Field Trip (Part 3, aka Venice!)

So, I left off last time with our vaporetto ride to the hotel, which actually wasn't a hotel--it was a converted convent. I'm pretty sure a religious order or consecrated group of lay people of some sort still has some connection to it, but I'm not entirely sure what that is. But apparently they rent out rooms fairly cheaply to travelers, just like a hotel. The cool part is that the decoration scheme is left over from the convent days--there are statues of Mary everywhere, and crucifixes in every room. Anyway, the first thing on our minds when we got there was getting dinner. We ended up at a little pizza place that somebody's guidebook recommended that had amazing prices and giant pizzas, so Katie and Evan and I split a diavolo (pepperoni) for 10 euro (total, not each). Drinks were only a euro, and on the way back we spotted a gelato place with cones for a euro, so we had a very cheap full meal. And then we pretty much went to bed, because we were exhausted.

The next day, Friday, we had our usual tour in the morning and time to work on assignments in the afternoon. My tour group went to several churches in the morning, but none of the big name ones (aka none that I had heard of before). I also rode a gondola during a tour! It was only 50 cents! And it was only across the Grand Canal, but still...this is me on the gondola (I promise! Even though you can't see the gondola part...)

The boats above my head and to the left are what the one we're on looked like

For dinner on Friday, the professors suggested that we all go somewhere together and "have time to socialize", so we went to a restaurant right by where we were staying. I had lasagna, and it was quite delicious. None of the professors sat at our table, so it wasn't THAT different from a regular meal, but it was still neat being there with everyone else around, and definitely a good idea. We get to see a different side of the professors on field trips, and it makes them seem more like real people and not just like teachers.

Saturday's tour was just three churches: Il Redentore, San Giorgio Maggiore (both by Palladio, who also did La Rotonda), and Santo Spirito, a crazy looking church that I had to draw for my "watercolor" class. I really like Il Redentore and San Giorgio Maggiore, both the exteriors and the interiors. (Actually, I like San Giorgio's exterior more, but Il Redentore's interior) Anyway, both are right along the Grand Canal, and are actually meant to be viewed from across the canal. Here's me with San Giorgio behind me!

and a random man walking by...oops

the second try was more successful

When the tour on Saturday was finished, we were basically done with class for the week. We just had to finish up our assignments in the afternoon, and then enjoy the city Saturday night and Sunday morning! And I actually got to do really cool things during both those times. Saturday night I went to a classical music concert that Aida, one of the coordinators of the architecture program, had told us about. It was a string group (a couple violins, maybe a viola, a cello, a bass, and a harpsichord), and they played a few different pieces, but the main one was Vivaldi's Four Seasons (aka Quattri Staggioni). It was incredible! I really love how stringed instruments sound in general, I think. And the Four Seasons is a fun piece of music. (The other people I was with, Evan and Tiffani, are both more knowledgeable about classical music than I am, and so would probably be able to use a better word than "fun" to describe it...)

On Sunday morning, I got to go to a high mass in the Basilica di San Marco. That was also pretty incredible. It was in a side chapel, not the main church, but the space was still huge. The walls and ceiling were covered in mosaics....just like the cathedral in St. Louis:-) Also, Venice has been more influenced by Eastern cultures than other parts of Italy, and the Byzantine-ish-ness definitely comes through (in the architecture, anyway. Not really the liturgy).

Here's a fun fact about Venice: it's sinking. I can't remember exactly why; I know we talked about it in my Italian class last year...but it's demonstrated in a very real way by the fact that the Piazza San Marco floods on a fairly regular basis. It was flooded on Sunday morning, in fact. They set up little elevated walkways everywhere so you can get around without getting wet, luckily. It reminds you that things aren't permanent, as some day Venice will most likely be underwater. But it also creates some sweet picture opportunities...

note the cool reflection in the water!

After mass, we wandered around for a little while and then headed to the train station. The ride back went smoothly, and we arrived back in Rome on Sunday evening! All in all, it was a fantastic trip.

Now we're on a week of break, so I'm actually typing this from my friend Julie's room in Paris. I got here yesterday and will leave tomorrow night for Lourdes! Paris has been awesome so far too. I'll have to expand more on it later, but for now I'll give a brief list of what I've seen so far--Notre Dame, the Louvre, Sacre Coure, the Pompidou Center, the Moulin Rouge, the Opera House, the Arc de Triumph...we're going to the Eiffel Tower and the Miraculous Medal shrine for sure tomorrow. Now we're off to eat authentic French food for dinner!