1 Year Anniversary Thoughts

Well, it's been a year. Boy did time fly. It seemed like it was just a little while ago when we got married! Here are some general thoughts:

*Didn't seem that difficult to adjust to married life given we saw each other nearly every day prior to getting married. Although there were a few things of adjustment such as snoring, alarms, etc. Maybe AB has a different perspective.
*Somehow we simply split chores up among ourselves naturally without needing to designate him or I to do certain things. I like cooking; AB doesn't mind washing dishes; we got a robotic vacuum because we both don't like to vacuum; doing the laundry when our clothing runs out; AB tends to throw out the trash. It helps that we both try to help the other out when we see the other doing chores. So then we often end up doing chores together. Given both of our love languages are quality time, it really helps.
*Occasionally, since we know each other so well, it can be a little difficult not to use the "irritated voice." But AB catches on quickly and asks if I'm in a bad mood, and that helps diffuse irritation or at least remind me to be caring and nice when I speak, even though I know he'll love me no matter what. I've learned that when he doesn't talk, he probably is tired or upset, both of which requires some cool down time.
*Sometimes I do get irrationally upset or anxious sometimes. It helps when AB points it out. I also told him to hug me whenever I'm upset. That helps too.
*It's nice to have lazy days here and there to just sit on the couch and talk.
*Sometimes I wonder when the honeymoon period is gonna run out. Hm...
*We've developed some routines such as asking how each other's days went after work, watching Jimmy Kimmel every weeknight at 10:35pm, grocery shopping on Sunday nights. It's nice to have some regular things to look forward to.
*Financially we're both pretty frugal, so it helps to be on the same page.
*It's been really fun watching AB take care of kids during church. He laughs at the kids, I laugh at him laughing. Haha.
*It's also been fun to do each other's activities: tennis, swimming, baseball, kickball, football. It's really nice to always have a buddy to do everything with.
*Our first big trip together was to China - didn't really go too well given us being ill, the cold weather, some beguiling tour guides, pollution... Our second trip to Italy was massively planned, and went much better. I think we had more realistic expectations of what each other is comfortable doing each day. I generally like to over-pack my schedule, and AB is more a relaxed tourist. With some compromise, we had a great vacation.
*Premarital counseling was really helpful
*I like it when AB sends me messages during work - whether it's just a text about what to do at night, traffic update, or anything.
*We should really finish those marriage books we started.
*It really is the day-to-day that makes married life great. Not so much the extravagant dinners or shows (although those are nice in small bursts), but just the happy thought that I get to see my best friend every day!

Love you sweetie! 💗

Butterfat

Ah, this chart would have been helpful for baking in the past. If I didn't have a particular type of cream, I could just make it... Well, now I know. Man...so much butterfat in heavy whipping cream. Makes me kind of sad that's what I use for making ice cream. :(

butterfat content trying to reach = A
highest butter fat content that I have = H
lowest butter fat content that I have = L

To get 1 cup: Cups of high butter content = (A-L)/(H-L)

Last day in Rome

For the last day, we had a train leaving around 4p, so we had a chill day.

Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini

In the morning, we took a tour at Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini. It was just some site that I found on google with a really good rating (4.7), so I booked a tour a few days before (good to book a tour just in case). It was pretty cheap (12 euros), but it was one of my favorite places in Rome! It is located near the Alter of the Fatherland, Piazza Venezia, and the Trajan Column. It consists of a tour of ancient Roman excavations beneath a 16th century building with multimedia features. The multimedia features included projections, virtual reconstruction, hologram, showed what life might have been.

The Palazzo Valentini itself was built by a cardinal in the 16th century. But recent excavations of the palazzo's basement found the remains of an ancient patricia "domus" or home of Imperial Rome. It likely belonged to powerful families with its beautiful intricate mosaics, decorations, bathing spaces, and many more.

The first room we entered involved a large bath and also an area where the slaves worked to keep the bath hot. There were channels beneath the tiles that created heated flooring. There was also a balcony with intricate roof tiles and mosaic on the floor with marbles of 4 different colors.

In another room was a cold bath, while another had a grand staircase as the narrator describes what might have been. In the kitchen, there were remnants of plates and bowls with unfinished food within as well. In another area, it seemed as though a road ran straight through the house. The road gave insight to how roads were made in ancient Rome where gigantic rocks of 10-25kg were paved across Italy, all leading to Rome. Through really cool hologram/lighting, it showed a potential cause to the end of this beautiful house - fire.

In a separate exhibit, through hologram, a narrator tells the tale of the Trajan's conquest of Dacia, present day Romania, through the exquisite details on the Trajan column. The carving was magnificent in itself, but it had so much detail, such as depicting the different clothing of the different ranks, the god's helping Trajan from above, and much more.

There is a gallery of some of the sites: http://www.palazzovalentini.it/domus-romane/index-en.html#gallery

Villa Borghese

For the rest of the time, we spent some time biking and walking around in the Villa Borghese. After walking all the time, it was nice to get on the bike and breeze through the Villa. This is a lavish Villa designed by Ponzio and Vasanzio. It was used by Cardinal Scipione Borghese as a party villa and as a place to house his art collection.

The Pincio hill on the south side of the park offers a beautiful view of Rome.

Within the villa is also a museum - Galleria Borghese, a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, a zoo (even the outside of the zoo looks ancient and grand), an equestrian arena (Piazza di Siena), and various lakes including one that holds the Temple of Aesculapius.

Can you believe this is the entrance to the zoo?

Spanish Steps

For the rest of the time, we picked up our bags and hung around the Spanish Steps that led up to eh Villa Borghese. It was soooooo crowded, and we slowly made our way to the top. Afterwards, we wandered around and looked at all the expensive shops in that plaza (Tiffany's, Luis Vuiton, Versace, Gucci, etc.).

Spanish steps!

Phew! Made it to the top!

The Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Pantheon

The Vatican is like no other country. It's one of the 3 countries surrounded by another country (I've been to Lesotho, now I just have to go to the Republic of San Marino to complete the trio).

Entrance to the Vatican

We booked the tour from the official Vatican website that encompasses an audio tour of the Vatican and tickets to go in to St. Peter's Basilica.  Little did we know that it would take forever to walk from the Vatican to St. Peter's Basilica and we would have to wait in line forever at St. Peter's if we didn't get the tour that includes both. So we changed our ticket when we got there, but because it was peak season and the previous day was a holiday, there were MASSES of people. We must have waited in line for an hour even with tour/timed tickets.

Courtyard with St. Peter's Basilica in the background

The guided tour wasn't pleasant at all. There must have been 30+ people, and we would all be squished together with BO and all, trying to see what the guide was talking about. The guide was pretty good, however, and had a spunk about him. He was also kind of sexist and kept on hitting on one of the elderly ladies (similar age to him) in a way that was more trying to get her closer so she can see. He was very knowledgeable, but the sheer number of people and rush we went through was too much. The Vatican Museum was HUGE, but the rooms and doors were very narrow, so it really felt like we were being herded as cows. Since the Sistine Chapel (with Michaelangelo's "Birth of Adam") was the prime feature, starting from 10 rooms away, it was soooooo crowded - to the point where I couldn't even see the floor.

Masses of people in the "bust" room

Afterward we reached the Sistine Chapel, we went back to the start and went on our own pace, separating from the group, and did the audio tour because we had already bought it anyways (7 euro each I think).  It was much more pleasant, we could go our own pace, and just dial in the red number next to certain items.

"Sphere within a Sphere" by Arnaldo Pomorado in the Courtyard of the Pinecone

Aside from being herded, the place was AMAZING. It almost seemed selfish of them to be hording all these precious, beautiful works of art and statues in such a small space.

There were collections from Egypt: sarcophagus, sphinx, ancient tablets, ancient papyrus and mummies.

Egyptian statues

Pine cone from Egypt that the Courtyard of the Pinecone is named after

There was a room of mainly busts. One with famous sculptures of Roman gods/goddesses, room of the 9 muses, room of animals.

Mercury and our guide

Caesar?

Room of Animals

Here are some featured sculptures:

The courtyard had some of the most beautiful sculptures such as these:

Apollo, whose face is supposed to be the inspiration for Michaelangelo's David.

Laocoön and His Sons: priest of Poseidon who tried to expose the Trojan horse ruse by using a spear, but instead snakes were sent to kill him and his sons - unclear whether it was because he was right or because he did wrong.

Sleeping Ariadne

Belvedere Torso: Said to be what Michaelangelo based his statue of "David"'s body off of.

Room of the gods:

Muses

Plato? and Homer, and a very fine, wise man

There was an amazing gallery of Tapestries with floor to ceiling tapestries that showed the life of Jesus on one side. There was a gallery of maps that that huge maps of every province in Italy with the middle hallway indicating the mountains in the center of Italy (world's largest pictorial geographical study). The ceiling was gilded with gold.

  

When we took our time, we realized the first time we had bypassed the Raphael rooms. So if we didn't come back and take our time, we would have missed The School of Athens and Rodin's Thinker, Matisse, and Salvador Dali!

School of Athens

The Thinker by Rodin

Matisse

Salvador Dali

The Sistine Chapel is truly amazing. The creation of the world is in the center on the Ceiling with the "Creation of Adam" in the middle. There is truly something amazing in this painting showing the serene yet also very muscular Adam lounging as he receives life from God.

Sadly we missed the famous spiral staircase - but it's okay, we had a full day!

At the end, we "snuck" in with another group through short cut from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's Basilica so that we ended right in St. Peter's Basilica without having to wait in line. Our tour actually gave us that privilege, but we we had left the tour a while ago.

St. Peter's Basilica:

The Basilica was so big, it took some time to take it all in. It was neck straining to be staring up and looking around for so long. We just looked on Wikipedia for all the information. There was an option to climb the stairs (or take the elevator) to the top of the dome for a fee, but AB was pooped. 

During the terror of Nero and the persecution of Christians, St. Peter was martyred, crucified, and buried. Later, his tomb was moved to St. Peter's Basilica, constructed by order of Constantine in 324. It is a longitudinal building with a nave, 4 aisles, and a transept (cross shape). Charlemagne, King of Franks, was crowned here.

After the original church was in disrepair, the new foundation was built in 1506, and later Michelangelo took over construction until his death in 1564. It took 150 years and many artists to complete the basilica. The basilica is the largest church IN THE WORLD! It has beautiful Renaissance architecture and is one of 4 churches in the world that hold the title of Major Basilica (all in Rome). The dome is a daunting 190m long and 136m (448 ft) tall, and stands as the tallest in the world. It can fit 20,000 people.

Bernini constructed the great colonnade in the front with a first century obelisk in the center. St. Peter and Paul stand at the staircase to the basilica. Notable works of art within include Bernini's baldachin (large bronze canopy over the alter) and Michelangelo's Pieta.

The Baldachin

The Pieta

Along the wall are various statues depicting Jesus' side being pierced, St. Helen (emperor Constantine's mother), St Veronica who wiped Jesus' face with a cloth, and St Andrew (St. Peter's brother crucified in Greece).

  

We didn't visit the grotto, which contains the tomb of St. Peter as well as queens, kings, and popes.

Pantheon

The first day we tried to visit the Pantheon, it was closed due to one of the many random holidays in Italy. So we watched street performers and took pictures under the corinthian columns in front.

 

When we did visit, we were awed by the pure size of the structure. Although it is nearly 2000 years after its construction, it still stands as the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. It is pleasing to the eyes because it is as wide as it is tall (43.3 m or 142 ft). At the very top is actually an opening to the sky (oculus), so the floor has tiny holes that allow rain water to drain through. The dome is actually made from successively less dense material as it gets to the top, reducing the burden of the dome.

The Pantheon was a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods (per name), built around 0BC. The original was burnt down. If anything, it appears fire was the biggest nemesis of ancient buildings.

 

Thankfully, it was dedicated as a Christian Church, so it remains as the best preserved ancient temple. However, you can still see holes on the outside where marble used to be attached, but has been stripped for use in other buildings.

River outside the Vatican

Castel Sant'Angelo