Venice - Random

So, for things that I didn't get pictures of or write about while we were there, here are some other things we did while we were in Venice.Shopping! Of course. Venice is (apparently) known for their Murano glass. And lace. We roamed the streets and allies looking for deals and pretty things :-) Being who I am, I knew I would buying jewelry during the trip. (More details will not be disclosed due to not wanting to give anything away) I really wanted to get some lace for my cousin; she's an amazing seamstress -- she's actually sewing her own wedding dress! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to really find what I was looking for (and a price I could afford).

One of my favorite things we found was THIS:

No, no, no, not that guy....

THESE!

Okay, so it's not a great picture. I was taking the picture blindly and trying not to draw attention. But they are balloon animals made out of glass! I thought they were pretty cool.

Then we kept passing this, which I loved.

AND there were festival masks everywhere.

(We were told afterwards we couldn't take pictures....)

Other reportable news: the discovery of GELATO. So good! Normal ice cream has been ruined for me.

Evening, 3 June, Venice

"Tonight we ate dinner on the waterfront, had gelato as we hung our feet over the edge of the street and laughed like there was no tomorrow. It was divine.

(^This one isn't mine^)

I can't believe we're leaving."

(Little did I know we had way more fun ahead of us)

Long-lasting Churches and Palaces (Venice)

"What to write, what to write. We went to the Doge's palace today.

(This is just a small, small section of it)

It was beautiful, grand, big & expensive. It's one thing to see pictures of places like this or read about them, but you can't understand the detail, the effort, the meaning & scale unless you see it in person. It's like the first time I remember seeing a pure white marble bust. It glittered! I was amazed at the light a piece of stone could produce; that aspect is always lost in a picture. Being in the palace was similar. The rooms are huge. The paintings to cover them, equally so. And the amount of gold! I was amazed.

The same with the church, San Marco. The church is absolutely covered with mosaic.

(I don't have any pictures because taking pictures inside isn't allowed.)

And again, so much gold! Even the colored stones. I'm surprised they could find so many colors & in such quantities.

What struck me in both places we visited today was the amount of time and effort that went into not only the art but the buildings themselves. Even more work has been done to restore & repair it all.

It seems to me that today things are made to break or consumed right away when, hundreds of years form now (if we make it that long), what will people have to look back upon of the world we know? Digital photos, mp3s, landfills full of electronics & inherited pollution problems? I'm not exactly proud of the world we live in.

One of my ceramics teachers in high school had a poster on his wall that said

"Do something everyday that proves you exist."

I read that every other day for a year yet often forget it. It was fitting since we were in an art class, creating art that would be turned into stone. He also held art history in that class though. I imagine it was his way of telling his students

"Look! Look at what's been done in the world! These people have all left their mark, even if we don't know who they were, we know they existed. What are you going to do?"

I've been realizing that I really have no idea what I want to do with my life. I have no clear goal, no career aspirations.

I think I'm okay with that.

As long as I'm making my mark. As long as I'm doing something I love, I don't really care what it is or how much money I'm not making. If I could put the kind of effort it took into building, creating, these beautiful places, I think I'll be okay.

I just have to remember these things don't happen with a single person working on their own."

Morning, 3 June (Venice, Day Two)

This morning we had breakfast while listening to the pouring rain outside. I thought we had left Oregon back in the States! I wasn't too upset about it though because....I mean, come on...we're in Venice! Who cares if it's raining?! Plus, they have thunder and lightning there. Rain is always better with thunder and lightning.

The plan for today is to go to the Basilica (church) and Doge's palace.

"Thankfully I slept well last night. Unfortunately, my roommates decided to get up a whole hour and a half earlier than I was planning and woke me up with their whispering. Thus, I have spent much of my morning wondering what to do with myself."

Instead of going out in the rain to explore Venice, we decided to wait until it cleared up a little. Mark something along the lines of "We don't have to be the tourists that prove they can tough the rain; we're from Oregon, we know we'd get along fine in the rain, but we might as well just wait it out."

I went back upstairs to our room. I laid down to rest; I was still tired and I couldn't decide if my dizziness was due to the traveling or being able to feel the buildings sway slightly. I'm pretty sure I took a nap, falling asleep to the (possibly mind-induced) rocking, sound of the rain and the thought

"I wonder what the gondolas do when it rains like this."

Venice! (Day One)

"We're in Venice! I can hardly believe I'm here. I've wanted to come to Europe all my life & I thought I would have to wait longer to actually be here. It's pouring rain and it's beautiful.

"We took a boat 5 stops around the city, then navigated through allies to get to our lodgings. I can't believe how beautiful it is. Venice is exactly what you think when you think of the city on the water & Tuscany. There are gondolas everywhere, flower boxes hanging from the windows. Best of all, it's warm!"

* * *

Venice truly is exactly what you would imagine it to be.

Water everywhere (of course), boats everywhere (obviously) and the men who work the gondolas even wear striped shirts. The city is made up almost purely of allies that open up to unexpected squares.

We were all in kind of a weird place when we arrived in Venice. Though the whole group was in various states of alert/tiredness, after we checked into the hotel our professors insisted on taking us out. We went out to St. Marc's Square, had our first gelato (ice cream has now been ruined for me) and were sent off on our own to figure out dinner.

Actually, Mark helped a group of us find somewhere to eat. A couple of the girls ordered gnocchi, and the rest of us ordered pizza. A margarita pizza. Just a "plain" pizza. Thin crust, gooey cheese slipping off the marinara sauce, the whole pie the size of the plate. It was so completely un-American, it was beautiful. Our first real Italian pizza. So darn good. Each of us stared at the pizza the size of our plate when it first came to us. We thought maybe we should have split a couple. We each finished our own. All of it. Pizza in Italy is meant to be eaten. Every dish you are given is meant to be eaten in whole. And it is very poss

ible to. I doubt to-go boxes for your leftovers even exist in Italy. The thin crust makes it so easy to eat all you are given. (I'm sure all the walking everywhere doesn't hurt either.)

After dinner we walked around Venice. It was the perfect city to start off in; you could only go so far until you hit water. Then you turn around and go a different way! I truly couldn't even believe we were actually there for the whole afternoon. Not until we we were walking around and I looked at some of the pictures I took did I believe that we were actually there. I had wanted to go to Europe for so long and I never thought I would get the chance to go so soon. I figured I would be at least fifteen years older than I am now before I went. Yet there I was!

In the sinking city

with people that I'll never forget.

(The picture that made me realize: We're in VENICE!!!)

2 June 2010 (In the Frankfurt airport)

(From my journal)

"We're in Germany, waiting to board onto Venice. I am so incredibly tired. The whole flight here we were in this time warp of changing days in the middle of the night. I didn't sleep at all on the plane and I'm so tired now. Hopefully I can sleep on this short flight."

* * *

I didn't sleep at all on that incredibly long flight. I watched Valentine's Day, part of Planet 51, part of Inglorious Bastards...maybe that was the returning flight.

We flew above the night the whole flight. Finally, we reached Frankfurt.

So close!

Leaving Portland

Days before the trip began, one of my housemates, Jessi-Ann, and I had begun to pack. We were constantly running into each others rooms asking "Are you bringing this? What about this? Do you thing we'll need this? I don't know how this is all going to fit...." I was constantly down-sizing myself. I tend to over-pack and that was not something I wanted to do if I was going to carry all my stuff for three weeks (plus whatever I bought while I was there). I was amazed to see all of this this:

fit into this:

The morning that we were leaving, my wonderful boyfriend called me to wake me up. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a morning person. There was no way I was going to wake up at 6 and actually get up on my own, even for the trip that I had been looking forward to for over a year. Josh repeatedly asked if I was actually up and out of bed. (Since he's in Illinois, the two hour time difference makes it convenient for this kind of thing to work.)

Jessi-Ann had already been up for quite some time and had gotten us coffee, bless her. Four of us drove to the Portland train station where we waited for everyone else to get there. That's when the adventure began - on the way there. Downtown Portland is a maze of one and two way streets. We made a left turn from a one-way street onto what the driver thought was another one-way street. It wasn't. Thankfully the on-coming traffic was far coming and shouts of "TWO-WAY! TWO-WAY!" from all parts of the car saved us. Everyone got to the station (Mandy just barely in time) and we got on the train to Seattle.

FINALLY!

It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally going to write about the trip! I've been meaning to, I made up excuses not to, I still don't have all my (over 1,000) pictures from the trip off my memory cards....blah, blah, blah. I've had it with myself.

So for those of you who care, I'm finally going to start writing about my amazing trip!

I'm back!

A little jet-lagged.

Still digesting all the beautiful things I saw.

We've been home about four days now and I'm very thankful that I live with one of the girls that was on the trip. Otherwise I might have been going through withdrawals.

I'm getting to the point where I can begin looking back on the trip; I've had to let distance develop to think clearly. As I get settled in back here at home (though not too settled; I move out in less than two months) I'll begin writing up the trip here on the blog to share with you all. Pictures will come....eventually. I took tons. Over a thousand. And have the tiniest smidgen of memory on my computer. So it may take me a while to figure out how that's going to work.

But look for a walk through of the trip soon!

When in Rome...

I look like a frickin' tourist!

But thanks to the giant group I'm with and the wonderful Target bag I have, no one has even tried to pick-pocket me.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. This city is huge. I suppose I'll write up a summary of our trip thus far -- it would be logical to do so in chronological order.

VENICE:

Was nice. Small. Very touristy. (That gave it minus a few points) But in the evening, when most people had gone back to their cruise ships and it was cooler, the city was wonderful. My favorite was the water front. A cool breeze, great gelato, and lots of laughs. It was the perfect place to start with because you can never really get lost. I mean, you're on an island.

FLORENCE:

Oh. My. Goodness. My favorite city so far. The place reeks of history, art and Michelangelo.

*sigh*

Can I go back please?

We saw Michelangelo's David. I cried. Honesty.

ROME:

Get me out.

Okay, so the ruins are cool, the coliseum was neat. The Sistine chapel was beautiful, but I was jaded from the museum by the time we got there and couldn't fully appreciate it. The Vatican was beautiful, but again, I was tired. What made that trip was getting to see Michelangelo's Pieta (through bullet proof glass...). I teared up. (Can you tell I'm a fan?)

If I was here with perhaps one other person and we had more time, I would like Rome. But in this heat and large group I just get tired and feel dirty.

Get me to the Italian coast please! Which is where we are going tomorrow. Thank goodness.

Dear Mom, Dad Rick, Dad Mike, and Jen,

I am having a wonderful time in Italy. The art is beautiful, the people mostly kind. I think I like the smaller towns better here, but it is all a wonderful experience. I promise I am being safe, I'm even remembering to put on sunscreen. I am having the best food of my life and am planning on trying to recreate it for the rest of my life. I am also seeing beautiful art that is completely changing me. I'm gaining new ideas, knowledge and am eager to be back in a place where I can work on my own art. This trip is creating in me a thirst for learning I've never had before. I am quite disappointed that next year will be me senior year. I feel like I am just getting started. Thank you for always letting me peruse what is in my heart and supporting me in what I choose. I love you all; tell my sisters the same.

A Plethora of Places

If you so care to follow me/my group during our adventure in Italy and France, there are plenty of ways to do so!

First is obviously this blogg. It's my personal one and I'm not certain how often (if at all) I will be able to update it. I'm guessing that many of my posts will come after the trip. I'm planning on posting excerpts from my journal, reflecting and sharing stories. But feel free to follow here or bookmark the page, just in case!

Secondly is the group's blogg. That ,I know, will be updated during the trip, including pictures. :-)

Thirdly is Facebook! If you'd like you can join or check the Facebook group for our trip.

Lastly, is a Wiki page. I don't think that will be updated on the trip...I believe it is mainly an information center. Though, I really have no idea.

So check them all! Bookmark your preferred site, and feel free to attempt getting in touch with me!

ONE WEEK!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have barely started packing.

Last night I went out and got an XL camping towel from R.E.I. (They're having a big sale right now). Now I can wash my clothes in the sink, thanks to these little handy-dandy detergent sheets my mom picked up for me, then roll them dry with that towel! It's even big enough to double as a towel for myself if I need it.

I also bought sweats! Which are unrelated to the trip; I'm just glad to finally have a pair of sweats that fit.

I've started throwing little things into the backpack that I'm taking like wet-wipes, sanitizer, grungy flip-flops (for the shower), etc. It's really time for me to start packing though. *Deep breath* I'm going to pack up my clothes in zip-lock bags, find a way for everything to fit and still have room for stuff I'll buy. :-D

This is going to be interesting.... I'll perhaps update you on how it's going. If I somehow have time.

less than two weeks!

Soooo.....

It's been a while.

But we're leaving in less than two weeks!!!

I'm super excited.

A new friend of mine is letting me borrow her backpack that she used on this same trip a few years ago. When she left it was only 10 pounds. When she came back it was only 15. My goal is to meet or beat that.

I doubt it'll happen. But I'm gonna try!

A few weeks ago for our final, we had to pack everything we were going to

take and go on a 30 minute hike around town, including going up and down stairs and hoisting our luggage up above our heads. Everyone packed pretty light. Mark was impressed.

I was hoping I could just keep everything I had packed in my suitcase until we left for the trip....but I wanted to wear some of the clothes that were in there. So I wrote down what I took out. But it's definitely not a comprehensive list.

Now I have a completely different set-up to work with. It'll be interesting. I'm pretty sure I'll prefer the backpack though.

Less than two weeks! I'll try to keep you updated.

Trip Overview

Alright.  So this is our route from the US to Italy, then France, and back home.

June 1st we leave from Seattle, WA on a plane to Frankfurt.  From there we catch a train into our first stay, Venice.  We get to explore the channels of this sinking city for two days enjoying the sites, music and food - including a gelato shop (Fantasy Gelato) that one of my professors says is the best in Italy.

Then we move to Michalangelo's home town, Florence.  There we get to see priceless works of art such as Michalangelo's David and the Birth of Venus (one of my favorites).

From there we move to Assisi.  As in Saint Francis of Assisi.

Next is the capital, ROME.  Here we are staying right across from the coliseum!

Then we are on to Cinque Terra, for nothing but relaxing.  Cinque Terra is a combination of five small fishing towns right along the coast.  Brightly colored buildings hug the cliffs of the coast and boats tied to their docks fill the harbor.  The only thing we're doing here for a couple days is relaxing, swimming, hiking, anything we want.  The water is so clear that if you swim out a ways in the calm water you can see clear down 30 feet.  The only way I will be able to leave this beautiful coast is knowing that our next stop is France!

We will take the chunnel over to France and move our way to Arles.  I believe here we get to see Van Goah pieces.

Then we move on to Carcassone, a completely medieval town complete with ramparts and moats.  I plan on taking pictures posing like Robin Hood.  We are staying just outside the city here, and then moving on to Rocamadoor.  It is here that legend says Zachius brought mother Mary's remains after she died.  He traveled up to what is now known as France, at the time barely populated.  He rode up rivers as far as he could until he came to this secluded area.  He then carried her remains high into the cliffs to guard.  Over time however others slowly discovered him there (as often happens with sacred items).  They built a monastery there keeping the remains of the Modonna hidden.  Then during the times of the crusades, knights would often make this place one of their last stops before they went off to battle.  They would buy a candle and on their knees pray and climb hundreds of stairs to get to the Black Madonna then pray before her.  We get to visit and pay our respects as well.

Then as we move on we will find ourselves in the Loire Valley.  Here was a court of France and the area is filled with beautiful estates.  When I have been drug away from this beautiful country, we will be in another medieval town.

Chartres is filled with Gothic cathedrals that we will be allowed to roam (with our knees and shoulders covered, of course).  Then, to the capital!

PARIS!  The city of love.  Here we will go to the Louver, travel out to Versailles if we wish and explore!  By this last stop on our trip we will have mainly free time.

All over I plan to journal, take pictures, try wonderful food, and shop a little.  I’m so excited!  I’ll keep you updated on each location as I get more information on it.

How it started

Although this trip takes place in summer of my Junior year, the trip started at the end of sophomore year.

When the school first started doing these trips, signing up for the trip you wanted was purely first-come-first-serve.  It seems like there are always a few trips that everyone wants but no matter which trip you want, you want to make sure you get it.  Over the years students began lining up earlier and earlier until they began sleeping out in the quad the night before.  My freshman year I heard someone a few years ahead of me telling a sign-up story.  They had all camped out in a designated area of the quad in groups.  The morning of sign-ups, when the time hit, everyone took off sprinting to the sign up tables to get their group on the right trip.  I'm pretty sure tripping and elbowing took place.  This last year we were given groups ahead of time and then given a random sign-up order.  Despite the fact that everyone had a secure spot in line (we were something like 10 out of 40!) everyone still camped out the night before.  Tents filled the quad surrounding the registrar's office, and hardly anyone slept that night.  It was absolutely freezing.  I wore at least three shirts, a couple jackets, leggings, jeans, and am pretty sure I slept with my uggs on (plus sleeping bag and blanket).  No one slept much though.  Everyone stayed up trying to finish homework for the next day or running around the quad making noise.  In the morning we were woken up (very kindly) by our student president.  Everyone sleep-walked into line and we got our trip right away!  We cleaned up and I stumbled into Art History late.  That's the one day your allowed to be late though -- all the profs know what's going on.  Thankfully it was also my Art History class that I was late for, Mark Terry being my professor as well as one of the profs going on my trip.  :-)

Who, what, where, when, why

In June of 2010 I have the opportunity to go to Italy and France for three weeks.  I will be going with a group of about 15-20 people from my school, and I am SO EXCITED!!!  The trip consists of about 15 George Fox Junior students, two professors - Mark Terry (Art Professor) and Caitlin Corning (History Professor) - Mark's wife and Caitlin's mother.  

My plan is to use this blogg before, during and after the trip to share my adventure.  The trip is organized through my school and called Jr.'s Abroad.  The program has existed at the school for over ten years as a chance for students in the summer after their Junior year to travel all over the world.  There are trips to different parts of Europe, South America, Africa, and others.  

Check back every so often for updates.  To get credit for the trip we have a class we take to get ready for travel and learn about where we're going.  As the semester progresses I'll be posting information I have on the trip.  :-D