September 2024
Italy (again)
Pt 1
We are back at it in Italy, land of pizza, pasta, and opera singers next door. Today we are in Florence. We went to the two art galleries Acidemia and the Uffici we saw so many beautiful statues and paintings, mostly from the renaissance today with many similarities and differences.
David vs Other Michelangelo Statues.
We saw many different Michelangelo statues including his famous “David” statue in the academia. They were all in one huge entrance hall with David on the back wall. The other statues called “prisoners” lined the walls. They are called prisoners because they are still sealed in stone, unfinished.
A few similarities that I saw were in the style. Michelangelo had a very distinct style that I can easily tell apart from other artists. His works were very muscular, yet very relaxed and natural. He also makes his subjects seem realistic while still being made from stone. He also makes all of his works in different poses, something new and crazy for the time. It seems like you just caught them in the middle of doing something, vs just seeing them from straight on.
Another similarity I found was that all of the statues shown are the best mash up between realism and the historical style of the time. The historical style was removing some of the “flaws” in people and trying to make them more beautiful.
A difference I found was other than the obvious not being finished, his other works were much less smooth and detailed as David. David was one of the largest statues I have ever seen while his other works were normal, human sizes with normal, human proportions. David had disproportionately large hands and head compared to the rest of his body, while the other statues were almost perfect in proportion. David seems to be disproportionate due to the angle you see him at. While Michelangelo was making him, he was told that David would be on top of the Duomo, a huge dome in the center of town. People were supposed to look at him from under, not straight on. Therefore his head was larger to make it seem in proportion. But what about his hands? David’s hands were large because they were supposed to signify the “Hands of God”. All of Michelangelo’s other statues that I saw were made to be seen at eye level, so no misshapen head or hands.
Overall seeing the similarities and differences between pieces of art from the same artist at around the same time has been fascinating.
Pt 2
Montepulciano
We are in a small Tuscan town this week, and my initial thoughts have been amazing. This morning we went to a beautiful church. You could stand in the center under the dome, clap, and hear an Echo that went on for almost ten seconds. After the church we went on a wine tour. It was fun to learn about the history, but the actual tasting was not my favorite. Overall I am loving Montepulciano and excited to keep adventuring.
Pt 3.
Rome
Wow, Rome is absolutely amazing. From ruins to palaces, from hot to air conditioning there is so much going on. We took a golf cart tour and had a quick overview of the city. We saw the circus Maximus, a huge place for events, the pantheon, a well preserved ancient structure. We saw so much but still barely scratched the surface of Ancient Rome.
Today we had a deep dive. We went into the Colosseum and almost had it all to ourselves. We went in at the first chance we got and it definitely paid off. Then we went to palatine hill. All of the ancient ruins were absolutely beautiful. I liked to imagine what it was like in the glory days of Rome, people in togas bustling around the main square, the fires in the temples burning through the clear summer night, the stars shining like pinpricks through the sky. Cesar being stabbed by his adopted son. Overall a very calm scene.
I have loved Rome and am excited to see more of it.
Pt 4.
More of it
Today we went to the Roman baths. It was amazing to learn about how the Romans lived all those years ago. We saw changing rooms which were so well preserved. All of the mosaics and the tiles on the floor were crazy. It seemed like the Romans did not live that much different from us.
We also saw a dining room from earlier in history than the baths. It was covered in crazy colorful paintings/mosaics that made me wonder why we have left the more colorful years behind. It was amazing to think that a family not too different from mine had eaten their meals like my family.
Overall I enjoyed learning about how the Romans lived their lives.
Greece
Pt 1
Meteora
After leaving Italy we waited on the runway for 4 HOURS! IT WAS A 1.5 HOUR FLIGHT NIERVFUIEDHJFORENKJVFEBU! UGGGG. After that pain of a travel day, we arrived in Calabaka, a small town surrounded by huge cliffs of rock with monasteries on top of them. So far we have hiked to one of the monasteries and my review was mixed. Part of me loved the scenery (the really cute cat on my lap) and the vibe, but another part of me was mildly annoyed at how many people had just driven up instead of doing the beautiful hike from the forest floor. The hike was stunning with all of the trees forming a tunnel around me. We went back up to see sunset and it was one of the most stunning things that I have seen. All of the colors blended into each other in the most stunning way. I loved it. Overall I am loving Madiora and am excited to see where this adventure leads.
Pt 2
Athens
An early wake up to start a long travel day? My favorite… When we got to Athens with all of our stuff, got some weird looks, and entered our beautiful hostel room. The room has a stunning deck that looks out over Athens, a staircase leading to a loft with my bed, and AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!! Today we saw the pantheon; a busy temple on top of a beautiful hill. The sunset was stunning with all of the ruins, but all of the people ended up being too much. Even with all of the scaffolding and people I adored the pantheon.
Pt 3
We started our day late with a beautiful slow wake up. As we walked to the museum to see the Greek marbles the British DIDN’T STEAL we got breakfast. The muffins were dense yet delicious and the feta bread had little crumbs of cheese baked into it. When we got to the museum we decided to walk through all of the floors ONE BY ONE. I enjoyed seeing how some of the ancient Greeks lived thousands of years ago. My favorite thing I saw in the museum was a small figure of a goat head. Just funny, nothing else.
After we left the museum we got FRIESS!!!!! FRIESSS!!!! FRIESSSDSSSE!!!!! The FRIESSS were delicious with cheese and ham. Once we got out of the FRIESSSS shop we went to a fever dream.
As we got into the venue and climbed up the stairs we walked into an open air patio on top of a small building. The actors were so convincing and funny and the masks had me rolling on the ground. The myths had a modern twist but still stayed true to the *slightly concerning* main stories.
After the amazing play and meeting the actors we went to LITTLE KOOK. This was a different type of fever dream. There were so many lights and decorations everywhere. The theme was Halloween and it was complete chaos. Amazing, beautiful chaos. After having the best crepe in Greece so far, we winded down our day in our cute little hotel room. A day well seized.
Pt 4
As I sit in my bed and reflect on Athens, I remember how much fun we have had.my favorite day was our day of everything; our second day. The fries were delicious, the play was hilarious, and the little kook was my favorite experience of the day. Overall I have adored Athens and Europe so I am quite sad to leave.
Istanbul
Pt 1
So far we have spent two days in Istanbul and a lot has happened. On our first day we went to the mosque of Sulemon the magnificent. I know how could his ego be any larger. But that aside from that it was a stunning experience. The mosque was very intricate yet not too much. I really enjoyed learning about different cultures and religions.
On the second day we started at a cistern under the ground. It felt really liminal and timeless with a mismatched feel from the columns stolen from all different structures. After that we had a short rest in a beautiful park with baygels and roasted chestnuts. We almost got snagged into buying a rug, but we prevailed. We had a bit of rest and then went to a football game. After a bit of a kerfuffle we got into the stadium. Our friend who was playing in the game was so sweet and gave us front row tickets. We got to see a couple of goals, cheer our hearts out, and squeal with excitement at a goal. I have really loved Istanbul and am exited to see where this goes.
Pt 2
Illness
Pt 3 Cappadocia
We got to explore many fun places when we took a mixed tour through Cappadocia. I got to explore a huge underground city with many fun tunnels and passages that felt like it went on forever. We got to have a beautiful lunch inside an apple orchard, play with some pottery, and watch a stunning sunset from our own little spot in the rocks. Overall I loved cappadocia and am sad to leave.
Eight Boots Abroad 