Italian Vacation (aka my family came to visit)

Ciao,

This week was Spring Break and my family (Including Ryan Horgan) planned a trip to Italy to visit me. They got here the Sunday right after I got back from Istanbul and they stayed way far north of the Vatican. That wasn't too much of an issue for me because 1) I haven't spent that much time in that area 2) I walk all around the city on a daily basis anyway so I enjoyed walking to meet them and 3) I got very acquainted with the Metro system.

The time we spent together was fun and I enjoyed showing them where I work, live, and all the sites that I have visited. They saw the dorm I live in, our studio space, and met my teachers. We went to the Vatican Museums, the Forum, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, The Papal Audience, the Sistine Chapel and got some of the best gelato in Rome...twice. We also went to some places that I had not previously seen like the inside of St. Peter's basilica and the Castello Angelo. Both were so interesting to go into. We have studied St. Peter's before and to know the history and then see the final product was a nice link from my studies to my experiences. The Castle was also quite interesting. To find out the transitions in function that it went through during its active life span was some new information for me. To know that it was a defense of not only the city, but of the Popes and their wealth, then turned castle/prison was enlightening. We also took a bus tour one day that circled the city, allowing us to see some of the sights that were out of walking distance like Termani and Santa Maria Maggiore.

Overall I think my family enjoyed what they saw of Italy and I know that I enjoyed having them here with me for a week.

Arrivederci

         

Vatican Museums

 

La Pieta



Piazza Navona

  

Trevi Fountain



Mom and Dad at the Colosseum



Castello Angelo Axis



Castello Angelo



St. Peter's Interior



Papal Audience



St. Peter's Square



Constantine's Arch and Colosseum





Mosques, Bazaars, Asia.....Oh my!

Ciao,

We are back from Istanbul and Spring Break is winding down.
Istanbul was amazing. The weather wasn't the best, it was actually pretty cold most days, but the places that we visited were worth enduring frozen fingers. We started with Haghia Sophia, which we have studied countless times, and when I walked inside I was struck by the interior space. How people hundreds of years ago could build things that big and sophisticated still hits me in a powerful way every time. We then went to see the basilica cistern, which was a hypostyle hall typology. That was a fun experience due to the lighting, the water, and the scale of the columns. We then visited the Blue Mosque and several other smaller mosques over the course of the week. Each had a unique character that set them apart from each other. We saw the spice bazaar and the Grand Bazaar, in which I finally did some shopping lol. We also were given the opportunity to go to a Turkish bath, which I unfortunately passed on but I hear was amazing.
The week in Istanbul was a great one. We went out a couple times as a group and it was so fun to experience the culture. Walking into each mosque was a unique experience and analyzing the architecture and observing how people use the space actually helped me understand the religion/social practices a bit better. We met a good friend of Eric's, Ismet, who sells rugs. Shopping for rugs was fun and we learned some of the things to look for in a "good" rug.
After being part of Istanbul for a week I can definitely see myself going back to experience the city and culture again, in a new and different way.

Arrivederci