Thursday, August 31, 2006

The last day in Naples. I decided that it was time for me to actually make it into the city center and look at some of the historical buildings. There are two castles in the old town area that I understood were really nice to look at. I followed all of the directions I had to make it to down town Naples, but as soon as I got off the metro and walked into the city, I immediately got an idea of the city. It was very dirty and scary. The street vendors were not giving clean deals, and I did not feel safe. I went as far as I could before realizing that I may end up having troubles it I wasn’t careful. Because I was not really well versed in the things to see in Naples, I decided that it wasn’t safe for me to continue trying to stay in the area. After walking a little away from the train station, I decided to turn around and head back for the hostel. If I decided at a later point in my life that seeing Naples is important, I will go back, but I don’t feel that I really missed out on a lot of good art that would be devastating to my education to miss.

I spent a long time getting the train back. When I got there, I spent the rest of the day just realizing, looking at the people walking around me in the piazza, getting gelato, using the Internet, watching TV, reading my book and going tgo bed. It was a realizing end to my vacation knowing that I was going to be in Rome with Christy and Kathy the next day.

Chris in Italy

Hello,

I just wanted to send off a quick hello to everyone to let you know that I have arrived in Italy and I am well. I have been here for 10 days so far, and it's been fun. I spent 1 day in Longon, England, 4 days in Milano, Italy and now I am completing my 5th day here in Naples.

Italy has a different character than I origionally thought. I am having to pick up important Italain phrases very quickly, and I think that after having been in Naples that I will be able to successfully navigate any public transportation system in the world, either in English or not.

The sun is shining, which inevitially means that my tan is coming out again, and I was sure that it was over for the summer. The weather in my final location for study, Pistoia (20 miles outside of Florence) is supposed to be much cooler.

I have done and seen some amazing things. I got to see a castle and very amazing church in Milan. I got to see some famous works of art when I was in London. Here in Naples, I have seen Pompeii and been very close to the volcano that destroyed it.

When I leave Naples tomorrow, I head to Rome for one day to meet with a group of fellow students and then head to Florence\Pistoia the next morning. I am very excited.

The connection to the Internet here in Italy is a lot more difficult than in Greece. I am documenting everything well, and when I get to Greece, I will make sure that it all gets posted on my blog. I'm sorry that I may not be able to update my blog until October 1st, but there will be a lot to read then, I promise. Otherwise, I will try to keep you updated with letters and photos.

Hope all is well in your part of the world.

Until Next Time,

Chao,

Christine

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

I finally decided that it was time to make it to Pompeii. I went to the tracks and got on the train. However, I realized at some point that I was on the train that was going to another location and that I would need to get off and switch trains. It was cloudy outside, and it had rained in the morning, but I decided to get off at a stop that actually was very attractive and drawing to me. It turns out that I chose the wrong stop because I was sitting there on the step watching the correct train that I was supposed to get on go by without stopping. Quite a while later, I was still sitting there, and I ended back on the train that I had gotten off of long before. I was able to switch several stops later.

I eventually ended up back and Pompeii, and with a very short walk, I was at the site. I went on up the hill with the crowd, and then I went off on my own. One of the wonderful things was that I was actually able to pull out my camera and take amazing photos. I spent the rest of the afternoon shooting photos, walking around and sitting to rest and feed the baby and myself.

Pompeii was a really fascinating place though. I was able to get a real idea of the way that the people lived during that time, and the houses were really amazingly built. I could really see the people come to life in front of me. It was interesting to think of such a tragedy happening in the lives of the people. The houses and columns and ruins were amazing. The amphitheatre was really fascinating because it was fully in tact. I got to see the mechanics of acoustics as well as functions in a perfectly preserved theatre. I was very fascinated. Pompeii really gave me an understanding of the surroundings of the people that I was in.

When I had walked my heart out and taken all of the photos that I could handle, I jumped back on the train home and had dinner, watched TV, checked my email and eventually fell asleep.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

I decided to try to visit Pompeii. I got on the train after asking directions from the nice people at the hostel. After waiting for two hours on the platform reading my book, the train finally stopped. I got off at the Pompeii stop only to get off and look around very confused about where I was. I was told that the site was right across the street from the excavations, but when I got off the train, I was standing in the middle of the actual present day city of Pompeii. I walked around for quite a while and found the beautiful church where I sat and ate some yogurt. Confused, I walked around quite a bit more and caught the train back home.

When I got home, I ate a ham sandwich, which seemed to be the things to soothe all problems at the time. I passed the rest of the day reading my book and sleeping.

It was at that point that I decided that I was going to rest and only do the things that I wanted to do. I was very tired, and trying to push to see and do everything was clearly not my style. I wasn’t having fun, and interesting disastrous started happening to me when I did start to push it. I really did decide that it was time for me to rest and just enjoy myself in the city.

When I woke up from my nap, I went up the street to get some groceries. On my way back down, I bought some pistachio gelato to soothe and repair my defeated soul. It went a long way to serve that purpose. I sat in the square and watched the sun set in front of the square with the fountain. I fit in well with the old men sitting on the steps talking over the day’s gossip and getting ready to retire before doing it all over again. Maybe Pompeii will happen tomorrow.

Monday, August 28, 2006

This was my first day in Naples. I got to do some research on the Internet, and I found out that the Archeological museum was good and had some art in it that I have been very interested in seeing. I decided that that was going to be the trip of the day. Public transportation in Naples is horrible; I would say that it is among the worst in the world. The whole city is smelly and dirty, and I felt the whole time that I was going to turn a corner and step on a rotting dead carcass. The streets are not navigable, and no maps or other sources are provided to navigate the transportation and the streets. When I finally made it to the museum, I was happy.

I spent hours in the museum. It was very nice. I was able to see mosaics from Pompeii and Erculano. They were amazing. I really got a chance to see the beginnings of painting, and I was able to understand some of the mechanics that I had studied earlier with Angeliki during my first semester. Many of the pieces were great masterpieces in my estimation, and it is interesting to note that they were just there on the walls of the houses of the normal noble people. The stonework and stone cutting for a time period that was 2000 years ago just astounded me. I was also able to see many of the erotic works that have been preserved. These works are revolutionary because they showed the outlook of the Romans on sex and procreation, and it gave a look into an aspect of life that doesn’t often get recorded from time to time. Many of the works in the erotic area I had seen in books that I was reading about the role and relationship of man and woman in Classical Rome and Greece.

In addition to those things, I was able to see a fantastic set of works from Rome. They were Classical marble sculptures. I was able to see and understand the form of the bust, which I consider to be a very incredible work or art. Many of them were amazing often combining more than one type of stone together into a portrait. Some of them were big, and some of them were small. I was not familiar with all of the people that were being carved, but I did the best that I could to put them into history. I got to see works from the baths in Rome as well as other sculptures from other areas of Rome that used to stand in very famous areas. One of the sculptures is the largest marble sculpture from antiquity, and it was massive and amazing. I spent a good 30 minutes sitting in front of it evaluating it and understanding it.

There was also a special display in the museum of gold and silver dinnerware that was found in the ruins of Pompeii and Erculano. I was fascinated by it. A lot of it was the same, but the fact that the bowls and plates were so well made really surprised me. Additionally, they were very small, which indicated to me that these people ate very small courses in their meals.

When I was exhausted from looking at all of the art, I went home. I ended up eating two ham sandwiches and talking to Jared over the Internet. It was nice to be able to talk to him. When we were done, I watched some TV until I was tired and then headed off to bed.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

The next day I took the train to Naples. It lasted all day, and I got to see a lot of good scenery. The sunflowers were still out in their fields, but they had already died, and I was sad that I wasn’t able to see that as a dominant factor in the scenery. I was happy to discover that the hostel was REALLY nice. There were lots of young people that speak English. The hostel had free Internet and TV, and the room was actually very nice. I was able to actually sit down and relax.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

This is my last day in Milano. I decided it was time to venture back into Milano and see some more. I went back to the Duomo and sat in front of it and ate toast and read my book. It wasn’t hot yet in the day, and it was nice. Then, I went into the church. It was huge and beautiful. The sculpture looked amazing. The paintings all around were nice, and I got a real education to go along with all of the things about church I was reading in my book. It was beautiful. After I left, I was drawn to an old deserted building next to the Duomo. There was a man playing the violin, and I sat next to him and read my book. Across the way, a couple was kissing on each other’s lap. It made me miss Jared. I read for quite a while because I was tired after walking in the church.

Eventually, I walked up the road and landed upon the Sfozra Castle. The castle was not well kept up. There were several areas roped off, so I did not get a lot of opportunity to walk around. I walked around the courtyard and sat down. Everything was chained up, so I didn’t attempt to do much more but sit there and read more from my book. I later learned that I had missed out on a free museum with a Michelangelo sculpture in it. It was very unfortunate. The castle was beautiful though.

Friday, August 25, 2006

I finally decided that I was going to make it to the city center and have some fun in Milano. I took a long walk with a book in hand and walked the 30 minutes to the center of the city. Every time I came upon a bench in a nice place, I stopped to read a chapter of the book. It was very nice and relaxing. I managed to find a place to buy a shirt, and I was very happy. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the center of the city looking at the magnificent Duomo. I was then very hungry, so I bought some food and headed for the hostel. The bus system was very difficult to navigate, and after walking far, I finally ended back at home tired and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up, I began working again at my book. It was very nice. Tonight will be dinner and bed before my last day in Milano tomorrow. Only a few more days until I am at the villa and Pistoia.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

The next day was agonizing. I was very, very ill, so attempts to leave bed until 14:00 were all for naught. I got some sleep. When I woke up, I finally resolved to have my bags delivered to Pistoia and rough it. It is nice to travel very light, but it would have been nice to have things like toothpaste and underwear. I resolved to buy some toothpaste, a toothbrush, shampoo and a new shirt. One problem that I had was that I needed to get a hold of John Pack and make sure that it was OK to have my bags delivered early. I spent the rest of the day buying a phone card and then figuring out how to get a hold of John. I finally got it all sorted out, and then it was back to the hostel for bed, etc. I had good company and was able to pass the night with ease.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

I was determined to have some fun in London. There are so many wonderful things there to see. Every stop on the tube seemed to have some historical significance or relation to a movie I had seen. Because of this, it was very hard to choose what to do when you only have a few hours to do it. For me, the choice was easy when I discovered that both the British Museum and the National Gallery had free entrance. I had been itching to see works in both of them for years, so that proved to be my next excursion. The British Museum has TONS of lovely things in it. Unfortunately, I had no time to see it all. I decided to only do the sections that were Greek and Roman, since that was the area I had been studying and the area that I was on my way to study. It was a lovely collection. Many artifacts in the Cycladic section of the museum were from Anti Paros, and many sculptures noted that they. Were made of Parian marble. The British Museum also has a huge collection of sculptures taken from the Parthenon. They had a display for them that did them justice, and recreated them as they would be in their real habitat.

Seeing the art in the museum was wonderful. After the frustrating time I was having with my luggage, it was so wonderful to see these pieces of our history so well preserved and on display for the public at no charge. There were many memorable pieces. There was also a room with a very good demonstration of architecture and the different types of columns. I wont forget the visit I had there, and it fit very well into the education I was receiving on Classical history.

I had some spare time after the British Museum, so I headed to the National Gallery. My only real intention at the time was to examine a painting by Reubens that I have heard lectures about it possibly not being authentic. At the time the gallery bought it, it was the most expensive painting every sold. After having seen it in a room full of other paintings by the same artist, I would also agree that it is a fake.

When I was done looking at the Reubens, I had some spare time to explore other treasures of the museum. I was surprised at what I saw. I own a book on the treasures that are in the gallery, but I had forgotten about all of the famous works in the gallery. I saw work by DaVinci, Michelangelo, Van Gough, Rembrandt, Reubens, Serut, Monet, Manet, Boticelli, etc. I went only to see one painting, and came out with so much joy at having seen so many great works. One of the great highlights of my life was the chance to see Venus and Mars by Boticelli. I have been studying that painting for many years, but having the chance to see it actually brought tears to my eyes. I consider it the most incredible masterpiece that I have ever seen. The painting was very well representing in the gallery, and nothing made me happier than to see these surviving works of his.

I had a plane to catch to Milan. When I got to the airport, I discovered I would have to check everything into the undercarriage but my photo paper and film. At the thought of my cameras being mishandled, I burst into tears. This was the start. I packed them well with bubble wrap and newspaper and then saw them off with tears still in my eyes. The next piece of news that I got was that my luggage had still not been found and that there was no chance of it being found in the next short while. I was very upset at the though of no clean clothes or toiletries. They compensated me by letting me into the first class lounge while I waited for my plane, which was very nice.

On the flight, an attendance from Greece befriended me and took me to the back of the plane for the flight. I got all the Sprite I could take, and some good conversation that really helped me to calm down. The Sprite helped to ease my morning sickness that was acting up on the plane.

When I got to Milano, I got off the plane and got my cameras back safely. I made my way to the hostel to go to sleep.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

London wasn’t so welcoming. I stood in a massive immigration line for ages only to get through it and discover at baggage that my bag had been lost. Many hours, and forms later, they assured me it would be found. Time investment at the airport finding nothing could be done -- 5 hours.

With a very light load (which I admit was quite nice), I jumped on the tube and headed for my hostel, which was relatively easy to find. I got a room with 20 beds for 20 bucks. The exchange into the GBP was very expensive. I spent 50 Euro in one day only on transport and lodging. I didn’t buy a morsel of food. The hostel was OK. Tons of computers were available to pay to use the Internet, but the place itself was nothing extremely special. I did get a chance to talk to Jared at night, which was comforting for the both of us. At the hostel 20 people in a room guarantees people coming and going every hour even in the middle of the night and into the late morning. That and jet lag made it clear that I would have slept better on a park bench.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Though much excitement comes before a trop such as the one I have planned, it is almost impossible to estimate the many things that inevitably follow.

This writing starts 5 days into my trip due to the incredible high intensity that has precipitated.

I left home under very unusual circumstanced, and it can only be due to my strong, (pig headed) will that I made it at all. In my travels, I meet person after person that is surprised by my circumstance, and their surprise only surprised me. I left home the first day of my twelfth week of pregnancy. That looming second trimester I keep hearing all about. Jared, as always was ridiculous supportive giving me not only the courage to fulfill this sky- high desire, but also the funding to be away without working. He takes a very good attitude to his wife again leaving him in bachelor style with only our dog for company.

I got on a plane Monday, August 21st. I was to go from Portland to Seattle. Jared and I spent the day together furiously packing and shopping taking the time to see a movie together before the final goodbye.

When I got to my gate at the airport, they tried to shuffle me back and forth onto an earlier flight. My bags were transferred several times, which no doubt had a great affect on their eventual disappearance. The flight to Seattle was lovely. We were on a tiny plane that flew low, so I was able to enjoy the scenery of the Pacific Northwest.

When I got to Seattle, my flight to London was delayed by 1 hour, so I had a good 5 hours to kill. I got some dinner at Burger King (good fries), read my book (The Agony and the Ecstasy), and played solitaire on my computer until it was nearly dead. When we FINALLY did board, it was very nice. Because I was pregnant, I was upgraded to first class on the 747 that we were flying on. It was very nice. I slept all the way to London, only to wake up in time to see some of the country of England before landing.