Berlin Sweet Berlin

It has been far too long since I told you of my adventures and though nothing hilariously story-worthy occurred in my latest journey up north, I did manage to find one of my new favorite cities in the entire world.  Let me introduce you to Berlin, Germany.

Inside the Dome of the Bundestag (German Parliament)

I fell in love with Berlin because there were an astounding amount of cultural activities.  Museum after museum could be found there and I am confident the city offered something that nearly everyone could find interesting. Besides playing host to Germany's legislature, the Bundestag also had one of the coolest experiences for tourists.  An audio guide played as I walked up the circling ramp telling me all about their city and the sights I saw in the distance.  The architecture alone was worth the visit.  I should also note that if you want to go there, even though it's free, you MUST register online in order to gain entrance.  For more information, visit their website - http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/visits/kupp.html

What made it so cool is that, unlike most museums where you have to plug in the numbers and press play to hear the information, the audio guide used a sensor system based on our location along the ramp to start its next recording.  So once I passed a section which had a clear view of the Brandenburg Gate, I was told to wait there for a moment, look out the window and then I learned all about its importance.

The Brandenburg Gate

 Berlin had a sort of street-punk feel to it.  Some people call it graffiti but others see it as street art.  Though I didn't really notice an abundance of "tags" I would describe as the truest definition of graffiti, there were plenty of public art displays on building walls, restaurant doors and the like.

The street art culture is strong in Berlin

My absolute favorite museum there was the Pergamon, and that decision is based on the fact that I went to a total of 8 different ones.  That's a lot of museum-ing (the official verb for going to museums). I know, it sounds a little crazy, but I had incentive because I was paid to write about most of them. I especially enjoyed this museum because they had three particular rooms which featured exhibits on the grandiose scale like below.  Full size reconstructions are awe-inspiring and there was something magical about standing in front of an original ancient object, like the altar below. It felt like I had been transported back in time more than 2000 years ago and I was about to witness the sacrifice of some poor animal to appease Zeus.

The Altar of Pergamon in the Pergamon Museum

The Berlin Wall played a major role in the history of Berlin.  To relearn all about that and see it up close really put things in perspective.  Can you imagine being forced to live between two opposing governments within the same city? If you tried to get on the other side of the wall, you would have been shot dead if you were caught. It is estimated that 600 of the 5,000 were caught in the act. Disturbing, and yet a little unbelievable that this happened as early as 23 short years ago. The Berlin Wall was destroyed in 1990.

A section of the Berlin Wall and the path it used to cover

Berlin turned out to be a multicultural mecca of cuisine.  Traditional Bavarian cuisine was considered "old-school" and I was ok with it. I saw everything from French to Spanish tapas to all sorts of Asian fusion restaurants. The street food was more like burgers, donor kebabs and curry wurst (sliced sausages in a sauce of ketchup mixed with curry powder). And then there were the amazing pastry bakeries and coffee shops for breakfast.  I also hear Sunday brunch is very popular. For me, let's just say it was nice to have a change up from all the pasta and pizza here in Rome.

In Berlin, the traditional cuisine of Germany gets no respect!

So that was my trip to Berlin in a nutshell. Have you ever been there before?  What did you like most about it?  Share your experiences!

Italy's Free Museum Week

If I could rank the many Free Things To Do In Rome, this would likely be the #1 thing to do.

Each year, Italy's Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities works with nearly EVERY STATE-RUN MUSEUM in Italy to open its doors to the public and for one week, one wonderful, enlightening, inspiring, delightful treasure of a week, the entrance fees are complimentary.  That's a much lengthier synonym for one of my favorite smaller words, FREE.

It's official name: Settimana Della Cultura
Translation: Week of Culture
VASGO's Translation: Italy's Free Museum Week

Want to go to the Colosseum and see what the gladiators had to fight in?  Yep, that's free.

Want to go to the Roman Forum and see (just a few) pieces of column laying around? Yep, that's also free.

What about the Baths of Caracalla with their outstanding collection of mosaics from ancient times? Again, free.

What about the museum that perfectly combines industrial space with classic art, the Centrale Montemartini? I bet you that's free too!

In 2012, the Settimana Della Cultura starts Saturday, April 14 and ends Sunday, April 22.

This is the 14th year of the nine-day event created to promote and enhance Italian culture and heritage country-wide. It is said that not just museums are offering free admission. Villas, monuments, archaeological sites, archives and state libraries will also be welcoming visitors with open arms. Hugs, however, are said to be more expensive than usual.

Get it?  Open arms... hugs...

Awful.

The website for Italy's Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities even states that the experience will be even more special due to the many exhibitions, conferences, special openings, workshops, tours and concerts that will be available.

If you are going to spend your hard-earned money to come to Italy, you may as well save a buck or two on all the admission fees. Come during the Settimana Della Cultura.  Just be ready for the longer entrance queues!

For more information go to the ministry's website, available only in Italian, here: http://www.beniculturali.it
Specific information (again, only in Italian) about Rome's and its nearby cities in the Lazio state's offerings can be found here: At this .pdf

Snow + Rome

Recently it snowed here in Rome!  Why the exclamation point?  Because this is a Mediterranean climate.  Snow is rather uncommon here.

However, my native friends here explained to me that even though it snows once a year, if that, it never sticks to the ground... not like it did last weekend.

In fact, my friend Luca went on to comment that the last time he remembered it snowed this much was when he was 14 years old... in 1985!

I was told the average amount of snow collected was about 15cm, or 6 inches.  45 minutes outside of Rome, I have another set of friends who lost their power and water for 2 full days.  This was due to them receiving 60cm or 24 inches of snow!  These volumes just don't occur consistently thus making the cities ill-prepared.

Nor were the umbrella pine trees.  A walk around the neighborhood revealed an astounding amount of huge tree limbs on the ground.  Obviously, they are not used to wet, heavy snow.  In fact, my expert told me about an unlucky car located on a main street near us that still sits on the side, crushed by a giant, fallen limb.

The good news is that the snow made everything beautiful.  And I am thankful for a local friend who went out early the morning after it snowed so she could show the world its beauty.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Roman Forum

This guy is dreaming if he thinks the buses are actually running.

So many people enjoying the snow while in front of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican City.

A couple of nuns in a snowball fight

Brings a whole new meaning to the term "Snow Angels"

All photos in this post are courtesy of Katie Wax.  Well done Katie!  You take outstanding photos!

Villa Giulia

"Well hello Sherman!

Did you know Villa Giulia was built in the mid-1500s by Pope Julius III?  I was told that back then, lucky guests of the Pope or influential people of the time would first stop here on their journeys from the north because it was at the edge of the city limits.  Upon arrival, here's what they might have seen, less a few modern additions.

Pope Julius III clearly enjoyed the finer things in life and had the cash flow to satisfy his appetite.  Yes, the first site of the Villa is lovely and quite large.  However, I would never claim to say it was breathtaking... until you go straight through the front doors and walk straight out the back.  This is clearly where the money went.

Straight ahead is the three-level Nympheum, a grotto made to resemble ancient Greek water features, keeping much shade from the sun and was often used for outdoor dining in the heat of the summer.  Before we walk across the casino to get there, one glance to the right shows you this:

If you followed the matching covered pathway going to the left, it leads you to the garden.

Pretty Gardens.  Wish I had one of those in my back yard.  It would be such a lovely place to do my business.

Let's go take a look at the Nympheum.  We simply walk up a small set of stairs, go through a few columns and see this straight ahead.  Not bad, right?

Then look down!

So pretty.

Can you imagine eating lunch with views of the mosaic and statuary below?  Along, with the sound of water running under the plants which are so pleasing to the eyes, Villa Giulia is certainly just VASGO worthy.  And for an 8 Euro entrance fee which includes admission to the National Etruscan Museum, it is absolutely worth the money to visit this gem.

And since you still look like you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'd like to add that the Etruscans lived in areas north of Rome before Rome was even established.  Do you understand now?  We are talking VERY old stuff.  More specifically, the Etruscan civilization started sometime between 800 BC - 700 BC.

Now Sherman, don't stare so blankly at me.  Haven't you learned anything from me today?"

Source

"I think so, Mr. Peabody!  Thanks for the history lesson!"

First Day Sights in Rome

Yum.

Forget the jet-lag!  You're not on vacation!  You are starting day 1 of living in Rome for two years and unfortunately, you're on a budget!  Time to use that left-over espresso in the cabinet from the apartment renter before you.  Grab the stove-top percolator, turn up the heat and it's espresso time.  Oh excuse me, I forgot to say good morning.  Buon giorno!

Bet you Americani can't find this cereal in your grocery store.  Today, we decide to have my wife's favorite Italian cereal - Kellogg's eXtra.  This crunchy delight happens to be the kind with Cioccolato belga e Nocciole.  That's right.  My breakfast cereal has pieces of Belgian chocolate and actual hazelnut halves.  Does yours?  I didn't think so.

After a most delicious breakfast it's off to the center of Rome.  Our goal is to see the free sights.  So we head to the Vittoriano.  Some know it as the typewriter.  Others know it as the wedding cake.  I'm not sure why but some art historian told me it's true.  Anyone know why? Let us all know in the comments.

The Vittoriano... definitely as vast as it appears in this small photo.

Going up there led to some fair views of neighboring buildings.  It also connected us to something called the Capitoline, which led us to a great view of the Roman Forum.  I'm pretty sure I took the exact picture you see in all those post cards venders sell here.

My expert's favorite location in Rome, the Roman Forum

Then off to the Pantheon for a quick look around followed by a very nearby favorite gelateria of our friend.  She claims this may be the best fruit gelato in the city.  Can't speak for the rest of the gelato makers around town ... yet, but this seems to be excellent gelato.

Inside the Pantheon.  

The left cup has Mixed Berry on bottom and Peach on top.  The right cup has Banana on bottom and Mixed Fruit (Macedonia) on top.  The Macedonia was made with fresh kiwi and peach among other fruits and combined with Banana, really made that cup into tropical paradise.

Talk about a busy morning!  Maybe we should go home for lunch soon.  Or maybe we should do a few more nearby sites.  Sleep can wait.

It's on to the Piazza Navona.  A beautiful tourist trap full of vendors who will try to hand you toys, roses, gadgets, whatever and demand payment for them as if you wanted their junk.  Luckily that didn't happen to me.  Nor did I witness it.  Only going off what my expert says happens.  For those in love with Dan Brown books (and the resulting movies), and I promise you I will not need a spoiler alert warning, this is one of the last locations where something happens to someone in "Angels and Demons".  Hope that was specific enough for you.

Much of the Piazza Navona is shown here, give or take a fountain or two

Let's zoom in on the center of the piazza for you

And zoom in even more.  What a fantastic sculpture.  My expert tells me the center sculpture in this photo, ie, the topless dude with the beard, is a personification of the Ganges River.  10 points to the first person who tells me where the Ganges River is without googling it.

Then it's a quick walk to Campo De' Fiori where the outdoor market is a daily draw.  I would have taken more photos of all the booths, but I was too in love with my surroundings to take more pictures.

The outdoor market in Campo de' Fiori, a true feast for the eyes

Close to there is one of the favored stops for breads in my newest favorite book, Food Wine Rome by David Downie.  Simply fantastic if you like food.  And if you're in Rome.  So we stop by Marco Roscioli's Antico Forno and grab a daily special to accompany our lunch of Prosciutto Crudo, fresh Mozzarella and garlic and parsley infused extra virgin olive oil.

I named this bread "Super Crackle"

The bread was a little more than I'd like to pay but after trying it I'd say it was worth it.  It had an excellent, hard crust.  The kind of bread you can only tell is perfectly baked when you put your ear next to the baguette and slowly break off a piece to hear the crackle only a super hot oven with perfect moisture distribution can create.  If you don't know that sound, make sure you hear it sometime in your life.  It's sometimes the simple pleasures that make you realize life is good.  Oh, and the crumb (the stuff underneath the crust) was so moist, chewy, air pocketed with various sizes of holes.  Based on the taste, to me it was obvious the baker let the yeast do its magic overnight, possibly for a couple nights to transfer all the natural sugars contained in the flour into yeast-food.  In the baker's world, it's a refrigerated fermenting technique which slows down the yeast's sugar consumption and ends up bringing out the most flavors from the flours used. It clearly had no additional sugars like the white table stuff you put in coffee at home.  That bread was as simple and natural as it gets.

And with my fresh bread, salted meat, flavored oil and mild cheese, my expert and I were in extreme happiness after a jet-lagged full morning in Rome.