Hoping I would see the world through both my eyes.

I am really enjoying sketching for my Studio Art class, so I thought I'd post a few of my drawings with pictures of the scene. Some of the pictures aren't exactly what I was looking at as I sketched, the angles are a little different, but you'll get the idea.  I always forget how much I love drawing until I start doing it again, so I hope to keep it up when I get home.

"Today I finally overcame trying to fit the world inside a picture frame. Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to lose my way but let me say, you should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes. It brought me back to life. You'll be with me next time I go outside, no more 3x5's."
- John Mayer

View from above...

"No man's wit can alter the nature of things, and there is no way to reach the heights by going downward." 

-Francesco Petrarch, 'The Ascent of Mount Ventoux'

 

What a Day for a Daydream

February 12-13, 2011

I don't know how to describe my trip to Orbetello, other than to say that it was beautiful. It is definitely near the top if not my very favorite place I have visited so far. I got to hike up a mountain and relax by the sea all in one day. Orbetello was the town on the mainland, and it was connected to an island called Monte Argentario where we did most of our exploring. We hiked up to an old Spanish fort on the top of the hill that overlooked the gorgeous blue sea. I know I'll always look back happily on that quiet, peaceful moment, and even as I look back now I think it may have been the day that I became completely content here in Italy. Usually I look forward to coming back home to Viterbo, but that Sunday afternoon I would have been just as happy for time to stop so that I could stay on the island for just a few more days.

 

The picture above is the view of Porto San Stefano from a neighborhood overlooking the harbor.

Above is the other main port of the island, Porto Ericole.

 The water was so blue and clear, it didn't even look real. 

A nice little surprise came at the end of the trip when we had an hour to kill at our train stop in Rome. The station we had to stop at was San Pietro, so when we realized we were right next to the Vatican we ran over to see it again. I loved St. Peter's the first time I was there, but seeing it as the sun was setting over Rome was yet another new and beautiful site that I am so happy to have experienced.

 

More to come from my adventures in Italy soon!

In a castle by the lake...

February 6, 2011 - Bracciano

When I stepped off the train in Bracciano, a small town just a few train stops south of Viterbo, I immediately felt the bustling life of the town as the colors of the flower stands and fruit markets met my eyes. The air was crisp and cool, but the sun warmed us up as we wound through town and then started down the hill to reach the waters of the lake, Lago di Bracciano. If it had been warmer I would have loved to go for a swim, but in the high 50s to low 60s it was still a little chilly. Sitting by the lake with the sun at my back was a quiet and relaxing moment and something I'd definitely enjoy doing again during my time here. Traveling is even better with good friends there, and the three people I was with, Tami, Brian, and Allie, are great traveling buddies. After that we headed back up the steep hill to Castello Odescalchi, built overlooking the lake in the 15th century, which hosted a few different popes and members of the Medici family during that time period.  At the end of the castle tour we walked around town for awhile, making one last stop at the gelato shop before heading back to Viterbo. Another beautiful day in Italy.

La Citta del Vatticano

5:00 am: Sunday January 30^th, 2011: Left my dorm room in Viterbo to catch the train to Rome.

9:00 pm: Trudged back up the five flights of stairs to my room, exhausted, but thinking about a day that I will never forget.

After the train ride to Roma, my friends and I took a short ride on the metro and then began our wait in line for the Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums). The line soon wrapped around the block, but our early start paid off as we were inside in less than fifteen minutes after the building opened.

Though it is impossible to see everything in a day, much less a few hours, we hit the highlights, including Raphael's papal rooms, which included the famous School of Athens. I have seen it in books and on posters, but seeing the original up on that huge wall made me realize how phenomenally talented he really was. 
 

 

Though all of the artwork was great, the culmination of the journey was, of course, the Sistine Chapel. From the moment I walked in, the sheer amount of history and artistry was overwhelming. Almost 500 years since it's completion, the colors and figures are still bright and vibrant on the ceiling of the chapel, Michelangelo Buonarotti's great Renaissance masterpiece. Turning my head up to the ceiling to take it all in, I saw that there was no way to comprehend the whole thing at once, so I had to pick and choose pieces to focus on. Since I am in the middle of reading a book called Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, I had an even better understanding of what a struggle the commission had been between Michelangelo and Pope Juilius II. Technically you aren't allowed to take pictures inside the chapel, but of course I snuck one with my phone. 

 

Just around the corner from the Vatican Museums was St. Peter's Square. Surrounded by massive marble columns and the giant obelisk in the center, St. Peter's basilica was impressive to say the least. Not only did the weather clear up as we got there, but we also found out that Pope Benedict was coming out to speak soon. Sure enough, soon we looked up at the tiny window with the papal flag hanging below it, and the pope came out to speak and say a prayer to the crowd in the piazza. I couldn't understand most of it, but it sounded very nice, and it was really wonderful to have that experience during my time in Italy. Another perk of the pope making an appearance was that with the masses gathered outside, we got to walk straight in to St. Peter's Basilica without waiting in line. It was without a doubt the most beautiful building I have ever been in, from the high arched ceilings to the massive statues, including Michelangelo's Pieta, to Bernini's baldacchino, a huge bronze pavilion that stands right in the middle of the cathedral, beneath the dome. Even though I went in with a group, we all went our separate ways, leaving me free to wander the greatest church in the world for about half an hour. More than in awe, I wanted to soak in everything and remember my time there, which I know I always will. The whole day was too beautiful and inspiring to be captured in photos, but I did my best. Here are the best of the bunch:

Time passes so differently when you wake up at 4:15 am. By noon we had already seen everything I have talked about so far, but it felt like an entire day had passed. At that point we were all starving, so we got a great lunch at a nice restaurant just down the street outside Vatican City. After resting there for awhile, we went to the top of the Spanish Steps to relax and enjoy the view of Rome. As if the meal wasn't enough, we stopped for gelato. I strayed from my usual chocolate and coffee flavors to fruit, and got a delicious strawberry/lemon mix. There is always something else to see in Rome, and the sites just pop up in front of you all the time. Even knowing it was close by, it was still surreal to turn the corner and see the Pantheon. After checking it out for awhile, we went to rest our legs and sit by the Trevi Fountain again, a place we had been on the first trip to Rome. Although we didn't want to leave the relaxing sounds of the water and the warmth of the fading sunlight, it was time to head back to the train station.

After all of that, I still want to go back to Rome again. I guess they don't call it the eternal city for nothing. So, at the end of a long, long day, I was extremely tired and ready for bed, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.