Rafael's Roma Vacation Episode IV - Republic Square

Episode IV

Republic Square

Republic Square (Piazza della Repubblica)是個有女神雕像噴泉的廣場，是Mario Rutelli的作品。

我在旅程的第2天來到這裡，我真的很幸運，因為我看到並接觸到雪，

在這裡更第一次看到落雪。這對我來說是一個奇妙的經歷！

我拍了許多照片，看著很多人在雪地裡玩。

Republic Square (Piazza della Repubblica) with the fountain of the nymphs, is the work of Mario Rutelli.

 I visited it on the 2nd day of my trip, and I was really lucky because I saw and touched the snowing,

 for the first time here. It was a magical experience for me!

I took many pictures and watched many people playing in the snow.

[ pix. 1 & 2 ]

Republic Square (Piazza della Repubblica)

Rafael's Roma Vacation Episode III - Trevi Fountain

Episode III

Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain是Nicola Salvi的作品。這真是一個美麗的地方，雕像比我預期的更大，

像Spanish Steps，我們來了這裡兩次，在旅程開始和結束時。您還可以吃到這裡著名

的冰淇淋gellato！如果你投硬幣到噴泉，即是說你會再次回到羅馬... 我真的想回到那裡去！

Trevi Fountain is the work of Nicola Salvi. It’s a really beautiful place, the statues are bigger

 than I expected and just like the Spanish Steps, we came here twice - at the start and the end of the trip.

 You can also get a famous gellato ice cream here as well! If you throw coins into the fountain,

 it is said you will make a return trip to Rome...I would like to return there!

"A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome.

 Among those who are unaware that the "three coins" of Three Coins in the Fountain were thrown by three

 different individuals, a reported current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three

 will ensure either a marriage or divorce. A reported current version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw

 three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain.

An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money has been used to subsidize a

 supermarket for Rome's needy. However, there are regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain."

- From Wikipedia

[ pix. 1 & 2 ]

The Trevi Fountain

Rafael's Roma Vacation Episode II - San Carlo al Corso

Episode II

San Carlo al Corso

我們在Via del Corso街發現了一所很漂亮的教堂 - Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso教堂。

我們參觀了它，之後我們去了一間不錯的餐館，吃了美味的寬麵條和比薩餅。

We found a very beautiful basilica in Via del Corso - the Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso church.

After we visited it we went to a nice restaurant to have a nice lasagna and salmon pizza.

"Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso (usually known simply as San Carlo al Corso) is a basilica church in Rome,

 facing the central Via del Corso. It is dedicated to Saint Ambrose of Milan and Saint Charles Borromeo,

 also native of that city. It is one of at least three churches in Rome dedicated to this saint,

including San Carlo ai Catinari and San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.

The construction was begun in the occasion of the canonization of St. Charles Borromeo (1610),

under the direction of Onorio Longhi and, after his death, of his son Martino. The site was that of the

 former church of San Nicola de Tofo. The dome, resembling that of Santi Luca e Martina,

was designed by Pietro da Cortona (1668), who was also responsible of the apse and of the rich

 internal decoration. The façade was designed by Cardinal Luigi Alessandro Omodei,

 who did not like the project prepared by Carlo Rainaldi.

The internal plan is on the Latin cross. The central vault is frescoed with a Fall of the

 Rebel Angels (1677–1679) by Giacinto Brandi. The altarpiece, depicting the

Saints Ambrose and Charles, was painted around 1685-1690 by Carlo Maratta."

- From Wikipedia

[ pix. 1 & 2 ]

Beautiful basilica in Via del Corso - the Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso

 (usually known simply as San Carlo al Corso)

Rafael's Roma Vacation Episode I - Spanish Steps

Episode I

Spanish Steps

在羅馬第一天，我決定步行到西班牙石階Spanish Steps - 羅馬最有名的廣場，
共有136級石階，是Bernini的作品，從我的酒店大約步行15分鐘。
這是我的羅馬假期就從這裡開始。在一星期後我再回來這裡購物，

因為這裡是附近一個主要的購物街道。所有的大型品牌都在這裡，

雖然女裝服飾店鋪比男裝商店多。就像我先前所說，我沒有得到非常滿意的購物享受，

不應跟我在巴塞羅那時相比，因為服裝價格昂貴，服務差。

一件有趣的事，發生在我回訪的時候，是我遇到了吉普賽乞丐。她們都是女性，

有四個不同年齡介乎12至30歲。他們擠在我的朋友周圍乞求金錢，我自己就推開她們。

我們必須抵禦並把她們趕走，否則她們將停止我們行走的去路，

我相信她們看中了我們的財物。他們非常厚顏，但並沒有嚇倒我們。

之後，我們推開她們時還跟我們說sayonara(日語的再見)，並重組後再追趕其他遊客。

這就是為什麼我的朋友說要提防那些乞討的吉普賽人！

On the first day in Rome, I decided to walk to the Spanish Steps - the most famous square in Rome
 with its 136 steps, work of Bernini, which is about a 15 minutes walk from my hotel.
It was the start of my Rome vacation.
I came back later on in the week to do some shopping as there is a main shopping thoroughfare nearby.
All the big brand names are here, although there are more women’s shops than there are men’s shops.
Like I said previously, I didn’t get much satisfaction out of shopping here like I did in Barcelona,
 because the clothes were expensive and the service was poor.
One interesting incident that occurred on my return visit to the steps was my encounter with gypsy beggars.
 There were four females of varying ages ranging from 12 to 30 years of age.
They crowded around my friend and I pushing themselves on to us, begging for money.
e had to fend them off otherwise they would have stopped us in our tracks
and I am sure they would have pick pocketed us. They were very brazen and weren't intimidated by us.
 After we pushed them off they said sayonara and regrouped and pursued other tourists.
That’s why my friend said beware of the begging gypsies!

[ pix. 1 & 2 ]

On the first day in Rome, I decided to walk to the Spanish Steps

Rafael 的羅馬假期 - 序章 Rafael’s Roma Vacation - Prologue

Rafael’s Roma Vacation


Prologue

二〇一〇年的二月十日至十八日，我到了羅馬。這確是一個我夢寐以求前往的地方。

我是如此幸運，因為在羅馬我看到了下雪，這是我第一次看到它和觸及它。

我本來應該在新西蘭的Queenstown和北京看到下雪，但我從來沒有。

所以，現在我知道雪如何從天上掉下來，這是令人驚喜的，

看到所有的人高興地在雪地裡玩。

在這次旅行中，我們看到了在羅馬所有重要的景點; 如西班牙石階Spanish Steps，

Trevi噴泉許願池，古羅馬圓形大競技場Colosseum，聖瑪麗亞大教堂，

聖彼得大教堂，梵蒂岡博物館和許多其他地方，

我會在末來幾篇的博客介紹，當然會有圖片。

此外，有一件事我沒想到的，在許多著名的景點如噴泉許願池，

古羅馬圓形大競技場Colosseum和梵蒂岡博物館，這些地方是那麼多遊人混在一起和

無組織的混亂，似乎發生的原因是人不排隊和推推搡搡，在排隊等人被攪得混亂。

這在不同的地方購票時都造成問題，尤其是古羅馬圓形大競技場Colosseum。

吃在羅馬是個驚喜，雖然一些食物較重口味，有一些真的令我欣賞，

如我在酒店吃早餐時吃的巧克力蛋糕，還有在酒店附近的傳統的意大利餐館。

我會在之後再談談這些美食的。

最後，在羅馬購物沒有令我留下深刻印象。它沒在巴塞羅那一樣有給我滿意的購物感受。

昂貴的衣服和許多商店的服務像是不存在的。店員都在聊天，服務員只是坐在桌子。

我可以說，一般而言，羅馬人非常友好，特別是餐館的侍應。

對我來說飲食有一個非常愉快的經歷，這是遠遠超過購物的享受。

From the 10th to the 18th of February 2010, I went to Rome.

It is one of the places that I have dreamed about travelling to.

I was so lucky because I saw snow in Rome and it was the first time I had seen it and touched it.

I was supposed to have seen snow in Queenstown, New Zealand and Beijing but I never did.

So, I now know how the snow falls from the sky and it was amazing to see all the people,

happily playing in the snow.

During this trip, we saw all the important places in Rome; the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain,

the Colosseum, the Santa Maria Basilica, Saint Peters Basilica, the Vatican Museums and many

 other places that I will introduce in upcoming posts in my blog and of course with pictures.

Also, one thing that I didn’t expect at the many famous sights like Trevi Fountain,

the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, were the hoards of people visiting these places

and the unorganized chaos that seemed to occur because people were pushing and shoving,

 people not lining up in queues and others just been disorderly.

This caused problems when buying tickets to different venues, especially the Colosseum.

Eating in Rome was a surprise even although some of foods were heavy, others really impressed me,

 like the chocolate cake I ate for breakfast in the hotel, and eating in the traditional Italian restaurants

 around our hotel. I will talk more about this later.

Finally, I wasn’t impressed with shopping in Rome. It didn’t give me the same satisfaction like

shopping in Barcelona did. The clothes were expensive and the service was non-existent in many stores.

 The shop attendants just sat chatting with each other or just sitting at tables.

I can say that generally, the people of Rome are very friendly, especially the maitre des’ in the restaurants.

 Eating there was a very enjoyable experience for me and it was far more exciting than shopping.

[ pix. 1 & 2 ]

Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore & Fontana di Trevi (Fountain)

EOS 5D Mark II

第一次使用我的新相機，就在購買它後的第二天，2010年1月31日！

我的新相機，佳能EOS 5D Mark II！

這是在大澳一個不錯的陽光燦爛的日子，我邊走邊和朋友隨便拍照，

休息時也吃了一些豆腐花。

我對佳能EOS 450D的表現已經超過滿意，所以我決定升級到

佳能全畫幅相機的5D Mark II。我認為它是大版本的450D，

但也許是因為用大手柄控制，賦予其一個比較穩定和堅實的感覺給它，

這使得它不同於 450D。重量與450D並沒有多大不同，但要操控複雜得多，

我需要時間去使用它的不同功能。

雖然我有了新的5D Mark II，但是我還會繼續使用450D。我覺得很難不再用它去拍照。

我使用了近一年半了。我帶它去過北京、馬尼拉、西班牙、沙巴等地，

我十分滿意它的照片。 因此，我將繼續利用它與適當的鏡頭，

我會用它作為我的'輕量級'相機。

在大澳，我使用了佳能的24 – 70mm L鏡頭在新的5D Mark II上。

全畫幅相機機身為這個鏡頭打開了其餘的影像！它擴大了世界，

我能夠得到更廣泛的角度。全畫幅相機令我的眼睛開放了新的世界。 

我把它回復成廣角變焦鏡頭，這是我之前用450D時買的，其實它應該用在全畫幅相機。

這是我第一次使用新的相機，而且我不太熟悉它，我希望拍出來的照片不那麼差！

我希望可以拍到更好的照片，我知道只要多使用我的新相機，我便會更擅長於使用它！

這是我使用5D Mark II的第一批照片。我希望他們都還可以...

The first time I used my new camera was the day after I bought it, the 31st of January 2010!

My new camera, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II!

It was a nice sunny day in Tai O and I walked around with a friend casually taking pictures

 and also resting to have some bean curd dessert.

I have been more than satisfied with the performance of my Canon EOS 450D,

 so I decided to upgrade to a Canon full-frame camera, the 5D Mark II.

I would say that its a large version of the 450D, but maybe it was because of the

big handle grip that gives it a comparatively more steady and solid feel to it,

 and that makes it different from the 450D. The weight isn’t very much different from the 450D

 but it is far more complex. I will need time to get use to its different functions.

Although I have the new 5D Mark II, I will continue to use the 450D.

I find it hard not to take the odd picture with it. I’ve used it for almost a year and a half now.

I've been to Beijing, Manila, Spain, Sabah and other places with it,

 and I am more than satisfied with the photos.

So, I will continue to use it with the appropriate lenses, and I will use it as my ‘lightweight’ camera.

In Tai O, I used the Canon 24-70mm F2.8 L lens with the new 5D Mark II.

The full frame body made this lens open the rest of picture! It broadened the shot

and I was able to get a wider angle. It was opening my eyes up to the new world of a full frame camera.

I reverted to the wide-angle zoom lens that I bought with the 450D,

because it should be used with a full-frame camera.

This is my first time using the new camera and because I’m not too familiar with it,

 I hope my pictures aren’t that bad! It is my hope to take better pictures

and I know the more I use my new camera, the more adept I will become at using it!

Here is my first batch of photos, using the 5D Mark II. I hope they are ok…

[ pic. 1 ]

在大澳第一次使用新的相機 EOS 5D Mark II

First time using the new camera EOS 5D Mark II in Tai O

古典與現代的北京 Ancient and Modern of Beijing

頤和園是一個非常美麗的地方。有一個巨大的湖泊，當我到那裡時，湖面結了冰。

還有人在湖上溜冰，景色令我很難忘。我覺得它是很獨特的！

The Summer Palace is a very beautiful place. There is a huge lake that had iced

over when I was there.  There were people skating on the lake and the scene to me

was quite unforgettable. I found it to be quite unique!

[ pix. 1 & 2 ]

頤和園 The Summer Palace

北京雍和宮 Beijing Lama Temple

雍和宮 - 在北京地鐵，我認識了一位熱情的大學生。他帶我到寺廟。

他說來這裡祈福非常有效，這就是為什麼他總是來到廟裡。

他告訴我，他報讀了澳洲一所大學，入學考試之後，他來到祈福和祈禱。

結果他成功了！於是，他經常來這裡。他簡要介紹後，他去了祈禱，

我只是四處參觀所有景點。我發現這裡的建築風格非常有趣，類似故宮的。

寺廟裡有許多佛像，有各種形狀和大小。在寺廟的深處，有一個巨大的佛像，

我感到和它有一種很強的精神交流，我也許了願。

Lama Temple – I met an enthusiastic college student, in the Beijing subway. He led me to the temple.

 He said that Chi-Fu (to make a wish) is very efficacious, and that was why he always comes to the Temple.

 He told me that after an entry exam he had done for a university in Australia, he came to Chi-Fu and prayed.

 He got in! So he comes here all the time now. After his brief introduction, he went off to pray

and I just walked around taking in all the sights. I found the architecture very interesting and the style,

 similar to that of the Forbidden City. There were many Buddha in the temple

and they were all shapes and sizes. Deep inside the complex, there was a huge Buddha.

I found a very strong spiritual connection to it and I made a wish.

[ pix. 1 & 2 ]

北京雍和宮 Beijing Lama Temple