Barcelona

2008, 2.23-26 Barcelona, Spain



Christopher Columbus pointing towards the sea

Street on which the Pablo Picasso Museum is located



Outside of the Sagrada Familia


Sagrada Familia
Stained glass windows inside of the Sagrada Familia

Venezia

2008, 2.22 Venice, Italy

After Florence, Kate and I traveled east and spent one lovely day and night in the Italian city built on water, Venice. We arrived and checked into our hotel, Hotel Adua, and then went out to find a nice meal. After enjoying a meal at a restaurant not too far down the street, Kate and I then went on to explore the beautiful and wondrous city.

Gondolas and the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore across the Grand Canal

We went on a gondola ride--expensive, but a very interesting way to see and experience the city. Our gondolier was very friendly and informative, showing us around the unique city of Venice. We went through the Grand Canal, and to the famous Ponte di Rialto, or Rialto Bridge, before gliding through some of the back canals of the city.

A peek of the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal from our gondola

It was interesting to see this city, literally built on water, and the way people live their daily lives. They use boats or walk for transportation methods, as there are no roads inside the city. The buildings are situated in a way that you pass through areas that seem like they are going to lead to nowhere and then you stumble upon a beautiful square with a church, trees, friends chatting, and children playing as their parents and other family members look on while engaging in conversation and laughter.

One of the many squares we stumbled upon

Some of the masks and collectibles in the shops on the Rialto Bridge

Pigeons playing with girl in front of the Basilica San Marco in the Piazza San Marco

A view of Venice's transportation, infrastructure, and architecture

Venice was absolutely beautiful, full of impressive architecture and rich colors everywhere. The food was good. The markets and shops were fun to look through. The pace of they city was slow and relaxed. As you try and take it all in, you find yourself feeling its rich history and culture deeply embedded in the people and your surroundings--life happening all around you while you look on, entranced with wonder.

Central Venice and the Grand Canal at dusk from the Rialto Bridge

Firenze

2008, 2.19-21 Florence, Italy

Tuscany is a place I have wanted to visit ever since I knew anything about Italy. I made it, to Florence, and I wasn't disappointed. It was a beautiful city with amazing scenery and architecture, friendly people, good food, and wonderful art. I was only disappointed that I didn't have more time to explore the city and other surrounding areas.

One of the best sights we saw in Florence was the Duomo, or Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, one of the world's largest Cathedrals.
Front of the Duomo

Looking up at the Duomo's cupola

We climbed the heights of the Duomo--think lots of stone steps, many levels, steep and narrow stairways as you ascend--to see the beautiful view, of which the picture simply does not do justice.

View from the top of the Duomo

Copy of Michelangelo's David and the Loggia della Signoria in the Piazza della Signoria

Windows of the Ponte Vecchio (Vecchio Bridge)

View from the top of the Piazzale Michelangelo, a beautiful park area with a great view of the city.


View from the Galleria degli Uffizi--home to the world's greatest collection of Renaissance art. Here, we saw The Birth of Venus by Botticelli (one of my favorites), Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci, and Holy Family by Michelangelo, to name a few of the more famous paintings there.

One of the markets in Florence. As you may expect, lots of leather...purses, jackets, and shoes... but also, other things like jewelry, scarves, and t-shirts.

To end our trip in Florence, Kate and I went to the Galleria dell'Accademia. Though I don't have a photo that I took myself, as photography was not allowed, one of the neatest pieces of art that I saw in Florence was Michaelangelo's sculpture David. They have the statue set up in a way that really makes it an experience to see. It is standing at the end of a corridor under a large arch with perfect lighting to see it's every inch and detail. The sculpture is much larger than I had expected. The size and detail of the piece was truly exquisite. To see Michaelangelo's masterpiece was a very pleasant and memorable experience.

Αθήνα

2008, 2.16-19 Athens, Greece

The third week of February, my friend Kate and I went on a ten day trip to Greece, Italy, and Spain. It was spring break at school for me and Kate had finished her last day of work, so it was her last traveling hurrah before heading back to the US. Our adventure began with a visit to one of the oldest cities in the world, Athens, Greece.

Our Athens experience was interesting, and a bit unusual. Expecting to not need even a jacket, Kate and I thought our trip to Greece would be one of warm weather and sunshine. However, the first night we were there, it snowed, and didn't stop until the next morning, leaving a few inches blanketing the city. Though not what we had expected, it was actually quite pretty to see everything covered in snow. The less than perfect weather also gave Kate and I a little time without guilt to catch up on our sleep in our cozy room at the hostel. Not a bad way to start a ten day exhausting trip, really.

When we did get out and see Athens, we saw some pretty neat things, like ancient ruins and beautiful parks. We also had some delicious food, including traditional foods like Greek yogurt, Greek salad, and lamb gyros.

Snow on our first night in Athens just down the street from our hostel in Plaka

Acropolis

Roman Agora in front, Acropolis to the right

A new member of staff at a restaurant in the square near our hostel, the welcome crew

View of Mount Lycabettus from the Acropolis

Zappeion building in the National Gardens of Athens

A few Greek treats: beer, snacks, and yogurt with honey and walnuts

Portobello Road Market

One sunny Saturday afternoon, I went over to the Notting Hill area to meet up with Kate and explore the Portobello Road Market. It was really neat. There were all kinds of antiques and food and clothing and jewelery and other fun things. Ambling through this market proved to be a great way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon in London.


Houses in Notting Hill, including one where George Orwell used to live

Beautiful Brighton

One of my favorite places in England was the city south east of London called Brighton (Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom). The city is right on the sea and has a pebble beach. One Saturday afternoon, Kate and I took a train from London to Brighton to spend a few hours wandering around.

We had lunch at a small family run pub along the beach. I had fish and chips--a traditional English meal--and a blackberry 'squash' (a fruit flavored concentrate that is mixed with water, often carbonated). After lunch, we wandered along visiting small art and photography galleries, including the Two Kats and a Cow Gallery, which I really enjoyed, and then we headed to the water and towards the pier.

Facing the English Channel from Brighton Beach

Kate happy to be by the sea in Brighton

Captivated by the sea

Brighton Pier

After spending some time by the water, Kate and I made our way to see The Royal Pavilion. This was a unique architectural structure in England. The exterior has an Indian appearance to it and the interior is largely Chinese in style and design.

Sideview of the entrance


The Palace was built for Prince Regent (later King George IV) who spent much of his time and money drinking, womanizing, and entertaining. This behavior resulted in debt for both he and the country therefore, though exquisite, the Pavilion and Prince Regent's other 'projects' angered the general population and caused some controversy. It was rather interesting. Unfortunately, photos weren't allowed inside, but there are more photos on the website (see link above).

From the Pavilion, Kate and I went to grab a drink at a nearby pub that used to be a hangout for Magicians and had all kinds of photographs hanging up (unfortunately, I can't remember the name). We then went back to the Brighton Pier and played some of the fun carnival games, such as Cat and Mouse (picture below) and basketball.

We had all kinds of tickets from our successes, but unfortunately, the ticket window was closed when we went to exchange them for a cool souvenir. Oh, well. It was fun.

After that, we jumped on the train back to London, and in less than an hour, we were home. It was quite a lovely day.