Central London, to me, has always had such a polished image. A place of beautiful, modern architecture brilliantly integrating with impeccably cleaned streets dominated by 18th and 19th century architecture and defined British culture. And once in a while, a piece of incredible street art.
A lively Friday night in Piccadilly Circus.
St. Paul’s Cathedral towers in the background and people hurry to lunch.Post-modern street art in East London
My guide on our walking tour of Central London.
On the other hand, Italy, where I spend much of my time, has been a place of older architecture, and older history. But last summer in London I really had a wake-up call in the form of an updated history lesson – Central London is seeping with history, and has even been referred to as the “Pompeii of the North” in reference to the significance of the archaeological digs taking place there. London is a place where the passage of time cannot be ignored. As I explored the city on guided walking tours and just following my own curiosities, I was astounded that all it took was to pay attention just a little more, and suddenly all the clues to the stories that permeate these streets started to appear. History came alive, right in front of me, in the form of Shakespeare’s old haunts, including the church he attended, or an apartment he lived in.
Or the Roman Temple of Mithras that is literally in the heart of central London, and has been moved from its original location due to major construction projects in the area. Despite the modern and international image that London has, the significance of its history can’t be ignored, even when new developments have the potential to cover up the old reminders of its past.
I am writing this piece in response to this past week’s theme of time in the WordPress community, and a blogger I highly respect that is hosting this theme, Lignum Draco. The featured picture at the top was my inspiration for this post. It is a very modern perspective of London and the passage of time, but its very existence is representative of how far London has come since 43 A.D.. But really the scrawling of hopes and dreams for the future rooted in the past by so many people over the course of this public art installation, is time in and of itself. This piece of public art is on the South Bank, a beautiful neighborhood that has changed so much, and serves as another reminder of the passage of time and the long evolution London has gone through to bring it to where it is today.
There are two types of people in the world: those that love Venice, and those that really don’t. It seems rare to find someone that has a neutral opinion of Venice. I get both sides – Venice can be crowded, touristy at times, hard to navigate, it doesn’t have the best weather, and then there’s the flooding issue.
But despite all of its flaws, the architecture, ambiance, and sheer novelty of Venice are undeniable, and it is hard to argue against ranking it as one of the cities in the world that should be on everyone’s bucket list. I’ll never forget stepping out of the train station the very first time, and stopping on the steps to take it all in: the view of San Simeone Piccolo proudly standing as the backdrop of the flurry of activity on the canal, right in front of me. It almost felt like being in a dream.
That trip taught me which type of person I am – the kind that loves Venice. I’ve made countless trips to Venice since that first time in 2011, and I hope to make countless more.
As Carnevale 2016 comes to a close today, Venice is on my mind. Here’s to many more gorgeous carnevali to come!!
Just as Siena is stuck in time, I wish I could have gotten stuck in time in Siena. Like in Groundhog Day, I want to be living that weekend over and over. But unfortunately it didn’t hit me how special my weekend in Siena was until I was actually gone, so I was not able to inquire as to how to stop time when I still had the chance. So instead I rely on blogging, so at least we can relive it…together.
I had been wanting to go to Siena for years, and years, as I had heard so many bits and pieces of wonderful travel stories from friends who had been lucky enough to travel there. There’s a great blog called “Just Visit Siena” that I’ve been following for a long time, and I even shared a video about it here on the blog a few years ago. But Siena can be tricky to reach, due to mundane logistical challenges called mountains. Pesky details. An eight hour round trip train ride wasn’t worth it in relation to what I envisioned to be an overnight trip.
But after much anticipation, I finally got to go last April with my boyfriend at the time, who drove us. The approach into Tuscany was undeniable and fit perfectly into the stereotype – the road was smaller, the grass was greener, the sun was brighter, and the soft hills curved into infinity. We parked just outside the city, and walked in with our luggage.
A chef statue seems to beckon us to enter Siena.
I was a bit worried that I would be disappointed with all of my high expectations about Siena. I mean, at this point, I’ve been to a lot of Italian cities, and I’ve found that many of them are alike, or are not necessarily unforgettable. But I shouldn’t have worried. Siena is a place all its own. Siena is, for lack of the creativity to come up with a better word, gorgeous.
There is never a dull view in Siena.
There are heart-stopping Tuscan views surprising you constantly, and each perspective is just as memorable (if not more) than the last. And as cliche as it sounds, it is totally true: walking the narrow, winding stone roads feels like it must have hundreds of years ago.
A young family walking through the streets of Siena.
Wandering Siena is a constant visual delight, so walk slowly and indulge in reality, which we did as we toted our luggage and stumbled upon hidden courtyards,
A gorgeous Siena courtyard.
mysterious wells, and other fascinating historical remnants.
Some tourist boys enjoy a wishing well in a courtyard in Siena, Italy.
We were walking around with our luggage for an extended period of time because we had a small snafu with the hotel we booked on Booking.com. Keep in mind – last minute bookings for Italian hotels via third party booking agents are never a sure thing due to communication challenges, a lack of a customer service initiative, and small hotels. But we found another average, affordable hotel, so the crisis was averted (I never expect much from Italian lodging, but I never have to pay much either). And Booking.com handled the “crisis” well.
Piazza del Campo at dusk in Siena.
Our first night in Siena was a bit quieter than either of us are used to, as we weren’t visiting Siena during the high season of their incredibly famous annual Palio Horse Race in July, and we are both used to the nonstop nightlife of Bologna. There is no nightlife in Siena, so it is a good place to practice “early to bed, early to rise.” There are a ton of interesting events, though, so do your research and plan accordingly.
Tourists photographing the Siena duomo.
We joined the crowds on our first morning just walking and looking, relaxing and people watching the never-ending characters in Piazza del Campo, where the Palio Horse Race takes place (in our case the most entertaining animal was pizza-loving dog),
A family trying to enjoy a pizza lunch in Piazza del Campo and rudely being interrupted by their dog.
checking out the Duomo,
A different perspective on Siena’s Duomo.
the neighborhoods proudly displaying their flags supporting their horse,
A neighborhood flag proudly displayed in Siena.
the famous Museo Civico, and an occasional unexpected attraction like a tiny church we found full of wonderful art and architecture.
Art on the street in Siena
We didn’t do the Duomo tour because it was a bit pricey, but one of my English students highly recommends the tour and I definitely regret not doing it.
It is quite easy to eat well in this city without paying a lot, but it is also easy to eat an overpriced, mediocre meal. We used a phone app, maybe yelp, to help us wade through our lunch options after eating an overpriced meal the night before. We ended up at a modern family-run restaurant perched at the top of a hill at a beautiful outdoor table called Zest Ristorante and Wine Bar.
Lunch in Siena, Italy
The tiny street it was on stretched ahead, sharply curving down and up another hill, nearly giving me vertigo until I was distracted by spotting the special flags for the neighborhood horse flying proudly and colorfully ahead, and my potential vertigo was replaced with a sigh of appreciation for finding myself in this one-of-a-kind place. As I write this, I am remembering for the first time in a long time that I stopped to think and look around me for a moment, giving thanks to the universe to be able to experience this moment. It sounds corny, but Siena really is that special.
More delicious food in Siena
After our amazing lunch, we relaxed again for a bit in Piazza del Campo trying to decide if we had it in us to do the big climb to the top of the Torre del Mangia, the major tower overlooking the piazza that is attached to Palazzo Pubblico, Siena’s City Hall. It cost a bit, and the day was already winding down. But, we decided to go for it. It was unforgettable. The climb went round and round…the steps were ancient, and we all were forced to cooperate as a group to get to the top.
Climbing Torre del Mangia in Siena
But it wasn’t overly strenuous, and there were more than enough stops where we could take a rest and breathe in the amazing Tuscan air.
The beautiful view from Torre del Mangia in Siena
It started raining on the way up, but somehow hiding from the rain and checking out the dramatic storm clouds just added to the drama and adrenaline of the experience.
We finally got to the top, and our reward was a nearly unobstructed 360 degree view of Siena and its surroundings.
The light was peeking through the clouds and gave us a gorgeous view of Siena.
By the time we got down, we were so elated, there was nothing else we needed to do to improve our weekend. We returned to a small bar, called the San Paolo Pub, with a balcony overlooking the Piazza del Campo smaller than my closet.
Piazza del Campo in the late afternoon sun in Siena, Italy.
The beers were affordable, and how much space do you need to enjoy a view anyway? It was perfect. We sat there for hours. Couples came and went around us. One was “like us” as my boyfriend had said. “Whose English is better, his or mine?” he asked me earnestly, as he recognized the couple next to us was also an Italian guy dating a young American woman.
Piazza del Campo from our favorite little bar overlooking the square.
It was getting to be that time, but I wasn’t ready to go home. “Let’s go back to the restaurant where we had lunch, please??” I asked him. After all, we hadn’t yet had any of Siena’s famous Chanti. He graciously obliged, and back we went to the same restaurant where we had lunch. The young waitress and the manager, who appeared to be father and daughter, recognized us and greeted us warmly. This is something I love about Italy – people are nice and gracious to you authentically. They were genuinely happy to see us.
Coincidentally, we discovered that the young waitress comes fairly often to the small suburb outside of Bologna where I lived at the time. Apparently she likes a restaurant in my neighborhood (ironically). We talked about where I lived, and that I would be returning to the United States soon. Suddenly, she gave us a worried look. “But what about you guys? What are you going to do, so far away from each other?” she said it in Italian.
Good question, ha! I guess her question could have also been about our trip to Siena. What were we going to do so far away from it? It was just a moment in time, that now I have the vibrant memories from. Hopefully they won’t fade anytime soon. Anyway, most of life is memories, really, isn’t it? What more can I ask for.
Or the Roman Temple of Mithras that is literally in the heart of central London, and has been moved from its original location due to major construction projects in the area. Despite the modern and international image that London has, the significance of its history can’t be ignored, even when new developments have the potential to cover up the old reminders of its past.
