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June & July 2005

Rome & Vatican City

Jeremy Koh
2005-11-05 11:48:59

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It's been more than a month since I first stepped foot in Rome, the eternal city. However, it still feels like it was only yesterday that I was walking down the banks of the Tibur River, running up and down Via Cavour (which by the way is found in every Italian city I went to), being awestruck by all the amazing architecture and artwork, and walking through the ruins and trying to connect with the past. I guess Rome is not a place that you forget easily. Not surprising as the city is in fact considered a sort of living encyclopedia of the last 3000 years of western art.

Well, let the recollection begin. My initial plan was to head towards northwestern China to explore part of the Silk Road. Then, I heard that some of my university friends were planning a performance for a festival in Italy. Of course that piqued my interest and somehow I got myself into the group. Finally, on 22nd June, Serene, Prema and I set off for Italy.

It wasn't a direct flight. After about six hours, we landed in Dubai. From the plane, I could see how dry Dubai was. There was hardly any greenery, and where there were, they appeared to be planted, rather than growing naturally. Anyway, the airport terminal itself is ultra modern, though I think it looks a bit tacky with its fake palm trees and Arabian night styled panels on the walls. There's a nice duty-free shop where you can grab some souvenirs though.

Flying out of Dubai Airport, I caught sight of one of Dubai's palm-shaped islands. Looks really nice and impressive. As we flew over the Sinai Peninsular, I saw endless stretches of desert, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky to obscure our view. I can't even begin to imagine how hot it is down there. Well, maybe hot is an understatement. Soon, we flew over the Suez Canal. It looks really nice from the sky. Imagine the blue waters of the canal snaking its way through the desert. It's really hard to ...