Day 13: Orsay Can You See!

Day 13: Saturday, January 16, 2010. Location: Paris (Light, cool rain); Exam 2; Major sites visited: Cluny Museum, Invalides, War Museum, Rodin Museum, Orsay Museum ; Meals together: breakfast.

It’s amazing to wake up in the morning and think “I get to wander through Paris today.” It’s not something I would have expected to get to do during my college experience, and to see so many historical sites and get this opportunity is incredible.

Today, after eating a breakfast of a baguette with cheese, jam, and Nutella (Nutella is like the peanut butter of Europe it seems), we started our day by going to Invalides and the War Museum. At Invalides we saw Napoleon Bonaparte’s tomb and got to metaphorically bow down to him. His tomb is set a level lower than where people go to view it so they have to bow to peer over the railing and see it. I’m not pointing fingers, but someone there has a bit of a God-complex.

After visiting Napoleon’s tomb we then went through the War Museum nearby. It was very sobering seeing artifacts from World Wars I and II, and seeing statistics from wars that we typically stop learning about after high school was a good reminder of how easy it is to destroy this world and each other.

We then had a short lunch at the cafeteria at the War Museum, and afterward went to the Rodin Museum. I love Rodin because he did something entirely different with sculpting and bronze casting. His statues are strange and usually look incomplete because they seem so messy. We even saw the Thinker!

The next place we headed off to was the Orsay Museum. This is the point where you should picture me continuously bouncing up and down from excitement. This museum contains many pieces by Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Manet, Courbet, and Gaugin. I learned about these artists last year in History of Modern Art, so seeing so many of the pieces I learned about in class was one of the best things ever! It was somewhat disappointing because the museum was undergoing renovations so the top floors were closed, but they had brought the artworks that were especially famous downstairs so people could still see them. This meant the smaller rooms were more crowded than would normally be the case, and it was harder to get to see some of the works close up, but we still got to see some of my favorite artworks, including Olympia by Manet and Burial at Ornans by Courbet. We also saw Van Gogh’s self portrait and his painting of the cathedral.

I left the Orsay later than everyone else, and definitely did NOT get lost heading back to the hotel (okay, maybe a little lost). We took our second exam—not entirely the highlight of the day—and then got gyros at a stand for dinner.

Perhaps the most incredible adventure of the day was when Annie, Shane, and I decided to go to the Eiffel Tower after dinner to see it all lit up. We were in a hurry to get there on the hour to see the light show, and just as we were running up the steps out of the metro station the tower starting sparkling! We ended up practically underneath it and were blown away by how beautiful it was. It was a foggy night, so the tower lit up the air around it and made it glow orange and made the twinkling almost surreal. We took plenty of pictures, then ran over to the carousel across the way and took a ride (yes, we were the only three on the carousel, and the little kids standing nearby were looking at us like we were crazy). It was one of the best nights thus far.

--Morgan McQuilkin

Day 12: Touring Paris!

Day 12: Friday, January 15, 2010. Location: Paris (Overcast and cold); Lectures: Locke, Kant; Major sites visited: Notre Dame, Deportation Monument, St. Chapelle, Coniergerie, Louvre ; Meals together: breakfast, dinner.

We woke up today in Paris! How many times do you get to say that in your lifetime? I think it is still a bit surreal. Most of us were able to get a good night sleep and we soon would realize just how much we would need it.

We went on a walking tour of many of the major sites in Paris today. The tour began by walking across the Seine and getting our first glimpse of Notre Dame. We all took our touristy pictures in front of this amazing cathedral. We had a few minutes to poke our heads inside and witness the arches and stained glass from the inside. It was truly a sight to behold even though there is still a giant Christmas tree in front. The picture of the whole group included in this blog is in front of the Notre Dame.

Other stops on the walking tour included the Martyrs Francais de la Deportation as well as the Shakespeare and Co. The first was a memorial to all those from France who lost their lives in Nazi concentration camps. Those who enjoy books and book history could truly enjoy this very old bookstore with Shakespeare’s name on it. We also saw the church that Thomas Aquinas attended which is pretty cool. One of the highlights of the day was going to Sainte Chapelle to see the amazing stained glass windows as tall as the room. This glass was amazingly preserved during World War II and we were all very glad. Another impressive sight of the day was the Conciergerie. This building served as a prison during the French Revolution to hold those to be tortured or executed. There was an entire room dedicated to Marie-Antoinette who was held here before the guillotine. It was a beautiful building but we all agreed it was a bit sobering.

The major destination of the day was the Louvre. It is safe to say that it was and will be the largest art museum we will ever see. The building itself was awe inspiring. We saw several of the major pieces together including the Venus Di Milo, Mona Lisa, Michelangelo’s Slave, and the Winged Victory (pictured). We then split up into individual tour groups to see the rest of the Louvre. We soon realized that would take about three days. We were all very overwhelmed.

The funny story from the day happened while we were browsing the Louvre. Out of nowhere, the alarm began to go off and tell us that we needed to leave the building immediately. We all got excited that we would be on CNN that night, what could it be? We got to the front entrance and realized that something was fishy. While we were walking out, they were letting more people enter. We were all so confused which has become quite a common occurrence here in France. All of the fuss ended up being over an unattended metal water bottle. We couldn’t believe it.

The day ended with everyone enjoying cheese fondue. It was a great ending to a great day here in Paris. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow…

--Kyle Lindgren

Day 11: We Are in Paris!

Day 11: Thursday, January 14, 2010. Location: Paris (Overcast and cold); Lectures: Deism, Thomas Hobbes; Major sites visited: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysées; Meals together: breakfast, dinner.

At 11 a.m. this morning, we finally arrived in Paris, France, after a 12 hour overnight ride from Florence, Italy. When most of us woke up on the train, we were startled to see snow on the ground, but as we traveled farther away from the Alps, it disappeared, leaving a sunny, blue sky in Paris. Due to our delayed arrival, our trip to Versailles was postponed a few days, so we made our way to the hotel first. After much appreciated showers, it was time to head out and explore the city! We grabbed a quick lunch near the hotel, which meant I got to experience delicious French crepes for the first time, and then we jumped on the underground Metro headed to the Eiffel Tower. So far, we have been doing good with not leaving people behind, but today, as we all rushed off the Metro, Mitch and Kyle got stuck as the doors closed. We watched them ride away, and laughed together as we waited for them to arrive on the opposite platform.

The view of Paris from the 2^nd level of the Eiffel Tower, which is the highest tourists can go during the winter, was beautiful and the weather was perfect, though a little chilly. This famous metal tower is very massive, yet still very impressive, especially to imagine how it was built. After numerous pictures, on top and from across the river, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, which now serves as the tomb of the unknown soldier. The Arc is located at the intersection of twelve main roads, making for some very scary traffic, and numerous accidents, as Forrest has witnessed on past trips.

The main road leading out from the Arc is the ritzy Champs Elysees, where the Tour de France actually ends. We got to experience Forrest’s strolling pace as we meandered down the street, admiring the fancy cars and expensive jewelry in the windows. We then made our way back to the hotel, where all nineteen of us squeezed into a small bedroom for lecture time.

Our group dinner at 6:30 was just down the street, at a place called Le Bourbon. After a delicious three course dinner, complete with escargot for a few brave souls, we are ready for a good night’s sleep!

--Abby Langbehn

Day 10: That Tower in Pisa Really Does Lean!

Day 10: Wednesday, January 13, 2010. Location: Florence and Pisa (Overcast and cool); Lecture: Galileo and Science; Major sites visited: Museum day, Pisa Cathedral and Leaning Tower; Meals together: breakfast.

We set out on our own today in groups of three to explore the many museums Florence has to offer. As the home town of Michelangelo and once renowned Medici family, who controlled Florence during the Renaissance and collected many famous works of art, this city brought to it many famous works of art which still exist for public display. My group began the morning by visiting Florence’s Science Museum, which housed Galileo’s middle finger, a variety of old telescopes, and other early scientific instruments with which Galileo and others experimented with.

After spending some time here, my group, which included Elizabeth and Mitch, ventured into the open air market that caters towards tourists, similar to what one would see in Mexico or other American vacation destinations. After bargaining, bartering, and buying, we came out with a few nice gifts for friends and of course, a few items for personal use.

We then ventured to the Medici chapel museum, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Michelangelo carved multiple sculptures in this domed building, which the rich and powerful family used as its personal church. In this museum, several members of the family lay buried beneath figures carved by Michelangelo, a surprise we happily discovered after entering the museum.

We ate lunch at a quaint little Italian café, and then rejoined the large group for an hour long train ride to the (in)famous Pisa. Pisa, of course, is home to the world’s most popular architectural fiasco, the leaning tower of Pisa. The group spent awhile posing for the camera, pretending to hold the tower up or push it over. We then examined the nearby church, which was another major engineering failure. Besides the fact that this building also sank, causing some goofy and obviously improvised construction, the building was a conglomerate of many different blocks of marble and brick scavenged from across Italy. The inside though, presents a completely different picture. The church possesses an intricately sculpted pulpit, and other wonderful works of art.

After viewing the church and the tower, Forrest gave us a lecture on the development of the scientific method, looking especially at Galileo. In fact, it was in Pisa that Galileo came up with the idea that the time of a pendulum swing was the same regardless of size, and it was on the Tower of Pisa that he tested the hypothesis that objects fell at the same rate regardless of weight. The lecture looked at the development of thought concerning the nature of the universe, tracing it through Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, and finally, Kepler.

The group then boarded the bus to return to the train station, and we took a train back to Florence. After dinner and some shopping, the group boarded the train for Paris! We each got to be in a room with three other people, and each person had a bunk for the 12 hour ride to the capital of France.

--Aaron Korthuis

Day 9: Florence and the David!

Day 9: Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Location: Florence (Overcast and cool); Lecture: Descartes; Major sites visited: Michelangelo's David, Bargello, Ponte Vecchio, Fiesole Convent; Meals together: breakfast and dinner at La Spada.

There are no words that can describe what our eyes witnessed today; upon entering the Academia we were all prepared to see Michelangelo’s David but none of could have prepared for what we actually encountered. The massive statue, standing 17 feet tall, hovered over us making all of our jaws drop in awe. The perfection of this creature was nothing that any of us had ever seen and it is likely we will not witness anything like it again; the statue portrayed the strength and weakness, confidence and doubt of the young David as he prepared to take on the giant. We spent a fair amount of time observing but I felt that no matter how long we were there no amount of time was adequate.

After the David, Forrest decided that we needed to work up our appetite for lunch and we headed to the Duomo tower, adding 414 steps to the 563 climbed the previous day at St. Peter's in Rome. The view was well worth it! When we got to the top (and finally caught our breath) we were able to see the whole city of Florence from every angle. By the time we were done with pictures everyone was starving! So we all got lunch, had some gelato and did a little shopping at a local market. As soon as we were all gathered together again we switched from casual mode to point-to-point mode. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is Forrest’s was of saying buckle up and get ready because we are moving out to the next location and if you aren’t ready, well, we aren’t waiting! It is something we all have learned the hard way! We were on our way to Ponte Vecchio. The bridge crossed over the river and was a jewelry lover’s paradise! It was lined with jewelry shops on both sides all filled with gorgeous jewelry. The best part was at the end of the bridge because it led us to the BEST gelato that I have tried yet and I know many agree. Thank you Forrest!

After our gelato had settled we made out for the bus station that would take us to Fiesole. When the bus dropped us off, we were not happy about what we had to do next but Forrest assured us that it was well worth it, and it was! We were faced with a massive hill that needed to be climbed to get to the Fiesole Convent where lecture was to take place. I will say the only good thought I had while climbing that hill was about the body heat I was producing because it allowed me to warm up a little! Of course when we reached the top a beautiful view of the city awaited us and that was enough to end all complaining from the group. It was there that we had our lecture as the sunset over the city was illuminated by lights, I will admit this did make it a little hard to concentrate on the lecture; that along with the frigid weather! Even Forrest had cold on the brain telling us once in the lecture that 2+2=cold! When we got back we went to dinner as a group and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all ate way too much but it was well worth it! It was the perfect way to end the day; with a full belly and many new memories made!

--Kaytlyn Holm

Day 8: Vatican City!

Day 8: Monday, January 11, 2010. Location: Vatican City (Cloudy and cold, but no rain); Lectures: Michelangelo, Introduction to the Reformation, Calvin; Major sites visited: Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica; Meals together: breakfast.

Today started out with a bang! Right off the bat, we paraded from our hotel to meet Forrest at the Termini train station. This has become pretty standard now, and this was not the exciting part of the morning. The exciting part was when we jumped into a caravan of crazy Italian taxis. The caravan was taking us to Vatican City. When we arrived at the entrance and were passing through security, I was “that tourist” that had to go through the metal detector three times. I never actually got through the detector without setting off the alarm, the guard just seemed to think I was too stupid to use whatever metal I had on me as a weapon anyways. Once that minor fiasco was over with, we got down to business right away. The first major work that we saw was the Laocoon. As we stood under cover from the rain, Forrest explained to us that this was a statue of a father and his two sons being murdered by snakes for trying to warn others that the Trojan horse was a trap.

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After some more museum meandering and being denied by a security guard on a power trip, we pushed our way back against the flow of other meanderers, we made our way to the court yard where we stood for our lecture on Michelangelo. After our lecture, we made our way to a room that was painted by Raphael. This room depicted the school of Athens. Raphael painted himself in the corner on the right side of the scene looking back at the viewers as if to say “I am watching you, so don’t say anything bad about my work.” After this, we waited in a tiny room as we waited to enter the Sistine Chapel. After about thirty minutes, we were finally herded like cattle into the Sistine Chapel. This was absolutely unbelievable! The ceiling was so high! The detail that was in each scene was completely mind-blowing. The delicacy of the scene of the creation of Adam, in which God is reaching to touch Adam was so ornate and perfect. This was scene was unfortunately disrupted by security guards that would yell “NO FOTO!” every few minutes (“no foto” has now become a motto among our group in each museum).

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After leaving the chapel, we proceeded outside for lunch and a lecture on John Calvin which took place on the perimeter of St. Peter’s Square. After the lecture, we prepared for one of the most amazing scenes many of us have probably ever seen. Forrest pretty much hit the nail on the head when he said he knew what our reactions would be when we got to the top of the dome at St. Peter’s Basilica. Forrest said that he regretted telling us what we would do once at the top because then we would be conscious of what we were doing, and he was right, but I didn’t really mind. He said that our jaws would drop and we would not know what to do, say, or even how to react in general other than to have our jaws drop. He was completely correct.

As I came out of the small door (it seems like every door in Italy is small, especially when you are 6’3”) my jaw really did drop and I really could not believe what I was seeing. Below me was all of Rome. Unfortunately, it was slightly hazy so sight distance was limited, but that didn’t really matter. I was able to see the Pantheon and the capitol building that sticks out like a sore thumb immediately, and the Colosseo in the distance. People below in St. Peter’s Square truly appeared smaller than ants. I wish that I could have stayed up there all day just looking and admiring the scene that was below me. I hope that I will be able to see something so historical, magnificent, and awe-inspiring again, but that may be the only place I will feel that again. I would really like to take my future children there someday, but not until they are old enough to truly appreciate what they are seeing. This is a scene that I hope everyone will have a chance to visit at least once in their lives, and be completely astounded, just like all of us on this crazy trip were.
--Cody Hines

Day 7: Rome and the Sights!

Day 7: Sunday, January 10, 2010. Location: Rome (Cloudy and cold, but no rain); Exam 1; Lectures: Teresa of Avila, Introduction to the Renaissance; Major sites visited: Roman Forum, Campidoglio, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Cappuccian Crypt, Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Teresa; Meals together: breakfast, dinner

“Roma” there is no finer word to express the essence of such a majestic place. The elegance, the simplicity, the grandeur is all summed up in the eloquence of one simple word: “Roma.”

After a disappointing early ending to yesterday, we hit the streets overflowing with excitement. We had so much to see and the sun was shining. It would be a wonderful day in Rome. We took the metro to the Coliseum and walked down the street to the prison where Peter and Paul were kept. Upon our arrival we were disappointed to find that the place had been closed. So we walked back to the entrance of the Forum. When we got there, we discovered that we needed to pay to enter. Figuring we could see just as well from up on Capitol Hill, we made the trek back that direction to look out over the whole Forum. Everyone was so positive and we had a great time, despite the extra walking.

From there we walked out though the Campidoglio, the “square” that Michelangelo designed and sculpted the facades for on our way to the Pantheon. Earlier that day it had rained off and on, as it tends to do in Rome, so when we got to the Pantheon we could see the sloped floor and drainage system at work. Here we tried our first taste of Gelato and prepared for the next leg of our amazing race.

The Trevi Fountain. I cannot in words express how excited I was to experience this incredible display. I can only tell you that I was not disappointed in the least. A few of us even went back again that evening to see it one more time. The craftsmanship, the sheer immensity of the work, and the gorgeous sunlight made the experience everything I had hoped for and far more.

From there we went to the Cappuccian Crypt. This Crypt was not quite the follow up to the Trevi Fountain that one would hope for, but then again, after such an incredible work of art, what could be? The crypt held the bones of all of the monks who had served in the Monastery displayed in artistic formations in small rooms underground.

The last place we went before dinner was the Church where we saw Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Teresa. In this little church we had a lecture on St. Teresa of Avila and from there we headed home as the sun set over the city of Rome.

What a day. We ended with dinner together where Shane ate a whole Squid (it came on his pizza) and I attempted to acquire a taste for wine yet again, to no avail. But for some of us the day was hardly over. After half of one of tomorrow’s lectures, we hit the streets of Rome with no Forrest to lead the way. We saw the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps, and as I mentioned before, we stopped for our second round of gelato and ate in the stillness of the evening as we admired the Trevi Fountain by streetlight.

--Kara Heatherly