Baby Got Back

So we are just about ready to head back to Rome. We had a couple days here in Florence, and saw all of the important sights. We also took a day trip to Pisa and Siena yesterday. In Siena we happened across a festival of the winners from the Palio which was a blast to watch. The whole parade was an exhibit of the winning neighborhood. We saw the winning horse, and many Italians acting out different little skits, and singing a range of different songs. All in all, it was one of those pictures into a culture you will never forget.

While watching the festivities, we were sitting at a table on the Campo (having the best meal in Tuscany yet) when I noticed a women wearing a dress that was far too tight for her. So tight in fact, that I could not tell if she was facing me, or walking away. Her back cleavage was very voluptuous. We had quite the laugh over the display.

Venice is in the past.

So, another city down. Venice was nice and quiet, with plenty of shopping and food to take in...here is a treat...a commentary from my mother...

I was so looking forward to all the Italian food, so I ordered a sausage pizza to find out that it was not sausage as we know it but hot dogs..... what a disappointment. Shopping is fantastic, I have spent more money in one day shopping than in a year at home. It seems like it really isn't money here and all the shoes and clothes are amazing. We have just arrived in Florence and the food is much better here. It reminds me of my Nonnie's cooking and brings back all kinds of great memories. We have a lot of places to view here. Just finished seeing the "David" and Tony gave me the history on it. Really enjoying the culture and the tour guide (Tony). More to come. ~Madre

We are off to the Duomo...and then who knows...more leather goods...hehehe

All Roads Lead to Rome

Well, I have completed my tour of Barcelona, and am on way back to Rome to begin my role as tour guide to my mom and Stephen as we explore Tuscany and Rome over the next couple weeks. I hope that all of my travels and studies pay off...I should be a wealth of information...

Winston ate this. A major accomplishment for him. He doesn't do seafood. He had to take the little heads off of the shrimp and everything. I was so proud. Seeing all of the Gaudi was really inspiring, as was the delicious food, and lively culture. The final night in Barcelona, I went on a pub crawl with my hostel. 2 Americans, 3 Australians, and 2 Germans all set out on a night of highjinks. We had a blast, despite the "Lifeguards" hen party that joined the 40 plus of the crawl. It ended at a club that is actually in the mall on the pier. Very cool, and I got to get my "slut dancing" on, as Winston likes to call it. My only regret is Winston wasn't a part of it.

I am still devoid of my backpack, and at this point, I have learned to live without the stuff...I just hope they find it for the sake of my Turkey purchases that cannot be easily replaced.

Still Bag-less...but here are some pics.

Mostly Here.

A day in Barcelona down, with quite a few more to go...and hoping my baggage will eventually join me. The airline thinks they might have found it in Rome, but still are not sure. So for now, I need to get inventive on what I wear, and buy for the time being.
Yesterday Winston and I spent time in 2 of the major gothic churches here in Barcelona. We also took an architectural tour of the Palau De Musica. It is really amazing to see the level of detail and ornament here in this city. Today we are off on a Gaudi expedition, so more to come. Vacation is great, with or without clothing...and no, we have not gone to the nude beach here...that is not what I was implying.

The Shirt Off His Back.

So, the term is over...and for our last night in Istanbul, we had a really gourmet meal at a restaurant in the Ortakoy area of the city, which looks onto the Bosphorus River. The food was terrific, and the surroundings quite snazzy. Upon first inspection of the restaurant, I noticed the polo shirts the waiters were wearing, and decided to inquire if they had a gift shop with them. Our waiter, who was quite a jokster with great English, said jokingly they do not have any for sale, but he would sell his to me if I wanted it. We all laughed about it, and he went away to take orders elsewhere. After his departure we all joked about how funny it would be if he was serious, and I bought the shirt off his back. Well...I did...sorta. Turns out he had his back-up with him, and after the girls told him how much to sell it to me for (which was all of the remainder of my Turkish Lire). One last souvenir.

On Monday of this week, our professor took us on a boat ride up the Bosphorus. Being on the boat was almost as good as Capri, and it gave us a really different perspective of the architecture and city life of Istanbul. It was certainly a highlight of the term for me. We spent a few hours laying on the bough, looking up at the clear evening sky, with the stars slowly appearing.

I am currently in the Frankfurt airport, after 3 flights today, awaiting my last into Barcelona. The receptionist at check-in told me she had never seen so many flights to get to a place so close before. I love being the first.

Sketchbook and Photos.

A sketch and watercolor of the Istanbul skyline from across the bridge.






An interior perspective of the Blue Mosque, which I am studying.










Typical view of the mosques from a distance.







The city is beautiful, and although my sketches don't do it justice, nor do my photographs fully express it, this city has an amazing variety of detail and scale. Some additional pictures are available on my Flikr site [http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyphotos/]. 4 more days...then I am on VACATION!

Bursa and Cumalikizik

This weekend we are on a trip to see some more of Turkey. Today we took a day trip to a small town (Cumalikizik, yes, that is how you spell it - but don't ask me how to pronounce it) and saw what a old Ottoman style village might look like. It has been protected, and so the architecture is all in the vernacular style. I spent some time in a great small courtyard sipping Fanta and sketching the inside to outside relationships.

Bursa, on the other hand, is not that different from Istanbul. It certainly has its own character, but over all it is still very modern feeling. The Hans, and Mosques are a little understated compared to those of Istanbul. Yesterday we spent a few hours looking at Yesil. It was a fantastic mosque on top of a hill, with a dramatic entry progression. The interior spaces ranged from a warm glow, to a very somber light quality. Tomorrow morning we will head back for our final days in Istanbul.

Muslim Turkey and Starbucks.

Eastern and Western cultures are usually easy to distinguish between. The nature of the skyline [with minerettes shooting out of the city fabric], the calls to prayer [which play on the loud speakers 5 times a day across the city], and the women fully covered [in black, which I will never understand...it is so hot here, and that has to make it worse] are all quickly identifiable here. Yet Istanbul has another side to it completely. There are also very western ideas of shopping, cafe life, cinema, and Starbucks. It is a very strange juxtaposition [a word we architecture students like to use often I have noticed] of both of these two different worlds. The balance is a great insight into the East, within the framed comfort of the West. I have always been intrigued by Eastern culture, and this has been a very enlightening way of seeing it. So many questions surface when confronted with the differences. Why are women still oppressed? What keeps people so dedicated to the religious ceremony? How can a society modernize, and still keep a cultural clarity? These are not easy questions to answer, but they certainly present themselves while here. I know I am looking at this culture through Western eyes, so maybe I am biased. But I look forward to a day [if it comes in my lifetime] where people are all treated with respect, and dignity.