What a beautiful day it was today!

Today was the first day it was sunny and the day really does seem brighter with a little vitamin D.

I didn’t really comment on the layout of the Italian cities, but Rome was hella confusing. I’m pretty sure they let Harold (with his purple crayon) design the streets. Florence made a little more sense, and Venice (other than being half underwater) was easy. Paris is super easy, although after seeing the drivers (eek!) I would avoid the roads at all cost. At the end of our road is a huge open circle and it is basically the intersection of 6 roads. Think of it like a K’Nex circle with all of these spokes coming out from it. Got it? Anyway, at any given time there will be two lanes trying to turn left, but with so many options to turn left there ends up being (at least to me) mass confusion. The lesson here is to appreciate roundabouts. Or roundabounds as Dad’s GPS liked to call them.

Anyways. We went early to the Musee D’Orsay (yay for being open!) and it was the quietest building we had been in, including the churches! It didn’t last long (hello high school field trips), but while it did it was nice to appreciate the art in silence. The building is so unique and a welcome architectural change. A renovated train station, the M’O as they call it here, is home to some of the most famous Impressionist art created by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and my personal (new) favorite Sisley.

Unfortunately, they don’t allow pictures so for this portion of the blog I’d like you to Google Musee D’Orsay and follow along. Kidding. Teacher Erin just couldn’t help herself. Side note, the museum specifically (okay not specifically but if you read between the lines) says they don’t allow photography because of selfies. Really they say there was an increase in photos taken “at arms length”. So #selfie.

It actually was more pleasant so maybe they’re on to something.

Alison read that upon arrival we should head straight to the fifth floor which is the where the majority of the Impressionist art is. It was literal perfection. I loved every single piece. I think we spent at least an hour and a half on that floor alone. One of the better decisions we have had in awhile was getting the audio guide. Most of the time (unless it’s free) we take the chance their will be descriptions in English. I learned so much and not just about the individual artists, but about the movement.

Al and I had a lengthy discussion on how (and when) a generation reaches a point where they forget they were once the young artists-revolutionaries-authors-actors-politicians with new ideas and new philosophies. What makes new ideas “wrong” and why are we (as a society) so blind to the repetition of this cycle? Every generation has new ideas on how to change and instead of saying “You can’t reinvent the wheel.” Let’s say “how can we improve it?” I mean personally I think we all enjoy our high tech rubber wheels, but if you prefer we can go back to stone. Right?

Anyways. Art.

The Impressionists tried to submit their art to the Salon, but the Academy said their work was “unfinished” or “simply sketches”. So they hosted their own show with the help of benefactors, some of whom were artists themselves. They focused on the landscape and the fleeting moments in time. My favorites were Sisley, Monet, and Degas’ ballet dancers. Please take five minutes and go check them out.

If you have read this far, I have a question for you. You don’t need to tell me, but you can if you want to! In fact, go talk to someone else about this and then come tell me both your answers. The more the merrier.

After spending an intense amount of time around art the last few weeks I find myself with a deep desire to create. Especially after today.

My question is this, what inspires you to create?

For me it’s seeing colors and how they blend or contrast. How an artist chooses to use colors to create lines or patterns. I’m not usually into sketching but the whole time today my fingers itched to put pen to paper.

This post has become more introspective then originally planned. Hmm. Back to the story.

After we left we were both quite hungry. The best thing about Rome was anywhere you looked you could get a drink and pizza for less than 5€. Here? Not so much.

Before we could find food we reached the Rodin Museum. It’s really a huge garden with a tiny museum attached. Today was the perfect day to wander gardens and admire some sculptures. Here are some pictures.

While I’m thinking about it I have another question.

Do you think you are creative? Not that you are “good” at being creative, but are you capable of being creative. Just a thought.

P.S. I’ll tell you my answer tomorrow. I want totally unbiased answers.

After the Rodin Gardens we walked back across the river to the Musee de L’Orangerie. This museum is a partner museum to Musee D’Orsay and has similar artists although some of their lesser known works. Actually that’s not true for Claude Monet. There are two large circular rooms which have his Waterlilies or Les Nympheas on display. The canvases circumvent nearly the whole room and show Monet’s skill in creating depth and space on a flat surface. There were benches in the center of the room which brought you at eye level with the center of the paintings. I could easily imagine I was sitting on a bench on the edge of the pond and get lost imagining the wind in the willows and the occasional croak of a frog in the distance. I think having art that can transport you to another place is wonderful. Having only the sense of sight provided forces you to imagine what the others would be and (at least for me) reminded me of all the times I have truly focused on my surroundings. Not surprisingly a number of such moments happened around water. Helps when you live near a spectacular river.

After a fulfilling day of both art and discussion we headed to the grocery to pick up dinner. Tonight’s entertainment consisted of Friends, and SWAT 2, which was set in Detroit. But REALLY, REALLY awful. Don’t watch it. Even if you find yourself in Paris and it’s the only thing in English.

Tomorrow we are going to Fontainebleau. It has a palace similar to Versailles and a National Forest. Fingers crossed the weather is as nice tomorrow.

HOLY DAY FOURTEEN BATMAN!

Two weeks in and I still pinch myself that this trip is real. Two weeks ago the only other country I had been to was Canada! Now I have been to three major cities in Italy. I can’t even accurately describe the noise i just made. Squeal and a sigh wrapped in one. It’s the best kind of overwhelming.

Today we woke up early (Paris’s day seems to start after 9 AM) and went to the train station to buy tickets to Versailles. It took about forty minutes to get there. The Palace isn’t that far from the train station and in case we got lost we could have followed the multitude of tour buses.

Before I say anything else let me say this. I can’t even imagine going to Versailles during “peak” season. The tour groups today were both rude and more rude. They want to move en mass to follow their guides but the space is just too narrow so they end up pushing and bumping anyone in their path. There is also no thought to those behind them, so when they stop in the middle of the path to take a selfie…we all stop in the middle of the path so they can take a selfie. Gah. Humans.

Anyway.

Today was awesome. Versailles was very reminiscent of the Boboli gardens in Florence, but amped up a million times. I’m going to let the pictures do the talking — mostly (you all know I like to talk!).

First was the Royal families private quarters. Although we learned Louis XIV insisted the family receive people in their chambers. The Kings rooms were very opulent with rich colors in red, golds, and blues. Almost all of the furniture was sold after the Palace was overtaken during the Revolution. The furniture displayed is either replicas or similar to what would have been used. The wall coverings are all original still.

The Queens rooms were in softer but no less richer tones of pinks, blues and yellows. I most enjoyed the little details like the tassels or the curve of a chair. The Princes rooms had all the walls knocked down during Marie Antoinette’s stay and it was changed into a gallery of huge paintings depicting famous French victories.

Here are some of my favorites:

After the Palace we wandered into the gardens. There is a main pathway called the Grand Canal, and dozens of offshoots. There are also at least a dozen other buildings including the houses Marie Antoinette created when she moved into the palace.

Here are some more of my favorite colors and shapes I found in Marie Antoinette’s rooms:

We had some time left in the day so we headed back into Paris and stopped by Napoleons tomb.

We ended the day with a tour (and some more stairs) of the Arc de Triumph.

Hello friends and family!

Again a day late!

Today we headed out early for the Musee D’Orsay. Alison ordered two chocolate croissants for us to try and yummmm were they good. The chocolate was still warm and oozy.

We arrived at the museum only to discover it was closed on Mondays! Oops. Not deterred in the least, we went farther east and stood in line to enter Saint Chapelle. The chapel is now within the walls of the Palais De Justice (which is still an active court house). So strangely enough we were standing in a line to enter a church, while directly parallel to us was the line of people needing to get into court. It was quite clear the difference in clientele.

Once through security you have to walk across a parking lot and enter through the church gates. The church is under some serious renovation (story of the trip so far!) and we were unable to see the rose window for which it is known for. Unlike other chapels, the sanctuary is located on the second floor. The first level has been pretty badly damaged and has been turned into an information/gift shop area. Another difference is this is not an active church. All those differences aside this chapel is still one of the more spectacular.

Every wall is basically stained glass. From about ten feet off the ground to about a foot from the ceiling. They depict every story from Creation to the Book of Kings. The windows are read from bottom to the top, left to right. The ceiling is vaulted and is covered with small stars on a blue background.

We went next door to The Concierge. Which was once the palace and court of French Royals. The only part that remains is the lower level which was originally the dining room for the servants and soldiers for the palace. When Charles V abandoned the palace the lower level was turned into a prison. During the Reign of Terror, the Concierge was the final stop for nearly 2,700 people before the guillotine. One of the most famous was the Queen Marie Antoinette. We viewed the chambers she was held in before her beheading. She was given a small partition for privacy, but other than that she was watched by two soldiers 24 hours a day.

Next we headed around the corner to climb Notre Dame. Alison and I are experts at climbing stairs after Italy! Notre Dame has 387 steps and while there are less of them than Il Duomo they are no less steep. The gargoyles are as advertised and have the most perfect personalities. The panoramic views were also worth the climb although it was pretty cloudy at a distance.

We climbed down and went across the street to a cafe for Croque Monsieur and frittes (ham and cheese grilled sandwich and fries). We headed towards the Latin Quarter, passed the Sorbonne and entered the Pantheon. Similar to Rome’s Pantheon it has a high dome in the center. On the outside it more resembles the Capital building in Lansing. There are crypts below that hold people such as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumais, Marie and Pierre Curie, and Rousseau. It was colder in the building than out and we booked it as quick as we could to warm up.

Down the street was Les Arenes de Lutece which was once a Roman amphitheater. Today it was a place to play tag for two little boys and a bocci arena for a group of men. Not wanting to disturb the men (of all ages) we headed back towards the river and the Centre Pompidou.

The Centre has an external piping system in bright colors of red, blue, green and yellow. It’s not the most attractive building on the outside, but the inside is clean, bright, and white. Very white. It has a huge library on the second (or third?) floor, the permanent exhibitions on the fourth floor and temporary exhibits/outdoor restaurant on the top.

The museum was a MONSTER change from every other museum we had seen previously. I thought it was interesting and somewhat thought provoking, but personally I like more…literal art. I don’t know if that makes sense, but to me some of the art was a little reaching. There was an interesting documentary on 9/11 which had raw footage shot by multiple people that had been edited together by the artist.

Tired and hungry we hopped on the metro and grabbed some food at a food cart down the street from our flat. We watched some Friends and Cool Runnings and went to sleep early.

Tomorrow is Versailles, and the Arc de Triumph!

Good evening!

I didn’t write anything for yesterday, not because it wasn’t one of THE MOST EXCITING DAYS, but because I was super tired. I also spent a while catching up with family and by the time I hung up it was midnight!

Now to try to contain my excitement.

I woke feeling much better and was ready to conquer Paris. After a brief stop for a croissant for Alison we booked it for The Louvre. It was probably 8:45 and the streets were deserted. The sunrise coming over the buildings was both blinding and beautiful. We walked through the park on our way and saw some funny birds chilling in a pond. (As a side note. Pigeons are the grossest thing. Maybe more than bugs.) Our early rise got us in line, and into the museum fairly quickly.

I downloaded an app that had guided tours and with our pass in hand we headed straight for the Mona Lisa. Both Alison and I said she looked much happier in person. And she was exactly the size I imagined. Her eyes do follow you, but so does every other forward facing painting. There wasn’t a big crowd in front of her, so after a few minutes we continued on. I can see how it would overwhelming during peak days, as the room is not that big and the other paintings are a distant second thought.

Our plan originally was to spend half a day in The Louvre but after three hours and half the museum we were feeling good (and not overwhelmed!) Italy helped prepare our brains for fine art overload. The building is the perfect back drop for the art, and Napoleons rooms are a superb example of French opulence. There are WAY too many to name all of my favorites so here are just a few!

After 7+ hours we conquered Le Louvre! Feeling high on exquisite art we crossed Pont Neuf and followed the signs towards Notre Dame. Wows. Similar to the Dome in Florence, Notre Dame is right in the middle of Île de la Cité. It is bordered by apartments and cafés. We first visited the crypts, which detailed how the Île was developed and had remnants of the previous structures.

When we were walking out of the crypt we heard the sound of motorcycles revving. A LOT of motorcycles. Hundreds of bikes had flooded the street in protest of a bill the Mayor wants to sign that would require nearly all of the bikes allowed in the city to be made after 2000. As they are a major mode of transportation, and the French being the French, I understand their desire to protest.

Once the ruckus calmed, we waited in line for about ten minutes and then were in Notre Dame! The cathedral was impressive, with higher ceilings than I would have guessed from the outside. We learned that Joan of Arc was posthumously declared innocent (after being burned at the stake by the English at age 19) and canonized (made a saint) over 450 years later in 1920.

On our walk back to our flat, we paused to grab crepes and watch people stroll along the Champs Élysées. Crepes with applesauce is my new favorite thing.

Tomorrow we plan on heading back to the Île da la Ćité and then to the Centre Pompidou (our first modern art museum! Eeee!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonjour!

We we left out hotel in Venice this morning at 6 AM. Much easier to walk the streets when they are not flooded. As a side note, Venice is kind of smelly. Beautiful, but stinky after a flood. We took a bus to the airport and easily made it to our gate. Interestingly, to get to the metal detectors we had to swipe our tickets. No one looked at our passports. Also. I have been stoppe and patted down every time. Which isn’t a bad thing just an interesting coincidence.

I was not feeling well when I woke up this morning and continue to feel sick as I write. We took a bus to the metro and then metro’ed (huh?) to a few blocks from the apartment. We are literally right down the road from Champs-Élysées.

Thank goodness we were able to get into the apartment early. We dropped off our bags and went for a short  walk before I began to feel ill again. We stopped at a crepeteria and had some delicious crepes. (Not better than my Oma’s of course!). We came back to the aprartment and I have basically slept all day while Al planned our itinerary for the week. Thank goodness we have a whole week here and can afford a day to not go out. Bright side we did laundry! Hey. It’s the little things. If I remember correctly we are going to The Louvre, Notre Dome, and Pont Neuf. Fingers crossed I am feeling better in the morning. Here are some pictures from the plane over The Alps and my brown sugar crepe.

(Sorry about the delay. The Internet crapped out yesterday and we weren’t able to get back on until today….because we’re in Paris!)

So rewind a day and sit back and enjoy.

Ciao!

What I didn’t tell you in the last post was Venice has an alarm system that sounds exactly like The Hunger Games chimes in Catching Fire. The first time Alison and I heard it was about ten PM.

We about peed our pants.

Side note: I mentioned the wind when we were put walking but it was somehow worse inside (a minor exaggeration) and had been making load whistling noises and banging of the shutters all night.

Anyways. The siren starts chiming these two extended notes and repeats them two or three times. After sitting in silence for a few seconds in fear that the whole island is about to sink into the Adriatic Sea (a reoccurring fear of Alison’s) we put boots and coats on and went downstairs to investigate.

Turns out the siren is to let the Venetians know there is an announcement about to be made. What follows is an indication of the tide levels. One extended note for every ten cm the sea will rise. One would think that the water would rush out, but I guess with the combination of wind and canal design, the water instead floods the streets.

Like major floods. I also woke up to the alarm sounding this morning, but this time it indicated 30cm! During our breakfast the water crept from a small pool outside to flooding the entry to the hotel. Not daunted by the rising water (now that the falling into the sea theory had been debunked) we set off in search of “boots” and Saint Mark’s Square.

Alison’s boot quickly developed a leak and after one submerged alley her foot was was soaked. We had to buy another set at the square which thankfully held up better. The wind was still crazy strong and there wasn’t a lot to do with everything flooded. So what were we to do?

Shop. And lust after the expensive leather and jewelry that we decided we would return for some day. In reality the prices were super fair and most of the shops had some really interesting things, not just tourist trinkets. It was refreshing to spend the day outside of a museum.

Tomorrow we hop on a plane to Paris and by tomorrow afternoon be wandering the shoreline of the Seine. Forecast says sunny for the next five days. Fingers crossed.

Hello!

I’m not going to lie to you. Today’s post isn’t going to be as exciting as the past few cities. It involves snow, rain, and lots of walking. Read on at your own peril.

Side note. Here’s the thing I have learned so far about having roommates from other countries. Everyone has different levels of noise they think is acceptable to make in the morning (nighttime is weirdly agreed upon). Alison and I are (in my humble opinion) overly cautious when making noise and try to be as considerate as we can. We pack the night before, lay out our clothes and generally prepare for the day ahead. Others? Not so much. I haven’t really noticed a pattern in age or citizenship so I can’t draw a formal conclusion for you. And I really only bring it up because Alison is sick of me complaining about it and I needed to vent. Ugh. People.

The train to Venice was pretty painless other than dealing with people who enter at the wrong end of the train and then have to squeeze past you with their luggage and fifteen family members to get to their seats. In a different car entirely. Again. People.

We arrived in Venice and the first thing we noticed was how cold it was. Brrr. So after layering up, with map in hand, we took off for our hotel. The rain itself wasn’t bad but combined with the gale force wind it was brutal. The canals were nothing like the picturesque calm with singing men in gondolas that is advertised. I knew it would be wet because of the season but even our hostess said she hadn’t seen weather like this in a long time. We had to detour a number of times due to flooding of sidewalks. Luckily we made it in one semi-drenched piece and were able to check in early.

Honestly? I had to force myself to go outside. It’s the first time on the trip I wished I was at home with my cat on my lap watching Netflix.

After lots of mental you-can-do-it-girl prompting, layers, on layers, on layers and with a general direction in mind, (and a brief stop for a poncho for Alison) we were ready for the Galleria dell’Accademia. What should have been a ten minute walk turned into an hour and a half of “this way.””no it’s flooded.” “This way?” “Nope that’s a dead end.” On the bright side we did get to see a LOT of the island, and the canals and buildings are pretty marvelous.

The Galleria was a nice change of pace with no statues. Anywhere. I like a good roman statue as much as the next, but wow can it be overwhelming. Al read about an actual syndrome called Hyperkulturemia also known Stendhal syndrome or Florence syndrome which occurs when you view too much art or natural beauty. So check that off my bucket list.

Here are some of my favorites:

We stopped in our first fine dining restaurant of the trip and splurged on gnocchi with cheese sauce for me and Calamari for Alison. I tried the calamari and I didn’t enjoy it but I didn’t hate it either. The texture is a little odd.

On our walk back to the hotel we were amazed at the amount of discarded umbrellas that had been broken due to the wind. We probably saw over thirty casualties. Venice: Where good umbrellas go to die.

Tomorrow’s forecast is sunny with 70% chance of rain. There is also high probability of flooding so Al and I may need to invest in some waders. I’ll keep you posted. We are headed to Saint Mark’s square and Basilica tomorrow. We will also be visiting the Doge’s Palace. (Heh. Doge.) Send us dry thoughts and I will talk to you tomorrow!

Happy One-Week-in-Europe Day!

We started the day with some pastries bought from a ristorante across the palazzo from the Duomo. I don’t know what it was but it tasted like puff pastry filled with a custard/cream cheese topped with powdered sugar. #pleasemoreplease I would have taken pictures but…I ate it too fast! 🙂

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore looks much smaller inside than one would expect from the grandness on the outside. The height and spectacle truly comes from the Dome. Part of our exploration led us into the crypt which documented how the church had evolved over the centuries. We had to exit the church and walk around the corner to start the trek up the 463 steps (I overestimated last night..thank goodness!). They are so much more narrow and winding then I could have imagined. BUT. WE DID IT. And it was so worth it. The views rivaled those from yesterday because everything was closer. The steps on the was down were faster (obviously) but somehow more confusing. At one point I told Alison I was convinced we weren’t actually moving and the stairs would just go on forever. Luckily they didn’t.

In the middle of the Palazzo is the Baptistry. Once thought to be a Pagan church, it has an unusual octagonal shape with a large mosaic dome depicting the stories of the Last Judgement, Genesis, Mary and Christ, Joseph, and St John the Baptist. I didn’t mention it yesterday but San Miniato al Monte was by far the most solemn and reverent church we have visited so far. Each church has had it’s own “feeling” and I am glad we are able to experience these places with less people around. I don’t think it would be as spiritual or captivating if I was being shepherded through them with hundreds of other tourists. It’s bad enough watching a couple dozen take “selfies” with priceless works of art. Cait told us before we left to put down our cameras and truly see the world around us, not just through a lens or screen. Which has proven to be sage advice.

We left the Baptistry, grabbed some pizza, and headed down the streets to do some shopping. Al and I each picked a scarf from a street vendor and we admired the leather goods on display in store windows or hanging from carts. The city even smells like leather occasionally.

Next stop was the Galleria dell’Accademia and THEE David. The special exhibit had musical instruments from the 1700-1800’s. The David is at the end of a long hallway and it is hard to focus on anything else in the room. It was way taller than I was anticipating. I had read that in 1991 a man named Piero Cannata took a gemstone hammer and chopped of David’s left toe. Al and I spent more than a few minutes trying to identify which toe (we think the pinky). The sculpture is so real looking that I honestly thought it was breathing. There is such definition and tautness in the muscles and yet the body is relaxed which emphasizes that David won the battle with his mind rather than muscle. In the same hallway are The Four Prisoners, unfinished sculptures only partially chiseled from the marble. (We forgot to take pictures so you should go Google them!).

We ended the day with gelato, reserved our seats for the train tomorrow, packed up, and had dinner at the hostel.

Tomorrow we leave at 08:30 and arrive in Venice at 10:35. After dropping out bags off at the Hotel we are headed out to museums. Hopefully the weather cooperates (it’s predicting 90% chance rain) and we can squeeze in a Gondola ride (squeeee!).

Hi hi!

We were woken up early again by roommates packing up. Except this time they opened the shades, and the door to our room! Hello world. We went down for an all you can eat buffet at the hostel but it was nothing special. Except orange and pineapple juice. So.many.refills. Yum.

After that we did a TON of walking!Which isn’t really abnormal for the trip, just a different pace. I would guess that we walk between 6-8 miles a day usually, but we visit a lot of museums which provide opportunity for “rest”. The roads and sidewalks (if you can call narrow paths between shops and the road sidewalks) are smaller but easier to walk on then in Rome. Rome has smaller cobblestones which hurt my feet more, but the cobblestones here are easier to trip on. I biffed it on a sidewalk today and ran into a parked car which was exciting. Not sure Alison noticed as she was telling me something about something somewhere. Typical.

In the morning we went to the Uffizi Gallery to see the works of Botticelli, da Vinci, Donatello, and Raphael. It was an interesting place with a pretty wide variety of mediums and subjects. The common thread being Mary, Jesus, and a bunch of dead white guys. The building itself was a picture to take in. There were a ton of ceiling paintings, portraits literally hanging from rafters, and marble statues for days. Overall I enjoyed seeing art I studied in art history in person, but didn’t feel drawn to most of the art like in Rome. Here are some pictures of my favorite works:

After the museum we headed to The Boboli Gardens. Once the home of the Medici family (basically the family who had the money to control government without getting into politics) the Pitti Palace is home to eight Gardens and Museums. Let me get one thing straight. These gardens are not your average garden. Try maze-labyrinth-hill-stairs-forest-fountain-statue-flowers-plant palace and you might be closer to reality. I wish we would be here in spring to see everything blossom! We wandered for probably a solid two hours and found some magical places.

Our ticket also got us entrance into the Porcelain Museum and the Costume Gallery which had fashions from as far back as the Medici’s to 1970’s.

We then crossed the river and hiked up to Piazza Michaelangelo, the highest point in Florence that isn’t a hillside. It was so steep. I remember feeling like the Spanish Steps had a lot, but woah. What a workout! The view at the top was so worth it. Absolutely breathtaking.

For dinner we ate at a food truck across the street and then went to San Miniato al Monte. We planned to stay and watch the sunset but it was too cloudy and we were cold and sore. We came back to find we had the room to ourselves and caught up on social media/napped. A few hours later and we capped the night off with some French fries and lemon pie. Yum.

Tomorrow we are leaving at 9am to grab pastries and people watch before the Dome opens at 10. Did I mention there are 492 steps to the top? Yes. Feel free to mock me tomorrow when I moan about the steps but midnight Erin is feeling confident and excited. Next on the schedule is the Galleria dell’Accademia and then some shopping. I’m trying to convince myself that Italian leather boots are not a necessity but hooboy – that’s a challenge! Wish me luck!