Well, I am currently in a hostel in Barcelona, Spain. And it. is. awesome.
We arrived here by plane yesterday and took an hour long bus ride into the city (RyanAir serves ariports outside main cities instead of in them, which is why their rates are so cheap). We walked around a little bit, but mainly stayed around our hostel. We are staying in the Urbany Hostel, which is a lot cooler than I expected. We have 4 strangers in our room: 2 Brazillian guys, 1 middle-aged heavier set woman (with an Obama sticker on her computer), and a chinese girl. We have spoken a little bit to the guys, but not much has been said between the others. But thats all part of the experience.
We got up at 6 this morning - yes, 6 - to go to the train station to reserve our overnight train to Paris, which is pretty crucial to our free travel plans. (You can't reserve trains unless you are in that country it leaves from). May I also mention that the Brazillian guys didn't walk into our room until we were leaving, at 6am, from partying all night.
So we get to the train station, talk to some people, and discover that the French railways are on strike, starting today.
Perfect.
We talk and reviewed our options. Apparently those who already had reservations were given a bus that would take them there, so we tried to get reservations on that. However, it was full. So we went back to our hostel and scoured the internet for travel options, hopefully a cheap flight. However, at such late notice (1 day prior to leaving), nothing is cheap. We finally settled for the best deal we could find, which was a 100 euro flight to Paris.
We are still not sure how travelling withing Paris will go (some of us were planning to go to the beaches of Normandy, which may not happen now) and we are not even sure the strike will be over before we have to leave Paris for Switzerland. Please pray that we find a safe and affordable way to continue our travels...
After several deep breaths and some breakfast, we took a short nap and headed out for the city. We walked around all day, found some cheap food at a really cool marjet area, and enjoyed seeing the sights of the city. (yes Mom, I took pictures). We visited some of the famous sights of the city, including a cool Gothic church and the Picasso Museum.
After dinner at a recommended pizza place, we came back to our hostel. Apparently tomorrow is a National holiday, so they are kicking it off tonight. Outside our hostel in the middle of the street was just utter chaos. There was a huge bonfire, fireworks EVERYWHERE (I'm talking these things have been going off nonstop for a few hours now), a drumline, some live music, some fire twirlers, and more fireworks (did I mention there were a lot of those things?).
It was the most fun night I've had in a while, and it was extremely cool to be able to party with the locals (in a clean, alcohol-free way) and celebrate a part of their culture. And it was extra cool that it inculded 3 of my favorite things: drums, fire, and explosives.
Tomorrow we check out of our hostel, plan on going to the beach, touring through this huge family palace thing, and going wherever the wind takes us. At this point, we are planning on spending the night in the airport instead of paying a high price for a last mintue reservation at the hostel. So hopefully they dont kick us out.
Its been a lot of fun so far, even with the setbacks.
Ciao!
Taylor
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Southern Italy... and then some
Well. Its been 12 days since my last post. I apologize, but the past 2 weeks have been pretty crazy and have kept me really busy. One week I was out of contact because of a week long excursion through Southern Italy, during which I had no internet access. The last 5 days? Well, I've just been busy and lazy, a combination that doesn't often lead to blogs being written. That being said, I'll do my best to give an overview of whats been happening lately. Hang on tight, this is gonna be a long one :)
Firstly: Southern Italy Trip
Day 1: Reggio Calabria & Taormina
We took an overnight train from Florence to the Southernmost part of Italy, and took a short drive to the town of Reggio Calabria (which is in the very tip of the "boot" of Italy). While there, we visited the museum, which boasts the Riace Bronzes. These bronze statues comprise 2 out of 4 freestanding bronzes of their kind remaining in the world. After the museum, we hopped on a quick ferry across the Straits of Messina into Sicily. In the process of driving to our hotel, our bus got in a car accident, which was pretty exciting. We finally made it to the coast town of Taormina and had the rest of the day free. Some of us went cliff jumping in the ocean across the street from our hotel, which was a lot of fun. We rode the gondola (the cable car that takes you up the mountain) to the center of the city and had a great view of the sea, the city, and Mt. Etna.
Some of us woke up early to see the sunrise over the bay where we were staying (as seen above on the right - this is the view from our hotel balcony). We visited a Greco-Roman theater (as seen above on the left) in Taormina, which had an incredible view of Mt. Etna and the coastline behind it. After leaving Taormina, we went to Agrigento, which boasts the Valley of the Temples. At one time, the entire city was surrounded by Greek temples, and it was boasted to be one of the most beautiful cities ever built. You could stand at one point and see 3 or 4 ruins of temples all in a row. One of the temples still had its inner walls completely intact, which is rare considering only 2 other Greek temples in the world have any part of their inner walls left. We also saw the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, which if still standing would dwarf the Parthenon in Athens. Consider the two pictures below: the one on the left is one of the preserved "giant" statues (which is about 2 stories tall) that would have been in the temple. The picture on the right is a model of what the temple would have looked like; Notice the figures of the "giant" statues in the temple and notice the relative sizes. Pretty incredible.
Day 3: More Agrigento
We started the day by going to the Agrigento National Museum, where the giant statue I mentioned and showed above is located. There was lots of pottery and small artifacts found there and that have important historical implications, but to be honest, I got a little burned out and exhausted after going through there for a while. However, the afternoon proved to be much more exciting. We went to the beach, but they surprised us by taking us to the coolest beach I've ever been to. It was located at the Turkish Steps, which was a white, chalky cliff that formed natural steps. We had to climb them in order to get to the small, secluded beach you see on the left. It was a lot of fun, and definitely a very unique beach experience, and it was great.
Day 4: Monreale & Palermo
We drove north in Sicily to the city of Monreale, which had a phenomenal and extravagantly decorated cathedral, which is one of the better churches I've ever visited, which is quite a strong statement. After that, we drove a little ways to the port of Palermo. While there we visited a Norman Catherdral as well as a very interesting crypt. Inside were hundreds of bodies; exposed, preserved bodies, hanging on the wall. It was pretty eerie, but at the same time very interesting. It was interesting to see what types of clothes were popular, how tall people were, and what types of things were important to them. It was also humbling to be reminded that no matter how much we toil for earthly things, it will all be turned into dust one day, and we should only truly worry about striving for things of eternal purpose.
Day 5: Naples & Sorrento
After a wonderful nights sleep on an overnight ferry, we arrived in Naples. Now I had been here before, and my impression was not a positive one. I only knew it as a dirty, trashy city. However, last time I didn't see all the cool things that Naples has to offer. There was a great bar we went to, a really impressive Galleria (one of the first malls), and a huge square that reminded me of the St. Peter's in Vatican City. However, even though it was cool, the dirtiness factor remained about the same. Despite the trash, Naples boasts one of the most important and impressive museums in the world. We went to the Naples National Archaeological Museum, which has been my favorite museum by far. They had tons of artifacts found in Pompeii and other cities destroyed and preserved by Mt. Vesuvius that were really incredible and historically significant. They had painting styles, artisan abilities, and technologies that shattered earlier notions of what was available at the time. For instance, they had examples of blown glass that was created 600 years before the city that claims to be the birthplace of blown glass was even founded. Some of the art on frescoes showed use of perspective, which was not thought to be really thought of until the Renaissance, 1400 years after Vesuvius erupted. And most impressive to me was the engineering breakthroughs at the time; they had pipe valves for irrigation systems, ergonomic handles on pots in order to use less energy in pouring them, and all sorts of cool stuff like that. I highly suggest going to this museum if you ever get the chance. After the museum, we traveled to our hotel in Sorrento, which was a nice, quaint town on the coast. We got to watch the USA - England World Cup match in pub, which was divided in two sections: one for each team. It was crazy, loud, and a lot of fun.
Day 6: Capri
I went to mass with Jackie, one of my friends in our group who is Catholic, in Sorrento. After that, we took a quick ferry to the well-known island of Capri. It was really beautiful there. We rode in a cool taxi up the steep hill to the center of town, which is apparently one big tourist trap. We visited a really crowded rocky beach, and ate some overpriced pizza. Although it was packed and touristy, I still had a good time, and it was worth it to see such a beautiful place. However, I was unaware of all the cool things the island had to offer, such as swimming inside caves, renting a boat to cruise around the island (and getting to drive it yourself!) and other stuff that some of my friends got to experience. I still had a good time, but I know the types of things I would do if I ever had the chance to go back.
Secondly: Updates on the last few days at the Villa.
The past several days have been packed with work: work for my classes over here as well as my online Engineering class, which I am coming to regret taking. It is keeping me really busy, especially since I am behind, and we are leaving in a few days for a week of free travel. But, thats life as an Engineering student, so its nothing new.
Anyways, on to the cooler stuff that has happened. On Wednesday, I got the chance to go into Florence and sketch with a former animator for Disney. Now, you should know that I have never been an artist, never been remotely good at art, and honestly never enjoyed it that much. HOWEVER, I actually really enjoyed myself. Once I actually listened to the few techniques he showed us, I was able to break things down and do a decent sketch. And the weird thing is, I actually enjoyed it. I didn't notice that a few hours had passed, and it was pretty relaxing. He is supposed to join us one day in Rome, so maybe I will have another opportunity to sketch there. Also, since I am talking about Mike (the Disney animator), when he saw my sketch, he complimented my work several times and even said I was honestly a natural and I should continue sketching. I thought that was kinda interesting. Here is one of the sketches I made that day: (I tried scanning it and it turned out ok... but I like it better on paper).
Conclusion
So, again, I apologize for the unacceptable length of this blog and the long gap between posts. But hopefully I will be better about it in the future. The Southern Italy trip was absolutely amazing, and I will remember things from that trip for a long time.
Hope to post something again soon!
Ciao!
Taylor
Firstly: Southern Italy Trip
Day 1: Reggio Calabria & Taormina
We took an overnight train from Florence to the Southernmost part of Italy, and took a short drive to the town of Reggio Calabria (which is in the very tip of the "boot" of Italy). While there, we visited the museum, which boasts the Riace Bronzes. These bronze statues comprise 2 out of 4 freestanding bronzes of their kind remaining in the world. After the museum, we hopped on a quick ferry across the Straits of Messina into Sicily. In the process of driving to our hotel, our bus got in a car accident, which was pretty exciting. We finally made it to the coast town of Taormina and had the rest of the day free. Some of us went cliff jumping in the ocean across the street from our hotel, which was a lot of fun. We rode the gondola (the cable car that takes you up the mountain) to the center of the city and had a great view of the sea, the city, and Mt. Etna.
Some of us woke up early to see the sunrise over the bay where we were staying (as seen above on the right - this is the view from our hotel balcony). We visited a Greco-Roman theater (as seen above on the left) in Taormina, which had an incredible view of Mt. Etna and the coastline behind it. After leaving Taormina, we went to Agrigento, which boasts the Valley of the Temples. At one time, the entire city was surrounded by Greek temples, and it was boasted to be one of the most beautiful cities ever built. You could stand at one point and see 3 or 4 ruins of temples all in a row. One of the temples still had its inner walls completely intact, which is rare considering only 2 other Greek temples in the world have any part of their inner walls left. We also saw the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, which if still standing would dwarf the Parthenon in Athens. Consider the two pictures below: the one on the left is one of the preserved "giant" statues (which is about 2 stories tall) that would have been in the temple. The picture on the right is a model of what the temple would have looked like; Notice the figures of the "giant" statues in the temple and notice the relative sizes. Pretty incredible.
Day 3: More Agrigento
We started the day by going to the Agrigento National Museum, where the giant statue I mentioned and showed above is located. There was lots of pottery and small artifacts found there and that have important historical implications, but to be honest, I got a little burned out and exhausted after going through there for a while. However, the afternoon proved to be much more exciting. We went to the beach, but they surprised us by taking us to the coolest beach I've ever been to. It was located at the Turkish Steps, which was a white, chalky cliff that formed natural steps. We had to climb them in order to get to the small, secluded beach you see on the left. It was a lot of fun, and definitely a very unique beach experience, and it was great.
Day 4: Monreale & Palermo
We drove north in Sicily to the city of Monreale, which had a phenomenal and extravagantly decorated cathedral, which is one of the better churches I've ever visited, which is quite a strong statement. After that, we drove a little ways to the port of Palermo. While there we visited a Norman Catherdral as well as a very interesting crypt. Inside were hundreds of bodies; exposed, preserved bodies, hanging on the wall. It was pretty eerie, but at the same time very interesting. It was interesting to see what types of clothes were popular, how tall people were, and what types of things were important to them. It was also humbling to be reminded that no matter how much we toil for earthly things, it will all be turned into dust one day, and we should only truly worry about striving for things of eternal purpose.
Day 5: Naples & Sorrento
After a wonderful nights sleep on an overnight ferry, we arrived in Naples. Now I had been here before, and my impression was not a positive one. I only knew it as a dirty, trashy city. However, last time I didn't see all the cool things that Naples has to offer. There was a great bar we went to, a really impressive Galleria (one of the first malls), and a huge square that reminded me of the St. Peter's in Vatican City. However, even though it was cool, the dirtiness factor remained about the same. Despite the trash, Naples boasts one of the most important and impressive museums in the world. We went to the Naples National Archaeological Museum, which has been my favorite museum by far. They had tons of artifacts found in Pompeii and other cities destroyed and preserved by Mt. Vesuvius that were really incredible and historically significant. They had painting styles, artisan abilities, and technologies that shattered earlier notions of what was available at the time. For instance, they had examples of blown glass that was created 600 years before the city that claims to be the birthplace of blown glass was even founded. Some of the art on frescoes showed use of perspective, which was not thought to be really thought of until the Renaissance, 1400 years after Vesuvius erupted. And most impressive to me was the engineering breakthroughs at the time; they had pipe valves for irrigation systems, ergonomic handles on pots in order to use less energy in pouring them, and all sorts of cool stuff like that. I highly suggest going to this museum if you ever get the chance. After the museum, we traveled to our hotel in Sorrento, which was a nice, quaint town on the coast. We got to watch the USA - England World Cup match in pub, which was divided in two sections: one for each team. It was crazy, loud, and a lot of fun.
Day 6: Capri
I went to mass with Jackie, one of my friends in our group who is Catholic, in Sorrento. After that, we took a quick ferry to the well-known island of Capri. It was really beautiful there. We rode in a cool taxi up the steep hill to the center of town, which is apparently one big tourist trap. We visited a really crowded rocky beach, and ate some overpriced pizza. Although it was packed and touristy, I still had a good time, and it was worth it to see such a beautiful place. However, I was unaware of all the cool things the island had to offer, such as swimming inside caves, renting a boat to cruise around the island (and getting to drive it yourself!) and other stuff that some of my friends got to experience. I still had a good time, but I know the types of things I would do if I ever had the chance to go back.
Secondly: Updates on the last few days at the Villa.
The past several days have been packed with work: work for my classes over here as well as my online Engineering class, which I am coming to regret taking. It is keeping me really busy, especially since I am behind, and we are leaving in a few days for a week of free travel. But, thats life as an Engineering student, so its nothing new.
Anyways, on to the cooler stuff that has happened. On Wednesday, I got the chance to go into Florence and sketch with a former animator for Disney. Now, you should know that I have never been an artist, never been remotely good at art, and honestly never enjoyed it that much. HOWEVER, I actually really enjoyed myself. Once I actually listened to the few techniques he showed us, I was able to break things down and do a decent sketch. And the weird thing is, I actually enjoyed it. I didn't notice that a few hours had passed, and it was pretty relaxing. He is supposed to join us one day in Rome, so maybe I will have another opportunity to sketch there. Also, since I am talking about Mike (the Disney animator), when he saw my sketch, he complimented my work several times and even said I was honestly a natural and I should continue sketching. I thought that was kinda interesting. Here is one of the sketches I made that day: (I tried scanning it and it turned out ok... but I like it better on paper).
ConclusionSo, again, I apologize for the unacceptable length of this blog and the long gap between posts. But hopefully I will be better about it in the future. The Southern Italy trip was absolutely amazing, and I will remember things from that trip for a long time.
Hope to post something again soon!
Ciao!
Taylor
Monday, June 7, 2010
the Creative Creator
Over the weekend I feel like there isn't a lot to update you about. We haven't visited any life-changing monuments or phenomenal new cities, so the weekend has been a little less exciting (in that regard).
There is a group from Abilene Christian University that are staying in the Bible School in Scandicci for the next few weeks. They are all art students, and they have already spent a few weeks in London before coming here. We have had three meals, church Sunday morning, and a devo that night with them. Its been nice to talk to Americans, especially from another Christian school.
However, now that we have met them, we are leaving. Where, you ask?
We are taking a week long trip throughout Southern Italy. We are leaving tonight on a train around 9:30 (so 2:30 local time back home). We are going to Taorina, Catania, Palermo, Naples, Pompeii, and Sicily. I'm not sure what the computer/internet situation is going to be, so its possible that I wont have any blogs for the next week or so. And if thats the case, I'm either going to have a massive blog once I return, or I will end up leaving a lot of stuff out... I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Time seems like its flying by. I simultaneously feel like I've been here forever and like I just got here. Its hard to believe that it's coming up on a month of being here. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I pray that I not overlook opportunities for growth or unique experiences while I am here.
I feel like God is using this trip to help me take a step back and evaluate my life. The year 2010 has been filled with complacency in my spiritual walk, and I have been riding on the excuse of "no time" for too long. I was just reminded of this poem I once had posted up in my room at home:
The fact of the matter is, you have to MAKE time for these things. If something is truly important to you, you adjust your schedule and your priorities to make sure you get it done. And quite frankly, spending time with God hasn't been a priority of mine. And I'm pretty ashamed of that. I feel like God is calling me to so many things, but I have been wasting my time and my talents by not connecting with Him and living a life that is truly devoted to Him. And its a struggle. Hopefully while I am here, surrounding constantly by the intense beauty of His handiwork, I can make a lasting change in my approach and attitude towards the Creative Creator.
Ciao!
Taylor
There is a group from Abilene Christian University that are staying in the Bible School in Scandicci for the next few weeks. They are all art students, and they have already spent a few weeks in London before coming here. We have had three meals, church Sunday morning, and a devo that night with them. Its been nice to talk to Americans, especially from another Christian school.
However, now that we have met them, we are leaving. Where, you ask?
We are taking a week long trip throughout Southern Italy. We are leaving tonight on a train around 9:30 (so 2:30 local time back home). We are going to Taorina, Catania, Palermo, Naples, Pompeii, and Sicily. I'm not sure what the computer/internet situation is going to be, so its possible that I wont have any blogs for the next week or so. And if thats the case, I'm either going to have a massive blog once I return, or I will end up leaving a lot of stuff out... I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Time seems like its flying by. I simultaneously feel like I've been here forever and like I just got here. Its hard to believe that it's coming up on a month of being here. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I pray that I not overlook opportunities for growth or unique experiences while I am here.
I feel like God is using this trip to help me take a step back and evaluate my life. The year 2010 has been filled with complacency in my spiritual walk, and I have been riding on the excuse of "no time" for too long. I was just reminded of this poem I once had posted up in my room at home:
I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease...
All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to sould in need
But at last the time to die.
Then before the Lord I came,
I stood with downcast eyes.
For in His hands GOD held a book;
It was the "Book of Life"
GOD looked into His book and said
"Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down...
But never found the time."
The fact of the matter is, you have to MAKE time for these things. If something is truly important to you, you adjust your schedule and your priorities to make sure you get it done. And quite frankly, spending time with God hasn't been a priority of mine. And I'm pretty ashamed of that. I feel like God is calling me to so many things, but I have been wasting my time and my talents by not connecting with Him and living a life that is truly devoted to Him. And its a struggle. Hopefully while I am here, surrounding constantly by the intense beauty of His handiwork, I can make a lasting change in my approach and attitude towards the Creative Creator.
Ciao!
Taylor
Friday, June 4, 2010
Things of Legend
Well, looks like I've got a bit of catching up to do. So I wont dive into too much detail and kinda give a synopsis of what the past few days have been like.
Even though we are overseas, we still have chapel most days, which I am actually really grateful for. It can be easy to be going 90 mph doing everything imaginable and forget the reason we are here and who we serve. I spoke in chapel on Tuesday. I talked about how we talk are living in the same place as some of the greatest artists and minds that have ever lived. Its sort of humbling to walk the same ground as these legendary people, but when you get down to it, they were just ordinary people like us. So we have the capability to become legendary as well. If we do as Matthew 5:15 says and let our light shine before men, we have the ability to make a huge impact on other people. In that regard, we have the ability to become legendary, and more importantly, make God legendary.
We got to go to a concert in Florence that was comprised completely of Gershwin music, which was pretty cool. There was a combo of a piano, upright bass, trumpet, trombone, and drums which was highlighted through the entire concert with an orchestra behind them. The trombone player especially really impressed me, and I thought it was great.
Today we had a long series of on-site classes in Florence. We went through the Medici Chapel, San Lorenzo, San Marco monastery, and the Academia. Buried under San Lorenzo were Cosimo the Elder (one of the great legacies in the Medici dynasty), and Donatello. It was awesome to be able to see that. However, the highlight of the trip was definitely in the Academia, which is where The David by Michelangelo is housed.
yes. THE David.
Sadly, this is not my picture which is because they have a strict policy against pictures being taken. They want you instead to buy the pictures and souvenirs in the gift shop, which is annoying. But that's life, and it goes on. Nonetheless, it was incredible to see The David up close, and I truly understand why it is such a masterpiece. The detail of the veins popping out and tendons and muscles and bone structure is remarkably realistic, and the fact that it was done in marble is incredible. Also, this thing is 17 feet tall. I guess I never thought about how big that is. And for little 5 foot Michelangelo to complete it in 2 years is quite a feat.
So, I'm continuing to see and experience some of the most influential and incredible works of art in history. Living where legends once were. And hopefully, I can live my life in such a way that I can add my name to those who make God legendary.
Ciao!
Taylor
Even though we are overseas, we still have chapel most days, which I am actually really grateful for. It can be easy to be going 90 mph doing everything imaginable and forget the reason we are here and who we serve. I spoke in chapel on Tuesday. I talked about how we talk are living in the same place as some of the greatest artists and minds that have ever lived. Its sort of humbling to walk the same ground as these legendary people, but when you get down to it, they were just ordinary people like us. So we have the capability to become legendary as well. If we do as Matthew 5:15 says and let our light shine before men, we have the ability to make a huge impact on other people. In that regard, we have the ability to become legendary, and more importantly, make God legendary.
We got to go to a concert in Florence that was comprised completely of Gershwin music, which was pretty cool. There was a combo of a piano, upright bass, trumpet, trombone, and drums which was highlighted through the entire concert with an orchestra behind them. The trombone player especially really impressed me, and I thought it was great.
Today we had a long series of on-site classes in Florence. We went through the Medici Chapel, San Lorenzo, San Marco monastery, and the Academia. Buried under San Lorenzo were Cosimo the Elder (one of the great legacies in the Medici dynasty), and Donatello. It was awesome to be able to see that. However, the highlight of the trip was definitely in the Academia, which is where The David by Michelangelo is housed.
yes. THE David.
Sadly, this is not my picture which is because they have a strict policy against pictures being taken. They want you instead to buy the pictures and souvenirs in the gift shop, which is annoying. But that's life, and it goes on. Nonetheless, it was incredible to see The David up close, and I truly understand why it is such a masterpiece. The detail of the veins popping out and tendons and muscles and bone structure is remarkably realistic, and the fact that it was done in marble is incredible. Also, this thing is 17 feet tall. I guess I never thought about how big that is. And for little 5 foot Michelangelo to complete it in 2 years is quite a feat.So, I'm continuing to see and experience some of the most influential and incredible works of art in history. Living where legends once were. And hopefully, I can live my life in such a way that I can add my name to those who make God legendary.
Ciao!
Taylor
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