Florence - turned a new leaf

So I understand Florence now. I overheard the owner of my hostel telling a new resident about the city. "This is a city of museums," he said. "You have to go to at least two or three while you are here." When I made the previous post, I hadn't actually stepped foot in any of them yet. That was a mistake. Unfortunately, I left Florence after only seeing one.

Perhaps it's for the best, though, because now I left wanting to go back. I know there's a lot in that city I haven't seen, and now I have a completely different opinion of the city in general. Florence is and has been a city of travelers. Whether they're merchants or tourists, travelers have flocked to this city for centuries, which is fascinating in itself. In all these museums, you read about the paintings and where they came from. During the Renaissance, all of the artists knew each other and met and worked in these cities that are famous today. Some of the greatest art in the world was created in this city and much of it still rests here today.

I saw the Statue of David and was extremely impressed. First off, it's huge, much bigger than the pictures show. I don't understand how one person could have carved it on such a large scale. There are veins that run down his arms and hands. I never realized that before. But altogether... there was something strange about him. You read that his hands and head are large in proportion to the rest of his body and you can see it immediately when you look at the whole statue. His hands are huge. But, somehow it works. It should look odd, but it looks extremely balanced and perfect when you see it. He is supposed to look pensive and calm. It was his innocense that defeated Goliath (which was inspiration to the city at that point in history for some reason). I wonder if that has to do with his hands and head. By having large features and a small body, that may remind us of youth.

Anyway, it was good to see. The museum that housed it was small, but the artwork that was in it was awesome. There were huge paintings, most of which I really enjoyed.

Did you know that the lily is a symbol of purity, which is why it is traditionally placed in most "L'Annunciazione" paintings? So when I was making fun of that painting of Mary before [link], asking why the angel would have brought flowers, I was actually jabbing at something that obviously follows the tradition of the time. The flowers weren't placed in there to be part of the scene, but where placed as a neccessary symbol instead.

Needlesstosay, I have a much more different oppinion of Florence than I did yesterday. It just goes to show that you should never judge a city until you really understand why it is the way it is. There are good aspects to every city, sometimes it just takes a bit longer to find them.

More Florence

Happy Valentine's Day!

I spent the day wandering around the city. Strangely, I've heard more American accents today, just on the streets, than I have since I was in the states almost a month ago. I think this place is a hub for Californians. I'm not sure why.

Ah... Florence. I have a confession. If you are in love with Florence, please stop reading now and move on to the next blog.

I'm not really enjoying this city. I've really tried to enjoy myself, but today I... sort of lost it momentarily lost it. It was too much. There are too many people, everywhere. Yes, I know it's Saturday (and Valentine's day), but it's February! It's supposedly busier during the summer. I don't know how. Every turn I take, there's a group of people chatting loudly in American English. Every pretty part of the city is crawling with them. Every site has a constant flow of people moving in and out of the building. It's a pretty city, but I enjoyed Rome quite a bit more.

Today I wanted to see the Statue of David and then The Birth of Venus. I also wanted to see the Duomo, which this city is named for. That was the plan.

I went to the museum the Statue of David is in. There was a line, probably about 200 feet long to get inside. I wandered to the front. Surely it had to be cheap. It's a very small museum with only one major work of art (however major). It was about US$10 to get in, plus the wait. US$10 bucks is not a lot of money, I know, but it's the idea behind it. This is a major work of art that is mandatory to see while in this city. Yes, they can charge that much because it's the Statue of David and people will pay anything, but seriously, what kind of museum exploits major works of art to make a small fortune? Ten bucks, multiplied by a steady stream of tourists all day, pushing their way in. Do you have any idea how much money that little museum is making? There was at least two thousand dollars, just in the line I saw. I understand charging enough for maintenance and renovations, but strictly making money off a work of art that you did not create but simply own is ridiculous. To get into the Vatican Museum costs about US$20 and there were herds of people clammoring to get in. I don't think the Pope realized how much money he was making when he commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel, but at least that money includes admission to several other museums, which usually aren't utilized by the visitors. It was the same deal with the Taj Mahal (US$15 goes a long way in India) and the Colosseum (which was free up until a few years ago). There are so many little gems in each of these cities. There are free cathedrals all over and cheap museums with amazing works of art. Why do so many people flock to the major ones?

Nevertheless, I really want to see the Statue of David, and will probably go tomorrow morning early when there will hopefully be no line. I really like marble statues and it is perhaps the best marble statue in the world. But I shall glare at them as they take my money. That'll show them.

Note: I know many of you will say, "Just spend the money. Who knows when you'll be there again?" And I will spend the money. The problem is that most of it is already spent and I'm in debt on my credit card. Now you ask, "Why did you go to Italy when you had no money?" My ticket was US$90 (tax included). How can you not go to Italy for so cheap when you have time and enough money to get by? Eh... I'll manage. I guess I'll be subbing for a few weeks when I get back to the states. Welcome home.

Vatican Museum - Commentary

I know this is highly inappropriate, making fun of classical artwork, but really I just can't help myself.

Let me start off by saying that if you get the chance to see the Vatican Museum, you should definitely do it. It's great. It gives you a really vivid image of what artwork was like back in the day, but it was from that image I noticed something.

Perhaps it has something to do with Catholicism at the time, but their depictions of certain biblical works are... odd. First of all, I don't think I saw an image of baby Jesus that didn't scare me. There were some renditions that... if I saw that baby alive I would shriek and run away screaming with terror. The proportions were crazy and his expressions were so off. They always painted him preaching about something too, even as an infant. Do they think he could talk at that age? I'm sure most of that is symbolic, but... it's unsettling to see.

Second is their depiction of Mary. I know she is a bigger deal in the Catholic faith, but really, I think some of the paintings are a little too much. Take this one for instance, "L'Annunciazione," by Federico Fiori. I snapped a bad picture of it really quick and had to warp it in Photoshop to make it look square. Sorry.

"L'Annunciazione" Federico Fiori

Angel: My Queen, are you busy? I picked you these flowers on my way here.
Mary: Oh no, not at all. I was just watching the sunset behind a nearby castle.
Angel: I have news from God.
Mary: Really? Hold on a second, let me put my book down. What is it?
Angel: You will give birth to a baby boy, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.
Mary: Why, that doesn't surprise me at all. In fact, I already knew this.

Okay, I was about to apologize for exaggerating, but look at the painting. I don't understand how something like this could be taken seriously. Yes, it's a beautiful painting and actually... the more I look at it the more attached I'm becoming (it really is nicely done). However, when put in to context... I feel like artist painted something completely different, then just called it l'Annunciazione to get funding or something.

Florence - First Look

I arrived in Florence today. Until about five or six at night, nothing really went as planned... and tended to be worse than expected. I could go into it, but it just involves the usual stuff (missed trains, full hostels, ran out of money, etc). Anyway, it ends well.

I'm in a hostel now that's great. They just repainted everything and actually gave me a key to the entire building. It feels nice to have a key. I don't know why. The hostel's pretty cool, too. It has one of those really old-style elevators with two doors and is made out of wood. The first time I went in one I was petrified and thought I was going to die. Then I got used to it and now rather enjoy it. It makes me feel like I'm in some 1930's movie. Tonight as I was coming back I noticed the doors to the building are gigantic. Seriously, they're like three times my size and made of solid wood. Behind that is another chain-like door which reminds me of a portcullis. I've decided from now on I'm going to pretend it's my castle and I am the king.

Speaking of having no friends, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I'm in one of the most Romantic cities in the world on the most Romantic day of the year and I'm by myself. So sad... I think tomorrow I'll just go to sleep early so I don't have to think about it.

the Vatican

Yesterday I was chatting with a guy in the hostel from Australia. We were talking about Rome and what sites to see, then he mentioned something about "tourists" and how they're all over the big sites. I sort of wanted to remind him that he was a tourist as well, but instead I let him continue and realized that he had a point... Because in Rome there are a different breed of tourists. You see them in every city, herds of people clumped together, reminiscent of schools of fish or perhaps flocks of sheep. They mass together at the major sites, milling about while the alpha tourist buys tickets or finds directions. While on tours, they often stop to graze or preen each other on the sidewalks or directly in front of famous sites. Watch for the the flashing lights of cameras and camera phones. When massed together, it gives the larger sites a glimmer of their own.

Alright, I'll stop. But really... it's distracting. Today I went to the Vatican Museum (amazing) and the Sistine Chapel. The museum is divided into different sections. You can see what you want and as much of you want, until you decide to go to the chapel. Then you have to go through about a half a mile of shoulder-to-shoulder people. The sites on the way are interesting, but... literally I went a little crazy near the end. I don't think I realized how far it was. They wind you around an entire building and then suddenly... you're there.

The Creation of Adam (Thank You, Wikipedia)

The Sistine Chapel is impressive (to say the least), although I wouldn't really call it a chapel. I always imagined it would be an actual church, but in reality it's more like a gigantic painting that covers an entire room. There's not much decoration besides. It took me awhile to adjust and enjoy myself because the entire floor was covered with people. It is the cesspool-mecca of tourism in this city. And really, the massive painting is so overwhelming at first. The Creation of Adam (see above) part is rather small in comparison to everything else. Once I took it section by section and really tried to figure out what was going on, I really enjoyed myself. The front is actually a lot more gruesome than I expected. I found out later it is supposed to be the Last Judgement of Christ, hence the demons dragging bodies into Hell.

The crowds. Maybe this is why cameras aren't allowed.

I'm being too negative. This is a really cool city. It's so picturesque and romantic everywhere you go. Good thing I'm by myself (sarcasm). But at least I have my camera. To quote something I emailed my sister yesterday: You could take any block in this city at any time of day and use up an entire roll of film easily.

I think mainly it has to do with the Renaissance. I also noticed this with London, only I didn't really realize why until just now. Athens was a really cool city, but while most of the major European cities were flourishing during the Renaissance, it was being taken over by the Ottoman empire. The whole concept of the "Renaissance" all makes sense now. It's just so evident here.

Some weird people want to play cards with me. I don't really want to play, but they need a fourth player. Argh... alright, I'll be social.

First night in Rome

One thing I didn't expect to be doing on my first night in Rome is hanging out with a bunch of Brazilians, but... well that's what happened. I guess Brazilians are everywhere and I just haven't run into them yet. Really, I don't think I've met any Brazilians outside of Miami in my life, but today in the hostel the first language was Portuguese. The Aussie I talked to said that was normal. Is that normal? Am I crazy?

The Brazilian Flag

Anyway, they are very friendly. We all went out to a pub and watched the Brazil-Italy game. I learned all about the players and then promptly forgot everything. Brazil won. Strangely, I found myself rooting for them.

So I'm in Rome. I really haven't seen much of the city yet, but it seems neat. It's interesting hearing the Italian language spoken by everyone. It kind of surprises me every time. I bought a... I'm not sure what it was but it was delicious... from a random stand at the train station. They guy behind the counter seemed like you're run-of-the-mill average guy, but when he spoke he had the Italian rhythm and it really made me do a double-take. I suddenly felt like a grunting buffoon.

I think part of it is how everyone looks. I thought the same thing in Japan awhile back. Let me explain. When I was in Korea I got used to the way people looked. Everything about Korean people was very foreign in the beginning, but eventually I got used to it and associated the culture and people there with "Korea." I went to Japan for a weekend and it all felt... a bit more like the states. It wasn't, but I think I felt that way because I had more Japanese friends in the states than Koreans, or maybe it was from seeing so many of them in Hawaii. I don't know. It may have just been a feeling. But it's sort of the same situation with Italy. Italian people look American to me, perhaps because we have so many Italians in America. Sure, we've got Greek people too, but not as many. How many people do you know who've got a little bit of Italian blood in them? Quite a few. I don't really know where I'm going with this. Any thoughts?

I feel like I should put up the Italian flag so I don't confuse people...

There we go.

~ Greece Photo Album ~

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GREECE PICS

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