If You Would Like To See Michelangelo's David...

Know that there are three (not including this one in Sarasota) …

The Colosseum

I don't like ruins. I avoid them. I was practically dragged to them in Spain. I do however enjoy history. I just avoid natural history museums. Well at least the stuffed animals and bones part. Stuff like that isn't relatable to me. I prefer relatable history. I like ancient relics and folk art. Think those Mexican art galleries that have metates. I love seeing them and knowing that was the original food processor. I can relate and retrace the steps from then to now. In Rome, there is a rich history lesson in relatable things like humanity, architecture, culture and religion. There is living folk art and relics still in use. I'm sure most tourists don't care about that sort of stuff. They don't imagine walking in ancient footsteps. They don't align with the cause and effect. They don't care to ask themselves how is this apart of me and others like me today. So as much as everyone else cares to just walk The Colosseum taking pictures and telling a friend. I much preferred walking the well curated displays and halls telling the complete story. Surely I could have walked in the blood of thousands but wouldn't have had an understanding. I may have came away with a typical response to the things I don't like. Instead, I took away the loveliness of the gathering. The idea of it all. There is the grandeur of the place. Knowing that everyone from emperor to commoner came to see. Thousands upon thousands of people sat there watching. Everyone playing at morality with thumbs up and thumbs down.

Pieces of The Sistine Chapel

After leaving St.Peter's square we were covered in water and ready to make the short journey around the city walls. We were going to call it a day but I thought it was best we do it all including the Vatican museums. By now it was around 2pm and they all would be closing within the next three hours. We approached it like other museums knowing we may not have time to see everything but started big and worked our way back down. We honestly didn't see much art or sculpture and spent most of the afternoon on a journey to The Sistine Chapel. I say journey because it is not a one stop shop. You must enter the main museum and walk past most exhibitions to get to the chapel. At some points we were outside making the trek and cutting clear through the Vatican City. I can easily say I felt mislead by the all the fanfare and expected to be disappointed much like seeing the Mona Lisa. Instead once there everything slowed a bit and it was a very intimate viewing of an amazing space. Sadly what we saw was not to be discussed and we were not allowed to take any photographs. There were many that chose to take chances ruining it for others. Today the chapel is nearing closed invitations for viewing only because too much traffic is ruining the structure. So as put off as I was about the experience of seeing it, I am one of the lucky ones. I can't share a lot of insight on what I saw that day but I did do this…

Museo Del Prado

On our last day in Madrid we decided to venture to a museum row just north of Puerta de Sol. We both had no idea what to expect and simply walked up to the vicinity of Prado to see what was being shown. At first we stumbled into what I now know is City Hall. From the exterior it was covered in banners about different art exhibitions in the city. So I had her use her Spanish to figure out where to go next. We were told to keep east on the same street and we finally found an epic building with a ton of gothic columned entrances. Just beyond it was a botanical garden and quite a few high end hotels. It was clear we were in a way different part of town. We decided that we would go into Prado to cool off and then consider the gardens.

Paris Isn't Burning But It Is Overrated

When it came time to go to Paris I'd already gotten used to the French mystique. So I was not as pleased with the major sites or turned on by it. I'd also grown so tired of French cuisine and longed for anything without butter, cheese or ham. I was also devastated with the amount of money I wasted within Nantes. I'd absorbed enough of France and didn't wager what I needed to enjoy other places. So after too many cafe au laits and tram rides I was lacking for Spain and Italy. Thankfully, there was enough money aside to enjoy Paris for what it was. I walked the same streets as Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso and Kanye West. I had Laduree macroons, walked the designers in Le Bon Marche and visited the Lourve to see the Mona Lisa. I've had a 7 Euro sparkling lemonade, paid over 300 Euros for a single night in a boutique hotel and walked over a mile for a noveau vegetarian hot dog. Paris is quite aware of how naive an American can be. They know the majority of us are seeking thrills and amusement. They also know we will pay anything for it no matter how lackluster. It kills me to say this, but Paris is one big amusement park - a sideshow if you ask me. If you are not in it for romance, artistic exploration or spiritual sabbatical you may get what you are looking for.