This blog is for Caleigh, and others who think like her. When asked if she would read a blog about my trip to Italy, she said, excitedly, "Well, since I will never got to Italy, Mrs. Daly, of course I would read your blog." My response, "You are only 13! You are too young to decide what you are never going to do!" Let's inspire each other to see a world beyond our own experience.
The picture above, is of Westminster Abbey, a church, a museum, and a place where famous monarchs, writers, and scientists are entombed. Queen Elizabeth I is buried with her sister, Mary (often referred to as Bloody Mary) buried right underneath her. On top of Elizabeth I's tomb is a life-sized sculpture of her laying down. At her death, her attendants laid a mask across her face, shaping it into her likeness. This death mask enables us to look back over the centuries at what she looked like in that moment. I have already visited here twice, but am always fascinated by the lace ceiling in her chapel, carved from marble; poet's corner, where Geoffrey Chaucer is buried; and I still haven't found the exact location of Sir Isaac Newton, who is also buried here. London is where we will start our trip on Sunday!
June 12: Hi Caleigh and Hannah! I am on the airplane right now heading for London. Share the site with anyone you know would be interested, and if they leave a comment for me I will address what I think you all would like. Wyat would probably be interested too. I have lots to tell you about poet's corner. Catch you all next from London!
June 14: After flying all night we landed at 6:30 in the morning London time, but 2:30 in the morning Raleigh time. The London Heathrow is a fast train that took us right into the heart of London, where we rolled our suitcases right out of the station and onto the London streets. I am typing this on my phone right now as we speak.
Yesterday, we must have walked 15 miles. It was misty rain all day, but the day that was going to rain the least of all the time here.
Highlights of the last two days:
The British Library: Imagine walking in one small room where so many of the most important books in history are gathered, where they have one of the original copies of the Magna Carta right next to a Papal bull annulling it (a paper from the Pope). Bibles and religious books both hard written and drawn, illuminated manuscripts, documents from around the world, and part of a Shakespeare first folio! We were not allowed to take pictures, so take a look at some of the sights in the streets:
The picture above, is of Westminster Abbey, a church, a museum, and a place where famous monarchs, writers, and scientists are entombed. Queen Elizabeth I is buried with her sister, Mary (often referred to as Bloody Mary) buried right underneath her. On top of Elizabeth I's tomb is a life-sized sculpture of her laying down. At her death, her attendants laid a mask across her face, shaping it into her likeness. This death mask enables us to look back over the centuries at what she looked like in that moment. I have already visited here twice, but am always fascinated by the lace ceiling in her chapel, carved from marble; poet's corner, where Geoffrey Chaucer is buried; and I still haven't found the exact location of Sir Isaac Newton, who is also buried here. London is where we will start our trip on Sunday!
June 12: Hi Caleigh and Hannah! I am on the airplane right now heading for London. Share the site with anyone you know would be interested, and if they leave a comment for me I will address what I think you all would like. Wyat would probably be interested too. I have lots to tell you about poet's corner. Catch you all next from London!
June 14: After flying all night we landed at 6:30 in the morning London time, but 2:30 in the morning Raleigh time. The London Heathrow is a fast train that took us right into the heart of London, where we rolled our suitcases right out of the station and onto the London streets. I am typing this on my phone right now as we speak.
Yesterday, we must have walked 15 miles. It was misty rain all day, but the day that was going to rain the least of all the time here.
Highlights of the last two days:
The British Library: Imagine walking in one small room where so many of the most important books in history are gathered, where they have one of the original copies of the Magna Carta right next to a Papal bull annulling it (a paper from the Pope). Bibles and religious books both hard written and drawn, illuminated manuscripts, documents from around the world, and part of a Shakespeare first folio! We were not allowed to take pictures, so take a look at some of the sights in the streets:
The four pictures above are from the Tower of London. Megan, the panoramic view was for you so that you can see the how the old and new are right next to each other. London suffered a great fire in 1666, when it lost most of its wooden buildings. Now very modern structures like the London Eye, which we rode on, are right next to Parliament, shown in the very top picture. Parliament's architecture is high gothic, the most ornate and latest of that style.
The gentleman above is a Beefeater, a nickname for the yeoman wardens, all with exemplary service in the military. He was a hilarious guide through the tower, which is actually a fort built after the French William of Normandy conquered England in 1066.
The sculpture of the pillow represents the people who lost their heads inside the fort. Most traitors to the crown were executed outside, but a few notable ones, two wives of King Henry VIII for example, were probably innocent, and were given some consideration of their rank as queens. I will have to tell you that story when I get back!
Below is the facade of Westminster Abbey, the place where many kings and queens have been christened, coronated and buried. Cassie and Hannah, you asked about poet's corner. Just before Geoffrey Chaucer died in1400, he asked if he could be buried in a corner of the abbey. As the father of English poetry and comedy, his request was granted. Now many poets, musicians, and at least two great actors are buried or recognized here. There was a debate about whether Shakespeare should be moved here, but about one hundred years after his death the debate was settled and they erected a monument to him instead. Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and John Milton are some of the great English poets memorialized here. Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton are also buried here, but my favorite sections are the queens chapels with its creamy marble lace ceiling and three women who battled over England buried within a few feet of each other; in fact on right over another. Can you guess who they are?
The gentleman above is a Beefeater, a nickname for the yeoman wardens, all with exemplary service in the military. He was a hilarious guide through the tower, which is actually a fort built after the French William of Normandy conquered England in 1066.
The sculpture of the pillow represents the people who lost their heads inside the fort. Most traitors to the crown were executed outside, but a few notable ones, two wives of King Henry VIII for example, were probably innocent, and were given some consideration of their rank as queens. I will have to tell you that story when I get back!
Below is the facade of Westminster Abbey, the place where many kings and queens have been christened, coronated and buried. Cassie and Hannah, you asked about poet's corner. Just before Geoffrey Chaucer died in1400, he asked if he could be buried in a corner of the abbey. As the father of English poetry and comedy, his request was granted. Now many poets, musicians, and at least two great actors are buried or recognized here. There was a debate about whether Shakespeare should be moved here, but about one hundred years after his death the debate was settled and they erected a monument to him instead. Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and John Milton are some of the great English poets memorialized here. Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton are also buried here, but my favorite sections are the queens chapels with its creamy marble lace ceiling and three women who battled over England buried within a few feet of each other; in fact on right over another. Can you guess who they are?
Above: the Rosetta Stone, the clue to unlocking ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. The stone had three languages on it, two forms of Egyptian (one being the hieroglyphics) and Greek. Scholars realized that the document said the same thing in three languages and used it to decode the one that had baffled the world for centuries. Below is one side of the Greek Parthenon. It is amazing!
Kamille, you asked about perspective. London is rainy, usually a sort of misty afternoon rain, yet somehow many people are still very hip. So the rain is not too bad, Gia! London itself is a very cosmopolitan city, with many people from the European Union coming here for employment. The streets are full of people shopping at high end stores in places like Oxford Street, Herrods, and Covent Garden, which is so full of music and good food. During lunch we were spontaneously entertained by an opera singer and violinist. There is a strong theater community with lots of shows going on all the time.
I love walking on streets that were named in favorite books or seeing where the history I have studied actually happened. Let me know your questions! I have enjoyed looking for things for you. And finally, the pictures posted! Now on to Italy, and more pictures or Caleigh.
I love walking on streets that were named in favorite books or seeing where the history I have studied actually happened. Let me know your questions! I have enjoyed looking for things for you. And finally, the pictures posted! Now on to Italy, and more pictures or Caleigh.
Florence, Italy! I have so much to tell you. . .we will be climbing to the top of the dome tomorrow if all goes well. London was a huge city, all spread out. We had to learn how to ride the tube just to get around without spending a fortune. Florence, however, is a walking city. Everything is close together and it was one of the cities that was not bombed in WWII, so it is in good shape. This was the birthplace of the Renaissance. Most American high schoolers know that the Renaissance was the rebirth of art and literature, but it was also a time when the suspicion of the Middle Ages was pushed back and a new world envisioned. Just in Florence, artists Leonardo da Vinci, Boticelli, and Michelangelo knew and influenced each other. They believed that the human form was beautiful and brought realism and depth to their paintings and sculpture. See how the background recedes in the painting below and is more faint? They were experts at creating depth.
If the Renaissance art doesn't make you want to come, the food will! The presentation of bakeries, gelato cafes, and restaurants is so appetizing it is hard to walk by even when you are full. Gelato is the Italian Ice cream that most people agree is the best in the world. Delicious!
June 19: I have to catch you up on yesterday and today, but first an answer to a few questions. Hannah was right about the two queens buried one over the other. Queen Mary, Henry VIII's oldest is buried underneath her sister Elizabeth I. The Tudors were not a safe family to be born into. Their father declared his marriage to Mary's mother invalid after more than 20 years, married Elizabeth's mom, Anne Boleyn, and then later had her executed. Caleigh, the gelato is ice cream, but because it has less cream, the favors come through more, plus it is often homemade--yum!
Yeaterday Chaz and I traveled to Cinqe Terra, or Five Lands. These are five little towns that have remained mostly unchanged for four hundred years, until tourism hit about fifty years ago. They are little fishing villages, carved out of the cliffs in northwestern Italy before the French border. They have terraced the sides of the mountains to farm them. They are protected by Unesco as a world heritage site, and we had to travel by bus, train, and ferry to get to all of them.
June 19: I have to catch you up on yesterday and today, but first an answer to a few questions. Hannah was right about the two queens buried one over the other. Queen Mary, Henry VIII's oldest is buried underneath her sister Elizabeth I. The Tudors were not a safe family to be born into. Their father declared his marriage to Mary's mother invalid after more than 20 years, married Elizabeth's mom, Anne Boleyn, and then later had her executed. Caleigh, the gelato is ice cream, but because it has less cream, the favors come through more, plus it is often homemade--yum!
Yeaterday Chaz and I traveled to Cinqe Terra, or Five Lands. These are five little towns that have remained mostly unchanged for four hundred years, until tourism hit about fifty years ago. They are little fishing villages, carved out of the cliffs in northwestern Italy before the French border. They have terraced the sides of the mountains to farm them. They are protected by Unesco as a world heritage site, and we had to travel by bus, train, and ferry to get to all of them.
As we arrived at the first village, only one narrow street led down to the water and then the whole scene opened up. The second picture is from the cliff that stretched up nearby. Monterossa, the largest of the three villages is so named for its pink stone mountain. The community has already changed by putting in two sandy beaches and using the buildings facing the water as hotels. Chaz and I rented a two person kayak and headed into the Mediterranean Sea, where he slipped off the back of the kayak for a quick dip. After climbing back aboard, we saw many fist-sized purple jelly fish, not the translucent ones that look like plastic bags where we live, but solid looking ones, usually with three main tentacles branching out from beneath.
On the way back, our guide pointed out the mountain above. The white is not snow, but a marble quarry--the same one that may tile a counter top of someone you know, but also the same one that Michelangelo used to create one of his masterpieces, David. And that almost leads me to today's adventures. I hope you are still reading. I am thinking of you and hoping you will plan adventures of your own. When I was your age, I wanted to touch every continent, and I haven't done it yet, but I will. Take a moment before you read on and post an adventure you want to take or an experience you want to try. Sometimes putting your idea out in the open presents new opportunities and things start coming your way. Besides, then I can help you get there.
Today, we started with a the piazza San Giovanni (well named, don't you think, Gia?) which blends into the Piazza Del Duomo.
On the way back, our guide pointed out the mountain above. The white is not snow, but a marble quarry--the same one that may tile a counter top of someone you know, but also the same one that Michelangelo used to create one of his masterpieces, David. And that almost leads me to today's adventures. I hope you are still reading. I am thinking of you and hoping you will plan adventures of your own. When I was your age, I wanted to touch every continent, and I haven't done it yet, but I will. Take a moment before you read on and post an adventure you want to take or an experience you want to try. Sometimes putting your idea out in the open presents new opportunities and things start coming your way. Besides, then I can help you get there.
Today, we started with a the piazza San Giovanni (well named, don't you think, Gia?) which blends into the Piazza Del Duomo.
This shows the layout of the piazzas so that later as we show the pictures and stories, you will see the perspective, the architecture, and my favorite--heights.
The Baptistery, above is a church, and as soon as you step through the threshold you feel the change between the bustling street and the quiet, contemplative space within the sanctuary. This is the first and smallest of the buildings on the Piazza, An earlier temple was built on this spot as early as the fifth century; the one you see here began in the mid-11th century. The doors here were created by master artist Andrea Pisano and feature Old Testament scenes.
We then climbed the bell tower. The white building is the Baptistery from above.
A fabulous reality while we were on the steps:
The tower is so high that as you climb and reach an open level, you think you have reached the top. People around who have already been to the top, in any language shake their heads and say things like"half way" or simply "more". The staircase is skinny, enough space for one and a half people. They spiral around so one side is wide enough for a foot, but the inside is only as wide as a few inches. At the open spaces the wind billows around, the seven bells suddenly ring out right above your head, and you can see for miles the terra cotta roofs, the museums and piazzas are pointed out, but people are specks of color.
On the way back down I caught up to two Italian men who suddenly stopped. In Italian, the lower man says in surprise, "It's a girl!" He booms a deep laugh as she scurries under his belly to climb the narrow staircase, pig tails bobbing. Behind her are her mother and father who call to her in Chinese to stop and wait. The Italian friend says, chucking, "too much spaghetti." The Italian says, "you are right!" and tries to hug the outer wall laughing so hard he is shaking. Mom squeezes past. By this time we are all laughing hard and then we see the Chinese father, try to reach over the belly with a backpack on. This causes roaring laughter to echo up the stone passageway. Dad takes off his backpack, passes it over and climbs under the belly.
We then climbed the bell tower. The white building is the Baptistery from above.
A fabulous reality while we were on the steps:
The tower is so high that as you climb and reach an open level, you think you have reached the top. People around who have already been to the top, in any language shake their heads and say things like"half way" or simply "more". The staircase is skinny, enough space for one and a half people. They spiral around so one side is wide enough for a foot, but the inside is only as wide as a few inches. At the open spaces the wind billows around, the seven bells suddenly ring out right above your head, and you can see for miles the terra cotta roofs, the museums and piazzas are pointed out, but people are specks of color.
On the way back down I caught up to two Italian men who suddenly stopped. In Italian, the lower man says in surprise, "It's a girl!" He booms a deep laugh as she scurries under his belly to climb the narrow staircase, pig tails bobbing. Behind her are her mother and father who call to her in Chinese to stop and wait. The Italian friend says, chucking, "too much spaghetti." The Italian says, "you are right!" and tries to hug the outer wall laughing so hard he is shaking. Mom squeezes past. By this time we are all laughing hard and then we see the Chinese father, try to reach over the belly with a backpack on. This causes roaring laughter to echo up the stone passageway. Dad takes off his backpack, passes it over and climbs under the belly.
The dome you can see here we climbed in the afternoon. It is actually ten meters taller than where we were standing in the bell tower and Michelangelo's statue of David was originally planned to top it. David is one of the symbols of Florence created at a time when Florence was outnumbered by hostile and powerful neighbors. And it was so amazing that the Florentines kept it on the ground, first outside and then in a special museum built just for it.
To get to the top of the Duomo, we climbed through wide square staircases that became narrower and narrower until we come out on the edge of the dome--inside the church! This was inside the dome; sometimes I was so busy looking in front of me I forgot to look behind.
View from the top of the Duomo, back at the top of the Belltower we climbed in the morning. So worth the climb! Unlike the Belltower, there is no cage at the top, just a railing.
To answer your question about what the buildings are made of, the Duomo is made of white marble, pink marble, and the green stone is serpentine. The dome is brick. It took over 170 years to complete. We spent the last two days climbing all over it. From ground level in the inside:
In the excavations underneath, there are many tombs. One was a Giovanni Medici, from one of the most influential families of Florence.
Some views from the Italian countryside, and at the end, an adventurer, another famous Giovanni. That makes three--a saint, an explorer, and a Medici!
Some views from the Italian countryside, and at the end, an adventurer, another famous Giovanni. That makes three--a saint, an explorer, and a Medici!
We are in Rome, and today we heard and saw the Pope! Perhaps you remember his optimism and generosity when he visited America last fall.
Ok, I know the picture is small, but he is the one in the middle sitting in the white chair. We also visited the coliseum, which for five hundred years featured battles to the death by man and beast. After the fall of Rome, the coliseum was where the homeless lived. You can still see how their fires scotched the base of the columns. Most of the marble has been stolen over the years and recycled into churches, government buildings, and homes. Just imagine yourself here 1,300 years ago, rushing in one of the eighty gates with your card which showed where you would sit. It was free to get in, but after a day of free sports and free food and drink, you would have to pay for the bathroom. Some match ups were used to reenact famous battles to show the defeat of Rome's enemies, others were pairings of the ridiculous, like a one legged man fighting a dwarf. The most famous were the gladiators--free men who wanted to live life to the fullest. Sounds ironic doesn't it?
The floor of the arena is gone, but it once was covered in sand. The word arena means sand in Latin. What you see here are the underground passageways where two thousand people worked to make the spectacles happen. This is where the lions, tigers, and bears would pop up from underneath to surprised, and most often doomed, prisoners.
Below: The Trevi Fountain, one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome, a city that celebrates both the beauty and engineering of water.
The oculus in the roof of the Pantheon. Megan, this is open to the air, a natural air conditioner. Rain does come in, but the marble has remained intact for over two centuries.
Below: The Trevi Fountain, one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome, a city that celebrates both the beauty and engineering of water.
The oculus in the roof of the Pantheon. Megan, this is open to the air, a natural air conditioner. Rain does come in, but the marble has remained intact for over two centuries.
The beach at Santa Marinella. Rome is hot, so we "took a chance" as Europeans say and grabbed a train to the beach. The water is cold and extra salty, but the seafood was great and so was the swim out to the rocks.
When you go to another country, learn to say please, thank you, and hello in the host coutry's language. It goes a long way. Today, we headed to Assisi and Orvieto, Etruscan cities set high in volcanic rock. Tomorrow is our last day in Rome. This is one of the few gothic style churches in Italy, located at the heart of Orvieto.
All of the following are from Assisi. The temple below was originally dedicated to Minerva, that is how old it is!
Assisi is another city built high upon a mountain top, situated in Umbria, the
smallest region of Italy. You would love the drive here Hannah, passing through fields of sunflowers, hills and towns nestled together.
smallest region of Italy. You would love the drive here Hannah, passing through fields of sunflowers, hills and towns nestled together.
The Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, built after his death, where he is entombed.
On the way back, we stopped at the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, where you can still see the small chapel St. Francis prayed in as a young man. Franciscan brothers founded the American cities of San Francisco, Santa Clara (named for a follower of St. Francis, and Los Angeles, named after this church.
Some final thoughts for you: Going to a new place helps you see the large and small differences between cultures. Some things are better, some not so much, and some are just . . . different. Here are some differences we noticed, no judgement:
Parking: this is the middle of an intersection.
Parking: this is the middle of an intersection.
Bathrooms: many are marble and have two "toilets." This sign from the Vatican bathroom was enlightening.
Religious spaces: much larger and contain many more images than most churches in America. One, throughout history many believers were illiterate and pictures helped tell the message. Two, artists, benefactors, and church leaders added decorations with each generation. For churches thousands of years old, that adds up to layers of sculptures, paintings, mosaics, etc. I can't show all of the Vatican because much of the artwork is painted, and flash photography will damage it over time, also, these are sacred spaces where worship is still happening. In St. Peter's Basilica, claimed to be the largest church in the world, the lettering at the ceiling is two meters high! The lettering goes across the gold band to the top.
The whole beach experience is different. Expect to pay for access, chair rental, or umbrella rental. Young men walk through carrying things that you don't want to buy and try to sell them to you, and our lifeguards range from 30-60, very friendly and kind, but I am not sure what they would look like in action if someone were in an emergency.
One reason to wait to reflect on these as a whole is that one experience shouldn't be what we base a generalization on, but after many it is easier to see patterns. People have been kind and generous to us everywhere we went, even chasing us down to return change when we misunderstood the amount and overpaid. Plan an adventure for yourself. I would love to hear what your goals are!
One reason to wait to reflect on these as a whole is that one experience shouldn't be what we base a generalization on, but after many it is easier to see patterns. People have been kind and generous to us everywhere we went, even chasing us down to return change when we misunderstood the amount and overpaid. Plan an adventure for yourself. I would love to hear what your goals are!