My Thanksgiving dinner consisted of Potato and Leak Soup & Beef and Guiness Pie at an Irish pub in Amsterdam. To make it a little more festive, I had a local hard cider with it. But eating amidst the Christmas decorations which festooned every empty place on the floor, walls and ceiling, I began to realize the importance of this holiday. It was good, and the person I was with helped make it more of a holiday, but it still wasn't the same as eating till I puked on turkey, stuffing, and potatoes.
Amsterdam was (from the minute we got into town) decked out to the rafters with Christmas decorations. It was really quite beautiful since Amsterdam is one of those cutely large cities. With canals and row homes, it has what America would consider "Old World Charm" but around the corner is a city of 800,000 people. So, decorating for Christmas was just enough. Luckily, the person I was with was kind enough to allow me my one peeve and let me count down until 6pm Amsterdam time on Thursday before we began shopping and speaking about Christmas. For those of you who don't know why, the reason is simple: 6pm here is 12noon there which is the moment when Santa Claus (every year without fail) crosses the line at Macy's making it the official (for me at least) Christmas season. So, in a country where everything had already been decked for Christmas (for some time it seemed) I wanted to wait until official American Christmas Season.
Anywho, otherwise my weekend was nice:
Thursday: get in, walk around, dinner, Red Light District (no trip to Amsterdam is complete without it), Erotic Museum (it was cheap, it was there, we went), movie attempt #1
Friday: Anne Frank House (just as moving as it sounds), Van Gogh Museum (surprisingly small, and without as much "van-gogh-i-ness" as one would think), movie attempt #2
Saturday: Torture Museum, Sex Museum, Amsterdam Dungeon (s sort of Halloweeny, scary, Salemmy, trp through Amsterdam history), dinner, Mass (which is slightly more confusing in Dutch) movie attempt #3...success! Crappy movie, but good for the cold, raininess that it was.
Sunday: up and out...home by 5.
Now to get back down to work before my weekend in Paris.
Ciao,
RomanTraveller
p.s. two notes: (1) No, I did not indulge in Amsterdam. Not really my thing. (2) I didn't explain any of the museums since they are all pretty straight forward.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Once in a Lifetime...
So Venice (see below) was a bit more expensive than my original plan to stay in and be a dork writing a paper...however, when I say it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I really mean it. Going into the weekend I knew that even if I could go to a Biennale in the future, it would never be THIS Biennale. But once I got there I found out something very interesting. 2007 is what they call a year of the Grand Tour.
Every ten years, no less, four of the Great International Art Exhibition occur during the same summer. They are: La Biennale di Venezia, some triennial exhbition (I want to say somewhere in either France or Germany), an art faire somewhere, and something else...
So when I say that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I REALLY mean it...
Just thought I'd brag a little more...
Ciao,
RomanTraveller
Every ten years, no less, four of the Great International Art Exhibition occur during the same summer. They are: La Biennale di Venezia, some triennial exhbition (I want to say somewhere in either France or Germany), an art faire somewhere, and something else...
So when I say that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I REALLY mean it...
Just thought I'd brag a little more...
Ciao,
RomanTraveller
La Biennale di Venezia and My Whirlwind Weekend
An update is coming as far as general life since I last updated this thing. But while it is still fresh, I must write about this amazing weekend!
So this was going to be a nice, leisurely weekend of "paper-writing" and relaxation (emphasis on the latter) until Friday evening about 8pm when a friend of mine came into the room I was in at the time (someone else's where we were having wine and dessert) and asked, "So, does anybody want to go to Venice this weekend?" My first thought was that he meant did anyone want to spend Thanksgiving break in Venice, but not sure I asked, "You mean, like Thanksgiving? Sorry I can't I'm going to Amsterdam." He replied, "No, like as in tonight." Surprised, and kind of intrigued by the spur-of-the-moment-ness of it all, my first reaction (thorough planner that I am) was to say that I just couldn't because I had so much work to do, and didn't think it through enough. But, after some hemming and hawing I knew I just had to go and packed my backpack and off we went taking the 2250 train from Roma Tiburtina Stazione to Venezia Santa Lucia Stazione--getting in about 530.
So, out first encounter with this weekend of firsts for me (keep in mind this is the most impulsive thing I have EVER done in my entire life) was to get to the wrong train station. My friend had misread the schedule and thought that the train was leaving from Termini Stazione whereas it actually left from Tiburtina Stazione. Getting off the Met.Ro at Termini we went to the ticket taker with 20 minutes to spare, only to find out we actually had to go to Tiburtina which was 4 Met.Ro stops away. We ripped our tickets out of her hand and ran for the Met.Ro only to miss the train. We waited almost 10 minutes for the next train. Keep in mind, by the time it arrived we had 5 minutes to get onto the train, travel four stops, get off at a completely foreign train station which neither of us had been to, find out where our train was leaving from and get there in time. We got off the Met.Ro in Tiburtina and hauled ass, movie style, to the nearest ticket seller where we scared the crap out of the dozing staff person by slamming ourselves (completely accidentally) into the counter and screaming for help. After we found out where the train was leaving from (it was now 2253) was tore our way through the train station screaming “Permesso” and “Scuzzi” to everyone and everything that got in our way. We got to the right track and sure we were going to find it empty, we made our way up the stairs to the track where to our amazement we found the train. We jumped on the nearest open door and found ourselves (again amazingly) and empty room. After hearty congratulations we passed out.
We awoke around Venezia where we got off and walked into the cold grip of Death (which we thought was just freezing cold Venice until later in the day when we finally realized that Death was actually gripping us). We found a hotel (after only a little looking) which was cheap (by Venice standards), near both the train station and a waterbus stop. Yes, Venice has no traffic, there are no cars, buses, trucks, or motorcycles in Venice, everything is by foot. Public transportation, then, is the waterbus, which runs much like an autobus, but on water. Our next rude awakening was that this is indeed Italy…at 530…am. Nothing was open (there is no such thing as 24 hours a day in Italy, and CERTAINLY not in Venice). Thus we made our way leisurely to Piazza San Marco. This is where all the really famous pictures from Venice are with people standing covered in pigeons. Don’t ask me why, every time we were there the pigeons were all sleeping.
This brings me to point number 2, other than the Biennale, the reason we went in the first place, we really did not see any major sites in Venice since we usually were walking through before or after hours. So don’t ask was the Basilic San Marco looks like on the inside, I don’t know.
We then proceeded to walk along the Grand Canal toward The Arsenale, site #1 of the Biennale. We got there about 830 (after SEVERAL stops for cappuccino) a nice respectable time for an art exhibition of this magnitude to open, we thought. BUT, we forgot one little thing: this is Italy. The Biennale did not actually open until 1000. Ah well, we walked around some more, had a cappuccino, and went back.
I must say, the running, the freezing, the waiting was all worth it. I actually cannot describe much of anything because it was all so good. But I will describe what the Biennale is, and how it is set up.
The Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) is a Biennial (hence the name) International contemporary art exhibition hosted by the city of Venice. From Brazil to Uruguay everyone who’s anyone has some part in the exhibition. It takes place in two major points in Venice: The Arsenale (and old Arsenal on the waterfront) and the Giardini Biennale (The Gardens of the Biennial). With one ticket (8 Euro for students, thank you very much to them for that little help), you get one entrance into each of these two major points. Also with your ticket stub you get into the smaller exhibition galleries spread around Venice. The Arsenale was one major building which hosted the title, international exhibition: Think with the senses, feel with the mind. And a few other smaller “Pavilions.” The Giardini is made up of one large “Pavillion” for Italy (which, although the host country, did not for a while have a pavilion for themselves) and other smaller pavilions for the other countries. In most cases each pavilion showcased one or a few major pieces by one artist, chosen by the country’s curator, and displayed. There is one major curator who chooses the theme and the national curators. The national curators choose their artists, and set up the spaces. Now, by pavilions they actually mean permanent structures built for each country (with the name permanently built into the building). You then walk around all these major buildings and see the art. It was amazingly beautiful.
I must say, I was completely disappointed in the ethnocentric building America had since it was pretty much a miniature copy of the Capitol building. Here amidst these abstract, funky buildings most influenced by Carlo Scarpa, was this brick building which looked exactly like it belonged in Washington D.C. The US apparently made no effort in trying to be international at all. Their art was also severely lacking (although they did give out free posters and candy—my guess is to bribe international support). On this note, is was evident that there is NO international support for America and certainly not for Bush or the wars. This was a MAJOR theme in most of the countries we saw, and certainly ran through a large part of the international title exhibition. I liked it, and must say I wish Bush could have seen it, though I’m not sure we could have comprehended any art that didn’t involve putting water on the colored dots to make the paint bleed where it was supposed to go.
We spent Saturday and Sunday at the Biennale (most of the day) and then walking around Venice, getting lost both nights, though we found many a nice restaurant to Piazza which quite frankly I have no idea how they survive economically because we would never have found them if not by accident.
Our trip home was much les exciting since we went in more than enough time to get out tickets, and ended up taking a joy ride on a waterbus around the island…just to waste time. We then got on the train, found ourselves another empty room, and laid down. Two Romanian (read, at least in Italy so don’t find it offensive: Gypsy) men came into our car. After some hubbub, their attempt to steal my cookies which, even though I no longer wanted them since they had been touched by unwashed Gypsy hands, left with me when we left the car and found somewhere else to sit where we fell asleep in much less comfortable, slightly contorted shapes and awoke in Rome at 7am (oh yeah, we left at 1204 this morning).
I then came home, showered, went to school, wrote a paper, came home (with enough time to take a nap), and my alarm didn’t go off so I also slept through my first class which is okay since I have more than enough absences left in the class, and was able to get the almost non-existent notes from my friend.
And now as I am about ready to fall asleep, I’m going to go, cook something simply and fast for dinner and go to bed.
Ciao!
RomanTraveller
p.s. pictures from Athens may have to wait until Winter Break since I am now in Finals mode until the end of the semester!
So this was going to be a nice, leisurely weekend of "paper-writing" and relaxation (emphasis on the latter) until Friday evening about 8pm when a friend of mine came into the room I was in at the time (someone else's where we were having wine and dessert) and asked, "So, does anybody want to go to Venice this weekend?" My first thought was that he meant did anyone want to spend Thanksgiving break in Venice, but not sure I asked, "You mean, like Thanksgiving? Sorry I can't I'm going to Amsterdam." He replied, "No, like as in tonight." Surprised, and kind of intrigued by the spur-of-the-moment-ness of it all, my first reaction (thorough planner that I am) was to say that I just couldn't because I had so much work to do, and didn't think it through enough. But, after some hemming and hawing I knew I just had to go and packed my backpack and off we went taking the 2250 train from Roma Tiburtina Stazione to Venezia Santa Lucia Stazione--getting in about 530.
So, out first encounter with this weekend of firsts for me (keep in mind this is the most impulsive thing I have EVER done in my entire life) was to get to the wrong train station. My friend had misread the schedule and thought that the train was leaving from Termini Stazione whereas it actually left from Tiburtina Stazione. Getting off the Met.Ro at Termini we went to the ticket taker with 20 minutes to spare, only to find out we actually had to go to Tiburtina which was 4 Met.Ro stops away. We ripped our tickets out of her hand and ran for the Met.Ro only to miss the train. We waited almost 10 minutes for the next train. Keep in mind, by the time it arrived we had 5 minutes to get onto the train, travel four stops, get off at a completely foreign train station which neither of us had been to, find out where our train was leaving from and get there in time. We got off the Met.Ro in Tiburtina and hauled ass, movie style, to the nearest ticket seller where we scared the crap out of the dozing staff person by slamming ourselves (completely accidentally) into the counter and screaming for help. After we found out where the train was leaving from (it was now 2253) was tore our way through the train station screaming “Permesso” and “Scuzzi” to everyone and everything that got in our way. We got to the right track and sure we were going to find it empty, we made our way up the stairs to the track where to our amazement we found the train. We jumped on the nearest open door and found ourselves (again amazingly) and empty room. After hearty congratulations we passed out.
We awoke around Venezia where we got off and walked into the cold grip of Death (which we thought was just freezing cold Venice until later in the day when we finally realized that Death was actually gripping us). We found a hotel (after only a little looking) which was cheap (by Venice standards), near both the train station and a waterbus stop. Yes, Venice has no traffic, there are no cars, buses, trucks, or motorcycles in Venice, everything is by foot. Public transportation, then, is the waterbus, which runs much like an autobus, but on water. Our next rude awakening was that this is indeed Italy…at 530…am. Nothing was open (there is no such thing as 24 hours a day in Italy, and CERTAINLY not in Venice). Thus we made our way leisurely to Piazza San Marco. This is where all the really famous pictures from Venice are with people standing covered in pigeons. Don’t ask me why, every time we were there the pigeons were all sleeping.
This brings me to point number 2, other than the Biennale, the reason we went in the first place, we really did not see any major sites in Venice since we usually were walking through before or after hours. So don’t ask was the Basilic San Marco looks like on the inside, I don’t know.
We then proceeded to walk along the Grand Canal toward The Arsenale, site #1 of the Biennale. We got there about 830 (after SEVERAL stops for cappuccino) a nice respectable time for an art exhibition of this magnitude to open, we thought. BUT, we forgot one little thing: this is Italy. The Biennale did not actually open until 1000. Ah well, we walked around some more, had a cappuccino, and went back.
I must say, the running, the freezing, the waiting was all worth it. I actually cannot describe much of anything because it was all so good. But I will describe what the Biennale is, and how it is set up.
The Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) is a Biennial (hence the name) International contemporary art exhibition hosted by the city of Venice. From Brazil to Uruguay everyone who’s anyone has some part in the exhibition. It takes place in two major points in Venice: The Arsenale (and old Arsenal on the waterfront) and the Giardini Biennale (The Gardens of the Biennial). With one ticket (8 Euro for students, thank you very much to them for that little help), you get one entrance into each of these two major points. Also with your ticket stub you get into the smaller exhibition galleries spread around Venice. The Arsenale was one major building which hosted the title, international exhibition: Think with the senses, feel with the mind. And a few other smaller “Pavilions.” The Giardini is made up of one large “Pavillion” for Italy (which, although the host country, did not for a while have a pavilion for themselves) and other smaller pavilions for the other countries. In most cases each pavilion showcased one or a few major pieces by one artist, chosen by the country’s curator, and displayed. There is one major curator who chooses the theme and the national curators. The national curators choose their artists, and set up the spaces. Now, by pavilions they actually mean permanent structures built for each country (with the name permanently built into the building). You then walk around all these major buildings and see the art. It was amazingly beautiful.
I must say, I was completely disappointed in the ethnocentric building America had since it was pretty much a miniature copy of the Capitol building. Here amidst these abstract, funky buildings most influenced by Carlo Scarpa, was this brick building which looked exactly like it belonged in Washington D.C. The US apparently made no effort in trying to be international at all. Their art was also severely lacking (although they did give out free posters and candy—my guess is to bribe international support). On this note, is was evident that there is NO international support for America and certainly not for Bush or the wars. This was a MAJOR theme in most of the countries we saw, and certainly ran through a large part of the international title exhibition. I liked it, and must say I wish Bush could have seen it, though I’m not sure we could have comprehended any art that didn’t involve putting water on the colored dots to make the paint bleed where it was supposed to go.
We spent Saturday and Sunday at the Biennale (most of the day) and then walking around Venice, getting lost both nights, though we found many a nice restaurant to Piazza which quite frankly I have no idea how they survive economically because we would never have found them if not by accident.
Our trip home was much les exciting since we went in more than enough time to get out tickets, and ended up taking a joy ride on a waterbus around the island…just to waste time. We then got on the train, found ourselves another empty room, and laid down. Two Romanian (read, at least in Italy so don’t find it offensive: Gypsy) men came into our car. After some hubbub, their attempt to steal my cookies which, even though I no longer wanted them since they had been touched by unwashed Gypsy hands, left with me when we left the car and found somewhere else to sit where we fell asleep in much less comfortable, slightly contorted shapes and awoke in Rome at 7am (oh yeah, we left at 1204 this morning).
I then came home, showered, went to school, wrote a paper, came home (with enough time to take a nap), and my alarm didn’t go off so I also slept through my first class which is okay since I have more than enough absences left in the class, and was able to get the almost non-existent notes from my friend.
And now as I am about ready to fall asleep, I’m going to go, cook something simply and fast for dinner and go to bed.
Ciao!
RomanTraveller
p.s. pictures from Athens may have to wait until Winter Break since I am now in Finals mode until the end of the semester!
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