A step back in time: Siena, Italy

Going to Siena, Italy is like stepping into a time machine. All of the markets and alleyways have been the same since medieval times.

Taken by Hugo Morel

Walking through the streets of this city, you really feel that you are in Europe. I have not been to a city more European than this. Most of the major cities in Europe have been tainted by globalization. Here in Siena, it’s as Italian as you can get.

Taken by Hugo Morel

Although, many of the markets were obsessed with selling Assassin’s Creed gear. Guess they were proud that the games’ setting, at that time, were in Italy. Haha 😆

Taken by Hugo Morel

The more you explore, the harder it is to not fall in love with the atmosphere. Everything is relaxed and at a slower pace. Complete opposite of the all the cities in the USA. Also, all the Italian food you want!!

Taken by Hugo Morel

Make sure to stop by the siena cathedral. It’s hard to miss!

Taken by Hugo Morel

One thing you will notice throughout the city is this statue of a wolf with two human babies. At the time of me being in Siena, I had no idea what those statues meant. I had to research to find out that it was linked to roman mythology. According to the legend, Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, two sons of Remus. Remus is one of the babies that is on the statue. Remus was one of the twins that founded Rome and were taken in by a she-wolf. When Senius and Aschiue fled Rome, they took the statue of the she-wolf to Siena. It eventually became the symbol of the city.

Thank you so much for reading this post. Much love! Have a great weekend! PS.. We have a travel agency coming up soon 😁. So we can help you all create your own stories and adventures! Stay tuned and of course safe travels!!! We love you all!

October 27, 2018 43

Exploring Vatican city and the sistine chapel

The further you walk in the Vatican, the more you feel guilty by realizing how many times you skipped going to church on Sundays.

The Vatican has a wonderful collection of art. Many of the churches have many wonderful masterpieces on the ceiling. They also have a collection of art from the many different countries Rome conquered. Which is somewhat weird because Catholicism was never the Western roman empire’s main religion.

My whole thoughts on this place were very mixed. They kept showing Rome’s accomplishments; however, they are claiming that they are not a part of Rome. Also, the Byzantine empire was the first empire to accept Christianity as it’s official religion on the European continent. The Byzantine empire was considered the Eastern roman empire but, they didn’t conquered the countries that the Vatican kept art from.

We eventually made it to the sistine chapel. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos or videos of the chapel since there were many guards. Also, there was a guy yelling every minute in a bad Italian accent,”please, no videos and no photos!” So I took the picture of the next best thing. The sistine chapel was in town one day when I was back home. Took a picture of it just for you all!!

Thank you for taking the time and reading this post. Much love!! Also, just a small announcement! We have a lot of exciting things that are about to happen. Stay tuned!!

October 20, 2018 25

Entering the smallest country in the world

Vatican city, the home base of the Catholic Church. A country of about 1000 people and the place where the Pope lives. Do not let the name confuse you, it’s actually a country.

Although, it’s not recognized by the United Nations as an actual country; Vatican city is self-governed. Besides speaking Italian, the Pope’s home is not apart of Italy nor Rome; even if it’s in the middle of Italy’s capital.

St. Peter’s square at sun rise taken by Hugo Morel

Entering this country feels more like an airport than immigration. You have to go through a metal detector. If someone acts up, they will have to deal with these guys.

The guards of Vatican City taken by Hugo Morel

To be honest, these guards I think are just for show. They aren’t really frightening nor to be taken seriously. Just look at those colors!

The entrance to Vatican City taken by Hugo Morel

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Much love!! Have an awesome weekend and stay healthy! Next time we will be exploring more of Vatican city.

October 13, 2018 30

The Catacombs of Rome

When we think of Catacombs, we think of the one’s in Paris; however, Rome has a few as well. Although, they are not as dark as the ones in Paris, but they are still creepy.

Photo taken by Hugo Morel

As we were going down the steps, I truly had no idea what I was getting into. The further we went, the darker it got. I looked back and the image I saw, was something out of a horror painting.

A little history of Rome’s catacombs. The catacombs were built for the Christian and Jewish population. Since most of them were too poor to afford a proper grave, the ancient Romans just stuffed them in the catacombs. Also, the Romans back then did not believe in burying the dead. They preferred cremations.

Back to our story, the Catacombs were always at a cool temperature. As the group kept going, I somehow got lost. Being lost in a place like this was not a fun experience. You can sense something is always around the corner looking at you.

Every corner I turned, there were more graves with Latin written on them. My fight against anxiety was becoming a hopeless cause.

Eventually after running around in the dark for what felt like an hour, I found a tour guide. The guide looked at me twice, as if she was making sure I wasn’t some sprit haha. She lead me to the exit and there I found freedom from this nightmarish event.

Thank you for reading our post. Much love!! Safe travels and have an awesome weekend!

October 6, 2018 25