Isn't It Iconic...

I've spent the last three nights sorting through my Paris pics. 

Yes I took a few. It is such a picturesque city that it's hard to resist whipping out the Nikon every few moments to capture a scene made magic by light, position or just plain novelty.

Going through photos after a trip usually helps me to frame a few armchair tour 'themes' to give Gidday-ers a flavour of my experiences. In this case, these are still percolating away and over the next few posts I'll attempt to re-capture the enchantment this amazing city wrapped around me a decade after my last visit. Delving into nooks and crannies, climbing up and down hills and staircases, reclining in parks, gardens and cafes and negotiating the eponymous - and largely escalator-less - Paris Metro. (A girl's got to work off all that cake and cheese somehow!)

For this post I thought I'd deal with the most iconic Parisian silhouettes. You know, the ones on postcards, in books and Audrey Hepburn movies. The ones that first time visitors circle in their guidebooks, carefully plan into their whirlwind itinerary and diligently tick off to ensure the 'big items' are covered. The same sights I ticked off with great alacrity in 2000 when I first visited and that this time around were subjected to, for the most part, not much more than a point, shoot and cursory nod.

But the interesting thing about Paris is that without any effort at all, these icons pop out of the landscape when least expected. The Eiffel Tower peering over a tree-lined side street in the 7th arrondissement, the magnificent roof of the Palais Garnier from the 'cheerful' self-serve cafeteria at Galeries Lafayette or the rooftop vista sprawling before the window of my 6th floor room in rue Geoffroy Marie.


Imagine my squeal of delight when I flung open the curtains of my 6th floor attic room on Friday afternoon to be greeted by this amazing view of Sacré Coeur over the rooftops. I immediately climbed out onto the tiny balcony and took a shot sans zoom.

So in an effort not to clog up your internet pipes (or whatever those bandwidth thingies are called), I've been playing about with my photos and have created a montage of monuments to share with you.

Just in case these escape you, clockwise from top left is Place de la Concorde, Palais Garnier, Place de la Bastille, Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées at sunset (also the new wallpaper on my mobile phone), Panthéon, Sacré-Coeur, Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides (taken from Place de Breteuil).

I'm so thrilled with the way most of my photos turned out that it was looking like quite a challenge to share my favourites without overkill. So I'm rather chuffed with my efforts at multiple sharing so please be suitably impressed / humour me...

...and I'll be back with more of my Paris peccadillos soon.

A Holy Trinity...

Rome is chock full of churches. Every corner you turn there's another one, beckoning you into its cool, placid interior. So a trip to the Eternal City would be incomplete without a few worshipful visits - and, given the number of 'working' churches - more than 900 according to wikipedia - probably unavoidable. And as they say, when in Rome...

Firstly let me say that I did the Vatican Museums and St Peter's all those years ago on my first visit so I had already deemed a visit there unnecessary. And while I visited more, the three featured here sum up the impact of my religious experiences during the 4 days.

I'll start with the Pantheon which stands proudly facing the Piazza della Rotunda. From the outside, it looked like all the pictures I'd seen in books and while not top of my 'must cross Rome to see' list, I was there, the day was warm and its shaded portico beckoned.

Nothing prepared me for the interior.

The domed ceiling is absolutely huge with the central ocular being the only source of light in the church 



The decorative friezes, ceilings and alcoves are fantastically well-preserved and I could only stare (mouth slightly open) at the awe-inspiring surroundings that Hadrian's Romans built to worship their gods.

This is the tomb of Raphael (Sanzio), the Renaissance architect and artist who was a younger contemporary of Michelangelo and created many great works throughout Rome during his life.

I emerged again into the bright sunlight, feeling the heat on my skin after the cool under the Pantheon's great dome. After a quick peek at Tazza D'Oro (famed for its coffee but lacking appeal for little ol' moi with a line of customers extending out the door) and a watering stop at the fountain (you can drink the water from the majority of Rome's fountains so my water bottle had a real workout), I continued my south-bound meander towards Gesu (more on this further on).

My next stop was completely unplanned and brought on largely by a desire to get out of the heat. (A girl has to pace herself you know - I'm not used to all this 30C plus weather any more and I had a whole 4 days of it to look forward to.) Santa Maria sopra Minerva dates from the 13th century and was built over the ruins of the Temple of Minerva. The piazza is marked by an unusual inhabitant...

This elephant and obelisk sculpture was originally created to grace the Piazza Barberini. The elephant, an ancient symbol of intelligence and piety, was sculpted onto Bernini's obelisk by Ercole Ferrata

Once inside, the mix of Gothic architecture and Renaissance and Baroque styles is stunning. The cornflower blue of the vaulted ceilings didn't come out so well in my photos but I've includes some other faves here for you.

I loved the simplicity of this stained glass after the intricacy of the painted walls and domes...

...and that it reflected on the walls in all sorts of places.

This is carved in stone, While I get a bit bored looking at a lot of sculpture, I am always fascinated by the movement that can be created from something so inordinately inanimate.

I left to brave the heat again, quietly delighted at my unexpected moment of enchantment here. I set off southwards again, my destination this time being Gesu. Unfortunately, I arrived during closing hours so I returned the next day after re-checking with my trusty Eyewitness Travel Guide that this was worth making the diversion to the same area again.

It was. Just check out the photos below.

Just so you know what to look for on the outside...

I was completely overwhelmed. This really is a beautiful church and anyone coming to Rome must visit (but make sure you don't turn up between 1.30-4.00pm). I could have taken many more photos but actually spent time sitting, moved, by what I felt around me. It was a poignant and quite spiritual experience just being there.

I remember feeling overwhelmed by the detailed magnificence of the Sistine Chapel when I visited in 2000 but for me, there was a spirituality, albeit different, in all three of these beautiful churches that the Sistine Chapel didn't have.

The Pantheon for its glorious space and simplicity.

Santa Maria sopra Minerva for the sense of discovery and enchantment.

And Gesu for its breathtaking colour and artistry - and for touching my soul.