Travel
November 6, 2009
- In 1630-31, the plague devastated Venice. One third of the population -- 95,000 people -- died during the outbreak. In October, 1630 as the plague had Venice on her knees, the Doge and the Senate vowed to make a holy processional each Saturday for fifteen weeks. And he also promised to dedicate a church to the Virgin Mary as a plea for her help. Soon thereafter the plague outbreak ...
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November 5, 2009
- Pisa, the Italian Riviera, Switzerland, and Home to Prague: a photojournal The opportunity to drive to Italy for a family vacation was truly a dream. Not only did we experience the grand mountains of the Alps, but also saw things we did not expect to see: countless castles, gravity-defying vineyard terraces and hillside towns, and sailboats dotting the azure Italian Riviera. It was surely a trip ...
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November 5, 2009
- Italy: Tuscany and Rome, a photojournal Our October vacation in Tuscany, in the Maremma region in sight of the Argentario peninsula, was spectacularly refreshing. Not only was the beach completely deserted, but we were so far out of civilization we were without television or internet during our stay. The silence felt deafening, at first. But soon, the hum of modern noise faded away, and all that ...
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November 4, 2009
- Leonardo: The Vitruvian Man Between Art and Science October 10, 2009 - January 10, 2010 Wandering the calles and campos of Venice where a good photograph lurks around every corner, I sometimes have trouble dragging myself inside. But on my last trip to Venice, I made a special point to visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia -- or Academy. Why? Because Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” ...
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October 31, 2009
- Happy Halloween! It's a day of ghosts and goblins... and Michelangelo? Yep. Michelangelo! Read on... and maybe get some costuming inspiration? The Opening of The Sistine Chapel "Finally, on October 31, 1512, the chapel’s doors were opened and Romans flocked to see the wonders therein. Michelangelo’s work created an immediate sensation in the city and beyond. In covering the ...
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October 30, 2009
- Here in the centre stand the glass. Light Is the lion that comes down to drink. There And in that state, the glass is a pool. Ruddy are his eyes and ruddy are his claws When light comes down to wet his frothy jaws. -- Wallace Stevens, "The Glass of Water" The pride of lions -- stone and otherwise -- in Venice numbers in the thousands. For centuries the king of the beasts has served ...
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October 28, 2009
- Every day throngs of tourists scramble to the Rialto, Venice's second most photographed bridge (after the Bridge of Sighs). But in their mad photographic dash, most of those tourists miss the best photo -- and culinary -- opportunity in Venice's San Polo area. There, just along the Canal Grande Venice's markets buzz as the restaurateurs and home cooks alike jostle for the best seafood, ...
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October 26, 2009
- What a fall for art in the US! I've previously blogged about finding Michelangelo in New York and Ft. Worth as well as Caravaggio in Chicago. Well, now add Minneapolis to your list of cities to visit this fall. Personally, I love Minneapolis -- the sculpture garden, the Minnesota Orchestra, the downtown Dayton's (now Macy's) -- Minneapolis is a fabulous city. And this fall there's one more ...
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October 26, 2009
- When I saw the movie Under the Tuscan Sun years ago, Tuscany became a place I yearned to visit. The cinematography in the movie was beautiful, and the lure of a slower pace of life combined with the elements of great Italian foods and wines only accented the gentle beauty of the Tuscan land. We’ve always been a driving family—we enjoy absorbing the roll and beauty of a country as we pass ...
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October 25, 2009
- Today marks St. Crispin’s Day -- a commemoration of two saints, actually: Crispin and Crispinian. According to tradition both men were shoemakers who were martyred at Soissons at the end of the 3rd century. But I don’t generally think of shoes or shoemakers on this day... I think of one of my favorite high school teachers. In the pantheon of teachers who shaped me into the woman I am ...
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