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Florence, Italy - Sept. 10, 2004
Note: This is an entry I am typing up from notes I just found, with a few edits. Aka, I am sadly not in Italy now. Anything in brackets are comments from now.
Gatwick feels like the busiest airport in the world. I'm sure it's not, but there were masses of people all stumbling into each other everywhere. I also spent way too much money trying to buy a charger for my iPod. Stupid me -- the boy asked if I brought it, and I said, "Yup, it's in my suitcase."
Turns out I put in the cable but forgot the adapter! Luckily, they sold some media kit at Gatwick that has an adapter. Yes, I am insane. No, you don't want to know how much it cost.
I sort of miss London now, even though I was only there for a day. I love the little packaged sandwiches everywhere -- reminds me of Taiwan's 7 Eleven. Also, it was nice being somewhere where everyone spoke English.
Getting into Florence was a little strange. The drive to the city proper (from the little I know... the more touristy bits, anyhow) went through places that looked uncannily like Taipei. I think it was the combination of concrete buildings and similarly colored street signs. It was quite disconcerting to land in Italy and think it looked like home. But when we got into the city proper, it began to transform into something closer tomy conception of Italy -- narrow alleys, cobblestone streets, old-fashioned architecture.
The hotel itself is very old feeling. I think even the air coming in here cools down a little out of respect. Either that, or it's all the marble ;).
Staying with my parents is already starting to get on my nerves a bit. After finally meeting up with them in London, my mom basically evaluated my entire physical appearance and determined that my lower legs are getting too thick, that my knees are too dark [?!], that my fingernails are too long, and that in general, I do not dress well enough. Argh.
I very much wanted to point out that I was dressing as a twenty-some-year-old, not a fifty-some-year-old, and I didn't really care if my Tevas were ugly, thankyouverymuch, seeing as how they were comfortable and that I would be on my feet a great deal of the time here.
My dad is impatient with both of us, and my mom keeps nitpicking all these stupid things about me, and all in all, it can get quite frustrating at times.
But, I am in Florence, and the thought of being surrounded by all this history makes me feel very awed and small.
We didn't end up doing too much today. We mostly wandered around and went to the Galleria dell'Accademia to look at Michaelangelo's David. I was rather underwhelmed at first. It really wasn't David's fault, except everyone has seen so many pictures that it's almost impossible to keep one's sense of awe. That's how I ended up feeling when I saw the Mona Lisa for the first time.
It's rather like reading Shakespeare and thinking he's boring and cliche-laden while not realizing that he invented said cliches.
David grew on me after a while -- the sheer size of him is a little hard to take in. Also, he really is quite lovely. It was also fun looking at other Renaissance and medieval paintings while parts of Art 101 lectures crept back into my brain. Also, despite not being Christian, I have a fairly good deal of religious knowledge retained from some classes, so it was fun looking for symbols and the like.
But to be hoenst, I'm more excited about St. Peter's and the Piazza del Duomo. I am, I'm afraid, a bit of a philistine at times. I like the concreteness of sculpture and architecture far more than paintings, and I have a particular fondness for old churches and cathedrals. Something about the sheer grandness of them, the height and the decoration, coupled with the religious atmosphere... Heh, I feel a little like Angel now ;).
I also saw a poster for La Traviata, and it would be so awesome to be abe to see it here, but I doubt we will be able to. I admit that part of this desire is sparked by reading about Kate's love of opera in The Grand Tour.
The best part of the day, though, was ducking into this tiny grocery on a side stret and buying fresh fruit and water from them, along with ogling at the salami and cheese ad various objects in jars there. [No heads in jars! Or other human bodily organs! Mostly preserves and tapenades, instead.] I never quite feel like I really know a city until I've done normal things like buying groceries or shopping there.
And I had very good gelato. And very good dinner (me: polenta, squab, raspbery tart. Dad: potato flan, sea bream, bitter orange cheesecake. Mom: yellow pepper soup, chicken neck (with head!) and free chocolate cake). [My mom and I both thought she was ordering chicken leg because that's what it sounded like when the waiter went over the specials. We were rather surprised. On the other hand, chicken neck is actually pretty good.] The restaurant treats people to various courses, which is nice.
And now, I am about to collapse in bed so as to be prepared for the Uffizi tomorrow.
Gatwick feels like the busiest airport in the world. I'm sure it's not, but there were masses of people all stumbling into each other everywhere. I also spent way too much money trying to buy a charger for my iPod. Stupid me -- the boy asked if I brought it, and I said, "Yup, it's in my suitcase."
Turns out I put in the cable but forgot the adapter! Luckily, they sold some media kit at Gatwick that has an adapter. Yes, I am insane. No, you don't want to know how much it cost.
I sort of miss London now, even though I was only there for a day. I love the little packaged sandwiches everywhere -- reminds me of Taiwan's 7 Eleven. Also, it was nice being somewhere where everyone spoke English.
Getting into Florence was a little strange. The drive to the city proper (from the little I know... the more touristy bits, anyhow) went through places that looked uncannily like Taipei. I think it was the combination of concrete buildings and similarly colored street signs. It was quite disconcerting to land in Italy and think it looked like home. But when we got into the city proper, it began to transform into something closer tomy conception of Italy -- narrow alleys, cobblestone streets, old-fashioned architecture.
The hotel itself is very old feeling. I think even the air coming in here cools down a little out of respect. Either that, or it's all the marble ;).
Staying with my parents is already starting to get on my nerves a bit. After finally meeting up with them in London, my mom basically evaluated my entire physical appearance and determined that my lower legs are getting too thick, that my knees are too dark [?!], that my fingernails are too long, and that in general, I do not dress well enough. Argh.
I very much wanted to point out that I was dressing as a twenty-some-year-old, not a fifty-some-year-old, and I didn't really care if my Tevas were ugly, thankyouverymuch, seeing as how they were comfortable and that I would be on my feet a great deal of the time here.
My dad is impatient with both of us, and my mom keeps nitpicking all these stupid things about me, and all in all, it can get quite frustrating at times.
But, I am in Florence, and the thought of being surrounded by all this history makes me feel very awed and small.
We didn't end up doing too much today. We mostly wandered around and went to the Galleria dell'Accademia to look at Michaelangelo's David. I was rather underwhelmed at first. It really wasn't David's fault, except everyone has seen so many pictures that it's almost impossible to keep one's sense of awe. That's how I ended up feeling when I saw the Mona Lisa for the first time.
It's rather like reading Shakespeare and thinking he's boring and cliche-laden while not realizing that he invented said cliches.
David grew on me after a while -- the sheer size of him is a little hard to take in. Also, he really is quite lovely. It was also fun looking at other Renaissance and medieval paintings while parts of Art 101 lectures crept back into my brain. Also, despite not being Christian, I have a fairly good deal of religious knowledge retained from some classes, so it was fun looking for symbols and the like.
But to be hoenst, I'm more excited about St. Peter's and the Piazza del Duomo. I am, I'm afraid, a bit of a philistine at times. I like the concreteness of sculpture and architecture far more than paintings, and I have a particular fondness for old churches and cathedrals. Something about the sheer grandness of them, the height and the decoration, coupled with the religious atmosphere... Heh, I feel a little like Angel now ;).
I also saw a poster for La Traviata, and it would be so awesome to be abe to see it here, but I doubt we will be able to. I admit that part of this desire is sparked by reading about Kate's love of opera in The Grand Tour.
The best part of the day, though, was ducking into this tiny grocery on a side stret and buying fresh fruit and water from them, along with ogling at the salami and cheese ad various objects in jars there. [No heads in jars! Or other human bodily organs! Mostly preserves and tapenades, instead.] I never quite feel like I really know a city until I've done normal things like buying groceries or shopping there.
And I had very good gelato. And very good dinner (me: polenta, squab, raspbery tart. Dad: potato flan, sea bream, bitter orange cheesecake. Mom: yellow pepper soup, chicken neck (with head!) and free chocolate cake). [My mom and I both thought she was ordering chicken leg because that's what it sounded like when the waiter went over the specials. We were rather surprised. On the other hand, chicken neck is actually pretty good.] The restaurant treats people to various courses, which is nice.
And now, I am about to collapse in bed so as to be prepared for the Uffizi tomorrow.
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And I agree with you about paintings for the most part. The exception was seeing a huge Monet exhibit and seeing paintings that are not the standard water lilies and being completely taken back by it. A coworker is going to England next month and I am very excited for her to go since she promised to take pictures and blog about it.
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(Anonymous) 2007-06-23 01:16 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
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We should hunt for them together in LA some time ^_^.