Greetings friends,
I have found myself with a moment of rest, absolutely nothing to do and it feels quite nice. It is interesting that I have just had a super busy weekend and tomorrow is my birthday, and yet for the next hour I have nothing I have to do. Its amazing!! So I decided I would share with you!
Returned from Paris yesterday. What a fabulous city, I knew I liked it, but each time I go it just gets better and better. I guess when its not raining, and you aren't almost missing trains its easier to like a city, but still. Plus I had good company, Mom joined me on her way back from Ghana. She had amazing, and intense experiences there, but those are hers to share which I am sure she would do if you asked! We spent the weekend, I arrived late Thursday night, walking, shopping, museum hopping and just talking. It was just what the doctor ordered, but then when is family not what you need? Spending time with Mom, talking to my brother, and getting hilarious emails from my extended, and not even related, family are some of the brightest times of my days. Not that exploring isn't amazing in and of itself, but it is nice to know that when these experiences come to a close, I have something just as special that never will. I can't thank everyone who supports me and loves me enough for all the help and advice you are all so willing to give.
Anyway, back to more friviolous things, I don't know if you are supposed to get mushy on blogs, I'm still new to this whole thing. But seriously, thank you to those of you who know exactly what I am talking about, you all know who you are, or I hope that I have made it clear at some point to you.
But really, THE SHOPPING!! I have to admit we went a bit crazy, but gosh it is so fun to shop with your Mom, especially when your birthday is less than three days away :) I was finally able to find a jumpsuit that I LOVE, and I can't wait to wear it!! I'm hoping I will have something to wear it to soon..... The museums were obviously insane, we went to two new museums (new to me, not to Paris) the Musee Rodin, who is one of my most favorite artists ever, BURGHERS OF CALAIS ANYONE?, and the Atelier Brancusi. Both were so much fun, and so different not only in their offerings, but also in their setup. Each beautifully curated, and lovely to visit, everyone should put them on the list for your next Paris trip :)
Well I have attached pictures of the Melamed-Johnson adventures in Paris, and I hope that you will enjoy them!
Please continue writing me with updates and fun comments, or even raunchy jokes ;P @ melamed.johnson@gmail.com
Best!
Lydia
First Album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2518455&id=8642257&l=e2302
Second Album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2518495&id=8642257&l=007ff
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Frenzied in Florence
Ciao Tutte!!
I have had a whirlwind of a week, and it shows no signs of abating. Last week I did a presentation on Michelangelo's Madonna of the Stairs, his earliest extant work. It was great to learn so much about the work, but the presentation was on the same day as a test I had in my Botticelli class, and I also presented Botticelli's Mystic Nativity, the artist's only signed and dated work, that day. Phew. One would think after that week I would have a break, but other than Saturday (which I slept completely through) I have still be super busy. I have another presentation in my Michelangelo class, this time on his Doni Tondo (in the Uffizi) due next Tuesday. Now you might think that gives me tons of time, but.... I am going to Paris this weekend!!!!!! I am so excited, I love that city, and I get to see Mom!
She is just finishing her tour in Ghana and she is meeting me in Paris for the weekend!! I can't wait to see her, and it should be so incredible. I am ready to see something other than Renaissance art for a bit, and where better to go than Paris again?!?! I will of course post all about it next week, but for now I am working on my projects, getting very little sleep, and packing.
On a side note, I hope everyone wished my brother a Happy Birthday on February 7th, he turned 25!!! I would just like to take the chance to say hello to him in Bolivia, and wish him the best of years, because no one deserves it more than him.
That's all for now, I must get back to my boys Mike and Sandro. I hope everyone is doing well, and that if you haven't yet, you take the chance to look at some of my pictures below!!
Hugs for everyone!
Lydia
p.s. If you have any suggestions about what we should do in Paris, or great restaurants, or anything of that sort, PLEASE email me at melamed.johnson@gmail.com because if living in a foreign country has taught me anything, its that guide books do not always know the best places in town!!! Thanks, and I look forward to hearing all the suggestions!!
I have had a whirlwind of a week, and it shows no signs of abating. Last week I did a presentation on Michelangelo's Madonna of the Stairs, his earliest extant work. It was great to learn so much about the work, but the presentation was on the same day as a test I had in my Botticelli class, and I also presented Botticelli's Mystic Nativity, the artist's only signed and dated work, that day. Phew. One would think after that week I would have a break, but other than Saturday (which I slept completely through) I have still be super busy. I have another presentation in my Michelangelo class, this time on his Doni Tondo (in the Uffizi) due next Tuesday. Now you might think that gives me tons of time, but.... I am going to Paris this weekend!!!!!! I am so excited, I love that city, and I get to see Mom!
She is just finishing her tour in Ghana and she is meeting me in Paris for the weekend!! I can't wait to see her, and it should be so incredible. I am ready to see something other than Renaissance art for a bit, and where better to go than Paris again?!?! I will of course post all about it next week, but for now I am working on my projects, getting very little sleep, and packing.
On a side note, I hope everyone wished my brother a Happy Birthday on February 7th, he turned 25!!! I would just like to take the chance to say hello to him in Bolivia, and wish him the best of years, because no one deserves it more than him.
That's all for now, I must get back to my boys Mike and Sandro. I hope everyone is doing well, and that if you haven't yet, you take the chance to look at some of my pictures below!!
Hugs for everyone!
Lydia
p.s. If you have any suggestions about what we should do in Paris, or great restaurants, or anything of that sort, PLEASE email me at melamed.johnson@gmail.com because if living in a foreign country has taught me anything, its that guide books do not always know the best places in town!!! Thanks, and I look forward to hearing all the suggestions!!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Pictures!!!! Finally!
Ciao!!! I have finally found a way to share my pictures with everyone!! Below I have included links to photo albums. If you copy and paste the link in your web browser, you will be taken to each album.
I hope you enjoy, I had a great time taking them :)
Best!
-Lyd
Florence with Nick:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2493091&l=1da1e&id=8642257
Rome:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2492160&l=c6658&id=8642257
Paris:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2481472&l=ecf3d&id=8642257
Vienna:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2476853&l=df7c4&id=8642257
Prague:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2477666&l=a6074&id=8642257
Lucca:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2454100&l=5d587&id=8642257
Venice:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2477685&l=8eb10&id=8642257
I hope you enjoy, I had a great time taking them :)
Best!
-Lyd
Florence with Nick:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2493091&l=1da1e&id=8642257
Rome:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2492160&l=c6658&id=8642257
Paris:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2481472&l=ecf3d&id=8642257
Vienna:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2476853&l=df7c4&id=8642257
Prague:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2477666&l=a6074&id=8642257
Lucca:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2454100&l=5d587&id=8642257
Venice:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2477685&l=8eb10&id=8642257
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Quick Correction
Sorry, just a quick correction from my previous post.
Mom is currently in Ghana with the American Jewish World Service, not the Foundation. I know this is a minor typo, but they do such great work in aiding those in need, especially in the areas that Mom is visiting that I wanted to give credit where it was due!
That's all for now, update coming soon!
Lydia
Mom is currently in Ghana with the American Jewish World Service, not the Foundation. I know this is a minor typo, but they do such great work in aiding those in need, especially in the areas that Mom is visiting that I wanted to give credit where it was due!
That's all for now, update coming soon!
Lydia
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Ah, Memories!
Buona Giornata!
My apartment has just emptied for the first time in some 6 days. I have been visited by no less than 4 dear friends in the last week. It has been so great to see everyone, each from a different aspect of my life and different periods.
First, Lauren M. a dear friend from my riding days (she took me under her wing when I was about 15) came to stay from Wednesday to Friday of last week. We talked, we laughed, SHE cooked, and we ate. It was so nice to be able to recount some of our old horse-day stories and remember some of the crazy characters that were a part of everyday life of the circuit. She is currently back on the road, heading I believe to Berlin for the film festival next. So exciting!
Then two of my friends from Wisconsin, Lauren F. and Sally G. always visited from Rome, where they JUST began their study abroad sememster. They arrived early Friday morning, and we immediately began a thorough walking tour of the city. Beginning with the Duomo and ending high above the city at Piazzale Michelangelo and with many museums and churches in between. We were later joined by one of my closest friends from home, Claire P. who has lived in Rome and is a major source of information on Italian living. It was great to be able to be able to introduce these newcomers to Italy to someone with so much experience and knowledge about their new home in Rome.
We spent the rest of the weekend touring the city, doing a lot of shopping (I got new boots on sale and I am over the moon!), and heading out at night to some of my favorite haunts including Moyo and Kakuya on Via de'Benci. We ate out at my favorite restaurant Osteria de'Benci (on the same street, highly recommended, see past posts) and then last night we tried a Spanish/Latin restaurant called Salamanca which would have been fabulous had the service not been so horrible we absolutely refused to say Thank You by the end of the meal!
So my house has been emptied, and now I look at my Datebook for the first time in about a week and realize that I have 4 huge projects coming up and will probably never see any of my friends again unless they visit me at a library!
Off I go then, back to the end of the 15th century to my boys Sandro and Mike*. While I immerse myself in the idioms and genius of the Italian Renaissance, my brother continues to watch history in the making in Bolivia, and my mother ventures beyond the common trail to research new ways to aid AIDS/HIV victims in Ghana with the Jewish Foundation. I can not say how proud I am of my family, and how incredible each of these opportunities really is.
I hope everyone is doing well, and please continue with the emails and updates. I am now starved once again from news from home and those abroad!
Baci,
That Girl in Europe
*Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo
My apartment has just emptied for the first time in some 6 days. I have been visited by no less than 4 dear friends in the last week. It has been so great to see everyone, each from a different aspect of my life and different periods.
First, Lauren M. a dear friend from my riding days (she took me under her wing when I was about 15) came to stay from Wednesday to Friday of last week. We talked, we laughed, SHE cooked, and we ate. It was so nice to be able to recount some of our old horse-day stories and remember some of the crazy characters that were a part of everyday life of the circuit. She is currently back on the road, heading I believe to Berlin for the film festival next. So exciting!
Then two of my friends from Wisconsin, Lauren F. and Sally G. always visited from Rome, where they JUST began their study abroad sememster. They arrived early Friday morning, and we immediately began a thorough walking tour of the city. Beginning with the Duomo and ending high above the city at Piazzale Michelangelo and with many museums and churches in between. We were later joined by one of my closest friends from home, Claire P. who has lived in Rome and is a major source of information on Italian living. It was great to be able to be able to introduce these newcomers to Italy to someone with so much experience and knowledge about their new home in Rome.
We spent the rest of the weekend touring the city, doing a lot of shopping (I got new boots on sale and I am over the moon!), and heading out at night to some of my favorite haunts including Moyo and Kakuya on Via de'Benci. We ate out at my favorite restaurant Osteria de'Benci (on the same street, highly recommended, see past posts) and then last night we tried a Spanish/Latin restaurant called Salamanca which would have been fabulous had the service not been so horrible we absolutely refused to say Thank You by the end of the meal!
So my house has been emptied, and now I look at my Datebook for the first time in about a week and realize that I have 4 huge projects coming up and will probably never see any of my friends again unless they visit me at a library!
Off I go then, back to the end of the 15th century to my boys Sandro and Mike*. While I immerse myself in the idioms and genius of the Italian Renaissance, my brother continues to watch history in the making in Bolivia, and my mother ventures beyond the common trail to research new ways to aid AIDS/HIV victims in Ghana with the Jewish Foundation. I can not say how proud I am of my family, and how incredible each of these opportunities really is.
I hope everyone is doing well, and please continue with the emails and updates. I am now starved once again from news from home and those abroad!
Baci,
That Girl in Europe
*Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo
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