Hi All!!
Happy Holidays from Florence!! I hope everyone is having a splendid season with the loved ones and all that jazz. Nick and I are still hanging out here, though our time is winding down, with Monday coming a lot sooner than we thought!! We head out on the 29th, with me going to Oakland to see the Mom, and Nick heading back to Prescott to HIS Abby before he goes to Bolivia two days later!! He goes to Bolivia for 40 days on a school-organized trip to see how Bolivia's small farms are being able to feed an entire country with enough left over for export. That's about all I understand about his upcoming trip so I will leave it with that. If you want to get in touch with him, his email (which he says he will be checking) is TheMaticore@yahoo.com.
We have been walking all over Florence, with our most recent destinations being the Piazzale Michelangelo, a well-known viewpoint high above the Arno, and the Basilica of San Miniato, which sits on the hill overlooking the city. It was began in 1098 and is one of the most beautiful, albeit less well-known, churches in the area. Unfortunately, we weren't there when the Gregorian chants were being performed, because this particular church is known to have some of the most incredible acoustics in Italy. Before our long hike up the hill, we celebrated Christmas, or the first days of Hanukkah, in true Melamed-Johnson style by going out to eat, and looking at art :) However, we did give a nod to our heritage today but stopping by the Synagogue, though we were not allowed in because of heavy security measures which require appointments, and personal identification by another person. Its a beautiful temple, and we hope to be able to visit it at another time. We also stopped by the local Kosher market and bought some challah that turned out to be remarkably good!!
On the art side of things, we have so far been to the Church of Santo Spirito, to see the wooden crucifix attributed to the VERY early years of Michelangelo's career, to the Accademia where much time was spent enjoying the unfinished "Prisoners" and also the David, we later also went to the Church of the Santissima Annunziata that holds frescoes in the atrium by Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, and Andrea del Sarto among others. In this vein we also headed back across the Arno to San Felicita and gazed at Pontormo's Deposition for a good half an hour. This is really a must see for anyone visiting, though you may not find it in guidebooks (so much the better I say, because its always empty!)
Nick also went on his own to the Museum of the History of Science, which usually has the telescope of Galilieo, but in true Italian form it was on loan to another museum! He was disappointed but overall the trip as so far been a great success. We have covered a ton of ground in terms of Florence overall, and been able to see so much of the city. We have also had some absolutely amazing meals! We have been to two vegetarian restaurants that were delicious, Il Vegetariano and Il Sediano Allegro (Oltrarno). Other restaurants that I would definitely recommend (and if you want further information on any of these or the art spots, PLEASE email me!) are Osteria de'Benci, La Giostra, Donatello's (in his Renaissance workshop), and Aqua all'Due.
The only unfortunate thing has been that where most cultures are completely shut down for only two days of Christmas, Italy takes three to also celebrate the Saint's day of Saint Stephen aka San Stefano. So because of this, we might not be heading to Bologna tomorrow, but we still have tons to do in Florence including some shopping, lots of people to buy gifts for!! and the Medici Chapel and the Palazzo Vecchio among other sites to see!!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, and I hope to see some of you when I get back to the States on Monday. My cellphone number at home is the same as it has always been, and please email me with any questions, comments, or just to say hi!! melamed.johnson@gmail.com
All the love, and seasonal greetings!!
That Girl in Europe
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Dormo e mangio tutto giorno
Hi hi hi! So Nick has been here for about a week, and I have finished finals, said goodbye to all of my "new" friends from this semester, and slept a lot. The new apartment is fabulous and I was able to have some of my friends over before they headed back to their respective homes in the states. I was stunned at how close I had become to people I met only 4 months ago. I will miss everyone so much, and hopefully will be able to keep in touch and see them again to talk about our incredible time in Italy.
Nick and I have been slowly working our way around the city, trying new restaurants, and trying our own hands at Italian cooking in my mini kitchen. We have figured out that with enough good olive oil, garlic and tomatoes, we can do ANYTHING. However, we seem to only get out of bed for food and a bit of a walk. We did make it to the Uffizi yesterday where I was able to share with Nick some of my favorite works of art including Rosso Fiorentino's Sacra Conversazione, Andrea del Sarto's Madonna of the Harpies, Botticelli's Calummy of Apelles, and other stuff like some Leonardo's and a couple Caravaggios and Tintorettos.
After that we walked around the town, window shopping and catching up on each others lives. I have to say it has been so great to be able to share my time here with both Nick and my Mom, and I wish I could share it more tangaibly with more of you. As most of you know Nick is very interested in organic foods and the slow food organizations that are gaining popularity in the states, because of this he has researched about organic farms in Italy, and we will be visiting Bologna, and other cities in the Emilia-Romagna region so that we can experience organic Italy. I'm looking forward to seeing another side to that region of Italy, and am thankful that Nick and I can share so much of our passions here, me with art and him with organic food and slow food organizations run entirely by the Italian farmers who provide so many of the great ingredients in all my favorite dishes.
Well that's all for now, after some of our travels, I will relate what is sure to be some hilarious conversations I attempt to have with farmers in Italian, and can only imagine what the language barrier will be like outside of the large towns and cities I'm used to.
All my love, and please keep sending updates on your own lives to melamed.johnson@gmail.com because I love reading them!! I hope to see some of you when I return to the States on Dec. 29th before I leave again on the 10th of Jan.
Ciao!!
Me
Nick and I have been slowly working our way around the city, trying new restaurants, and trying our own hands at Italian cooking in my mini kitchen. We have figured out that with enough good olive oil, garlic and tomatoes, we can do ANYTHING. However, we seem to only get out of bed for food and a bit of a walk. We did make it to the Uffizi yesterday where I was able to share with Nick some of my favorite works of art including Rosso Fiorentino's Sacra Conversazione, Andrea del Sarto's Madonna of the Harpies, Botticelli's Calummy of Apelles, and other stuff like some Leonardo's and a couple Caravaggios and Tintorettos.
After that we walked around the town, window shopping and catching up on each others lives. I have to say it has been so great to be able to share my time here with both Nick and my Mom, and I wish I could share it more tangaibly with more of you. As most of you know Nick is very interested in organic foods and the slow food organizations that are gaining popularity in the states, because of this he has researched about organic farms in Italy, and we will be visiting Bologna, and other cities in the Emilia-Romagna region so that we can experience organic Italy. I'm looking forward to seeing another side to that region of Italy, and am thankful that Nick and I can share so much of our passions here, me with art and him with organic food and slow food organizations run entirely by the Italian farmers who provide so many of the great ingredients in all my favorite dishes.
Well that's all for now, after some of our travels, I will relate what is sure to be some hilarious conversations I attempt to have with farmers in Italian, and can only imagine what the language barrier will be like outside of the large towns and cities I'm used to.
All my love, and please keep sending updates on your own lives to melamed.johnson@gmail.com because I love reading them!! I hope to see some of you when I return to the States on Dec. 29th before I leave again on the 10th of Jan.
Ciao!!
Me
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Singing.... and Praying in the Rain!
Wait, what she has posted successive blogs in one week.... impossible!! Not so anymore, my conscience, or rather one very important person to me, has also noticed my long absences and is not happy. I realize now that I must push forward, and tell all!!
I left off after Rome, and what a week followed! Tons of assignments due, and two site trips in Florence to the Medici Chapel by Michelangelo, and then the Palazzo Vecchio for a tour of Bronzino's masterpieces. I marvel every day that I live in the same country, never mind just the same city of some of these genius, and am lucky enough to get to see their gifts to this amazing city every day.
Its really funny actually I realized today that I have probably walked by Brunelleschi's Duomo over 150 times, and some people will never see it in their entire lives. When I say funny, I mean ironically of course, and have realized that is simply not acceptable to become complacent and take anything for granted. Who knows when I will return to this city or these parts, but I intend to throughly explore them before I leave. To this end, I departed Florence with my partner in crime, Michelle, for the mysteries of Assisi over the weekend of the Immaculate Conception (Mary's, not Christ's).
As some of you might know, all of Italy has recently been hit by a torrent of rain storms, and some areas, especially Venice and Rome have flooded. Florence fortunately has not been that badly hit. Michelle and I figured that heading to the hills was a good idea, and chose St. Francis' city for our final destination of the semester. While the rain followed us with huge thunder clouds and loud cracks of lightning, Assisi was beyond belief. I personally think that the rain added a mysterious and medieval quality that might have otherwise been less obvious. It was incredible to walk through empty streets filled with old houses and even older churches. I stood in front of the cross that spoke to St. Francis and moved him to dedicate his life to poverty and helping others. While I was not quite moved to do the same, the Order of the Poor Clares (the female equivalent of the Franciscans) were in constant attendance on the Cross. Heavily veiled, and seated in prayer, a Nun of the Order is always present at the foot of the cross. Standing within those walls I began to understand the real draw that these religions and their beliefs held for the lay public. After the Church of the Poor Clares, we returned to our adorable hotel and preceded to hibernate until the morning when we set out for the wonders of the Basilica of St. Francis. The lower church and upper church were absolutely breathtaking, and I couldn't believe all that had been accomplished so long ago.
We returned from Assisi to a week of preparation for finals and the great exodus that occurs on Dec. 18th when all the amazing friends have made in the last couple months will pack up and go back to America for the rest of their college careers. I am trying to prepare for life here without but it seems pretty unreal to say the least. Lucky for me I received an amazing present today when my brother arrived today just in time to help me move into my new apartment.
That's right, I am now officially living in another country with my own abode and all that goes with it. Its so strange to feel that a piece of this city is for the moment, mine.
That's all for now, please continue writing to me about your own lives at melamed.johnson@gmail.com and I hope to hear from or see you all soon!!
hugs and love,
Lydia
I left off after Rome, and what a week followed! Tons of assignments due, and two site trips in Florence to the Medici Chapel by Michelangelo, and then the Palazzo Vecchio for a tour of Bronzino's masterpieces. I marvel every day that I live in the same country, never mind just the same city of some of these genius, and am lucky enough to get to see their gifts to this amazing city every day.
Its really funny actually I realized today that I have probably walked by Brunelleschi's Duomo over 150 times, and some people will never see it in their entire lives. When I say funny, I mean ironically of course, and have realized that is simply not acceptable to become complacent and take anything for granted. Who knows when I will return to this city or these parts, but I intend to throughly explore them before I leave. To this end, I departed Florence with my partner in crime, Michelle, for the mysteries of Assisi over the weekend of the Immaculate Conception (Mary's, not Christ's).
As some of you might know, all of Italy has recently been hit by a torrent of rain storms, and some areas, especially Venice and Rome have flooded. Florence fortunately has not been that badly hit. Michelle and I figured that heading to the hills was a good idea, and chose St. Francis' city for our final destination of the semester. While the rain followed us with huge thunder clouds and loud cracks of lightning, Assisi was beyond belief. I personally think that the rain added a mysterious and medieval quality that might have otherwise been less obvious. It was incredible to walk through empty streets filled with old houses and even older churches. I stood in front of the cross that spoke to St. Francis and moved him to dedicate his life to poverty and helping others. While I was not quite moved to do the same, the Order of the Poor Clares (the female equivalent of the Franciscans) were in constant attendance on the Cross. Heavily veiled, and seated in prayer, a Nun of the Order is always present at the foot of the cross. Standing within those walls I began to understand the real draw that these religions and their beliefs held for the lay public. After the Church of the Poor Clares, we returned to our adorable hotel and preceded to hibernate until the morning when we set out for the wonders of the Basilica of St. Francis. The lower church and upper church were absolutely breathtaking, and I couldn't believe all that had been accomplished so long ago.
We returned from Assisi to a week of preparation for finals and the great exodus that occurs on Dec. 18th when all the amazing friends have made in the last couple months will pack up and go back to America for the rest of their college careers. I am trying to prepare for life here without but it seems pretty unreal to say the least. Lucky for me I received an amazing present today when my brother arrived today just in time to help me move into my new apartment.
That's right, I am now officially living in another country with my own abode and all that goes with it. Its so strange to feel that a piece of this city is for the moment, mine.
That's all for now, please continue writing to me about your own lives at melamed.johnson@gmail.com and I hope to hear from or see you all soon!!
hugs and love,
Lydia
Sunday, December 7, 2008
I am the not doing this well...
Suffice to say I am very aware of my complete ineptness at keeping up this blog, but I hope you will forgive my repeated tardiness, and sit back and read the update of my life in the last month and half.
Firstly, I will finish my tales of Prague with Mom! We went on an incredible tour of the Jewish Quarter of Prague and saw no less than 5 different synagogues, each with an express purpose and individual history. We visited the New Old Synagogue where supposedly the Golem, a figure/monster from Jewish folktales told to many when we were young, who protected the Jewish people during an attempted purge in the Middle Ages. One, the Pinkas Synagogue, had the names of every Czech Jew killed in the Holocaust written on the walls in large red letters. Sadly, we were able to find the names of a few people from a family (we do not know if or how closely we might be related) with the surname of Melamed. To see these endless lists was another way to realize the depth with which the Nazi really annihilated the Jewish population of so many countries. This journey through the Jewish Quarter ended with a trip outside of Prague to the concentration camp outside the city which most of the Czech Jews passed through on their way to the killing camps such as Auschwitz and the like. To actually walk through one of these camps was an absolutely new experience and one that I have yet to be able to put fully into words, but will try to at a later date if I can.
The day we were leaving Prague, we had some time in the morning before we were catching our flight back to Florence, and we decided, of course, to go to a museum. We went to the Contemporary Art Museum, and lets just say we got a HUGE shock at their collection. Not only do they posses one of the most famous Klimt's in the world, but they also have an absolutely INCREDIBLE collection of Picasso works, including two of the most beautiful Picassos I have ever laid eyes on! If you go to Prague, at any time in the future, GO TO THIS MUSEUM, you will not regret it!
After a trip full of ups and downs, we returned to Florence for a rather tranquil week before heading to Rome the next weekend to celebrate Mom's birthday, I will not say which one, and spent the weekend in a time honored Melamed-Johnson tradition of chasing after..... you guessed it.... Caravaggios!! In the space of two days, not only did we enjoy a kind of "private" tour of the Sistine Chapel and a lovely dinner with Claire at a great restaurant called Le Sorelle, but we also managed to see no less than 8 Caravaggios and get pretty lost on the way :)
Mom left soon after that, and it was pretty hard to get back into the grove of things, so I had a rather slow week after that. But, as it always does, life once again became the hectic full-pace marathon that it has been for most of my time here. In quick succession I went to Venice, saw the wonders of Tintoretto and Titian, headed to Paris, experienced a live concert in a Parisian den of inquity then proceeded to a Picasso/Manet exhibit before almost missing my train home to Florence, after this I went to Rome and once again was able to marvel at the Sistine Chapel, not quite believing my luck at being in the Galleria Borghese for the third time in one year, and then headed home to write 12 and then 5 pages of research on Giorgione and Bernard Berenson, respectively.
Phew. That gets me up to speed to last Wednesday. I will conclude this post now and hope that you guys are still reading this!!
I miss everyone and would LOVE to hear from you, even if it is just a hello. please write me at melamed.johnson@gmail.com.
I eagerly await updates on your own lifes, and your opinions on mine!!
All the love,
Lydia
Firstly, I will finish my tales of Prague with Mom! We went on an incredible tour of the Jewish Quarter of Prague and saw no less than 5 different synagogues, each with an express purpose and individual history. We visited the New Old Synagogue where supposedly the Golem, a figure/monster from Jewish folktales told to many when we were young, who protected the Jewish people during an attempted purge in the Middle Ages. One, the Pinkas Synagogue, had the names of every Czech Jew killed in the Holocaust written on the walls in large red letters. Sadly, we were able to find the names of a few people from a family (we do not know if or how closely we might be related) with the surname of Melamed. To see these endless lists was another way to realize the depth with which the Nazi really annihilated the Jewish population of so many countries. This journey through the Jewish Quarter ended with a trip outside of Prague to the concentration camp outside the city which most of the Czech Jews passed through on their way to the killing camps such as Auschwitz and the like. To actually walk through one of these camps was an absolutely new experience and one that I have yet to be able to put fully into words, but will try to at a later date if I can.
The day we were leaving Prague, we had some time in the morning before we were catching our flight back to Florence, and we decided, of course, to go to a museum. We went to the Contemporary Art Museum, and lets just say we got a HUGE shock at their collection. Not only do they posses one of the most famous Klimt's in the world, but they also have an absolutely INCREDIBLE collection of Picasso works, including two of the most beautiful Picassos I have ever laid eyes on! If you go to Prague, at any time in the future, GO TO THIS MUSEUM, you will not regret it!
After a trip full of ups and downs, we returned to Florence for a rather tranquil week before heading to Rome the next weekend to celebrate Mom's birthday, I will not say which one, and spent the weekend in a time honored Melamed-Johnson tradition of chasing after..... you guessed it.... Caravaggios!! In the space of two days, not only did we enjoy a kind of "private" tour of the Sistine Chapel and a lovely dinner with Claire at a great restaurant called Le Sorelle, but we also managed to see no less than 8 Caravaggios and get pretty lost on the way :)
Mom left soon after that, and it was pretty hard to get back into the grove of things, so I had a rather slow week after that. But, as it always does, life once again became the hectic full-pace marathon that it has been for most of my time here. In quick succession I went to Venice, saw the wonders of Tintoretto and Titian, headed to Paris, experienced a live concert in a Parisian den of inquity then proceeded to a Picasso/Manet exhibit before almost missing my train home to Florence, after this I went to Rome and once again was able to marvel at the Sistine Chapel, not quite believing my luck at being in the Galleria Borghese for the third time in one year, and then headed home to write 12 and then 5 pages of research on Giorgione and Bernard Berenson, respectively.
Phew. That gets me up to speed to last Wednesday. I will conclude this post now and hope that you guys are still reading this!!
I miss everyone and would LOVE to hear from you, even if it is just a hello. please write me at melamed.johnson@gmail.com.
I eagerly await updates on your own lifes, and your opinions on mine!!
All the love,
Lydia
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