Experiencing the Green Effects of Michelangelo's Work in Rome

 We missed breakfast at 9:45am since we were tired from traveling last night and slept in. There was a nice dining room at the hotel lobby and when Stan went there, he was told by hotel staff the breakfast was closed. I ran into Giovy, the owner of Inn Giovy  ( located on Via Principe Amedeo), a very warm and understanding host.  She understood that this was our first morning in Rome and opened up the restaurant partially for us to have a continental breakfast.  A very considerate gesture!

Walking along Via dei Nazionale  we came across  the ruins of the Diocletian Bath – one of the most significant baths in ancient Rome.  Michelangelo  was commissioned to integrate the ruins of this magnificent Roman structure into the plan of building the Basilica of St. Mary's of the Angels & Martyrs. The result of his work is stunning!

            

Michelangelo's Last Work - Basilica of St. Mary f the Angels & Martyers, Rome. He was 86 years old.

One of the Halls in the Basilica Brightly Illuminated by Sunlight

When we first entered the Basilica of St. Mary's of the Angels & Martyrs ( before learning that this was the design  and last architectural work of Michelangelo)  I was overcame with a sense of awe and respect for the divine. I did not know what it  was but  being in this place of worship, it touched me deeply spiritually and I felt the presence of God. 

 I knelt, prayed for my loved ones and lit two candles.  Afterwards,  my husband told me that he had  the same awesome feeling. Cool!

The Beautiful and Breezy Courtyard at the Basilica

We have been warned by numerous friends and colleagues not to visit Rome in August because of its extreme heat. They were right! Especially  in the afternoon when the scorching sun beat down on us, we were drenched with sweat from the moment we stepped out of our hotel.

I must acknowledge the wisdom and designs of these renaissance architects, especially in the area of energy efficiency and use of solar power.  It must had been close to 40 degrees outside but we felt much cooler when we were inside the basilica even though there was no air conditioning and no opened windows! Can you imagine not having air conditioning or open windows in your dwelling at 40 degrees?

 In some part of the building such as the little courtyard, we could feel cool breezes blowing  continuously as if some big fans were in use.  Besides reading all the explanations and history about this beautiful work by Michelangelo, we stayed close to an hour and half just to enjoy the cool air and took refuge from the heat outside.

Another thing we noticed about this basilica was the absence of electrical light fixtures and yet the building was bright. By using ingenious  designs and clever positioning of windows  throughout this grand structure, sunlight was used to illuminate those huge halls. Windows were symmetrically placed and when sunlight was shown through them on the walls, the windows were so bright that they looked like spotlights.  Very energy efficient and clever green design indeed!

We found a diversity of  ethnic food restaurant in Rome. For our first dinner in Italy, we ate in an Indian restaurant close by the hotel!  There would be lots of opportunities for pasta in the next 2 weeks!!

R.T., Our first Day in Rome

Aug. 14, 2012 

Good Bye, Serbia; Rome, Here We Come!

August 12 -Family Barbeque

Family Barbeque at Zoran's Parents' Cottage, Serbia

The day after Sasa and Laki's wedding, we were invited to the family barbecue hosted by Sasa's grandparents at their cottage. Their cottage was only about 40 minute ride.

Though the grandparents are in their 70's, it was apparent that they worked hard to prepare for this event.

Meeting my best friend's family in Serbia

When we got to their cottage, they had a row of long tables set up with white tablecloth on the well shaded lawn. When the food was ready and we sat down at the table to eat, it reminded me of those family commercials we saw on T.V.  depicting a big Italian family with grannies gathering and eating together.

 That was exactly what it looked like at the family BBQ and everyone had a great time celebrating together!

Flowers for the doctor - Before we left Novi Sad, Serbia, we made sure that we ordered flowers and sent a thank you card to Dr. Bojana at the Nova Sad Hospital to thank her and her team for treating Stan’s ear infection.

Serbians Showed Kindness and Offered Assistance to Tourists

When we got to the market, we tried to order a nice flower arrangement and have it delivered to the hospital or Dr Bojana. However, the florist could not understand us and we were trying hard to explain what we wanted with body language. It did not work.  Walking by and seeing the predicament we were in,  a lady stopped  and offered to translate for us. 

When asked where I could buy a card to go with the flowers,  this kind lady offered to take me to a nearby card shop. She went out of her way and spent at least half and hour translating and taking me to a card shop.

We were blown away by the kindness of strangers and their willingness and offers to help us whenever  we encountered  the language barrier in Serbia. We have been welcome and treated warmly with consideration and generosity by friends and strangers in Serbia. During our 4 day visit we found that Serbians  are very hospitable people. They made us feel welcome and at ease in a land where we absolutely know nothing about their language. 

Our suite at Hotel Panorama in Novi Sad

For our last night we stayed at Hotel Panorama which is an excellent hotel in Novi Sad.  It is modern, clean, spacious, steps to the squares, outdoor cafes and markets etc.

Great helpful staff and very reasonable priced, thumbs up for this hotel!

I wished we had more time in this city so that we could have explored the town on our own easily from Hotel Panorama.

After making the arrangement for the flowers, hotel  Panorama staff called us a cab to the Novi Sad Bus Station.

Novi Sad Bus Station - Passenger Boarding Platform

Departing from the Novi Sad Bus Station,  we took a bus ride for about an hour to the Belgrade airport and flew to Rome. 

The Termini Station, Rome - Rome makes it easy for travellers to get to downtown. Luggage in tow, we boarded the Terravision express bus from the Rome airport to the Termini Station, which is in downtown Rome city centre where both the train and subway stations are located.  ( 6 Euro one way per person from the airport, very cheap and convenient indeed.)

Our bed and breakfast place  was only 150 meter from the Termini Station and we got there within an hour of our arrival to Rome. The Termini  Station is an extremely busy place with travellers from all over Europe and around the world.  It is modern, clean and a beehive of activities and has 25 platforms where trains are ready to take you anywhere in  Italy. Tourists, backpackers, travellers fill the station and you could see the faces of the world right here.  The Termini is a great place to shop with numerous stores  offering all kinds of merchandizes to  shoppers . MacDonald’s advertising billboards dominate the building and there are two MacDonald’s here, one within the train station and another one just right outside.

We would be here for the next 4 days and we looked forward to our visit in Rome.

R.T., Rome, Italy

Aug. 13, 2012

Hospital Visit in Novi Sad, Serbia

A Hospital Visit in Novi Sad, Serbia

As a tourist, one of the biggest worries is getting sick in a foreign country. At Novi Sad, Serbia, we had the experience of visiting its hospital.

Clock Tower at the Fortress, a landmark of Novi Sad

A few days after we landed in Europe, Stan felt his right ear was burning and itchy.  By the time we got to Novi Sad, his ear looked red and nasty.  Fearing that the infection might spread further to the ear we went to the local ‘Apoteka’ ( Pharmacy) for advice. ( Apparently, this is what local people do with minor medical concerns.) The pharmacist took a look at Stan’s ear and we asked her to recommend him an antiseptic cream which Stan applied to the affected area for a couple of days.  The cream seemed to make the itchiness go away but some scabs was formed and the infected area still looked like an open wound.  As we still have more than 2 weeks of vacation ahead of us, we felt that it was far saver to seek proper medical help locally.  We asked Lillian, our friend from Serbia, to help us to go to the local clinic/hospital to consult a doctor.   She right away agreed to take us to the local public hospital/treatment centre.  It is a very large complex of buildings for a city with 400,000 people. 

At about 9:30pm local time, we went to the emergency clinic at the hospital where only a handful o people were waiting. Thanks to Lillian’s fluent Serbian, Stan got an examination from the doctor in charge in about 15 minutes.  This speedy response is amazing to us as we are used to a wait of 5 hours or more in the emergency intake area in Toronto.  The doctor and nurse looked at his right ear and referred the case to a specialist.  The Serbian medical system requires that specialists are available to treat patients at any time of the day.  It’s amazing that a dermatologist is available to attend to a non-life threatening, non-emergency case such a Stan’s in the middle of the night.

 Lillian led us to another building where the dermatology department was located. We ran the door bell and a nurse opened the door to meet us. Lillian explained to the nurse and after  a few minutes we were met by the doctor and her nursing team.  Since there was no one waiting for treatment, Dr. Bojana looked at his ear right away.  She checked the ear and told us in fairly good English that Stan got a bacterial infection. Under the doctor’s directions,  a nurse immediately sprang into action and skillfully treating the affected area with an antiseptic solution.  The previous hideous looking scabs were gone and Stan’s ear looked just a good as before!!! It was like a miracle!

Dr. Bojana gave Stan a prescription and showed him how to treat the wound and apply the antibiotic ointment. We were very thankful to her prompt attention to Stan’s condition as well as her professionalism and caring attitude.  This is in spite of the fact that, as a Principal Specialist Doctor at the Hospital, her pay is only a paltry 700 – 800 Euro a month!   We were so touched that we offered to pay her cash for her excellent work.  She refused firmly our offer and we later on sent her flower and a thank you card.  The attending nurse also shared her exemplary attitude  by treating Stan’s ear with care and professionalism. She was very gentle and caring and Stan did not feel any pain at all when she treating him.

The whole scenario from going to the emergency dept. until Stan’s ear was treated took about an hour and half!  We were truly grateful of the personal attention, efficiency and competency of the medical treatment Stan has received in Nova Sad, Serbia! Because of this excellent medical service, our holiday has not been ruined and we could continue our long anticipated vacation in Europe.

Thank you to Dr. Bojanna and her medical team at the Novi Sad Hospital! 

We feel that their attitudes are typical of the average Serbians we have met.  Despite the relative economic hardship, they go about their daily lives with grace, dignity and a capacity for the enjoyment of life.  The cafes are full in the downtown marketplace.  Their music is joyful and vibrant and they appear to be able to enjoy life to the fullness.

As a couple of North Americans travelling through Europe, Stan and I reflect on the abundance of material possession we have in our society.  Are North Americans better served in terms of our social, educational and medical needs? Are we happier and having a better quality of life?  From what we have observed, we seem to be more isolated; everyone staying in our comfortable spacious living quarters and yet less able to have face to face social interactions in piazzas, public squares etc. I am now beginning to understand what Lillian told me before about her life in Serbia, her walks after dinner along the Danube,  meeting with her friends at the squares and the outdoor cafes etc. It is a good way to enjoy life!

R & S. T.

Novi Sad, Serbia

Aug. 12, 2012 late at night

A Serbian Wedding - Dancing the Night Away

The main purpose of our European trip was to attend my best friend's daughter, Sasa's wedding in Novi Sad, Serbia.


Lillian, my best friend and her family immigrated to Canada in the early 1990's when Sasa was just six years old. Twenty years later, the little girl grew up into a beautiful intelligent young woman, graduated from university, fell in love with Lazar and  got married last October in Toronto.  But they never forgot their roots and wanted to have a wedding in Serbia for their families and friends there, so we were honoured to have been invited to their Serbian wedding celebrations.

Sasha got married last year in a beautiful wedding in Toronto, Canada

 On the day of the wedding, despite the thousand things which they had to look after, Zoran and Lillian came to pick us up at the Leopold Hotel. They were very kind, considerate and generous; they booked us a room ( and paid for a night of hotel for us! )  and drove us to the hotel where the reception was to take place. The hotel, located in the national park, was about a thirty minutes drive from Novi Sad. It was a nice country drive and at times, the winding paths and scenery reminded us of our cottage towns in Ontario, Canada.

I learned that there were three parts to a  Serbian wedding and some traditions:

1.   A pre wedding reception –  Traditionally a Serbian wedding starts with the guests gathering at the groom's place first and then everybody going together and picking up the bride from her house. Since both Sasa and Lozar would have a lot of people attending the wedding, they invited the guests to have a light reception at the hotel prior to the ceremony.

A Lapel Corsage for Male Guest

 A Wrist Corsage for Female Guest

Guests started arriving at around 3:30p.m. Each guest was  welcome and given a small corsage; the men pinned theirs on their lapels while female guests were given a dainty pretty wrist corsage to wear.

The bride & her father at the pre wedding ceremony reception

Family members from both the bride and groom were present greeting guests as they arrived and guests were treated to food and drinks. 

During this time, family members, friends were introduced to one another and got acquainted.  It was during this pre wedding reception when Lillian introduced Stan and me to her family and friends. We got to talk to a number of the family members and her best friend's family. It was a great idea for many guests to break the ice and start talking to one another.

2.   The Wedding Ceremony – After the pre wedding reception, the wedding party and all the guests went to a church to attend an Orthodox church wedding ceremony. There was a chartered bus taking all the out of town guests to the church and saving them from getting lost. What a thoughtful gesture!

The wedding ceremony was traditional and new to us. The officiating priest performed much of the ceremony, reading/ chanting from the bible with another person echoing on the altar. Meanwhile the bride and groom, accompanied by the best man and maid of honour, stood before the priest while most family members and friends stood along both sides of the church hall witnessing this momentous event.

Although the service was conducted entirely in Serbian, Stan and I understood the meaning of most of  the ceremony by observing the actions and body language of the priest and people involved in it. There were two parts of the ceremony that I really liked.  

a. Tying of hands -  Sometime in the middle of the ceremony, the priest, fully dressed in his priestly robe, took a white long piece of cloth and tied each of Sasa and Lazar's hand with it. The symbolism of this tying of hands was readily understood. 

Sasa and Laki at Their Serbian Church Wedding Ceremony

b.  Crowning of the bride and groom - Sometime after the tying of hands the priest placed a crown on the groom first and then on the bride. Afterwards, with the crown on each of their heads, both Sasa and Lazar followed the priest and walked around the altar three times while being blessed by him. ( This part was  interesting to us as we just attended a Hindu Canadian wedding a month ago in Canada, and  witnessed the Hindu bride and groom also performed some wedding rituals three times to each other. So the number three must have some significant meaning in a wedding in both religions.)

The New Couple with the Bride's Proud Parents & Grandparents

Some of the Guests at Our Table

After the wedding ceremony, all the guests lined up and took turn to congratulate the new couple and have their picture taken with them. (That was something I rarely seen in a Canadian wedding save in the Chinese weddings.)  I think that was very nice as it demonstrated the respect and appreciation Sasa and Laar had for their guests.

C. The wedding reception – It took place at the hotel at around 7:30p.m. The first band consisted of about ten musicians playing beautiful and familiar English songs such as Love Me Tender, Save the Last Dance for me, Fame etc. It was great dancing music!  

One thing we found very different from North Amercian weddings was that N.A. wedding guests don't start dancing until after the dinner is finished.  By then it may be around 9:30pm or 10:00pm and some people may even start leaving. But at this Serbian wedding,  dancing started right away even before the food was served. As soon as the band started playing, guests were on the dance floor dancing away. What a great idea! We had about 5- 6 hours of dancing at the reception. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the wedding and the new couple had ample time to have fun with the guests! 

Tradition - Guests Bring Cakes to the Wedding - Lots of Yummy Desserts!

Stan and I love dancing and we hit the dance floor and danced the night away. We all ate, danced, ate and danced some more. We danced the normal dances plus Serbian folk dancing when the second band showed up  later playing Serbian music. 

Everybody just danced and had a great time, including Sasa's grandparents who were dancing and having a great time as well. The Serbian guests really know how to have a party and enjoy themselves. Nobody minded if you were not a good dancer., therefore the dance floor was never empty and it was full of people so that you did not feel that you were the only person dancing.  Stan and I learned a few steps of the folk dances and we had a marvelous time indeed.  What a party and what a wedding celebration!

Thank you, Lillian, Zoran, for inviting us and thank you, Sasa, and Laki for allowing us to share in your wedding celebrations for the second time.  You two make a great couple and all the best to you in your new life together!

R.T. Novi Sad, Serbia
Aug. 11, 2012

Novi Sad Loves Its Outdoor Cafes

View from our fortress hotel

After we checked into the fortress hotel and unloaded our luggage in our room overlooking the River Danube,  we went to have a beverage with Zoran and Lillian on the terrace restaurant which commanded the view of the entire city below.

 It was a beautiful night view with the bridge all lit up in blue above the river.  We have had interesting conversations with Lillian and Zoran and this particular evening was more interesting because they were sharing with us the history of their native city, Novi Sad, Serbia.

A Side Street in Novi Sad

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia, after its capital Belgrade. The population of Novi Sad is around 385,000 - 400,000, a good size city with many amenities. Our friends took us downtown which was only a 5 minute drive from Hotel Leopold.










 Lillian could hardly wait to show us all the places where she spent her childhood. She was a hardworking student and she took us to the library where she used to visit frequently and study. Stan and I were surprised to see 5 signs hanging outside the library entrance with 5 different languages.  ( In Canada, we are supposed to be a bilingual country but if you visit a library in Toronto, you would not find any bilingual signs there.)

Stan loves his beer and watches the Olympic Game Outside

We walked through the downtown streets, side streets and squares. Everywhere we went, there were outdoor cafes and restaurants with modern and comfortable patio furniture inviting passersby to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or something.

I have never seen so many outdoor cafes and patios. The squares and cafes were full of people and it was a week night at 11:30p.m! ( No wonder, Toronto is called Toronto the Good 'cause nothing happens after 6 p.m. on a work night! )

It was obvious that the citizens of Novi Sad loved being outdoors and loved meeting their friends in the city squares.

The Squares are filled with outdoors cafes in Novi Sad

There were many ice cream shops where we could order a small scoop of ice cream at 50 dinars ( 50 cents, Canadian. 1 Canadian dollar is about 100 dinars), and therefore allowing patrons to try the various flavours with numerous scoops.  Very good for the taste buds but not for my waistline!

Coffee Break at one of the Roof Top Cafes

It is great that we could visit a foreign country and  spend time with our friends and had them showed us around the interesting places and explained the history. As we sat and had our coffee, we talked about everything.

 I have known Lillian in the mid 1990’s and I remembered her going back to her home town to visit her family. For the past two days, we have learned a lot about Zoran's and her family and the city where they grew up and got married.

Lillian was sharing with us how she felt when she came back a year after NATO bombed her home city and that she was overwhelmed with sadness when she saw the three bombed bridges partially submerged in the Danube.

I could  hear and feel the pain in her voice.  One could not imagine the fear, the anxiety and the frustration one feels when you witness some horrible things happening to your own country folks while you could absolutely do nothing to help them.

Enjoying a Serbian dinner with our friends

Most of us in North America have never experienced what Zoran and Lillian had gone through - seeing your birthplace being bombed on CNN and worrying about your parents and relatives living in a war zone.

Serbians are strong and determined people and they are living a more peaceful life now. As they are trying to become a member of the EU, things will improve in the future.  It is showing signs of progress everywhere!

R.T. Novi Sad, Serbia
Aug. 9 -10, 2012

The Petrovaradin Fortress - Novi Sad

The Petrovaradin Fortress - Once for Defense ; Now for the Arts 

Upon our friend’s recommendation, we booked into the Leopold Hotel in Petrovaradin, a town on the other side of the River Danube from Novi Sad. The hotel is located within the fortress situated on the highest point of the city, overlooking the River Danube.  The fortress was built by the Austrians in the 17^th century to defend against the Ottomans. Since it no longer serves the purpose of defending its inhabitants, the fortress has been converted to a hotel for visitors. It is a popular spot for dinners, an after hour drinks and a favourite spot for wedding pictures.

The Leopold Hotel - A Fortress Overlooking River Danube

Much work had been done to convert the fortress and restoration work was done beautifully. All the defensive ramparts are still intact.  There is a museum next to the hotel which shows the fortress’ history and houses archival photos and description of the area during the past 550 years.   As it occupies the highest point of the area, the magnificent fortress is visible to people who sail in the Danube miles away. 

Walking on the Petrovaradin Fortress Ground

 As a result, the tower clock on the fortress has the long hand indicating the hour whereas the short hand is for the minute so that sailors on the Danube and farmers in the fields could see the hour easily.

The Terrace Restaurant at Hotel Leopold

Besides accommodating guests on its beautiful fortress, the hotel also hosts many studios where various artists work and display their recent work.

Our first time staying in a European fortress!

Stan and I strolled along the fortress ground on our last evening there at around 11:30p.m., we did not expect any studio open at this hour, but there were about three studios still open with artists working at this wee hours.

 We were fortunate to view some of their creative pieces. We were told that there were about 30 different studios on the fortress ground. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit them all during our two days stay.

Below the Fortress lies the well preserved old village of Petrovaradin, with its winding streets and houses built centuries ago. 




It was a different 2 night stay and the price was very reasonable indeed. 

A buffet breakfast at the hotel

How many times would one have the opportunity to sleep at a fortress peacefully without the worry of being attacked?

We felt like royalty staying at the Hotel Leopold, Novi Sad

We felt like royalty sleeping in the palatial bedroom and  with the luxury of modern conveniences at your finger tips? 

The two night stay also came with a complimentary breakfast in the dining room.

 It was worth the stay! 

Me, with the Petrovaradin Fortress behind me in Novi Sad, Serbia 

R.T. 
Novi Sad, Serbia
Aug. 9, 2012

Meeting My Best friend in Novi Sad, Serbia!

I am finally going to meet my best friend, Lillian and her family in her home town of Novi Sad, Serbia!

Our train ride from Budapest to Novi Sad took about 6 hours.

Stan and I were really excited and the train seemed to have gone slower and slower after we entered Serbia. We were surprised to see the huge farmland laying before our eyes.

The train ride from Budapest took about 6 hours. We left Budapest at 1 pm in the afternoon and did not arrive to Novi Sad, Serbia until well past 7:30pm.

As the train slowly arriving the Novi Sad station, I could see Zoran and Lilian waiting anxiously looking for us. I waved at them frantically trying to get their attention from the train, but they just did not see us.

We got down to the platform and received a bear hug from them. Lillian was so excited that she could not stop telling us that they were worried that we might have gone on the wrong train.

We met my best friend's family and their daughter in Novi Sad

I have known Lillian for a long time ever since she immigrated to Canada in the 1990's and started teaching at my school. We hit it off and we have become good friends since. We have always talked about visiting each other's home country and she has been eager to share with me with life was like for her in Serbia.

We both could not believe that we are finally here from the other side of the globe and she could hardly wait to show us her childhood places.


We look forward to the next few days with childlike eagerness and a great sense of adventure because my husband and I are going to learn a lot about Serbian culture and life!!

R.T., Nova Sad, Serbia
Aug.9, 2012

P.S. I was grateful for the opportunity to have met Lillian and Zoran's family in Serbia.
They were very kind to us and I treasured every moment we were together getting to know them.