I'm not even sure how to begin! There has been so much going on lately. Out of the last 16 days, I've been traveling for 13 of them. I've been on so many buses, trains, airplanes, subways, and city streets it makes my head spin to think about it!
In the interest of not having this blog be miles long and bore my audience, I'll just give the general overview of where I've been and specify a few of the highlights also.
SOUTHERN ITALY:
We started out with a school trip to Naples and southern Italy. Such a cool place. I could definitely see the differences between the north and south of Italy. Naples had its charm, but was much wilder, run-down, and dirtier than Florence. Beautiful cathedral, though. We also traveled to the Amalfi Coast for a day, visiting the cities of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. Fantastic views, just like you see in the movies. Blue water, high cliffs with idyllic little towns built up them. I loved the beach at Positano, and the charming little square in Ravello, a mountainous town.
We also took a day trip to the island of Capri. Without a doubt, the memories of that day are going to be with me forever. Five of the girls and I explored the island and found a secluded little cove, with the characteristic loose stone beach. The water was so clear and cold it took your breath away. But we swam anyway, out away from the shore, where you could look up at the cliffs towering above you on the island. So cool. And relaxing. We had lunch at a small bar on the beach in the sun. An almost perfect day.
Another major highlight of the trip was Pompeii and Herculaneum. Mount Vesuvius, which erupted in AD 79 and destroyed both those cities sits on one side of the Bay of Naples. Pompeii sits at its feet and is such an awesome place. Seeing buildings and frescoes and streets that were walked by ancient Italians even before the time of Christ was so awe-inspiring. It is so well-preserved.
After a few days with the school, six friends and I decided to strike out on our own and see a little bit more of the south. We had a loose plan, and we just went, hopping trains and buses. We went to Sorrento, and Salerno, and finally Bari, a small town in the region of Puglia, the "heel" of the Italy boot. It was quite the experience, spending a cold night in a train station. But we had a great time. I felt like I bonded with the people who went. I'm making good friends here.
ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND:
Then, if that wasn't enough adventure, three friends and I had made plans to go to England this past weekend to visit two former teachers and their daughter who are now living in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the northern part of the country. It was quite the trip, with a lot of traveling to get there. We had a great weekend, though, visiting Edinburgh, Scotland and the Lake District of England. So beautiful. We visited the home of William Wordsworth and also the home of Beatrix Potter. We also got to spend half a day in London to see some of the sights there, including Westminster Abbey, which may be one of my favorite places in the world! We were very English for the weekend, having a proper tea with scones, jam, and clotted cream. Delicious!
Now I've finally made it back to school and gotten settled back into the routine. Tomorrow, we have a daytrip to the medieval towns of Volterra and San Gimignano. Can't wait for that!
I feel so blessed to be able to see all these things. It amazes me that I have crossed a continent and seen three countries in just a matter of days. This is why I wanted to come here: to have experiences like these!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
God In Italia
I believe I have discovered what my favorite part of Europe is: the churches.
It seems that every town, no matter what size it is, has at least one church. A large city like Florence has dozens. And that church is almost always the center of the town, the most important building. Florence's Duomo is a cathedral that is the center of the city: Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. It was begun in the 1200s and is the world's fourth-largest cathedral. I am still in awe that I live only a 40 minute walk from this place. This week I went inside for the first time. Incredible.
But my favorite church in Florence is not Santa Maria del Fiore, but an unlikely church that you might miss if you're not paying attention. It is a square, rather plain-looking church (on the outside, at least) that sits on the main street between the River Arno and the Duomo area. It sticks out a little bit because of the niches along the outside that each contain a statue of the patron saint of each of the old guilds that used to rule commerce in Florence. The church is called Orsanmichele and was orginally built and used as a grain market in the 1200s. The inside of the church is very small, but beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. That's the best word to describe it, I think. I love just sitting inside on the pews and observing.......
That's the thing about the churches here: as soon as you go through those huge, carved, dark wooden doors, it's almost like time stops and you are in a place of total peace and reverence. Every church that I have been in has felt this way, from the fourth-largest cathedral in the world to a tiny forgotten church on top of the small town of Monterosso del Mare. It's hard to describe the quiet and peace there. And I love how these churches have survived so much. Many of them are almost a thousand years old. We have nothing like that in the United States.
Of course, there's another aspect to these churches. A friend said to me the other day, while we were sitting inside a big and beautiful church: "you know, these churches were built by the clergy during a time when people were starving in the streets. I think that's interesting, because God was not in them then."
I had never thought of it that way before...and I still wonder now, is God in those churches? They are all blatantly Catholic, each dedicated to a different Saint, when they should be dedicated solely to God.
Interesting thought. But I feel that if you are a person in need of God, and you go to one of those churches, and go inside and sit on the smooth wooden pews and look up at the altar made to honor Jesus hanging on the cross, and you pray...then God will be there.
So I still love the churches here.
It seems that every town, no matter what size it is, has at least one church. A large city like Florence has dozens. And that church is almost always the center of the town, the most important building. Florence's Duomo is a cathedral that is the center of the city: Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. It was begun in the 1200s and is the world's fourth-largest cathedral. I am still in awe that I live only a 40 minute walk from this place. This week I went inside for the first time. Incredible.
But my favorite church in Florence is not Santa Maria del Fiore, but an unlikely church that you might miss if you're not paying attention. It is a square, rather plain-looking church (on the outside, at least) that sits on the main street between the River Arno and the Duomo area. It sticks out a little bit because of the niches along the outside that each contain a statue of the patron saint of each of the old guilds that used to rule commerce in Florence. The church is called Orsanmichele and was orginally built and used as a grain market in the 1200s. The inside of the church is very small, but beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. That's the best word to describe it, I think. I love just sitting inside on the pews and observing.......
That's the thing about the churches here: as soon as you go through those huge, carved, dark wooden doors, it's almost like time stops and you are in a place of total peace and reverence. Every church that I have been in has felt this way, from the fourth-largest cathedral in the world to a tiny forgotten church on top of the small town of Monterosso del Mare. It's hard to describe the quiet and peace there. And I love how these churches have survived so much. Many of them are almost a thousand years old. We have nothing like that in the United States.
Of course, there's another aspect to these churches. A friend said to me the other day, while we were sitting inside a big and beautiful church: "you know, these churches were built by the clergy during a time when people were starving in the streets. I think that's interesting, because God was not in them then."
I had never thought of it that way before...and I still wonder now, is God in those churches? They are all blatantly Catholic, each dedicated to a different Saint, when they should be dedicated solely to God.
Interesting thought. But I feel that if you are a person in need of God, and you go to one of those churches, and go inside and sit on the smooth wooden pews and look up at the altar made to honor Jesus hanging on the cross, and you pray...then God will be there.
So I still love the churches here.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Pisa and Beyond
On Saturday, I did my first bit of independent travel. Two friends and I took a day trip to Pisa, which is of course the home of the famous Torre Pendente, or Leaning Tower.
It's only about an hour or so by train, and then we were able to walk around the city, it being rather small. The Tower, which sits with the Duomo and Baptistry in the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) is beautiful! All the many photographs I have seen of it cannot really do it justice. It isn't the tallest thing in the world, but the fact that it doesn't stand straight gives it an extra interest to look at. The Duomo was also a beautiful building, as it seems that all Italian duomos and cathedrals.
We took the obligatory tourist photos with the tower, of course (leaning on it, pushing on it, etc.), but more than just enjoyed the perfect, sunny, fall day by sitting on the grass in the square and relaxing. It was a nice day.
On the train ride home, I felt myself feeling like I was going "home" to Florence. Amazing how quickly you can adapt to a place and feel like it is your own.
Sunday, after lunch, a few of us decided to hop on the bus to Santa Croce, a beautiful church that is close to the River Arno on the west side of town. We wanted to go inside to see the graves of several famous Italians whose resting places are there: Galileo, Machiavelli, Dante, and others. There was also a beautiful open courtyard and cloisters, and lots of beautiful frescoes by Giotto in the church. Beautiful place.
Luckily, after the church, we walked across the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, where there was a wine-tasting festival in the Piazza. Walking a little ways further down the street, we found the back entrance to the Boboli Gardens, the gardens of the Palazzo. Normally it is over 10 euro to get inside the gardens and palazzo, but that day it was free, because of European Heritage Weekend! So exciting, because the Boboli Gardens are absolutely stunning. We walked around and found a huge fountain designed by Giambologna, lots of little meandering paths through the woods, and a hilltop which overlooked the whole city. Afterwards we were able to walk down the hill and go into the Palazzo Pitti, which was the main residence of the Medici family from about the 1400s onward. It is full of their collections of art treasures: statues, paintings, furniture.
Altogether, it was a great weekend. I still can't believe that I'm here in this place, seeing all these things. Florence is practically in my backyard, and every time I open my nice thick guidebook, I read about a new church or piazza in the city that I have yet to see!
So many places, so little time...
It's only about an hour or so by train, and then we were able to walk around the city, it being rather small. The Tower, which sits with the Duomo and Baptistry in the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) is beautiful! All the many photographs I have seen of it cannot really do it justice. It isn't the tallest thing in the world, but the fact that it doesn't stand straight gives it an extra interest to look at. The Duomo was also a beautiful building, as it seems that all Italian duomos and cathedrals.
We took the obligatory tourist photos with the tower, of course (leaning on it, pushing on it, etc.), but more than just enjoyed the perfect, sunny, fall day by sitting on the grass in the square and relaxing. It was a nice day.
On the train ride home, I felt myself feeling like I was going "home" to Florence. Amazing how quickly you can adapt to a place and feel like it is your own.
Sunday, after lunch, a few of us decided to hop on the bus to Santa Croce, a beautiful church that is close to the River Arno on the west side of town. We wanted to go inside to see the graves of several famous Italians whose resting places are there: Galileo, Machiavelli, Dante, and others. There was also a beautiful open courtyard and cloisters, and lots of beautiful frescoes by Giotto in the church. Beautiful place.
Luckily, after the church, we walked across the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, where there was a wine-tasting festival in the Piazza. Walking a little ways further down the street, we found the back entrance to the Boboli Gardens, the gardens of the Palazzo. Normally it is over 10 euro to get inside the gardens and palazzo, but that day it was free, because of European Heritage Weekend! So exciting, because the Boboli Gardens are absolutely stunning. We walked around and found a huge fountain designed by Giambologna, lots of little meandering paths through the woods, and a hilltop which overlooked the whole city. Afterwards we were able to walk down the hill and go into the Palazzo Pitti, which was the main residence of the Medici family from about the 1400s onward. It is full of their collections of art treasures: statues, paintings, furniture.
Altogether, it was a great weekend. I still can't believe that I'm here in this place, seeing all these things. Florence is practically in my backyard, and every time I open my nice thick guidebook, I read about a new church or piazza in the city that I have yet to see!
So many places, so little time...
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