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A still from Ingmar Bregman's Summer Interlude.
Photo by Louis Huch
So, about my week in Rome...
The first thing is, the means of transport are incredibly crowded. I've been to some metropolises in my life but none of them seemed to have this problem. All this due to the fact that there are only two metro lines. The reason, as I hear, is obvious - under the current streets there are so many treasures from the ancient Rome that it slows down the construction of basically anything in the city. The incredible number of tourists are also a factor in the crowdedness that is a perfect place for pickpockets - it was only our first day there and we caught one!
All that I mentioned above makes me not want to live there - it's quite frustrating even as a tourist, I can't imagine experiencing it every single day. Another thing is the heat. It unbearable, the means of transport or the stations lack air conditioning and no matter how many green fields are, the massive amount of concrete makes it worse.
On the other hand, Rome is a shopping paradise and we somehow found a cheap yet excellent pizza place with a really nice owner. Not that it's a surprise that Italian people are marvellous - I've onl had a few bad experiences and that was not in Rome anyway.
The city itself is, of yourse, unbelievable and magically beautiful. There are countless things to see, you need at least one month there to see everything you want, not to mention those you don't want... This is why I found it annyoing that to get to the Sistine Chapel you have to walk around almost all the chambers of the Vatican Museums, first because if you don't want to, it takes a lot of time and second (and this is my case): everything is breathtaking there and you feel guilty not looking at them. I understand the logic behind it though; without the Sistine Chapel the number of the Museums' visitors would radically decrease.
However, what I liked the most was the Trevi Fountain. You really can not imagine what it's like until you see it - gigantic and fabulous. I could sit there and watching it for hours - the only problem is that that's how most tourist feel and this is why you find them hundreds of people fighting to get there and see it in all its glory, even if for a couple of minutes. I wonder what it's like in the night, but I doubt it that it's significantly less crowded...
I'm back from Rome and the picture of the week is related. This time it's nothing artistic - it's just that I can't help smiling whenever I look at it.
It's not surprising that there are men dressed as Roman soldiers all around the Colosseum, and though they do not have any little boxes to gather money for being photographed (it would be a way to make people know this is why they are there... like in the case of 'living statues'), they simply dislike it when tourists take some shots without paying. When it happens, they start to shout at you and even make angry faces. As you can see in the picture, I kind of upset them as well...
But this I guess is part of modern Roman life, just like those immigrants who sell fake Vuitton and Gucci bags from a blanket and run away in groups when a policeman happens to approach them...
Tomorrow I am leaving for a week, I'll be visiting Rome for the first time in my life. Thinking it over it's quite crazy that I've been to Venice a zillion times yet I have never been to Rome. Also, this will be my first trip to Italy without visiting Venice (yes, I'm that obsessed with this city).
So obviously, I can't wait to see the metropolis, the cradle of humanity and culture, all the symbols I have known for all my life, and, of course, the as-of-yet unknown wonders.
I hope I'll return happy and safe, with many experiences and photos to share!
I am absolutely not the only who, when the word "Chanel" is pronounced, thinks of elegance, style, luxury and something that is over all the rest of fashion houses. All this due to an elderly German genious who somehow manages to find the thin line between the tradition that should be followed and the new, modern vibes.
Yet, I am anything but happy that the aforementioned gentleman is about to commercialize this brand with choosing Lily Allen for a new ad campaign.
The thing is, I could not understand what Lagerfeld saw in the more-dirty-chic-than-classy-and-fabulous Olsen twins, or, what's even worse, to Lindsay Lohan or Beth Ditto and when the rumours of a collaboration with teenage star Emma Watson (who, let's face it, is only famous for that series of blockbusters and still looks like a 14 year-old), I thought this could not get any worse. And now it did.
If he had to pick a star as the face of Chanel, why couldn't he go with a person who deserves to be called a "Chanel girl", who impersonates everything it means, who would have been approved by Gabrielle herself as well? He did it so well in the last decades, from Vanessa Paradis to Audrey Tautou, not to mention Keira Knightley who, I think, was the best possible option, her ads for Chanel are marvellous and very recognizeable, very Chanel. And now here is this commercial girl who would be a more authentic face for anyone but Chanel.
Just look at this picture below and you'll see even she is embarassed and obviously doesn't know how to play her role properly. The outfits just don't work and she herself looks way too immature to represent such an iconic fashion house.
And do not get me wrong, it is nothing personal, I do not hate this girl but it's probably the first time I am deeply disappointed in Chanel and it's not even because of the fashion part but because with this contract Chanel is officially commercial. And this, in my opinion, is a tragic loss.
