Memories of Tuscany

I am lucky that I had the chance to enjoy the beauties of Tuscany. I lived in Florence for a year (2006-2007), and during that time I visited Pisa, Chianciano, Fiesole, Arezzo, Tavarnelle in Val di Pesa, Prato, Lucca... and I fell in love with Siena.

I will start with Florence, since I lived there and it is the place I am most acquainted with. It is a beautiful city. A smelly, old, dirty, unfriendly, beautiful city. It lives from it's old glory, that is the numerous monuments, palaces, churches, squares, and streets, so that the new things being built are on the outskirts of the city, and are just plain, normal buildings. The main university has been transferred from the center to the periphery of the city, but with not much success since at night the part is known to be a gathering place for prostitutes. Ok, this was a fact at the time I used to live there, which is five years ago, so I hope it has changed during these last years. However, Florence is situated in a valley, so there are very few higher points to climb. My personal favorite was Piazzale Michelangelo. I adored that they organized concerts on that piazza, with the view of the whole city.

However, being in a valley, Florence in summer is hot. And not normal hot, but HOT hot! There is no breeze, just damp hot stinky air. I keep emphasizing stinky and smelly because the whole city is consisted of narrow streets, which during the night get peed on in large quantities, so during the day wherever you go you sense the smell of piss. That during summer is even more emphasized.

Besides Piazzale Michelangelo, my favorite place in Florence was Piazza Santa Croce. The large empty (only on occasions filled with bancarelle) piazza in front of the beautiful church has always given me a sense of serenity, which I can not explain. The church is very famous also because inside are the tombs of famous persons like Michelangelo, Galileo, Ugo Foscolo, Vittorio Alfieri etc. However, for me, the inside of the church was not something I enjoyed. In fact, I visited the church only once, also due to the fact that there is a ticket you have to pay to get inside.

The third place I thoroughly enjoyed was, of course, Piazza della Signoria, and especially the Loggia, where I used to sit for hours and just look at the people, or listen to the music the street artists would play, or laugh at the jokes the street clown would do to the passers-tourists. One time, me and my friend were lucky enough to meet an elderly Florentine man who told us hundreds of stories about the city. He took us to a private tour and showed us some of the hidden gems you don't usually get to see with the guided tours, or you don't notice by yourself. He showed us the hidden face of the artist on the back of one of the sculptures of the Loggia, the carved face in the wall of the Palazzo Vecchio, said to be made by Michelangelo himself while watching a public execution. He took us to see The Olive Tree of Peace planted at the place where a bomb exploded in '93 near the Uffizi Gallery, places with remains of the big flood (1966), etc.

Another place I often went with my friends was the terrace of La Rinascente, overlooking Piazza della Repubblica. Beside the fact that the coffee was exquisite, the view, especially when there was sun, was beautiful. Even though the coffee costs more than anywhere else, it is well worth it.

One obvious building that has to be mentioned when speaking about Florence is the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) which is one of the biggest churches in the world (5th biggest in Italy, after 2 in Rome, Milan and Padova). It occupies the central place of the city, and its vastness is really breathtaking.

Another symbolic place not to be missed if you are one of thise tourists who roam a city looking for places from postcards is Ponte Vecchio. The "old bridge" (literal translation) was built to connect Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti, which is on the other side of the river and together with the Boboli gardens is well worth a visit.

The other side of Arno is where young locals gather at night, mostly in Piazza Santo Spirito, but also everywhere around in the old narrow streets.

View of Florence with Ponte Vecchio from Piazzale Michelangelo

Florence is believed to be one of the cities with most art in the world, so it has tourists almost all of the year. While it is a good thing for the city, it is not such a good thing for the people who live there. It used to take me 40 minutes to get from the Duomo to my appartment (which was on Piazza Sant'Ambrogio), a distance I could pass in 20 minutes when the streets were empty. I think that it is the main reason why i Fiorentini are so unfriendly. They are literally the most unfriendly people I have ever met! And they are rarely to be found IN the city, because they go to places that aren't visited by tourists, bars and clubs that only they know. It happened more than once that someone was really rude if I asked something, like direction or the time. Oh, and they speak the most uncomprehending Italian in all of Italy! Words like Hoha-Hola (Coca-Cola) and Hasa (casa) remained a recurrent joke when speaking about Florence. I must say that all of this was a major throwback the first month I arrived in Florence. But, after a while I got used to it, and didn't really pay much attention.

Siena

While Florence is the most famous city in Tuscany, Siena was the true gem for me. It is a BEAUTIFUL city. Not crowded, more laid back, but with all the important historical sites and structures. I used to go there often just to get away from the crowds, relax on the main Piazza, walk around in the streets, go up to the Duomo, and just enjoy the views of the city. Naturally, Siena is also cheaper than Florence, which is another advantage.

Siena's main square

Another small city I thoroughly enjoyed visiting was Lucca. Its center is surrounded by a wall that was built to protect the city, and now it is a limit to the city center, where you can walk for hours and discover small streets, shops and cafés. As in all Italian cities, the main square has its big church, and the stairs where you can sit and relax.

Arezzo is also a town in Tuscany well worth visiting. It is the setting of the film La vita è bella by Roberto Benigni, and everywhere around the town there are signs that show which scene was shot there. If you are into poetry and have read Renaissance poets, you can visit the house where Petrarca was born in Arezzo.     

Chianciano (photo by Elisa Correa)

Finally, you can't say you really visited Tuscany if you haven't been in the smallest villages in the vast beautiful fields and hills, almost deserted and centuries old. Centuries old can also be said about some of the inhabitants you might encounter there.. I guess slow food and fresh air really do make a difference. 

How I remember (and love) London

Watching the Olympics and all the marathons through London, I was reminded of why I still think London is one of the best cities in the world. Even though 4 years have passed since I left London, the memories are still vivid in my mind.

The first thing that comes to my mind when thinking about my time spent in London are the long walks I would take from one part of the city to another. My own personal marathons. Walking for hours and hours, going from one neighborhood to another, noticing the differences and the similarities between them. I used to walk from Notting Hill, across Hyde Park, passing Oxford Street, going to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Soho, finishing with a meal in Chinatown.

A view of Big Ben from Trafalgar Square

Or another route from Russel Square, all the way to Covent Garden, continuing to The Strand, then Trafalgar Square, Westminster, Westminster Bridge and then on the other side towards Tate Modern, one of my very favorite places in London. There were also long walks in Camden, Brick Lane, Chiswick, Hammersmith, Kensington... Sometimes alone, sometimes with my friends and sometimes with my then-boyfriend. Those beautiful days with plenty of sun... or the rainy days, with us under the umbrella. It was pure perfection.

Sometimes, the sunset would make everything even more perfect

By the second month I was there I had it all figured. The Saturdays were for Notting Hill and the Sundays for Brick Lane. I would eagerly wait for those weekends just to enjoy those wonderful markets! I have to admit I didn't buy much. I, being a well-known shopaholic, would be satisfied just by that atmosphere.

The colors of Notting Hill

Yes, London is expensive. Food is expensive, transport is pretty expensive, going out at night is ridiculously expensive, however the museums are free! Tate Modern, the British Museum, the National Gallery.. they are all free! Which is amazing!

Another thing that's amazing and free are the beautiful parks! My favorite was Regent's Park, however one should not miss St. James's Park, Hyde Park of course, and all the small gems throughout the city. I was really astonished of how they managed to have all those really well-maintained green spaces in every neighborhood.

St. James's Park

Another place I loved relaxing in (but not for free) were the pubs. I'd have a beer, mulled wine in winter, some snack or whatever. Alone, with a book, with a friend, or with a larger company. Sometimes I'd just have a conversation with a complete stranger, and it would all feel so familiar, so home-like.

Books are another thing I associate with London. I clearly remember people reading books everywhere. I admire their culture of reading and the variety of bookstores. I loved the small (and bigger) bookshops on Charing Cross with second-hand books hidden in the basement or in the attic looking older than the books themselves. (I hope they survived the economic crisis.)

In London, I loved going to the theater. Watching Kevin Spacey, Jeff Goldblum, Christian Slater, or singing along to the songs in the musicals was truly an extraordinary experience. So extraordinary that I could not afford it more often, since going to the theater costs a lot. However, I am happy with what I managed to see.

Finally, what I truly liked and could never forget about London was the politeness of the people. They always have some kind word, a smile, or an advice to offer you, even if you are not looking for it. I was stunned by people offering me help by themselves the first days when I was struggling with my map. Later I felt such pride when I was the one that could offer help to tourists!
Oh, I am so going to London again soon! :)     

When in Rome..

I've visited Rome in all seasons: in winter, in spring, in autumn, and this last time - in plain summer. Being the beginning of July, I was prepared for the heat, but one thing I wasn't prepared for was the humidity. It really felt like 100 degrees! Luckily, the Romans managed better with the heat than with the snow. When I was there in February, there was around 1 cm of snow and the whole city was literally paralyzed.

Since I had been there before I didn't need to visit all the tourist attractions, monuments, fountains etc. and that was such a relief. But it wasn't so easy for all the hoards of tourists, mainly American, that in 100 degrees Celsius sun would be brave enough to get on an open roof bus being driven around the city. Visiting Fontana di Trevi was a nightmare, at any hour of the day. I would literally just try to get away from all those people, completed with the annoying sellers of all kinds of stupid-things-no-one-would-buy! The Spanish Steps are always a little bit more relaxed because there is more space, however the annoying sellers there become even more annoying, throwing small glowing balls (I couldn't figure out what those balls were!) in the air ALL the time.

Anyhow, I should start from the beginning. My first "adventure" at the airport. My happiness of finally arriving, after the 6-hours trip from Skopje to Belgrade in the bus, was killed when I saw the line for passport control for non-EU citizens.With 3 transatlantic planes arriving at the same time and only two policemen working, I figured I'd be there in the next hour. I wanted to shout "Macedonia is IN Europe you scumbags! It's not in Africa!!!" But I didn't. I waited patiently.

Having gone through that, I decided I would take the bus to get to the city center, since it was the cheapest way (the train is 14 euro, the bus 4!). I bought the ticket, waiting for 5 minutes while the girl was talking on the phone explaining to her colleague how she flirted with the cute French guy who bought the ticket before me. I wasn't really in the mood to fight, so I just let her finish. Waited patiently again. The ticket bought, I went outside to find the bus that was supposed to leave in 10 minutes. Seeing a huge group of people waiting I knew that it was the place and that the bus was late. I tried to count how many people were there, but it was obvious to everyone there were TOO MANY! I stood in a strategic position, behind a guy who knew the woman from the company, who was standing there trying to make some order. When the bus arrived you can (or cannot) imagine the chaos, everyone trying to push their suitcase or bag in the bus, pushing people to get into the bus, while the woman was yelling "calm down, calm down"!! I successfully managed to put my luggage and find a place in the bus, and had to watch around 15 people outside being told just to wait for the next bus, who-knows-when! I felt sorry for those people, but in the same time I was proud of myself that I managed to act in Italian mode!

What unintentionally marked my trip to Rome was their win in the semi-finals of the European Championship against Germany. Seeing all the people on the streets celebrating, drinking, singing, yelling, breaking bottles, joking, laughing, chanting.. you would think they won the World Cup! It was the creation of this euphoria why their loss in the finals was so tragic. 100 000 people were gathered in Circo Massimo to watch the final.. and I didn't see (but I can clearly imagine) how they left it after they lost 4:0 from Spain.

I knew that the beaches around Rome are very crowded and not very nice, but with that weather the beach was inevitable. So, me and my friend decided to visit Ostia Antica, which is an archaeological spot on the way to the beach and then continue and just randomly choose where to go. I don't know what I'd expected from Ostia, but in that sun it might as well have been the Taj Mahal, I would only think of the beach and the water. A lot of ruins, a confused person at the entrance, no proper map or guide, a bunch of Americans, toilets with no toilet paper, a nice sandwich at the restaurant and we were good to go. Oh, and google-translated-signs:

We decided we would go to the last train station, hoping that the beach there would be less crowded, being further from the city. But, my eagerness and excitement was killed when we got close to the beach and we couldn't enter, because they were "private". I couldn't understand how can a person say that the sand or the water is their, and that you have to pay to "use" them!! We would not pay for something that is there for free so we decided we would look for a "spiaggia libera" (free beach). Luckily, we walked only for about 5 minutes and we saw the sign.. small, neglected, rusty sign. We immediately said we were going to the free beach, but the guy at the entrance would not let us in, instructing us to go up the stairs, pass the official entrance and explain there where we were going. I kept thinking how a tourist that doesn't speak Italian, would not menage with all that or would not want to be bothered and would simply pay. In the end, we got in, we found a nice spot and we enjoyed our day at the beach.

Another thing I truly enjoyed this time in Rome was Castel Sant'Angelo. I hadn't been there before and I always wanted to see it. It's really worth the money and the time. The view of Rome from there is spectacular. I'd recommend it to everyone!

With all that, the best part of the trip was spending time with my friends and eating some really really tasty food. I ate some great home-made meals, and I went to some amazing restaurants. However, it's definitely the common rule: always avoid the places where you can see more than 5 tourists!! :)        

MY BRAZIL II: Rio de Janeiro

Whatever you expect of Rio to be… it is not! It is not the immaculate beauty you see in the videos or in the photos. The sun does not always shine and all the faces are not smiling. The water is not always clear blue and the people on the beach are not all sexy and tanned. It’s not all these things but it’s more than that. The beauty of the nature is perfectly mixed with the flaws of the city structures. It is pretty much a normal city situated in a perfect surrounding. Rio is real!

That everything is not at all like in the photos you get to see immediately upon arriving when the plane approaches the airport and thus offering a magnificent view of the cidade. The beautiful coastline, the magnificent forest, the modern buildings… but also the small colorful packed houses of the favelas on every hill, guarding the city from above. That view is truly unforgettable! Santos Dumont airport is conveniently placed not far from the center, on a semi-island, giving you the impression you are landing in the ocean.

What I found very interesting is that later, in the bookshop, when I was looking at some books with photographs of Rio, in all the photos taken from above the photos were cut exactly at the place where there should be a favela. I never understood why! Seems that they are embarrassed of these slums, just ignoring them or avoiding them. For me, that is the real beauty of Rio.. the immediate contrast between rich and poor, between lovely houses and neighborhoods and favelas with small, badly made colorful houses (some even from cardboard).

Rio has undergone a big transformation through the years. It has been restructured to get a more strict, more organized form, which can clearly be seen on Rio Branco street, all lined with tall modern buildings that emit an atmosphere of not belonging in that laid back relaxed city.

Passing Rio Branco you immediately immerse in small crowded streets without any pattern or scheme. A couple of those streets form Saara, a neighborhood where you can find really cheap and low-quality goods, mostly of Chinese origins. Saara is very crowded during the day (it is not advised to go there during the night), but it is before Carnaval that it gets almost impossible to move there because everyone buys their wigs, hats, costumes and all the different accessories in Saara. I bought an afro-wig, oversized sunglasses, Minnie Mouse ears, glitter etc.

Bloco na Gloria

Being in Rio for the Carnaval you have to concentrate exclusively to that event, since all the shops are closed and the city becomes literally occupied by the blocos, playing carnival songs everywhere. It is really fun and exciting the first two days, but I have to admit it becomes annoying the third day. And it took a week for the city to come back to normal, meaning that shops and the museums were back to normal opening hours and the attractions resumed their primary place for the tourists.

Clearly, the first of those attractions is Cristo Redentor, or Corcovado, the statue of Christ overlooking the city from above. The view is spectacular, the crowds of people you have to struggle to take a photo of the Christ not so much. As with all symbols of cities they are always overcrowded and not a place you can spend more than half an hour. However, it is not very expensive (36 Reais, or around 16 Euros) so it’s well worth the visit.

The one thing Rio is proud of is its view from above, so you get many opportunities to go up and glance at the Cidade maravilhosa!

The second attraction after Corcovado is Pão de Açúcar (the Sugarloaf). It’s two hills connected with cable car and besides the view, which (in my opinion) is not as spectacular as from Corcovado, the really interesting thing is going up in the cable-car. For this enjoyment you’ll have to pay a little bit more: 45 Reais (or around 22 Euro). My friend told me people make parties up there and I’m sure they are really nice, considering the view and the surrounding.

Another place with a great view is Santa Teresa neighborhood. For the transport, the old bondinho (tram) is a must. It passes the Arcos da Lapa and going up you feel as if you’ve traveled in time. The neighborhood is not very well maintained, which is a pity since it’s one of the most authentic places, being a center for many artists, who have their art galleries and studios in all the unexpected places. I adored the shops with handicrafts and the walls painted with graffiti. An interesting spot to have a coffee with a great view of the city is the museum Museu das Ruínas, that is if you arrive on time (and not after 6 pm, like us). It is an old house where the socialite Dona Laurinda Santos Lobo held famous parties with guests like Villa-Lobos and Isadora Duncan.

The old bondinho in Santa Teresa

Very close to the bondinho stop in Lapa there is one unmissable place - Escadaria Selarón! The surrounding is a little bit shady, and going there by myself I felt a little bit uneasy. That feeling disappeared very soon. A woman saw me and invited me in a house, if I would like to buy some of the works from Selarón, who was sitting on the stairs and painting something (apparently pregnant women are his latest obsession). Speaking half-English and half-Portuguese they told me that the artist, who is Chilean, decorated the stairs to express his love for the city. I bought two small tiles and I got a free photo with him, which is definitely my favorite photo from the whole album! What a character! (Unfortunately, Selarón was found dead at this same place in 2013.)

Me and Selarón on the famous steps

To get a great view you can also go to one of the pacified favelas, like Santa Marta, right above Humaitá neighbourhood. They have installed a cable-car so you don’t have to climb all those stairs. What’s interesting about this favela is that Michael Jackson filmed his video for “They Don’t Care About Us” (here and in Salvador) and the spot where MJ danced in the video has become the main square of the slum. It was the first favela where the police entered and “liberated” it from the drug traffickers in 2008 so it’s pretty safe to walk around.

Michael Jackson's square in Santa Marta

One thing that really surprises me is the rising popularity of the favela tours. People pay a lot of money to go in the favelas with a guide that usually has an arrangement with the bosses of the favela. Obviously, the more popular ones are those not pacified, like Rocinha, the largest favela in Brasil and South America, which overlooks Leblon and Ipanema, the most exclusive neighborhoods in Rio. Beside the views, there is really nothing else you could see or do in a favela. Normal poor people, poor houses, sometimes no sewage or electricity... just real life, as it exists everywhere (without the stunning views).

Another interesting thing I did and I would recommend is going to Niterói (passing the magnificent but very full of traffic bridge) and glance at Rio from there. Cariocas have a saying (not very gentle) that the only thing worth seeing in Niterói is the view of Rio. It’s not quite true since there is also the extraordinary Museum of Modern Art designed by Oscar Niemeyer.

Having seen Rio from above, next are the wonderful parks. My first stop was Parque Lage, the beautiful setting from Snoop Dogg and Pharell’s “Beautiful”. It’s really a wonderful place to have a coffee and rest, or have a party at night. Then, there is Jardim Botânico, the botanical garden, where I felt as Alice in Wonderland among all the palm trees and walking on the small paths (unsuccessfully looking for monkeys). My friend also took me to Palácio do Catete, in the garden surrounding the old presidential palace (from when Rio was the capital of Brasil). The small park is nice and quiet, and I didn’t go inside the museum... Actually, the whole time I was in Rio I visited just one museum, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. I really didn’t feel like going to museums with all that beautiful nature.

Then there are the beaches. And they are beautiful beyond words. Copacabana is better for games and exercise because the stretch of sand is much larger, while Ipanema and Leblon are the beaches mostly visited by Cariocas. The first thing you should know when going to the beach in Rio is that the smaller the lower part of your bikini the better (cellulite and imperfections are very normal and no one seems to pay attention to those things) and never to take off the upper part of the bikini. Topless is forbidden and considered (oh the irony!) very vulgar. The second thing is that you shouldn’t take a towel to the beach unless you would like everyone to know you are a tourist. You should buy a kanga, sold literally everywhere. At first I was skeptical about not having a towel but then I realized that kangas are much more practical (sand doesn’t stick) and are easier to carry. However, the beach in Rio is not a place you would find peace and relaxation. People with all the possible things that can be sold at the beach cruise ALL the time. You are offered: açai,  camarão, bikinis, kangas, Globo-snacks, queijo, water, agua de coco, cerveja Atlantica, Guaranà, jewellery and everything else you can possibly imagine.

Copacabana

Rio's inhabitants, the Cariocas, are really relaxed, which is maybe a characteristic for all the people living by the sea. They wear their havaianas everywhere, cross the street wherever they want, drink really cold beer in small glasses and rarely arrive exactly on time. They, as all the Brazilians, are very passionate about football and the two main teams Flamengo and Fluminense. It was such a pity I couldn’t go to Maracanã (it was undergoing reconstruction works for the World Cup and the Olimpics), but I got to see the famous Fla-Flu derby at the second largest stadium – Engenhão, which, if the match hadn’t ended 0:0, would have been indeed spectacular.

With all this, the thing I enjoyed most was staying with my friends, experiencing their way of life, going with them to birthday parties and house parties (I'm so thankful they took me with them!), meeting new people, dancing samba with them, eating wonderful food, explaining where Macedonia is and how come I am there, inviting them all to come to Europe, hoping that some day I'll see them again... To all of them I can just say: Saudade enorme!