The Vatican and other Roman sights

On Saturday, after all work-related stuff was over, I got up early (being the crazy tourist that I am) and once again set out to explore Rome, and once again it was raining (Amsterdam, anyone?). Even though I got to the Vatican Museums quite early, there was a line already, but moving quickly. Once I got in, I opted to get a tour, but had an hour to spare so I left the Vatican premises to get a delicious cappuccino before my tour.

The tour guide turned out to be this old Italian lady that actually gave us a great 2.5 hour overview of the highlights. Of course, the amazing art collection gathered in the Vatican walls cannot possibly be explored in such a short time, but getting even a glimpse of the collection was enough to see its richness. The first few halls that we visited had a lot of white marble statues, with various missing body parts---the reason being their antiquity and a number of "civilizations" that passed over the city, with new fads and plunders. More statues are being excavated as the archaeological digs continue. Some of these statues were quite impressive, but, to be honest, after seeing a number of them, they all sort of blended in.

One thing about the Vatican, which reminded me of some palaces in St Petersburg, were the lavishly decorated walls and ceilings---at one point, I kept walking with my head up because the frescoes and paintings on the ceilings were absolutely breathtaking. I also saw some interesting tapestries from 17th-18th centuries, an art form that I have not seen previously. Another interesting thing was to see so much of art from Greek and Roman mythology (sculpture, paintings, etc) in a Catholic stronghold.

Snapshot of Vatican Museum ceilings

Of course, some of the biggest attractions in the museum are the rooms done by Raphael and Michelangelo. Their styles are definitely different, but both interestingly chose between the Christian and non-Christian themes (mythology, philosophy) to paint their masterpieces. I learned that both worked at the Vatican at the same time (Michelangelo mostly on the Sistine Chapel and Raphael on other rooms in the Vatican).

One of Raphael's ceiling paintings

A wall-wide painting by Michelangelo

However, the most amazing site that left me almost in tears came at the end of the tour. I have heard of the beauty of the Sistine Chapel, but to see it in person was absolutely breathtaking. I stood awestruck for a long time just absorbing the wall-to-wall paintings that were centered around the theme of the Christian Gospel. The central picture in the ceiling depicted man being separated from God, with the rest of the paintings and frescoes focusing on various Biblical stories and characters. Besides the Taj Mahal, this was definitely the most amazing sight that I had ever laid my eyes on. The Chapel is still used, most notably during the election of a new pope.

Still under the impression from the Chapel, I walked into the bright sunlight and open area of St. Peter's Square, the heart of Vatican City (which is, by the way, a separate state within Italy, with its own postal service). It is quite spacious and beautiful in its simplicity. Before rushing of to other sights in Rome, I walked around the grand St. Peter's Basilica, which is by far the most lavish Catholic church I had ever been to. However, its lavishness is actually quite simple, which makes it appear even more grandiose. Near the altar there is a small structure that is supposed to be around the tomb of Apostle Peter---I'm not sure if his remains are actually there, but it did make me think of Jesus' words in Matthew 16 that He would build His church on Peter, the Rock.

Outside of St. Peter's Basilica

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Square

The next stop on my agenda was the Pantheon, but on my way there I left the state of Vatican (passing by several Embassies:), walked by Castel Sant'Angelo (a nice-looking castle that is also a museum, which I didn't have time to visit), and snapped some pictures of various fountains of the famous Piazza Navona. The Pantheon was another massive structure with a perfectly round hole in its perfectly-constructed rotunda dome (how did the Romans built it?) It was commissioned by one of the Roman emperors as a temple for all ancient Roman gods. The Christian popes later converted it to a Christian church, which is still active today. Interestingly, Raphael's sarcophagus is also found in this eclectic structure.

The Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

After a quick break of gelato, I rushed off to something that had miraculously fit into my agenda---the famous Capitoline Museums, founded by Michelangelo, who was also a great patron of arts. It is located on the Capitoline Hill and is a home to a lot of marble statues:), some of which are pretty old. The highlights include the bronze statue of the She-Wolf (the adopted mother of the twin founders), a very old statue of Marcus Aurelius, and many other artifacts of ancient Rome.

She-Wolf

The Capitoline Hill is located near the Palatine Hill and overlooks the Forum and the Coliseum. My new camera gave me one of the biggest thrill of my life by taking amazing night pictures of these priceless ruins.

Roman Forum at night

Coliseum at night

Before finishing off the day's adventure with a delicious Italian dinner of homemade pasta, I walked once again by one of my most favorite buildings in Rome, the monument of Victor Emanuel II (Il Vittoriano), the first emperor of unified Italy, the Spanish steps, and another Roman must-see, the Trevi Fountain (I didn't throw in a coin though:). Ahh, so much to see...Rome was indeed one of the most picturesque places that I had been to! Can't wait to go back one day.

Il Vittoriano

Trevi Fountain

Italy, in between sightseeing

The few days in between sightseeing, better labeled as work days, were filled with productive interactions with our program committee, all great and fun people, while taking the train by the Vatican walls every day to and from the location of the meetings. The train system is great, with a choice between underground and above ground commuter trains. However, in the truly Italian fashion, the train schedule is adhered to very loosely. From the very first day I felt very comfortable in this country, despite the fact that most people don't speak English (with my knowledge of Spanish, it wasn't too difficult to figure out written signs). Walking around the city reminded me of walking around St. Petersburg, Russia---the streets had a very familiar feeling, with various ancient sights and brightly-lit storefronts. The people overall seemed very nice and friendly, the food was great, and I could get around easily.

The highlight of the week was a seminar we organized at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is a massive structure close to the Coliseum and the Palatine Hill. Interestingly, the building used to be Mussolini's headquarters of Colonies Administration, which was definitely reflected in the military-style hallways and impenetrable wooden doors. However, the building had a magnificent rooftop with views of some major Roman sights, including the Roman baths and the Circus Maximus, where the Romans used to hold chariot races.

View of Roman street from FAO roof (with blue UN flag and Coliseum in the background)


Circus Maximus


The FAO roof was also the place where I had my first real Italian cappuccino---even though it sent my heart into an almost audible pitter patter, I thoroughly enjoyed it, had another one, and from then on have been drinking coffee on and off...wow

Italy---Coliseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill

It has been over a month since I returned from my wonderful week in Italia. Even though I went there for work, I had time to roam around Rome (pun intended:) and see some of the highlights, while realizing that it would take much longer to see even a half of what that amazing city had to offer.

After taking a train to the hotel (oh, how I miss those eager luggage handlers in developing countries:) and discovering that I didn't have wifi in my room (which caused major panic attack that resulted in me running around trying to figure out how to get connected), I shrugged off the emerging sleepiness, packed my umbrella to withstand the downpour, and embarked on my first adventure in Rome. The first stop, however, involved a visit to a nearby ATM and my first taste of Italian food at lunch---the ATM turned out to be just a slot for a card and a pin pad in a graffiti covered wall, and the lunch consisted of a delicious eggplant lasagna served by a super friendly restaurant owner.

My first and perhaps the most important sightseeing endeavour was visiting my third Wonder of the World: the Roman Coliseum. The minute you walk out of the subway station you are greeted by this massive and impressive structure. It bears the evidence of being beaten by the time and the elements, but despite the "signs of aging," it is amazingly stunning. I did a guided tour and learned many interesting things about this ancient structure. In addition to being the center of the Roman leisure life, the guide mentioned that the gladiators were not victims sentenced to fight the lions, but well-paid and well-taken care of professional fighters whose job was to entertain (and not get killed---another major Hollywood myth). We could see the remaining frescoes and internal sections for the animal and gladiator quarters. The views from the top of the Coliseum also offered some breathtaking sights of other ancient Roman architectural remains (the Forum) surrounded by the beautiful stone pines(often referred to as "umbrella pines").





The next stop was the Palatine Hill, the residence site of the late Roman emperors and one of the seven hills of Rome. We toured the grounds where the former palaces, steam baths, temples, and gardens stood to house and entertain Roman royalty and nobility. Everything around was really old. Our excellent tour guide at one point casually referred to the remnants of a structure that was "not old---13th century"---since many other things in this biggest archeological dig in the world go back to the second-third centuries. (Palatine Hill is one of the most ancient areas of the city and considered to be the origins of the city as it had the cave where the twin founders Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf who kept them alive).

At the foothills of the Palatine Hill lied the remnants of the oldest part of the city, the Roman Forum, where Roman civilization developed. It had really ancient ruins of various Roman temples and shrines, several basilicas, and the site of Roman Senate. It also had the residence of the Vestal Virgins, the ancient clan of female priestesses who were charged with keeping the sacred fire of Vesta, the goddess of hearth. The ongoing excavations also revealed the "layers" of Roman---one civilization built on top of the other (pagans--Christians---Renessaince, etc). The newer building of the city government is actually built on the remains of another ancient structure.

The “real” African experience

I definitely got spoiled by being in the well-planned Abuja with its nice roads with little traffic, nice restaurants, and relatively low population density for my first week in Nigeria. My second week was definitely more “African” than the first. The agenda for the week was to visit several state offices of the project that we are evaluating and meet with the data entry teams. Unlike the Kaduna office last week, that was air-conditioned and well-furnished, the offices that we have gone to on Monday and Tuesday were without A/C (and it is 90F outside), with little furniture, and one didn’t even have an available electrical outlet. The drive to Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa state, our Tuesday destination, was long and typically African: two-lane road, with lots of bumps, potholes, and broken-down trucks, passing through numerous crowded market centers with people coming up to your car trying to sell stuff, creating traffic jams…and the office driver driving like a maniac. Lafia is basically an upgraded village with a million of street vendors lining the main road and trash everywhere (even our driver, who is from Nasarawa, lamented the surroundings). People were speaking only Hausa (local language) so I was lucky that the driver could get us to the right place.
Our trip to Lagos, the former capital, was also adventurous. The domestic terminal in Abuja is quite a zoo: lots of people; one gate for all departures; no ID shown at any point; water and other liquids can be brought in; you walk to the airplane and on the way identify your luggage, then get patted down before entering the plane; and the best part…the seating is not assigned! It’s like taking a bus in Bolivia---you just pick a seat. The flight was over an hour late, but they did give us a snack, a drink, and a mint (take that, US-based airlines). Lagos is so unlike the Abuja---some of the worst roads I’ve ever seen, tons of traffic (think Bangalore), and generally dilapidated surroundings. The work, as always, keeps it exciting and energizing. Oh, and I got to try panded yam with goat stew, some of the spiciest stuff ever---I ate about a third of it though not to offend the hosts, while my tongue was going numb:)

More impressions from Nigeria

I am back in Abuja after a 2-day trip to the northern state and city of Kaduna. Again, I'm continuing to be pleasantly surprised at how much I have been enjoying myself here. Kaduna is a big city, but much quieter than Abuja. The northern area is predominantly Muslim, so you see men in traditional dress, and today we even had to take a "Mosque-break" for some team members to go to the Mosque to pray. The dry deserty climate was perfect for me as the heat felt so good against my skin. Overall, I have been very well received everywhere I have been so far and have enjoyed the lively discussions of work and non-work related things. A few specific observations:

1) Nigerians are very lively, fun-loving, and optimistic people. The fun-loving quality and animated manner of conversation remind me of people in Russia, but unlike the Russians, who are by nature on the pessimistic side, Nigerians are quite happy and have a positive outlook, even though, similar to my countrymen, they complain about the government, prices, traffic, lawlessness, etc, but they do it in a funner and more optimistic way.

2) From what I can tell so far, the roads are quite good, and the traffic is not very heavy---nice change from the rest of Africa and Asia.

3) I am still amazed at how peacefully Christianity and Islam coexist in this country. In the meetings we have had people from both religions, and I have yet to witness any tensions. Christians and Muslims live in same areas, go to same schools, and work on same projects quite well. The collaborators today told me that in the very North of Nigeria, in very Muslim areas, there are more tensions, and there are religion-based politics everywhere in the country. However, both religions are respected and accepted in all areas of life. Interestingly, between the Arabs coming from the North and the British Christian colonists coming from the South, the traditional religions have been almost eradicated, unlike most other parts of Africa where these religions are still commonplace.

4) Nigeria is rich in oil---our driver spent 3 hours looking for gas in Kaduna. Corruption is definitely omnipresent.

Nigerian experience: first impressions

Even though I was sort of dreading coming to Nigeria because of all the bad publicity that country gets and the somewhat scary stories of working with local collaborators I have heard from colleagues, so far it has been quite a pleasant experience. Yes, it is definitely a unique country, where many things don’t go the way you expect (I even felt that I was being solicited for a bribe at the immigration and customs). However, despite the poor infrastructure, inefficient services, and other things that initially get on your nerves, I have been enjoying time time here, especially considering that it is 90F here and probably around 30F in DC. Abuja has pleasantly surprised me---it is a well-planned city with nice roads and not a lot of traffic (nice break from traffic jams in India, Uganda, and Kenya). The best part of all has been the work. I don’t want to get into all the nerdy details of what I’m doing here, but I have been in very intense animated meetings with all men (professors) for the past two days, and feel very rejuvenated and excited about the work, even though the discussions revealed plenty of challenges. I realized that even though I like the polite discussions of colleagues from East Africa, I also quite enjoy the animated and heated (almost to the point of yelling at each other) debates here in West Africa---they actually remind me of debates between Russians. One cultural thing I learned today---silence means “yes.” At various points during the meetings, everyone around the table would be silent after something I said, and I would start getting nervous---they just laughed at me and reminded me of their cultural rule:) Tomorrow I’m traveling to the Northern part of the country for more meetings.

Russian New Year's

Before I post my Nigeria impressions, here are a few more tidbits about my time at home. Beside the fact that it was REALLY cold (around -5F for a few days before I left), I had a great time, and the reason for it is that I really love celebrating New Year's in Russia. It is the biggest holiday there, and there are certain common tradition in addition to family-specific ones. My family usually cooks and cleans during the day, then takes it easy in the late afternoon, and then sits down to eat around 10, watching various holiday programs on TV. The celebration culminates at 11:55 when everyone watches the President's Speech, and the Kremlin clock chimes midnight--at this point, you raise a Champagne toast and then continue eating and watching TV until you fall asleep sometime between 2-5am. The meal includes very typical dishes, which I truly miss, so it is always fun. This year, it was just my parents and myself (since my brother was vacationing in the Philippines), so we followed the usual routine, except that we ate so much that I was feeling unwell, so my Mom and I decided to talk a walk around the neighborhood. Even though it was relatively cold, the streets were jampacked with people. We went to bed around 5am. The only negative part about New Year's celebration in recent years is the ridiculous amount of fireworks that people shoot all through the evening---it really sounds like a war zone. The "battle" intensifies around midnight and then dies down slowly.