7 Search Results for ""roman empire""

• Kaiserthermen (Imperial Baths)

  • From: esta34950
  • Description:

    The Roman Imperial Baths were built by Emperor Constatime in the 4th century. What you see here is the largest piece of the wall that is still standing, after the bombing of WWII. The actual baths are underground. They were a combination of hot, warm and cold baths and the person went from one to another. It was very interesting to see the underground baths and catacombs below ground.

    Trier was a very interesting city. It was part of the western most portion of the Roman Empire, when it was at it's height, before the fall. Another great sight to see is the Basilica, built around 310 AD. It was converted to a 5 story palace in the 12th century and is now a Lutheran church. There is also a Roman Amphitheater that was built in the first century AD.

  • 4 months ago
  • Views: 238

• Flavian Amphitheater - Roman C

  • From: Vinmiester
  • Description:

    Built by the Flavian emperors Vespasian and his son Titus, the term “Coliseum” evolved from its having displaced a statue of Nero which, like his ego, had been colossal. Within its walls, the visitor both marvels at the perfection of architectural design and shudders at the scale of violent carnage it once hosted. It stands as evidence that the Roman Empire pursued all endeavors with ruthless efficiency. There is a certain duality here; one of the bloodiest spots on earth now serving as a backdrop to such a peaceful setting. Perhaps as a ruin, we are reminded that its original purpose has long since ended. In fact, it’s far more popular now as a tourist attraction.

  • 6 months ago
  • Views: 201

• Roman Coliseum

  • From: landscape
  • Description:

    Originally called the Flavian Amphitheater, the Roman Coliseum is an elliptical arena in the center of the city of Rome, Italy.  It is the largest built in the Roman Empire and one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering.  Construction began between 70 and 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD. 

    With a seating capacity of 50,000 spectators, the Coliseum was used for gladitorial contests and public spectacles. 

    Unlike most of the more recognizable photos of the Coliseum which were shot from the exterior this image is of the interior.

     

  • 6 months ago
  • Views: 183
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• Istanbul: the Eastern Jewel of

  • From: Chuzzlewit
  • Description:

        Survival instinct kicks in soon after I first arrive in a new city. My one thought is of securing food and shelter, and I am struck with a peculiar focus that blocks out anything irrelevant to these two necessities. Every building fades into a grey haze except the tourist information booth and the road leading to my hostel. I smell nothing, hear nothing, and see nothing until I place my bag on the bed.
    
        My train arrived in Istanbul early in the morning. As I navigated my way through the colorless fog to my pension, I assumed that I was walking down yet another cobblestone street, instinctively prepared for more baroque churches. It was only during my shower that all of my sensory functions began to whir again. Hunger was whirring the most noisily, so I took a short walk to find breakfast. I found a small cafe near the central park and settled down to breakfast, preparing to explore yet another European city.
    
        And then I heard the call to prayer.
    
        The Hagia Sophia began first, lifting its voice in notes never heard in Western  music, breaking all the rules of ordered sound in the first cry. The Blue Mosque soon took up the call. Back and forth these religious strongholds wailed, dueling with chants that streaked across the sky and swirled around the minarets.
    
        And then it suddenly stopped.
    
        With the voices still echoing in my head, my neck prickling, I realized that I had left Europe as I knew it. The cliche is that Turkey is where East meets West, and, although I have never been too far east and cannot truly test the truth of this, the country strikes me as an amazing blend of eastern and western cultures that I didn't think existed. The population is 98% Muslim, but rather than stereotypically conservative it is very western-inclined. Most women go about in hip, albeit modest, urban wear, with only a casual headscarf to remind you of their background. The Arabic script was usurped by the Latin one when Turkey became a republic in 1923. Turkish government is, constitutionally, strictly secular. And, although mosque spires take the place of church steeples, Istanbul has all of the trappings of a modern city, with Gucci advertisements, lovely parks, a slick lightrail, and posters for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
    
        Eastern exoticism remains, however. I arrived in Istanbul in time for the final days of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, and it was an unforgettable glimpse into a world far away from anywhere I had been. During the ninth month of the Islamic calender, called Ramadan, many Muslims fast during the daylight hours. At sundown, however, they are allowed to eat again. In Istanbul this means going to the hippodrome (the main park in the city) for a grand ol' party after the coach buses have carried the tourists away. Underneath Egyptian, Greek, and Byzantine columns, glowing stalls line the streets, with vendors hawking roasted chestnuts, fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice, Arabic calligraphers for hire, hot apple pudding, baklava (a flaky pastry with pistachios and walnuts, soaked in honey), a photo op with a sultan (a surprising number exist in Istanbul), roasted sweet corn...kinda makes caramel apples and an organ grinder seem pretty lame. The entertainment roars up later in the evening, starring the world-famous Whirling Dervishes (spinning dancers from the Sufi sect) and an Ottoman marching band -- which received the cheers given to any popular rock band in the States. With a thousand exotic smells in my nose, a thousand in my ears, and at least a million in my eyes, I was as excited as any good Turkish kid.
    
        But Istanbul has treasures in the daylight, as well. The majority are centered around the hippodrome, which, although today it is a park, it's the historical site of the actual Byzantine hippodrome. As it fell out of use and the years went by, local builders began to use the edifice as a convenient quarry and later as a dumping ground for the dirt removed for new buildings. As a result, the ground is 10 feet higher and nothing remains of the original hippodrome. Some elements serve as reminders, however, such as the Greek and Egyptian monuments which were stolen from throughout the Roman Empire to add classical grandeur to the spot.
    
        The cities two biggest attractions, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, sit at opposite ends of this oblong park, enemies made to stare at each other for centuries. Each one is a roar made by believers unrivaled to this day. Humbling any Christian or Islamic structure constructed since, they the epicenters of their sect's architectural achievement.
    
        The Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom") squats on its haunches at one end of the park like a massive pink behemoth, buttresses piling on top of each other like thick, flabby limbs. Inside, however, is a different story. After 1400 years of history and modernization, whole countries forming and dissolving much less people's opinions, every tourist is hushed when entering the Hagia Sophia. The timeless beauty and sheer size of this basilica cum mosque cum museum continues to silence visitors after more than a millennium. Coming inside, you feel like you have loudly stumbled into something terribly sacred. You are the filthy intruder of something pure. The dusky gold on the walls seems to drift across the vaulted ceiling like translucent cobwebs, making the room glow warmly. With no columns cluttering the nave, yours eyes are drawn up towards the cavernous dome by shafts of light. You see a towering, stern-faced archangel float in one corner, while on the opposite wall sweeping gold brush strokes proclaim the greatness of the prophet Muhammad. For two hours, with your head bent up to the ceiling the entire time, you wander the building entranced.
    
        The Blue Mosque is, in my own estimation, blatantly misnamed. If any religious institution in town was to attach a color descriptive to its name, it should be the Hagia Sophia (I was thinking something along the lines of "Pink Church"). Of course, the tourists are to blame for this misnomer; locals call it the Sultanahmet Mosque, after Sultan Ahmet who commissioned the project. But the mosque has been the object of much understanding. When the sultan was instructing his architect, he said that he wanted a gold minaret as a symbol of his wealth and power. The words for "gold" and "six" are very similar in Turkish, and it seems that the sultan was misunderstood and got a granite minaret...six of them. Despite the confusion, it remains a magnificent building. The architect, Sinan, was the master of his day, and he created a stunningly elegant exterior -- even before being compared to the Hagia Sophia's. Growing organically growing from the ground, grey stone billows out into domes and fountains up into spires. The inside is the real attraction, however. Walls, ceilings, arches, and pillars all drip with the famous Iznik tiles. Each tile is a hand-crafted work of art, containing leaves and flowers in shades of purple, red, and teal. The effect is an intricate ceramic garden that drapes between elegant arched windows and gilded accents. A contrast to the heavy mysticism and dark beauty of the Hagia Sophia, but a delightful one.
    
        And that's the flavor of Istanbul. Over two thousand years of different cultures being whipped into a unique whole -- a melting pot to rival any American city. You can wander the Byzantine walls, pass a cafe built into a crumbling Ottoman mosque, find Grecian columns in the cistern, and see a Roman road sign all within a 10 minute walk. An incredible mix of new and old that continues to change today as the country races towards European Union membership. Considering how it has managed the last two thousand plus years, I look forward to seeing what happens next!

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 431

• Slovenian Sojourn

  • From: bberwyn
  • Description:

     

    Mopeds, mussels and ... cream cheese?

    The pace of our 10-day European railroad ramble slows dramatically when we reach the Slovenian coast at Koper. Walking toward the taxi stand, we see the locomotive resting against a set of bumpers, facing a blazing Adriatic sunset. We're at the end of the line.

    After a 15 minute ride along the coast, our driver drops us near Piran harbor, at the northeastern tip of the Istrian peninsula, which juts into the sea like a miniature Sinai.

    We had ambitious plans to explore the Dalmatian coastline, but got sidetracked — in the best possible way — by mystery meat in Holland, a 24-hour quest for a mythical Belgian waffle and fanciful ice cream sundaes in Austria. So when we settle into a spacious corner room in the Hotel Piran, we take a deep breath, empty our backpacks and throw open the windows. We won't make it to Dubrovnik or Split on this trip, but the narrow cobblestone alleys and ancient walls and churches in this town will do just fine as our introduction to this part of the world.

    Breakfast is three stories high, on the roof of the hotel, buffet trays piled high with marinated vegetables, fresh yogurt, sausage and cereals. Loading my plate as full as I dare, I top it off with white balls of cheese that threaten to roll off as I navigate toward the table. Plopping some of the cheese onto a wedge of ripe tomato, I watch a few gulls land on the railing, where one of the cooks sets out egg yolks and calls to the birds by name.

    Maybe it's just the setting — scrubby green hills, tile roofs and crumbling Roman walls all set against the deep blue sea — but it's some of the best cheese I've ever tasted.

    "You have to try this, Leigh. It's so soft. It's perfect with the veggies. This is the best goat cheese ever!" I enthuse. 

    Heading back to the buffet line for seconds, I envision blond farmers hand-making the cheese with milk from goats that eat nothing but the sweetest grass and native wildflowers high in the Julian Alps.

    "What kind of cheese is this?" I ask the cook, pointing at the tray of white balls.

    "It's krem, krima ... how do you say ... krema cheese," she answers with a smile.

    "Yes, it's very creamy. Is it made locally, in Piran?" I ask, determined to trace the origins of the delectable treat.

    "It's krema cheese. You know, filla ... filli ... Philadelphia," she answers with a triumphant smile.

    I can hardly believe it, and when I tell Leigh what I've learned  she laughs before taking a taste.

    "Everything tastes better when you're traveling," she says, as we grab our gear and head out to explore this slice of Slovenian coastline.

     

    Muddled past

    Turbulent would be the way most historians would describe the region's past, but muddled is the word that comes to my mind as I scan a few guidebooks to get a sense of the place. Illyrian tribes in the area were conquered by Romans in the 3d century BC. The Romans were attacked by Huns and Visigoths, who, in turn, became subjects of the Byzantine empire, which ruled  until about 751 AD, when Slavic tribes move in. The Slavs established a lasting cultural influence that persisted even after Charlemagne conquered the region in 788. Venice flexed its economic and military muscle in the area beginning in the 12th century or so, when Piran was already an important harbor, as well as a supplier of salt, for Venetian traders.

    A few centuries later, most of the Istrian peninsula became part of the Hapsburg Empire, where it remained through the end of World War I. In 1918, Italy claimed the territory, and thousands of Italian settlers flooded the region, strengthening the influences dating back to the days of Venetian rule. Nowadays, Istria is sometimes called the "New Tuscany." At the end of World War II, Istria became part of Yugoslavia. With the collapse of Communist domination in eastern Europe, Piran and the northernmost reaches of the Istrian peninsula joined the independent Slovenian republic in 1991.

    After all this, you might expect to see a statue of a king, emperor, or at least a sword-wielding soldier on horseback  in the main square. But instead, Piran devotes that place of honor to its favorite son, Baroque composer Giuseppe Tartini, holding a violin and bow. Tartini is best known for the Devil's Trill Sonata, based on a melody he heard in a dream.

    You have to love a town that honors music above politics and military history, we decide, strolling along narrow cobblestone lanes before joining the seaside fun. After days of riding trains and scurrying through terminals to make connections, it feels strange to stop completely. We buy an obnoxious inflatable lobster and spread our towels on the warm cement boardwalk, watching kids lick ice cream cones and practice flips off the jetty.

    There's not a lifeguard in sight, yet everything goes smoothly, and nobody drowns, as far as we can tell. It's a welcome change from the over-nannied and hyper-litigious vibe that prevails in many other resort areas, especially back home in the U.S.

    On the downside, all the guys are wearing tiny Speedo-style suits, even the big fellow whose belly casts an eclipse-like shadow over us. Not only that, he talks incessantly for at least 45 minutes at his wife, who as near as we can tell, is asleep. But overall the vibe is good, so we float entwined on our lobster for a while, drifting past medieval facades and towers.

    The Vespa Vibe

    Near sunset, we look to rent a moped. Our plan is to tour the coastline, maybe even zip into nearby Croatia, just because it's there, so close and tempting, to add a stamp to our passports. Croatia is scheduled to join the European Union in 2010, eliminating frontier passport checks. After that, Croatian border stamps will be a collector's item.

    We rent our shiny red Vespa at the bar in a harbor pub. Once again, we're amazed at the laissez-faire attitude. After we plunk down our money, the bartender doesn't even ask for a driver's license, passport, or where we might be going. It's the same when we bring it back the next morning. We drop the keys at the bar and our $100 deposit is returned, no questions asked, no inspection for dings or dents.

    Neither one of us is a motorbike pro, but handling the little scooter is easy enough.  After running over my foot and bumping into a parked police car - oops - we hit the open highway, headed south past Portoroz, the coastal salt flats and toward the Croatian frontier. The border guards are mildly amused when we putt-putt to a stop, waving our passports and asking for the stamp. It's a big deal to us; at the current rate of European integration, border crossings (and European passport stamps) will soon be obsolete.

    Good or bad? The jury is still out, but a common currency certainly is easier for travelers. And there's been a huge economic balancing in Europe during the past 10 years. Capital flows from rich to poor countries, while labor migrates in the other direction. European integration has enabled massive public investment in the infrastructure of poor countries. That, in turn, encourages individuals from the wealthier countries to invest private fortunes in real estate, tourism and development schemes.

    Workers and entrepreneurs are free to live and work in any of the 27 member countries, and the EU as a political entity has become the single biggest donor of aid to developing countries. The progressive constitutional framework holding the union together also requires equal pay for equal work, mandating gender equality in the job market.

    That's not to say it's all peaches and cream. Some of the socially conservative countries are chafing at the influx of foreigners. Right-wing parties in Austria made significant gains in national elections this fall, based in part on a deep-rooted xenophobic streak. And in some of the countries benefitting the most from EU investment, citizens voted against expansion of the union, denying other countries the same opportunities they've enjoyed. After European investment helped Ireland climb out of the economic cellar, voters in that country turned down the Lisbon treaty earlier this year. Now it's unlikely that Turkey will be admitted to the EU anytime soon and the vote generally blocks further EU expansion.

    However, the internationalist policies of the EU have been widely accepted around the continent. One of the biggest fears was that political unity would lead to cultural homogenization. So far, it appears the opposite holds true. An umbrella of collective economic security has actually stimulated a flowering of local and regional culture. In Southern France, for example, a renaissance of Provencal regionalism isn't seen as a threat to the political integrity of France any longer, but as an enhancement to the country's cultural heritage.

    But, politics is not foremost on our minds as we zoom back into Slovenia. Hungry and sunburned, we head for Restaurant Pavel, a first-rate seafood joint right next to our hotel. David, the waiter, greets us like long-lost friends, presenting a bottle of Slovenian wine along with an appetizer of local truffles and eggs. For the second night in a row, we enjoy a magnificent seafood feast, sitting at our patio table to savor the last drops of wine in the satin night .

    "It must be expensive for you to travel here," David says, acknowledging the challenging exchange rate. At several stops along the way, European merchants have acknowledged that they miss American tourists, whose numbers have dwindled dramatically in the face of over-blown terrorism fears and unfavorable currency values. He seems reluctant to accept a tip, and just before we leave, he comes back out of the kitchen with a small parting gift — two shots of blueberry brandy and a small bag of sea salt from the nearby salt ponds.

    It's a fond farewell from a friendly country where we'll surely return one day — even if we don't get a new passport stamp for our efforts.

    If you go: Slovenia
     We prepurchased our 15-day Eurail Global Passes through Rick Steves’ website at ricksteves.com/rail/.

    The ‘Saver’ version (for two people traveling together) cost $615 per person for unlimited travel through 20 countries. Fares for private sleeping compartments vary according to the route, but averaged about $100 for each overnight segment. Many of the private compartments feature a shower, but you have to ask for them.

    Piran is tucked away at the very northwestern end of the Balkan peninsula, squeezed between Italy and Croatia. The most direct way to get there is on a ferry from Venice or Trieste in Italy. Information available at directferries.co.uk/piran_venice_ferry.htm. Land travel to Piran is via Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia.

    In Piran, we treated ourselves to a stay at the Hotel Piran, definitely not a budget option, but well worth it for the great buffet breakfast, views and seafront location. Single rooms start at about $90 per night. Get more information at hoteli-piran.si/en/.
    

    On the budget end, check out the Val Hostel, a block off the boardwalk, with rates starting at about $20 per night. We used their internet cafe in the clean and friendly downstairs lobby area. Get more information at hostelz.com/ hostel/32942-HI---Piran---Youth-Hostel-Val-Piran.
    

     

     

    Finally, check out a YouTube video clip of the Devil’s Trill Sonata by Baroque-era Piran composer here: youtube.com/watch?v=EqZ3VnScti8.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
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• Exploring Rome!

  • From: blairherzog
  • Description:
    The classic symbol of ancient Rome, the Colosseum was built in around 70 A.D. The Roman Colosseum was something we very much looked forward to seeing and we really enjoyed it, both inside and out. We learned on our tour that parts of the Colosseum have been rebuilt after crumbling - to support the rest and keep it from collapsing. After finding that out, it's easy to see which parts are newer, particularly the angled parts in front. The name "Colosseum" came from the word "colossal" and it could accomodate over 50,000 people.
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 984

• Piran view

  • From: bberwyn
  • Description:
    Looking out of the window of our room in the Hotel Piran toward the tip of the peninsula, where about 5,000 people live in one square kilometer. Along with nearby Portoroz, Piran is a center of Slovenian seaside tourism, with ferry connections to Trieste, Italy. The Piran area was first inhabited by Illyrian hill tribes and became part of the Roman empire in 178 B.C. Squeezed onto a tiny peninsula, the town was heavily fortified during the decline of Rome against incursions by Franks and Slavs. Later, the town became part of the Venetian trading confederation.
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 290
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