Rome

We escaped Azerbaijan and a hefty fine by flying to Rome! This is the Castel Sant'Angelo. Originally built as Emperor Hadrian's Mausoleum, the tomb was converted into a castle by the popes in the 14th century. It is called Castle of the Holy Angel because it is believed an angel appeared above the castle in the 6th century to stop the plague.

Emperor Hadrian ruled from 117-138 A.D.

Nuns were all over Rome for Pope Francis' first mass.

The popes built a bridge wall linking the castle to St. Peter's Basilica so they could quickly flee to the castle if Rome was invaded.

Skyline and the Tiber

Some interesting old arquebuses.

Augustus Caesar's Mausoleum

Piazza del Popolo, the location of the north gate of the Aurelian Walls of ancient Rome. Yes, there is a stolen Egyptian obelisk in the middle of the plaza.

Aurelian Walls

The Colosseum

It boggles the mind to think how they  were able to stage naval battles in this place.

The Arch of Constantine commemorates his victory over Maxentius (a rival to the throne) in 312 A.D. at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Before the battle began he painted a cross on his shield and became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.

The Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum make up the most extensive set of ancient ruins in Rome.

The Arch of Titus commemorates Emperor Titus' many victories, notably the capture of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The looting of the Second Temple is depicted on the inside of the arch.

The Basilica of Maxentius

The Roman Forum. In the back is the Arch of Septimius Severus, which commemorates his victories over the Parthians in the late 2nd century.

Many churches in this area are converted pagan temples.

The new is built using the old.

Every backstreet seems to have a historic temple or plaza filled with marble sculptures.

The Altar of the Fatherland towers over most other buildings in Rome. It is a museum and monument dedicated to Victor Emanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.

The Capitoline Museums, designed by Michelangelo, are located next to the Altar of the Fatherland and the Roman Forum. They have some interesting pieces, but most of Rome's best artifacts and artworks were snapped up by the popes and placed in the Vatican Museums. That's Emperor Marcus Aurelius on his horse in the back.

The Giant Head of Constantine

A trip to Rome helps one understand why people thought many Medieval and Renaissance popes were hypocrites. Few things show humility and Christian virtue more than building giant statues of yourself.

The museums have a great view of the forum.

Rome is filled with copies of the Romulus, Remus, and she-wolf statue.

Trevi Fountain

The Spanish Steps

The Capuchin Crypt was the most disturbing thing I saw in Rome. It consists of a half dozen rooms artistically decorated with the remains of 4,000 of the Capuchin friars.

Not my picture, but you get the idea.

Let's end on a high note. The Pantheon, built by Augustus Caesar's great general, Marcus Agrippa, is awe inspiring.

The Pantheon was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 126 A.D., and made a church in the 7th century.

The great Renaissance painter Raphael is buried here along with other famous Italians like Victor Emanuel II.

What a roof.

Azerbaijan

I was suppose to go to Azerbaijan for a week, but I messed up my visa (no matter what anyone tells you, you must be out of Azerbaijan no later than the "valid until" date) so I had to leave early. I spent most of my two days there on a train to Baku, then trying to find a way to extend my visa, and finally trying to find a way to leave so Sarah and I didn't have to pay a collective fine of ~$1000. I took three pictures there. This is one of them.

Here's a picture of our room on the train. Not too shabby.

Some pictures I didn't take: Yanar Dag is a perpetually burning fire near Baku. Azerbaijan's GDP octupled in the last 15 years due to the massive reserves of oil and natural gas located within its borders. There are a couple of natural gas fires like Yanar Dag that never stop burning.

Azerbaijan seems to want to turn Baku into a city like Doha or Dubai. They recently completed these flame towers that dominate the skyline.

I stayed in Old Town, where the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Maiden Tower, is located. Built in the 12th century, legend has it a father wanted to marry his beautiful daughter. The daughter, to stall the wedding demanded he build her a tower. Once it was completed, she threw herself off the tower. If I were the Azeris, I might make up a different story for my main cultural landmark.

The other picture I took was of Novruz celebrations. Novruz is the Persian holiday (Azerbaijan and Persian history are closely intertwined) that celebrates the New Year and the coming of spring. People jump over burning fires and make wishes, and parade giant puppets and standards representing the four elements through the streets.

This is the official Novruz, uh, grass patch. I saw it everywhere in Baku.

New Apartment

Sarah and I recently moved into a new apartment.

We also hosted a creative writing competition at my school last week.

Slesa Fortress

Slesa Fortress (also known as Moktseva Fortress) stands on two hills overlooking the Mtkvari River three miles north of Atskuri.

The backside of the fortress.

Slesa Fortress was built in the 10th and 11th centuries, but its only recorded history concerns its defense against the Ottoman invasion of Georgia in the 16th century.

Slesa had two "deaf" towers: towers that have no doors or windows. From this picture you can see the Ottomans still found a way in.

Like Atskuri Fortress, Slesa was placed as strategically as possible: it is located next to the main road and river leading to Tbilisi on the highpoint in the valley.

There were a couple of storage holes located around the fortress.

I dug in them for a couple of minutes and found some pottery shards.

There was a monument next to the fortress, but I'm not sure what it's for.

I found a set of bull horns and a sharpened stone, possibly an arrowhead, at Slesa.