Wow, time has really flown by! I meant to update the blog sooner about Valencia and Las Fallas, but I didn't end up taking too many photos so I didn't have much to put in one blog entry. It was a really fun weekend, though, with a lot of...shall we say....interesting...aspects to it. The 'camping on the beach' aspect actually turned out to be camping in a muddy parking lot, and while I did manage to see the Fallas being lit on fire, I wasn't able to see much of Valencia, which I am sad about. :(
However, as many of you know, my mom came to visit two weeks ago for my spring break!!! I was SO excited to have her here in Europe since she hasn't been back in 30 years, and I couldn't wait to show her around Barcelona. We had two days in Barcelona before we left on our trip that involved lots of sightseeing and a couple awkward encounters with my host mom where I attempted to translate for both parties at a very rapid speed!
On Saturday, it was off to Granada for two days to see the Alhambra, one of the world's most beautiful palaces. Granada was absolutely amazing with lovely architecture and great weather--finally, after experiencing Barcelona's freak cold spell for the past three months, I was able to wear dresses and tank tops! We explored the city and its rich Moroccan quarter...needless to say, my mom did a LOT of shopping for everyone so look forward to that!
On Sunday, we toured the Alhambra and had a blast. We had our trusty Rick Steves guide out and I read every description to my mom so that we could really get the full effect! The buildings were indescribably beautiful--I felt like I was in Morocco, where many of my friends went for spring break, even though I hadn't left Spain.
We left Monday for Venice and endured some time in the airports, a long water-bus ride , and a bit of confusion with the street names before we arrived at our bed and breakfast near the Accademia Bridge. It was a really cute room with an ensuite bathroom and two large windows that looked out over the street, as well as extremely nice Italian women who made us delicious hot chocolate in the morning!
Our first real tourist day in Venice was Tuesday, and we accomplished all the major sites--St. Mark's Basilica & Square, the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum, and the Campanile. Oh, and I accomplished eating a huge plate of amazing gnocchi with brown butter and sage--yum! There weren't many crowds when we were walking around, which was nice, but since Venice is basically a historic, decaying European Disneyland for adult tourists, we were bound to encounter a good amount of people. Oh well!
On our second day, we walked all over the island, from St. Mark's to the Frari Church, which was absolutely beautiful, and then over to the Rialto Bridge, where we checked out the fresh fruit, vegetable, and fish markets. We also passed by San Moisé Church, La Fenice Opera House, Scala Contarini del Bovolo, and the Church of San Polo on our walk to the Frari. After touring the church, we headed to the Scuola San Rocco, which houses HUGE paintings by Tintoretto. I was definitely boring my mom with my art obsession on the trip to Venice, but I mean--the island is chock full of amazing art! I was in heaven, but my mom definitely said: "Not another Jesus on a crucifix again!!!!" about twelve times a day.
After going to the Scuola, we went to Ca' Rezzonico, which my mom actually enjoyed, because it is an 18th century palazzo that has been converted into a museum highlighting the lifestyles of the wealthy Venetian bourgeoisie. It was filled with period architecture, beautiful ceiling frescoes, and of course--lots of art!!! Our next stop was the Santa Maria della Salute Church, which stands at the beginning of the Grand Canal and was built after the bubonic plague struck Europe in order to ensure the health of the Venetian population. Didn't really work out for them though, because 94,000 Venetians still died from it. Oh well, at least they got an absolutely breathtaking church out of it! Right down the street (canal? It's hard to know how to describe direction when you're talking about Venice) is the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, a collection of modern art in the palazzo that Peggy lived in during the 1950s and 60s. I loved the collection here and enjoyed the amazing spot she had on the Grand Canal--she was one lucky woman. Finally, we topped our day off with a Vivaldi concert at the San Vidal Church, which was wonderful. The violinists and cello players played in perfect harmony, and it was so cool to get to see them perform in an old church as well.
On our last day, we relaxed a bit after our hectic two days. In the morning, my mom went shopping (she claimed I had been denying her precious shopping time due to my need to see every sight on the island--sorry for trying to culturally enrich your life, MOM) while I went to the Accademia Gallery, which houses Venice's largest art collection. Seeing some of the Tiepolo and Titian that I've studied in real life was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed wandering down the halls without the commentary from the Peanut Gallery about crucifixes and what not! I also managed to squeeze in a visit to Palazzo Grassi before I met up with my mom. For anyone who is planning a trip to Venice in the near future (and loves modern art like I do), I definitely recommend a visit here. It's the collection of Francois Pinault, a wealthy French businessman, housed in a palazzo on the Grand Canal. It was a very interesting collection and I wish I had had more time there. Our last touristy event of the day was a Grand Canal cruise--we hopped on a vaporetto (water bus) and sailed all the way up the Grand Canal as I played tour guide and read descriptions of everything we were seeing to my mom, of course.
When we were leaving Venice, I felt unbelievably sad. I could have spent a much longer time there, just wandering the canals or sitting and enjoying the absolutely breathtaking beauty of the city. I remember reading a quote in one of our tour books (The Companion Guide to Venice by Hugh Honour--I highly recommend it!) from an author who said that leaving Venice was harder and harder for them every time they revisited the city, and that they felt the same irrevocable sadness that I was feeling when I left. If anything, it just made me more determined to go back to Venice, so I will definitely be making that happen!
I will post some of my photos from the trip in a new post since they won't all fit in this one when I take another break from the two papers, two projects, presentation, and final that I am preparing for!
Lots of love,
Kelsey
However, as many of you know, my mom came to visit two weeks ago for my spring break!!! I was SO excited to have her here in Europe since she hasn't been back in 30 years, and I couldn't wait to show her around Barcelona. We had two days in Barcelona before we left on our trip that involved lots of sightseeing and a couple awkward encounters with my host mom where I attempted to translate for both parties at a very rapid speed!
On Saturday, it was off to Granada for two days to see the Alhambra, one of the world's most beautiful palaces. Granada was absolutely amazing with lovely architecture and great weather--finally, after experiencing Barcelona's freak cold spell for the past three months, I was able to wear dresses and tank tops! We explored the city and its rich Moroccan quarter...needless to say, my mom did a LOT of shopping for everyone so look forward to that!
On Sunday, we toured the Alhambra and had a blast. We had our trusty Rick Steves guide out and I read every description to my mom so that we could really get the full effect! The buildings were indescribably beautiful--I felt like I was in Morocco, where many of my friends went for spring break, even though I hadn't left Spain.
We left Monday for Venice and endured some time in the airports, a long water-bus ride , and a bit of confusion with the street names before we arrived at our bed and breakfast near the Accademia Bridge. It was a really cute room with an ensuite bathroom and two large windows that looked out over the street, as well as extremely nice Italian women who made us delicious hot chocolate in the morning!
Our first real tourist day in Venice was Tuesday, and we accomplished all the major sites--St. Mark's Basilica & Square, the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum, and the Campanile. Oh, and I accomplished eating a huge plate of amazing gnocchi with brown butter and sage--yum! There weren't many crowds when we were walking around, which was nice, but since Venice is basically a historic, decaying European Disneyland for adult tourists, we were bound to encounter a good amount of people. Oh well!
On our second day, we walked all over the island, from St. Mark's to the Frari Church, which was absolutely beautiful, and then over to the Rialto Bridge, where we checked out the fresh fruit, vegetable, and fish markets. We also passed by San Moisé Church, La Fenice Opera House, Scala Contarini del Bovolo, and the Church of San Polo on our walk to the Frari. After touring the church, we headed to the Scuola San Rocco, which houses HUGE paintings by Tintoretto. I was definitely boring my mom with my art obsession on the trip to Venice, but I mean--the island is chock full of amazing art! I was in heaven, but my mom definitely said: "Not another Jesus on a crucifix again!!!!" about twelve times a day.
After going to the Scuola, we went to Ca' Rezzonico, which my mom actually enjoyed, because it is an 18th century palazzo that has been converted into a museum highlighting the lifestyles of the wealthy Venetian bourgeoisie. It was filled with period architecture, beautiful ceiling frescoes, and of course--lots of art!!! Our next stop was the Santa Maria della Salute Church, which stands at the beginning of the Grand Canal and was built after the bubonic plague struck Europe in order to ensure the health of the Venetian population. Didn't really work out for them though, because 94,000 Venetians still died from it. Oh well, at least they got an absolutely breathtaking church out of it! Right down the street (canal? It's hard to know how to describe direction when you're talking about Venice) is the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, a collection of modern art in the palazzo that Peggy lived in during the 1950s and 60s. I loved the collection here and enjoyed the amazing spot she had on the Grand Canal--she was one lucky woman. Finally, we topped our day off with a Vivaldi concert at the San Vidal Church, which was wonderful. The violinists and cello players played in perfect harmony, and it was so cool to get to see them perform in an old church as well.
On our last day, we relaxed a bit after our hectic two days. In the morning, my mom went shopping (she claimed I had been denying her precious shopping time due to my need to see every sight on the island--sorry for trying to culturally enrich your life, MOM) while I went to the Accademia Gallery, which houses Venice's largest art collection. Seeing some of the Tiepolo and Titian that I've studied in real life was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed wandering down the halls without the commentary from the Peanut Gallery about crucifixes and what not! I also managed to squeeze in a visit to Palazzo Grassi before I met up with my mom. For anyone who is planning a trip to Venice in the near future (and loves modern art like I do), I definitely recommend a visit here. It's the collection of Francois Pinault, a wealthy French businessman, housed in a palazzo on the Grand Canal. It was a very interesting collection and I wish I had had more time there. Our last touristy event of the day was a Grand Canal cruise--we hopped on a vaporetto (water bus) and sailed all the way up the Grand Canal as I played tour guide and read descriptions of everything we were seeing to my mom, of course.
When we were leaving Venice, I felt unbelievably sad. I could have spent a much longer time there, just wandering the canals or sitting and enjoying the absolutely breathtaking beauty of the city. I remember reading a quote in one of our tour books (The Companion Guide to Venice by Hugh Honour--I highly recommend it!) from an author who said that leaving Venice was harder and harder for them every time they revisited the city, and that they felt the same irrevocable sadness that I was feeling when I left. If anything, it just made me more determined to go back to Venice, so I will definitely be making that happen!
I will post some of my photos from the trip in a new post since they won't all fit in this one when I take another break from the two papers, two projects, presentation, and final that I am preparing for!
Lots of love,
Kelsey
