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On to Paris.....

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:37 am

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From there we journeyed to Paris.

Now, I gotta say, Paris is CRRAZY!! I thought the drivers were bad in Italy. Paris tops them by miles! There is only one rule - THERE ARE NO RULES. Anything goes.

If you want to park in the middle of the lane and duck into the shops - feel free. If you can't find a park, simply bump someone else out of theirs! True. they even have a name for it - tamping. Everyones bumper bar is is all buckled where they have either tamped - or been tamped.

Most people leave their cars out of gear and with the handbrake off, as repairs to gearboxes and brakes after being tamped are expensive.

(Having problems with my server at present so will upload pics later)



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Lucerne.....more

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2005 12:56 pm

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Lucerne is a beautiful city. It is situated next to a huge lake, which we cruised on, and also at the foot of some spectacular mountains.

Here is a normal street.


And a typical house


In the middle of Lucerne, spanning the river, is a fantastic footbridge. This bridge is over 800 years old! It was certainly built to last


In the bridge, at each support beam, is a pictorial history of the city and surrounding areas. I wished I could read the language, but even looking at the pictures gives a good idea of the history.


The tower in the middle of the river was used for defense of the city long ago. It is now a small tourist shop.


Also, in the heart of the business area in lucerne is a unique sundial.
Not only does this sundial give the time of day, it also gives the month of the year.


A closeup of the sundial. Sorry, it does not adjust for daylight savings!




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Lucerne cont............

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 3:30 pm

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After we had descended the Stransnehornbahn we were privileged to be able to have a genuine Swiss lunch at a local farm. (When Tour Directors find this sort of thing they very much keep it to themselves. If they told others it would soon become way too busy)

So, we went about 10Km to a great farmhouse. Half the group went for a horse & buggy tour of the village while the other half enjoyed a wonderful Swiss luch of a variety of freshly-made swiss breads, cheese, wine and various cold meat. It was very nice.


This is the farmhouse as we approached. Everything was so green! The rainfall is quite adequate and it really did look a picture.


After lunch, our group went on the buggy ride. We toured their lovely village. In Switzerland each village basically governs itself. There are national laws of course, but each village is very much responsible for it's own governance. It has its own council, and their equivalent to a Mayor. No other village may interfere in their governance.

The homes are beautifully maintained and there are piles and piles of neatly stacked firewood everywhere. Everything is SO neat.


Even though it would be cold in winter, I could live there tomorrow!

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Up the Stanserhornbahn

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 1:49 pm

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The next morning it was on to climb the 1900 metre Stanserhornbahn! Not by foot though!

The first part of the trip is by cable train. A quaint and very enjoyable experience. The train ascends about one third of the way up.

Here is a pic.


And another of a far-away enjoyable moment!


On the way up.


From there we transferred to a cable car and then, on through the clouds, to the clear blue sky above until we reached the summit.


The view from the top is SPECTACULAR to say the least! 360 degree panoramic views.

Here are a couple of pics.


We even found out where heidi lives! ha, ha.


One final pic, my favourite. From here you can see forever. if you look hard you can see the Eiger mountain. At least, it is in that direction!






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From Florence to Lucerne

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 1:12 pm

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From Florence it was on to Lucerne. We passed through Bologna and Milan on the way, although we did not stop, except for rest breaks.

The scenery in Switzerland is stunning. So picturesque. The Swiss have a saying. "Every direction is a picture", and it is true. Wherever you look it is worth a picture.
During our trip we took over 3,000 pictures, some were a bit blurry! But most came out OK.

Here are a few on the way to Lucerne, in Switzerland.

Finally, arriving at Lucerne we went immediately to the "Lucerne's Lion Monument" as it would be dark soon.


The Swiss have a long tradition of supplying mercenaries to foreign governments. Because the Swiss have been politically neutral for centuries and have long enjoyed a reputation for honouring their agreements, a Pope or Emperor could be confident that his Swiss Guards wouldn't turn on him when the political winds shifted direction.

The Swiss Guards' honour was put to the test in 1792, when - after trying to escape the French Revolution - King Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and their children were hauled back to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. A mob of working-class Parisians stormed the palace in search of aristocratic blood. More than 700 Swiss officers and soldiers died while defending the palace, without knowing that their royal employers - like Elvis - had left the building.

In the early 1800s, the Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen was hired to sculpt a monument to the fallen Swiss Guards. The sculpture was carved in a sandstone cliff above the city centre, near Lucerne's Glacier Garden and the Panorama, and it has attracted countless visitors since its dedication in 1821.

This dying beast is draped over his bent and war damaged shield, indicating his "commitment and honour to King, Pope or Emporer", and with a broken spear sticking out of his flank, signifying "his commitment unto death". The writing underneath is Latin (Sorry, I can't translate that!)

Here is a closeup view.








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On to Florence

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 9:16 am

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From there it was on to Florence the next day.

Florence (or Firenze, as it is known by locals) is a beautiful city. It has many sights, the most famous being Michelangelo's "Statue of David"


The original statue of Michelangelo's David is located in the museum Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, Italy, along with Michelangelo's other important works such as the Four Prisoners. The statue of David used to stand in front of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, but was later moved indoors. A copy of Michelangelo's David is now displayed in front of the palace.

Traditionally, David was portrayed after his victory, triumphant over Goliath. Both Verrochio's and Donatello's Davids are depicted standing over Goliath's severed head. Michelangelo has depicted David before the battle.

David is tense, but not so much in a physical as in a mental sense. The slingshot he carries over his shoulder is almost invisible, emphasizing that David's victory was one of cleverness, not sheer force. Notice his very large hands (this was one of the first things I noticed when i saw the real thing.) His hands, particularly his right hand is around 1.5 times the normal size.

Michelangelo was a citizen of the city state of Firenze (Florence). The national state of Italy is very young, and in the time the statue was made (between 1501 and 1504), power resided with individual cities.

Firenze was surrounded by enemies that much stronger and more numerous than the city was. When the statue of David was placed on the square in front of the city hall (where you can now find a copy), the people of Firenze immediately identified with him, as a cunning victor over superior enemies. To them, David was a symbol representing fortezza and ira, strength and anger. The statue did have intended political connotations for the city state that had recently cast off the ruling of the Medici family.

Note how David's character traits are considered more important than his victory over Goliath, which is why Michelangelo depicted him before the battle, strong-willed and ready to fight.

( Source: http://vlsi.colorado.edu/~rbloem/david.html )

Here are some pics of Florence.

This on from the lookout.


Again, Florence boasts a wealth of architecture and Cathedrals, many over 800 years old.


I also could not resist having a pic taken with a life-sized Pinnochio! People looked at me kind of funny!! Ha, ha




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St Pauls cont....

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:10 pm

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Here is a funny little story. In one of the last pics, of the interior of the church, at the far end of the church you will see a half dome.
Here is a pic of it close up.


It features Christ in the middle, seated on the Throne, flanked by the Apostles each side (Paul, Peter, etc) The Pope who commissioned the artwork of this dome, Pope Martin V (1417-1431), insisted that he also be included among this holy group.
The artist declined, saying he was not worthy to be included in such company.
So a big argument ensued for many weeks. The Pope finally demanded that he be included or the artist would not be paid.
So the artist complied. And we can see the inclusion at the feet of Christ. A man no larger than a rat (which was what the artist intended!)

From St Pauls it was on to The Colloseum and the Arch of Constantine.

Below is the Arch of Constantine.


The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch, erected c. 315 AD to commemorate the triumph of Constantine I after his victory over Maxentius in the battle at the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. The arch is located in the valley of the Colosseum, between the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum, along the road taken by the triumphal processions.

The arch is the largest of only three such arches to survive in Rome today. The two others are the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Septimius Severus, both in the nearby Forum Romanum.

The battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD was the decisive moment in Constantine's quest for power. He had been proclaimed Augustus by the troops in Britain in 306 AD, after the death of his father in York, and even though he had no legal right to that title, he refused to relinquish it. Likewise, Maxentius claimed the title of Augustus of the western empire. The conflict was finally resolved in the battle of the Milvian Bridge just N. of Rome, when Constantine's army defeated the numerically superior but less experienced troops of Maxentius. Maxentius perished while trying to flee across the Tiber River, as a temporary bridge made of boats collapsed under him and his troops.

Constantine entered Rome victoriously, and the senate awarded him a triumphal arch. Construction began immediately, and the arch was finished in a few years, to be consecrated in 315/316 AD on the tenth anniversary of Constantine's rise to power.
The monument is not mentioned by any ancient source, but it is clearly identified by the inscription. The year of dedication is written on the arch itself: "Votis X".

The Arch of Constantine is a three-way arch, measuring 21m in height, 25.7m in width and 7.4m in depth. The central archway is 11.5m high and 6.5m wide, while the lateral archways are 7.4m×3.4m. Eight detached Corinthian columns, four on each side, stand on plinths on the sides of the archways. The lower part, the arches and supporting piers, is build of white marble in opus quadratum, while the attic is opus latericium covered with marble slabs. The different construction techniques might indicate different construction times for the two parts, as some theories argue.

The Colloseum


The Colloseum is next to the Arch.

The Colosseum is the most famous monument of Ancient Rome. Its original name is Flavian Amphitheatre. It was started by the Emperor Vespasian between 70 and 76 AD, and completed by his son Titus in 80 AD.

The Colosseum was dedicated the year after Vespasian's death by Titus. They celebrated the opening by holding 100 days worth of games there. It was built on the site where Nero had had a huge villa for himself (Domus Aurea).

Vespasian wanted to build something for the people rather than for himself. It got its popular name, the Colosseum, because it was built near where Nero had erected a huge statue, or colossus of himself. It showed him as the god of the sun. It was 100 feet high, and it was the largest gilded bronze statue in antiquity. It was later moved away. It took 24 elephants to move it!

Here is a pic of the inside which clearly shows the maze of tunnels under the main arena. (They are in the middle of restoring it currently)


The main arena was made of timber (like flooring) upon which dirt was placed.

An interesting fact about the Colloseum is that, even though it held 50,000 people, it could be emptied with 15 minutes due to its many columbed structure. It was easy to get into and easy to leave. Very little congestion.





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St Pauls Basilica

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 11:49 am

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From the Vatican it was on to St Pauls Basilica.


History
After his execution, St Paul was buried in a cemetery at this site, about two kilometres from the city walls by the road to Ostia. A shrine was soon erected, and many early Christians came to venerate the Apostle.

The first church here was, according to the Liber Pontificalis, built by Emperor Constantine and consecrated on November 18th 324. It was a small church, built over the grave of St Paul.

Between 384 and 386, Emperors Valentinian II, Theodosius and Arcadius demolished the church and built a large basilica. The architect was Cyriades. According to the inscription on the triumphal arch, it was consecrated in 390AD by Siricius, and completed in 395 under Emperor Honorius.Although heavily restored, not least after it was damaged by fire, the present basilica looks much the same as it did in the 4th century.

Pope St Leo the Great (440-461) started restoring the church. About 50 years later, Pope St Symmachus (498-514) ordered the reconstruction of the apse, which was unsafe. Several more restorations and changes were carried out, under Pope St Gregory the Great (the transept), Pope Sergius I (687-701; the roof and some rooms), Pope Hadrian I (772-795; the aisles and atrium) and Pope Leo III (795-816; the transept, roof and floor, and added apse mosaic).

In 883AD, the walls and tower encircling the church were completed. This was knows as the "Johannipolis" (in Italian Giovannipoli), or "City of John" after Pope John VIII (872-882), and was built to protect the church from Lombards and Saracens. The defence works were tested in 1083-1084, when they withstood several attacks by Emperor Henry IV.

Fire broke out in 1115AD, and Pope Innocent II (1130-1143) had a wall with columns built in the transept to support the unsafe roof. The transept was divided into two aisles by this wall.

Disaster struck again in 1349, when an earthquake badly damaged the basilica and destroyed the bell-tower and part of the portico. Pope Clement VI (1342-1352) had the damages repaired.


Here is a pic inside. It was very dark inside and I have tried to lighten it. As far as the Romans are concerned, St Pauls is "a very plain church. Not ornamental in any way"


Major restorations started out under Pope Boniface IX (1389-1404), when he allowed all donations to the church to be used for repairs.

Pope Martin V (1417-1431) continued the work, and in 1426 the work was intensified under the rector of the church, Gabriele Cardinal Condulmer, later Pope Eugene IV (1431-1447).

In 1653 Francesco Borromini designed plans for a total restructuring of the church. Due to a lack of funds, only the roof was changed under Pope Clement X (1670-1676).

The portico was rebuilt in 1724 in preparation for the Holy Year of 1725 by Antonio Canevari. The former one, recently built by Alessandro Specchi, had collapsed on 1 May 1724. The ancient narthex was destroyed at this time, and columns from the early four-sided portico were removed. At the same time, a series of other restorations were completed.

On the night between July 15th and 16th 1823, large parts of the basilica was damaged by fire. It was probably started by a careless worker while the roof was repaired. The atrium and more than half of of the nave were completely destroyed. It is said that Pope Pius VII, who was very ill and died on 20 August that year, was never told what had happened, after advice from his most trusted fellows such as the Secretary of State, Cardinal Consalvi.

Pope Leo XII was elected on 18 November 1823, and fortunately, decided to restor the basilica to its former glory rather than replace it with a new church in a more modern style. The first architect to lead the rebuilding was Pasquale Belli; Giuseppe Valadier had been appointed first but his plans for radical changes were eventually rejected and he was removed from the project in November 1825. Salvi, Paccagnini and Andrea Alippi were appointed as Belli's assistents. Work started in 1826, after a collection had been taken. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) took a great interest in the rebuilding; he was elected at the time when the first of the eighty columns in the nave was erected. In 1833 Luigi Poletta. He was assisted by Bosio, Camporese and Virgino Vespigniani.

The high altar was re-consecrated on 5 October 1840 by Pope Gregory XVI. At that time, the nave was nowhere near completion, and only the transept could be used, although the rebuilding would continue well into the 20th century.

It is under here, below, that St Paul is buried.




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The Great Dome of St Peters.

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:05 am

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Michelangelo was also instrumental in the construction of the the Great Dome of St Peters at the Vatican.

Here is a pic from a distance.


Another one closer.


Some history on Michelangelo.

In 1504 Michelangelo met, upon request, with the then Pope to sculpt his tomb. After discussion, Michelangelo set about with preliminary drawing. Upon seeing the drawings, the Pope cancelled his contract. Michelangelo stormed out, followed by 5 of the Popes men. He had, unbeknown to the Pope, already embezzled the money he would have received and bought a farm, so he fled to Florence out of reach of the Pope.

The Pope sent word to Florence asking that the people of Florence insist upon his return and offered him the job of painting the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo blamed Raphael for swaying the Pope. "I am a sculptor" he said "not a painter!" as he had already sculpted the Statue of David, the most famous statue in the world.

The Vatican architect, Romanti, was also involved, he said. No love was lost between Michelangelo and Romanti. However, he complied. He returned to Rome to begin this work. First he needed to address the issue of the scaffolding. How could it be sufficiently stable. He came up with the idea of bracing it between the walls.

Al Fresco painting - which was a lime based ceiling, which absorbs the pigments. Needs to be aged before use. Cannot be used fresh. So it must be left overnight, at least, preferably longer, before it will adequately absorb the pigment.

It has been often observed that Michelangelo largely painted male figures. Even the female figures have been said to be "Male figures with breasts". He said "The male body is a paragon of beauty. To me it is Gods clay in which He moulds his own image". This had led some to assert that Michelangelo was homosexual. We are unsure. There is not enough evidence either way. However, it was common in his day.

Furthermore, it was difficult for Michelangelo to gain clarity of detail and perspective working so close to the ceiling. Also, mildew appeared on his first attempt as the ceiling was too damp. He destroyed his first attempt and started again.

Painting the ceiling was hell. He composed a poem, arguably one of the finest odes to pain ever written. After 2 years of painting the Pope came to view what he had done. The Pope was mesmerised. However, Michelangelo was unhappy with the figures in the flood. They were too small. He had miscalculated their size, being as close to the ceiling as he was.

This caused Romanti to ask the Pope to allow Raphael to finish the work. The Pope disagreed.
By 1511 Michelangelo could see the light at the end of the tunnel. But he was completely exhausted.

Michelangelo painted himself in a scene in the last Judgement. He is the the flailed person, below, who is hanging in the bottom right hand corner.


In the end he painted over 500 sq metres. At first the Pope said he was pleased but then he wanted changes. He wanted more gold, more aquamarine. But Michelangelo said "No way!".
He was only 37 Y.o. Within months of finishing Pope Julius 2 died. Michelangelo would return and paint a final scene. In 1513 he returned to Florence and started on 4 sculptures simultaneously. The one he finished was "The Moses" which is the central figure in the Pope's tomb.

In 1518 he went upon request to the Medicci family. He was asked to build an imposing front for the church in Florence. Entirely built out of white marble, chosen by Michelangelo himself from the quarries. Out of the blue, in 1520, his commission was cancelled. They said they had run out of money.
In 1537 Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel to paint The Last Judgement. The Master of Ceremonies criticised his work, particularly what the subjects were wearing (or not wearing). Michelangelo laughed. "Here we are at the last Judgement, and he is worrying about what we will wear. He should be concerned for much more weighty matters than this!" Michelangelo included himself in the picture. He also included the Master of Ceremonies as consigned to hell! By now he was in his 70's.

Michelangelo was asked to take over the design of the Great Dome of St Peters. He vowed to refuse all payment, preferring to do it to get closer to God. However, he was paid around 1000 ducats per year.
The Great Dome of St Peters is considered one of the architectural wonders of the world. The largest self-supporting dome in the world. Michelangelo died in 1564, nearly 89 y.o.


A final pic of the interior of the Great Dome of St Peters.




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More Vatican

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 4:04 am

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The views outside the Vatican are just as stunning as those inside.

Here is a view of Piazza San Pietro (St Peters Plaza) from ground level. (looking east)


The same plaza, taken from near the pillars in the last pic, looking west.


The same plaza, looking down from within the Vatican itself. (Again looking west)


And finally, the Pope's very own bedroom. We were told he sleeps in the room on the top level, 2nd window in from the right.




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