles outside. What a beautiful sight. Beyond
that hills and hills and hills covered with greenery and cloud cast clear blue
sky above as far as your eyes can see. You only wish the bus journey never ends
so you can continue to enjoy the scenery.
