An American In Italy

A semester spent in Europe... Rome, specifically.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Pictures from 10-day!

I have pages and pages of notes, MOST OF WHICH WERE LOST WHEN I LOST MY LITTLE NOTEBOOK IN THE LOVRE! *weeps* Mourn, ye Graces and Loves...


Anyway. But here are some pictures!!!


St. Dominic Drawing -- So we sat in Ciampino airport for a while and I got bored, so I started doodling...
Me and my drawing -- I don't wear glasses, I borrowed them for the picture to look Smart.
Santa Maria del Mar Interior -- Then we went to Barcelona, and here's a cool but dark picture from the interior of the Castilian Gothic church, Santa Maria del Mar. (I'm informed that St. Ignatius of Loyola used to beg on the steps of the church.)
Some piazza somewhere in Barcelona somewhere had some fountain so some person took a picture of some other person (me) in front of this ... somewhere.. place...
Then we went to Madrid. To save you a bunch of building facades (which I found really interesting in Spain), here's a picture of something more important -- me -- in the Plaza del Sol, the exact center of all of Spain.
BUT THEN THE REALLY EXCITING PART. WE went to FRAAAAAAANCE, we went to PAAAAAAARIS!!! I have tons more pictures and stories of Paris, but here are a very few just for now. ME AND THE EIFFEL TOWER!!! I called everybody whose number I had memorized from beneath the Eiffel Tower just to say I'M STANDING UNDERNEATH THE EIFFEL TOWER!!! *hyperventilate*
I'll bet the Whapsters thought they were at Notre Dame. Well they're wrong -- it's an impostor!! :O
And then the next morning I rose bright and early (thought I was going to London -- those plans fell through) and instead, wound up wandering Monmarte... and here is the Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Wonder why it's pinkish? ...
This is why.
And further I went into the basilica just in time to catch the sisters at their morning prayer, sung in beautiful, almost tangible four-part harmony (female voices!). Think Messe Besse by Faure, but lovelier. (Anybody know what order the sisters are? There's one in the picture, way down there...)
The next day we went to the Louvre and guess who I saw there! ;)
I met another one of my Favorites there, though this time I was more familiar with the subject than the painter.
A lesson I learned in France, which must have been taken from the The Scarlet Pimpernel -- no limp cravats. Not one. Anywhere! I took a page out of the Frenchies' book. "They seek him here," wot. (What is that you Frenchies say? Touche? You see I'm a bit of a poet, and you did not know it, wot!) Try to pretend I don't look blah. Zadok prefers to call it "18th century French Statue", but I got "eeewww"
The altarpiece of Francizkanerkirche.
THE BEST beer you will EVER have you will find at Augustinerbrau! There's no gas in it, and it's very strong and made by Augustinian monks! Huzzah, almost ousts Guinness as a favorite beer, even though I can see though it. (Augustiner, that is. Not Guinness, certes) These are two of my three companions Claire and Dan.

And that's all I have right now. Stories later!

4 Comments:

At 10:56 AM, Blogger Kate said...

I'm so glad you liked Paris! I'm living there this year, and so I really enjoyed seeing your pictures. I knew exactly where they were :) I'm looking forward to your stories. And, if you like, I can try to see if anyone turned in your notebook.

 
At 11:53 AM, Blogger Zadok the Roman said...

Great pics - I like the way the one of you under the Eiffel tower is framed - it's like you have a halo. (Don't get too used to it! :P)

 
At 12:18 PM, Blogger Zadok the Roman said...

Zadok prefers to call it "18th century French Statue"You misunderstand me... I meant 18th century french painting...

 
At 3:19 AM, Blogger Lauren said...

Last time I did the halo thing (the less traditional, circular ring-like halo), someone said "get that doughnut off your head!"

Also, Zadok, no, you most definitely said statue. *nods sagely*

 

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