Okay, so I've not posted here in ages, partly because I'm so slow at getting the Italy trip written up (well, I'm not really working on it), and I have the idea that I should do that first, so nothing gets written.
Anyway, we've been seeing this super-creepy spiders lately. Similar proportions to tarantulas, about the size of a nickel. Not that big, but still, they creep me out. Last week, I twice saw one on our threshold, between the door and the storm door. Fortunately, neither got in the house. I killed one of them. Then two more on the porch when I got home today, and 2nd showed me one that she killed in the house, but didn't have the courage to clean up.
Oh, and three fraudulent charges on my credit card caused my card to be declined when I tried to buy groceries today. It's a really good thing that I've had this $100 bill -- which was given to us as a gift for our baby -- for months. I never knew where to break it. Thankfully, the self-checkout machine took it without any problems at all. Two problems solved!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Our Italy Trip: Florence
Florence, Day 1
Well, first we had to get there. We hopped on a train out of Venice, and along the way, I firmed up our plans for what we would be seeing and when in Florence. We enjoyed our train travel in Italy -- probably because we sprung for first class for the duration of our trip. After arriving and checking in, we headed to the famous Duomo.
It's officially the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, but we never heard nor seen anyone call it that; it's just the Duomo. Its construction began in 1296, ambitiously designed to be capped by the largest brick dome -- and it still is. Progress was slow to begin with, though. It wasn't until 1418 that they were ready to work in earnest the dome, with the rest completed. Well, it turned out their ambition was greater than their knowledge, because by that time they still had no idea how to actually build the dome. Filippo Brunelleschi had to invent hoists and cranes that were marvels at the time, as well as new designs to add the strength the dome would need. It was finally finished in 1436.
We started by observing the baptistery doors, crafted by Lorenzo Ghiberti. On the north side, the panels depict the life of Christ, and on the east, they show scenes from the New Testament. Next, we undertook the tiring journey to the top of the campanile (bell tower). It's possible to climb the Duomo, too, but we decided on the bell tower. Its 414 steps are a little better than the Duomo's 463, and the bell tower also affords a view of the Duomo against the city. (We considered doing the Duomo another day, but after doing the bell tower...I don't think we wanted to!)
Next we headed south, across Ponte Vecchio (more on Ponte Vecchio later), and up to Piazzale Michelangelo. Here, we had a good view of the city, as well as a bronze replica of the David.
That wrapped up Monday, so after dinner we headed back to our hotel, Residenza Johanna.
Florence, Day 2
On Tuesday morning, we started with the Galleria dell'Accademia, home to Michelangelo's famous David. David was sculpted by a 26-year-old Michelangelo from a leftover block of marble ruined by another artist. The proportions seem odd when viewed in the gallery, and for good reason. David was intended to be placed atop the Duomo, which perspective would render the proportions correct. As it stands in the gallery, it's plain to see the over-sized head, hands, and arms. David is flanked by Michelangelo's unfinished Slaves, never quite freed from their marble blocks. The gallery is also home to the mock-up of Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women (or, more accurately, "abduction"). The work was intended as a demonstration of the artist's ability to create a complex sculptural group, and the connection to the legendary event in Rome's early history was only invented later. The completed sculpture is found in the Piazza della Signoria, outside the Uffizi.
After lunch, we visited Santa Croce. There we saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Ghiberti, and Rossini. Off the main cloister, in the Cappella dei Pazzi, we observed the dome shown above. The painting has been partially restored, but the interesting part is that the arrangement of the constellations (depicted here as their mythical figures) is rendered exactly as they would have appeared over Florence on July 4, 1442. Nobody knows why this date was chosen (the chapel was not completed until years later), though some speculate that the date was important to the Pazzi family.
After another delicious dinner and a sampling of several more flavors of gelato, we called it a day.
Florence, Day 3
We began Wednesday with a trip to the Bargello. This museum houses a large collection of sculptures by Michelangelo, Donatello, Cellini, and others. We were also able to compare Ghiberti's design for the Duomo's baptistery doors to that of his competitor, Brunelleschi. Personally, I think the right choice was made.
We then returned to the Duomo, since we hadn't had much time to spend there on Monday. It's hard to describe just how grand this cathedral felt. It wasn't just enormous, it was also very elaborate. We opted against climbing to the top, after seeing how exhausting the climb up the campanile was. The interior of the dome was covered in depictions of heaven and hell, and even had a false cupola illusion around the actual one.
Next, we visited the Galleria degli Uffizi. The Uffizi is most famous for Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. However, the gallery also contains many great works by Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and others. Its collection of Renaissance masterpieces is unrivaled.
After the Uffizi, we wandered the area a bit and did a little shopping. We picked up a few keepsakes in Mercato Nuovo. We also found a stationery store. During our entire trip to Italy, we kept our eyes open for a set of stationery that would remind us of our trip. While we never quite found what we were looking for, this little shop had cards of several famous sites in Italy with fronts that could be formed into a sort of diorama. So, naturally, we snapped up cards of the places we'd already visited and those we planned to visit.
We then visited Ponte Vecchio. In 1593 the Medici grand duke Ferdinand I, who had to cross the bridge (via a second floor passage) to get between the Medici palace and his offices, threw out all the shops on the bridge -- except for the goldsmiths and jewelers. Since that time, Ponte Vecchio has been home to only those two trades.
We finished up our last night in Florence with a cooking class across the Arno, near Palazzo Pitti. Our Australian-Italian instructor was great, as was the food! Things moved quickly, but fortunately we have copies of the recipes we made. It was a great way to end our stay in Florence.
Well, first we had to get there. We hopped on a train out of Venice, and along the way, I firmed up our plans for what we would be seeing and when in Florence. We enjoyed our train travel in Italy -- probably because we sprung for first class for the duration of our trip. After arriving and checking in, we headed to the famous Duomo.
It's officially the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, but we never heard nor seen anyone call it that; it's just the Duomo. Its construction began in 1296, ambitiously designed to be capped by the largest brick dome -- and it still is. Progress was slow to begin with, though. It wasn't until 1418 that they were ready to work in earnest the dome, with the rest completed. Well, it turned out their ambition was greater than their knowledge, because by that time they still had no idea how to actually build the dome. Filippo Brunelleschi had to invent hoists and cranes that were marvels at the time, as well as new designs to add the strength the dome would need. It was finally finished in 1436.
We started by observing the baptistery doors, crafted by Lorenzo Ghiberti. On the north side, the panels depict the life of Christ, and on the east, they show scenes from the New Testament. Next, we undertook the tiring journey to the top of the campanile (bell tower). It's possible to climb the Duomo, too, but we decided on the bell tower. Its 414 steps are a little better than the Duomo's 463, and the bell tower also affords a view of the Duomo against the city. (We considered doing the Duomo another day, but after doing the bell tower...I don't think we wanted to!)
Next we headed south, across Ponte Vecchio (more on Ponte Vecchio later), and up to Piazzale Michelangelo. Here, we had a good view of the city, as well as a bronze replica of the David.
That wrapped up Monday, so after dinner we headed back to our hotel, Residenza Johanna.
Florence, Day 2
On Tuesday morning, we started with the Galleria dell'Accademia, home to Michelangelo's famous David. David was sculpted by a 26-year-old Michelangelo from a leftover block of marble ruined by another artist. The proportions seem odd when viewed in the gallery, and for good reason. David was intended to be placed atop the Duomo, which perspective would render the proportions correct. As it stands in the gallery, it's plain to see the over-sized head, hands, and arms. David is flanked by Michelangelo's unfinished Slaves, never quite freed from their marble blocks. The gallery is also home to the mock-up of Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women (or, more accurately, "abduction"). The work was intended as a demonstration of the artist's ability to create a complex sculptural group, and the connection to the legendary event in Rome's early history was only invented later. The completed sculpture is found in the Piazza della Signoria, outside the Uffizi.
After lunch, we visited Santa Croce. There we saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Ghiberti, and Rossini. Off the main cloister, in the Cappella dei Pazzi, we observed the dome shown above. The painting has been partially restored, but the interesting part is that the arrangement of the constellations (depicted here as their mythical figures) is rendered exactly as they would have appeared over Florence on July 4, 1442. Nobody knows why this date was chosen (the chapel was not completed until years later), though some speculate that the date was important to the Pazzi family.
After another delicious dinner and a sampling of several more flavors of gelato, we called it a day.
Florence, Day 3
We began Wednesday with a trip to the Bargello. This museum houses a large collection of sculptures by Michelangelo, Donatello, Cellini, and others. We were also able to compare Ghiberti's design for the Duomo's baptistery doors to that of his competitor, Brunelleschi. Personally, I think the right choice was made.
We then returned to the Duomo, since we hadn't had much time to spend there on Monday. It's hard to describe just how grand this cathedral felt. It wasn't just enormous, it was also very elaborate. We opted against climbing to the top, after seeing how exhausting the climb up the campanile was. The interior of the dome was covered in depictions of heaven and hell, and even had a false cupola illusion around the actual one.
Next, we visited the Galleria degli Uffizi. The Uffizi is most famous for Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. However, the gallery also contains many great works by Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and others. Its collection of Renaissance masterpieces is unrivaled.
After the Uffizi, we wandered the area a bit and did a little shopping. We picked up a few keepsakes in Mercato Nuovo. We also found a stationery store. During our entire trip to Italy, we kept our eyes open for a set of stationery that would remind us of our trip. While we never quite found what we were looking for, this little shop had cards of several famous sites in Italy with fronts that could be formed into a sort of diorama. So, naturally, we snapped up cards of the places we'd already visited and those we planned to visit.
We then visited Ponte Vecchio. In 1593 the Medici grand duke Ferdinand I, who had to cross the bridge (via a second floor passage) to get between the Medici palace and his offices, threw out all the shops on the bridge -- except for the goldsmiths and jewelers. Since that time, Ponte Vecchio has been home to only those two trades.
We finished up our last night in Florence with a cooking class across the Arno, near Palazzo Pitti. Our Australian-Italian instructor was great, as was the food! Things moved quickly, but fortunately we have copies of the recipes we made. It was a great way to end our stay in Florence.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Our Italy Trip: Venice
Here's the first part of the summary of our trip to Italy. (Some places wouldn't let us take pictures. I've included a couple photos taken from the web instead, so you can get an idea of what we saw.)
Venice, Day 1
We took an overnight flight out of BWI and arrived in Venice Friday morning. The boat ride from the airport (on the mainland) out to Venice took an hour, longer than we expected. Our hotel was a bit of a walk from where we were dropped off (at Ponte Rialto -- more detail about this bridge later), at least considering we had our luggage with us. Plus, all the the bridges over the canals have stairs, not ramps. After checking in, we took a much-needed nap.
We headed out for lunch (our first taste of real panini), then to Santa Maria dei Miracoli. The marble church was built to house I Miracoli, a portrait of the Virgin Mary said to perform miracles. The barrel-vaulted ceiling also contained 50 portraits of prophets. I was struck by how this holy building stood mere feet from the residences around it.
Next, we visited Santi Giovanni e Paolo, a large Dominican church. The stained glass windows are beautiful, and dozens of doges (leaders of Venice) are buried here, but the most interesting part of our visit was the church's relic: Saint Catherine's foot.
We rounded out the evening with out first taste of Italian pizza (Yum!) and Fanta (Double yum! Why is American Fanta so different?), followed by a cannoli.
Venice, Day 2
We got up early to see the city at sunrise. The streets were mostly empty, save for the great-smelling fresh bread being carted around. (They have interesting carts for navigating the stairs on the bridges.)
While in Venice, we didn't ever take a personal gondola ride -- they're expensive. But as there are few bridges across the Grand Canal, there are a few traghetto ferry points. You pay a small amount, and they use a gondola to ferry as many people as will fit (standing up!) across the canal. Well, we used the traghetto and visited the fish market. (Not my cup of tea, but it was interesting, at least.) Then we visited Ponte Rialto, the famous stone bridge across the Grand Canal. Ponte Rialto has two rows of shops (with store fronts on both sides of each row) all the way across.
Next we visited Piazza San Marco, the only true piazza in Venice. First, we took a guided tour of Palazzo Ducale (the Doge's Palace). The palace served the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Venice's government. Scala d'Oro (the Golden Staircase) leads up to where citizens and criminals would face the Senate and judges. Many murals and ceilings here, including works by Veronese and Tintoretto, depict scenes embodying justice and other virtues of the government. The palace also contained prisons. We we able to see the two rooms that had housed the famous Giacomo Casanova, who was also the only prisoner ever to escape.
Next door, we visited Basilica di San Marco. The basilica -- built to house the remains of Saint Mark recovered from Alexandria -- is covered from floor to ceiling with golden-tiled mosaics. The sunlight that made its way inside really made the church glow.
We walked the piazza and enjoyed looking at the shops. We made a great find at a glassware shop -- a hand-painted Christmas ornament depicting Ponte Rialto. We're excited to get to use it this winter!
Venice, Day 3
We started by visiting the train station to reserve our tickets for the next day. Then we took the vaporetto (water bus) to the south side of Venice, along Fondamenta della Zattere. Although our entire stay at Venice was a chilly one, we opted to split some apricot gelato from a shop along that street. We then made our way to Gallerie dell'Accademia. (Because it was Sunday, I suppose, they let 2nd in free. I still had a buy a ticket, though.) In the gallery, we saw several noteworthy works, but the room that stuck with me most was the one containing the nine works of Vittore Carpaccio depicting the Legend of Saint Ursula. I was not familiar with the legend before. The legend has Ursula, a princess preparing to be married to a pagan, embarking on a pilgrimage with 11,000 handmaids, only to be massacred by the Huns. 2nd and I aren't big art aficionados, but the multi-piece story stuck with me. (We'd revisit the legend of Saint Ursula at the end of our trip, in Naples, too.)
After lunch, we visited Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. The most distinctive part of the church is the pyramid-shaped monument to the sculptor Antonio Canova.
This day was our first anniversary, so we went somewhere a little nicer than usual for dinner. We loved our food, including our first taste of panna cotta. It was a great day, but also a little sad knowing we'd have to leave Venice in the morning!
More coverage of our trip soon!
Venice, Day 1
We took an overnight flight out of BWI and arrived in Venice Friday morning. The boat ride from the airport (on the mainland) out to Venice took an hour, longer than we expected. Our hotel was a bit of a walk from where we were dropped off (at Ponte Rialto -- more detail about this bridge later), at least considering we had our luggage with us. Plus, all the the bridges over the canals have stairs, not ramps. After checking in, we took a much-needed nap.
We headed out for lunch (our first taste of real panini), then to Santa Maria dei Miracoli. The marble church was built to house I Miracoli, a portrait of the Virgin Mary said to perform miracles. The barrel-vaulted ceiling also contained 50 portraits of prophets. I was struck by how this holy building stood mere feet from the residences around it.
Next, we visited Santi Giovanni e Paolo, a large Dominican church. The stained glass windows are beautiful, and dozens of doges (leaders of Venice) are buried here, but the most interesting part of our visit was the church's relic: Saint Catherine's foot.
We rounded out the evening with out first taste of Italian pizza (Yum!) and Fanta (Double yum! Why is American Fanta so different?), followed by a cannoli.
Venice, Day 2
We got up early to see the city at sunrise. The streets were mostly empty, save for the great-smelling fresh bread being carted around. (They have interesting carts for navigating the stairs on the bridges.)
While in Venice, we didn't ever take a personal gondola ride -- they're expensive. But as there are few bridges across the Grand Canal, there are a few traghetto ferry points. You pay a small amount, and they use a gondola to ferry as many people as will fit (standing up!) across the canal. Well, we used the traghetto and visited the fish market. (Not my cup of tea, but it was interesting, at least.) Then we visited Ponte Rialto, the famous stone bridge across the Grand Canal. Ponte Rialto has two rows of shops (with store fronts on both sides of each row) all the way across.
Next we visited Piazza San Marco, the only true piazza in Venice. First, we took a guided tour of Palazzo Ducale (the Doge's Palace). The palace served the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Venice's government. Scala d'Oro (the Golden Staircase) leads up to where citizens and criminals would face the Senate and judges. Many murals and ceilings here, including works by Veronese and Tintoretto, depict scenes embodying justice and other virtues of the government. The palace also contained prisons. We we able to see the two rooms that had housed the famous Giacomo Casanova, who was also the only prisoner ever to escape.
Next door, we visited Basilica di San Marco. The basilica -- built to house the remains of Saint Mark recovered from Alexandria -- is covered from floor to ceiling with golden-tiled mosaics. The sunlight that made its way inside really made the church glow.
We walked the piazza and enjoyed looking at the shops. We made a great find at a glassware shop -- a hand-painted Christmas ornament depicting Ponte Rialto. We're excited to get to use it this winter!
Venice, Day 3
We started by visiting the train station to reserve our tickets for the next day. Then we took the vaporetto (water bus) to the south side of Venice, along Fondamenta della Zattere. Although our entire stay at Venice was a chilly one, we opted to split some apricot gelato from a shop along that street. We then made our way to Gallerie dell'Accademia. (Because it was Sunday, I suppose, they let 2nd in free. I still had a buy a ticket, though.) In the gallery, we saw several noteworthy works, but the room that stuck with me most was the one containing the nine works of Vittore Carpaccio depicting the Legend of Saint Ursula. I was not familiar with the legend before. The legend has Ursula, a princess preparing to be married to a pagan, embarking on a pilgrimage with 11,000 handmaids, only to be massacred by the Huns. 2nd and I aren't big art aficionados, but the multi-piece story stuck with me. (We'd revisit the legend of Saint Ursula at the end of our trip, in Naples, too.)
After lunch, we visited Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. The most distinctive part of the church is the pyramid-shaped monument to the sculptor Antonio Canova.
This day was our first anniversary, so we went somewhere a little nicer than usual for dinner. We loved our food, including our first taste of panna cotta. It was a great day, but also a little sad knowing we'd have to leave Venice in the morning!
More coverage of our trip soon!
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