A Cloister There p39

A Courtyard Here p38

These are a Few of My Favorite Things p37

Creamy Dreamy

One evening, while out in Florence, we were on the way back to the hotel and saw this gorgeous display of gigantic mounds of gelato glowing from a restaurant. You really couldn't pass it without stopping to look at it. The art! ... I took a pic (we didnt end up eating the gelato here, because we had just finished some from another shop.) Later on the next day we passed by this shop, and all the mounds were atleast half gone.


The Dog Picture

This is absolutely one of my favorite pictures that I took during the trip. I don't remember where we were going, but we were waiting at the streetcorner one morning waiting to safely cross the street (as if that is ever an option in Italy.) While we waited, a man was changing out the window display (seen on the left.) His gold lab was sitting here pretty content/lazy. He was so relaxed sitting on this bin. It was like he was guarding it, but he was just so passive about it. He watched all the cars pass, the people going to and fro. His head would look back and forth, just following the morning crowds. He also seemed a bit isolated, blending into the wall, when everything else all around was going by so fast. I cherished the little moment in time.

Money Shots p36

First outing in Florence

This was one of the first places we stopped in Florence. It was a big square with a couple of fountains in it, and two mirror-image buildings on either side. One was an orphanige/hospital (of which I'm standing in front of), the other is as seen below. I was playing with my camera a little, while mom was kinda scoping out the place. I remember wandering around and sitting down for a while here. While mom was on the search for gelato.


The Money House

I have no idea what this building is, but it had either 'S' or '$' emblems between all the columns. Every time I see this picture I think of that theme song that was used for the apprentice "money money money money! ... money!"


Gelato Stop

So the gelato was addictive. Extremely. This is a pic of mom scoping out the stuff. As a side note, she had to get some pictures of her in her Fund for Teachers hat, for her grant. This is one of my favorite shots of her in the hat. She's got this 'mmm ... which flavor to choose' look going on. And I joke: thats where all the grant money went!

FLORENCE! p35

Gorgeous Firenze!

I enjoyed Florence. At times, it seemed like just another big city, though. Lots of shopping and some really great places to see. Lots of art and historical stuff.

Festive and Dreary p33

Some Building

I have no idea what it is, but it was in Vicenza, and Mom took a pretty picture of it. I think it was real near the church.



After the Festival

This was the street that lead up to the Teatro Olimpico. Apparently there had been a festival in Vicenza, because there were flags hanging across the street everywhere. It was real fun-looking. The weather was really crummy, though. If I had another go-around, I would have visited all the little towns around vicenza. Lots of wineries, and tons of villas designed by Palladio.



The basilica that wasn't a church

Usually a basilica is what they call the cathedral-type churches in Italy. I know there's a distinction to what is actually called a cathedral, chapel, basilica, church, etc. but I don't remember. As we walked through Vicenza, we were looking all around the shopping square for the basilica, a church. But it turned out that we were IN the basilica ... the outdoor shopping mall. Interesting, really. (this is a picture of it)

Even more interesting ... After visiting the Teatro Olimpico, we decided to eat lunch somewhere ... but I wanted a nice cozy non-wet or cold venue. We ended up on the other side of this building, at a little pub/pizzeria. It was quite empty when we went in (we were the only ones there.) This was pretty normal wherever we ate, because the Americans we are, ate lunch at 12 instead of 2 and dinner at 7 instead of 9. There were these huge booths and beer paraphenalia plastered all over the walls. The pizza was pretty good, and a party of young career people occupied the booth behind us after a while, and a couple of old women kept themselves good company at a nearby table. We tried to finish up lunch really quickly, because it was our goal to take the train back to Padua at a certain time (or we would have to wait another hour or two.) I didn't realize until too late, that my pickiness about the venue caused us to be short on time.

After a hurried lunch, we asked the waiter how long it would take to get back to the train station. He didn't understand English. Finally, using fingers, we realized he was saying 10 min. We only had 15 min before the next train left (and we didn't have our tickets yet). We didn't know how to get back to the train station, though. We asked non-English speaking waiter this, too. He gave us directions in Italian. We acted like we understood, said gratzi, arrive derche, and jostled out of the pub. We prettymuch jogged the whole wayto the train station. I'm sure we looked pretty goofy rushing so fast. Mom did a great job keeping up, by the way. We weaved through lots of tourists and a large crowd of students, praying that it didn't start pouring down on us. We finally got to the station, waited impatiently at the ticket counter (at this point it was 5 in till the train departed.) We got the tickets, found out which platform, and ran to catch the train as the loud speaker was announcing something in Italian about the train we were planning on catching. You have to time-stamp your tickets there by running them through this little machine (half of which are usually broken.) I grabbed the tickets, and punched them as mom ran in front of me to the train. She got on, I was approaching. The doors of the train were closing, and she was still reaching out to grab me onto the train.

These thoughts ran through my head a) what if her arm gets stuck in the door b) what if my arm gets stuck in the door and I have to ride the whole way back to padua on the outside of the train with arm stuck on the inside c) she doesn't have a ticket and there is no way to contact her if we get separated d) I don't want to wait another hour or two for the next train to padua e) I wasted all that energy running across vicenza to miss the train f) I wonder how small I'd have to get to indian-jones my way through the closing doors ... and even then, would the backpack get stuck in the doors. or could I indiana-jones the bag, too, like he does with his hat at the last moment?

As all of these thoughts (and detailed imaginative illustrations) flashed through my head all in a millisecond's time ... a man on the train, behind the doors, next to my mother shoved open the doors with much force, and swooped me into the train. Now safely on the train, with the backpack and the tickets, all I could do was collapse in laughter. We finally found some vacant seats and I think mom and I laughed the whole way back to Padua on that train.

The Amazing Teatro Olimpico p32

Entrance to the Teatro Olimpico

(just in case it wasn't labeled obvious enough)


Striking a Theatrical Pose

The theatre was so spectacular. You would have never guessed something so amazing would have been through this courtyard. I only wish we could have seen a production here. This was definately one of my favorite things in Italy. I didn't take pictures because they weren't allowed inside. Besides, there is no way to represent the place in a picture. You just have to go and see it for yourself.


Another of the Teatro Olimpico

I didn't mention it before, but the theatre was designed by Paladio, the Architect that designed some of the buildings on that island near Venice. He also designed the Rotondo that montecello is designed after. His work on the teatro jus concreted him in the spot of my favorite architect.
Here's a link for a little more about the place: http://www.cisapalladio.org/veneto/schedae.asp?Numeroscheda=66

VICENZA! p31

Vicenza!

Where the basillica is a shoping area, and the Olimpico is a theatre.

The Toscanelli p30

Our Majestic Toscanelli Room

This hotel was pretty schnazzy, if I remember correctly. The breakfast here was good, too. LOTS to choose from, yet the coffee wasn't nearly as good as Fabio's. This was the only hotel we got internet at, as well. The view wasn't as great, as they were doing renovation on the place.

Green Padua p29

The Cloister Garden no.1

I think my infatuation with the yards in the cloisters started here. So gorgeous nad picturesque. It was an extremely dreary day, though. The colors in this courtyard brightened my day.


Large Roundabout

In padua, this big open area had a stream running through it, and statues everywhere. We just merely passed by/went around on our day in Padua. It was rainy and dreary, as you can tell. Otherwise, the place was pretty nice, lots of shops and not too many people around.

Mom Takes Great Pics p28

Church in Padua

These pictures are of the church in Padua. We spent a while here, looking at everything. Mom took all these pictures...



Metallic Horseman

Pretty neat statue in front of the church in Padua


Paduan church

A front view of the church.

2 Extremely Smart Women p27

We're the smart ones

The University of Padua was a pretty liberal and forward-thinking educational atmosphere. We visited the auditorium where they did autopsies of human bodies where tons of students would gather to watch. This practice was forbidden by the church, and when the officials would drop in to see what really went on in these presentations, the table displaying the cadaver would be flipped over, putting the body into the river, and replaced by a pig or some other legally accepted disectable animal. The whole place was pretty neat looking. Lots of graduation activities going on, and students and professionals everywhere. Our tour guide only spoke German and Italian, so we didn't catch much of the lecture she gave us about the place. We just wandered around the rooms we toured, though, and took it all in.



Another Ceiling

Same place, different part of the ceiling. Yeah, those Italians painted everything.

The University of Padua p26

Ceiling

This is a picture mom took of the ceiling in the cloisters of the University of Padua.


The University of Padua

Padua is a college town. Much like College Station (where I spent my college career.) I liked the city alright, but got pretty bored of it, actually. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was because I was just already missing Venice.

My favorite thing in Padua was the Scrovegni Chapel. I don't have a picture of it (because you couldnt take pictures of it) but it was the most magnificently painted chapel in all of Italy. The story behind it was great, too. It was newly renovated and finally open to the public. http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/g/giotto/padova/index.html
Those pictures do it no justice, but thats as good as I can find.

PADUA! p25

Padua

This was the second city that we stayed in during our visit.

Villa Crispi p23

Best Cappucino

This was our last morning in Hotel Villa Cripsi. Fabio was the name of the clerk at the little place. He was so extremely friendly and helped us out with everything we had questions on. He aslo made the best cappucino for us in the mornings. This is a table in the little breakfast room at the place. They had hard rolls, cereal, yogurt, fresh pasteries and these 3 varieties of stuffed criossants. One had marmelade filling and honey on top one had vanilla cream, and the other had chocolate inside. Breakfast was good at Villa Crispi.


Out the window

This is the view down from our window at villa crispi. Mom liked how the rocks spelled out villa crispi. Pretty fancy. We stayed here while we visited Venice. It was on the mainland in a little town called 'Mestre.'

We rode the bus from the airport to the square in Mestre. We really had no idea where to go, and kinda wondered around aimlessly in the square. Some older man came up to us and asked if we needed directions. It was excpetionally sweet. He only spoke Italian, but tried his best to translate as many words as possible to get us to our destination (this hotel.) After a lot of pointing and waving of hands, and with a little help from the limited spanish and french my mom and I knew, we thought we figured out what he said. So we set on our way, carrying what we thought in the airport was a light load of luggage through the streets of Mestre. Down this street, over the bridge and second stoplight turn right. We found it! It was so worth finding, too. This charming little villa was one of my very favorite places to stay.

I didn't get much sleep here. It may have been the jet lag, or the fact that we always got back around 8-9pm and I would immediately crash as soon as I hit the bed... causing me to wake up in the middle of the night. I took the time to write and journal, though.

The place felt very safe, and it was fun to look out the window in the middle of the night. (first of all, you had to figure out how to open the window ... very well constructed windows. Once the glass part of the window was open, though, you had the shutter to deal with. THICK shutters, too. 2'' of solid wood and metal, with about 15 coats of varnish/pain on them. This lever turns, then lifts and then you put all your weight to push them open, and then they fold this way, and turn back that way. Anyway, the struggle was worth the view and the fresh air. This boy came around in the middle of the nights (around like 2am) and walked/skateboarded his dog down the street. His skateboard was relatively loud for the quiet street. I think there was a little bakery shop on the street that took deliveries in the middle of the night. That, or some mafia action. Really though, it was mostly apartments and homes around the villa. Very residential. I remember even hearing a nightengale out the window at the villa. I'd never heard one before that. So with all that action, and journaling to catch up with, I didn't mind spending my nights awake at Villa Crispi.



The Sound of Music

This is a picture of the outside of the Villa Crispi as we were leaving. The whole place is enclosed with a wrought iron fence and gate. The little pathway leads you to the front door and into the wood-floored front hallway and lobby (a reception desk in the hallway.) If you continue back, you reach the cheerful brekfast room (seen above.) If you take a left in the hallway, it puts you into a small staircase. Up the staircase and ot the right is where we stayed. In ths picture our room is behind the windows to the left on the second floor.

I'm sporting all of our luggage while mom takes the picture. Yep! thats all we took! (I felt like I was posing as Maria in the Sound of Music with all my bags ready to go ... just missing the gutar and the background music.)

Gondolas, Gardens, and Me! p22

Gondolimousine

This is a closeup picture of the gondolas that you see so many of in Venice. They're pretty fancy schmancy inside. You gotta pay a lot to take a ride in them, though. I don't know if itsa good business to be in ... the gondola business. It seemed like they gondoliers (yeah the ones in the blue where's waldo shirts) spent most of their time soliciting rides, rather than giving them.



Venice

Typical tourist. Typical Venice.


Floating Garden

I liked all of the little gardens and parks through Venice. I was infatuated with how it all just seems to be floating on top of the water like that.

The Wedding Party p21

Rolls Royce, Venice model

As we arrived at Sta Maria della salute, we saw this beautiful boat approaching as well. It was covered in flowers and there was a bride sitting inside. A little flower girl was even throwing petals into the water as the boat made its way to where we were standing. After the gorgeous wooden boat arrived, a fleet of wedding guests followed close behind. It was quite a production. Everyone was dressed to the nines and as they gathered at the open square, we sat on the steps of the large church of Santa Maria della Salute and watched the party happening. I don't know if it was more like a party, or a fashion show ... but it sure was fun to be a fly on the steps.


Mariachi Band

As the wedding party gathered, this band was playing festive music on the steps of a bridge nearby. It just added another magical element to the atmosphere. This all took place in the late afternoon on Sunday, by the way. We were enjoying it thoroughly (as you can see these other by-sitters on the steps are, as well), till we realized that maybe the wedding was going to take place inside the Salute church ... and we hadn't been inside to see it yet. We decided to take the opportunity before it filled with the wedding shindigs.

As we entered the church, though, the music from the band died down, and as our eyes adjusted to the darkness and candlelight, we heard voices singing the hymns of the mass going on inside. The church was as beautiful inside as it was outside. It was appropriate that there was a mass happening inside, afterall it is a church. So many of the churches that we had seen so far seemed like ornamentation that was used to attract tourists. (I know, that's totally absurd, but that's really what it started feeling like.) This was a nice break from everything. So many sounds filled the air, the mass, the singing, the faint yet audible marichi wedding music going on outside, and of course the wedding bells at a few nearby towers. All of these sounds filtered into the chapel and created an orchestra of sounds I never imagined hearing all at the same time.

Fancy Schmancy Stonework p20

Took a breather here

From the steps at the bottom of this building are where all the previous pictures (of the church and the musician) were taken. In front of the building on the right in the picture is where the musicians were playing. Down that street between the two buildings is the street where the geraniums were.


Building to the Right

This is the front shot of the building that the musicians were playing in front of. (I know I'm getting more descriptive and less illustrative, I'm sorry.) I really dont know the function of these places, they were just really pretty. Also, the picture of the columns a few pages back is a side view of this building's facade.


Sigh, what a bridge.

Called 'the bridge of sighs.' Appropriate, since this is where the prisoners that have been tried in the Doge's palace walk across on their way to their cells. These windows are their last view of the gorgeousness of Venice before they serve their time. I would sigh, too. We went through this bridge, too, on the way to the prison. I dont recall if I sighed or not.

Also, the gondolas were strategically placed for my picture. I really appreciate that mister gondoliers.

Taking a Breather p19

Setting Up

So we were sitting across from the church in the previous post. To the left of the church, and directly in front of where we were sitting, these bohemian musicians were just changing performers. While we were sitting on the steps, waiting for the next guy to perform, mom was relaxing and maybe even eating gelato along with the rest of the people sitting along the steps with us. There were so many different things to see sitting right here.


Guitar accompanied by CD player.

We watched this guy setup his little amp, stool, his music stand, his foot rest, the oh so important open guitar case (for the generous) and something in a suitcase behind him. He strummed a little on the guitar, just kinda spaced out from everything around him. He either didn't see me sitting so close with the camera, or he didnt mind. After his 'warmup' he reached behind him and apparently pressed the play button to a full orchestra. He continued to sit down, and started skillfully strumming along to the recorded accompaniment. He played extremely well, and blended with the music great. I had never heard of or imagined such a thing.

We ran into lots of live players-of-music in Italy. I think this was the most advantageous way to earn money on the streets. In Venice though, it seemed like the people that played were doing it as a Sunday afternoon ritual with their close friends instead of as their full-time job.



So many views.

It was one long street that opened to this gathering of buildings. Each side of the street (to the left and to the right of where I'm sitting) were these perfect little skinny Italian streets. So many people passed by without taking it in. There were so many different things going on in this tiny opening. There were 2 large buildings made out of white stone, sporting columns. There was the beautiful brown church with the trees hugging nearby, and there was the music. This was a view from where I was sitting. I looked left and up, and the beautiful red geraniums were erupting out of their window-planters.

Peaceful Church p18

Just a normal church

After a day of walking around Venice, we stopped here. We're sitting on the steps to a different building, just resting for a while. The setting was nice. The crowd was relatively young, but most people were just passing by.


Just like the picture

I really liked how the trees around this building mimicked its architectural features.


More of the same.

Like I said in the caption, above. The trees just seemed like they were embracing and naturally immitating the shape of the church.

At the Top and the Bottom p17

At the Top!

A slightly gofy picture of me at the top of the staircase. You can see the domes and spires of St. Mark's in the backround. They look kinda like hershey kisses.


And the green grass grows...

All around, all around. This was the bottom of the staircase. The yard was a gorgeous green and had the rain-catcher/gutter-type things as lawn ornaments. None the less, the iron, stone and greenery made a beautiful picture!

Spiraling Staircase p16

View from the Top

At the top of the fancy spiraling staircase you can see the orange-tiled tops of all the houses. You can aslo see all the tower cranes (my equipment professor would be proud.) Its a pretty nice view, above most everythign in Venice. You see all the domes and bell towers sticking up above the rest of the buildings, and get a perspective of how narrow the streets really are. Every once in a while you'll see the rooftop gardens, or courtyards of the little apartment buildings with mini tropical-jungles among the cityscape.



Staircase to ...?

A good view, thats what. You walk and walk through the skinny streets of Venice and suddenly come upon this. You think "whoa, where did this come from? What is it for? Well, its obviously a staircase to get from one floor to another. Its just so much more elaborate than any other building around it. It has the balconies that seem fit for the Ca's that face the Grand Canal. But no, You just get a view of the next building about 15 yards away. (Though there is a beautiful little garden exploding out of the window boxes of said building.)



Rooftops

At the second to top level of the out-of-place staircase, you get this view. I think mom got a pretty cool picture.