Northern Trip II
Welcome to one of the best days of my life! On Thursday, March 1st, we departed for Ravenna, and it was a glorious day. I felt refreshed and excited, perhaps because I started out the day by singing loudly in the shower (much to Theresa's amusement), and couldn't wait to get to Ravenna, which is known for its Byzantine mosaics. I ADORE mosaics! So very much. I don't know what it is... I'm always just struck by the intricacy of the work, and by how much time it must take to complete such complex scenes. I love that such tiny pieces of glass and stone, seemingly miniscule and irrelevent on their own, can come together to form works of such immense beauty. The mosaics in the Church of Loretto back home helped spark my love for mosaics, and after visiting Ravenna, my admiration has been deepened even further. Sadly, pictures can't even do justice to them, but I put up a couple of them anyway. The one shown above is from the Mausoleo of Galla Placidia, 425 AD. The church shown below is Sant'Apollinare in Classe, completed in about 549 AD. (Yay for Art History paying off! These mosaics were actually crucial for one part of my midterm.)
I loved Sant'Apollinare in Classe. I could have sat there for hours, just watching the golden mosaics of the apse shimmer in the sunlight. The apse was the most elaborate part, and the rest was quite simple and peaceful. We moved deeper into the city, though, to see Sant'Apollinare in Nuovo (which, oddly enough, was completed in 526 AD... I'm still trying to figure out how the "new" one was finished before the "original"....)
This is one of the towers from outside Sant'Apollinare in Nuovo. I thought it looked kind of cool!
Ellen, myself, Aly, Theresa, and I, relaxing in the sunlight. I should probably have put up more pictures of this church, but that's alright. I preferred the first one a little more, but still loved the mosaics!
After we saw the two Sant'Apollinares, we ventured into the city(random picture above) and towards San Vitale. Much to my friend Kellie's disappointment, the Tomb of Dante was covered in scaffolding for repairs. I've learned to despise scaffolding in my time here. I know that the renovations will be worthwhile in the end, but it's very frustrating to approach something you've heard a lot about and are looking forward to seeing, only to find it covered in scaffolding and tarps! Even if you can see part of the monument or area, it's still not the same... the scaffolding just taints your impression of it. It's everywhere. The top of the Spanish Steps, the Duomo in Florence, inside of churches... (sigh) Oh well.So San Vitale was... amazing. And so elaborate! The apse was completely fabulous, and I have a picture of it below. If you have time, you should try to look this up online to see some better pictures, because that place is completely gorgeous. As always, I fell in love with the mosaics the moment I saw them, but I was actually mildly disappointed by the rest of the church. I loved the structure SO much, because the architecture was beautiful... but I feel that they ruined it's beauty by covering it with elaborate paintings during the Renaissance. The paintings are also lovely, but they're just... too much. The architecture is such that it could be left entirely white and still take your breath away. Plus, I loved the mosaics so much that I felt as though the rest of the church should have been simpler in order to direct the focus towards the apse. This is probably cocky and improper criticism coming from a 19 year old girl... (kind of like Kristy calling saying that the Sistine Chapel was a "nice effort"... haha) but I just think the paintings were a little excessive! Lovely, nonetheless.
After our tours were finished, we again had a couple hours to go explore the city. Everyone got pizza for lunch, and while we were sitting around eating, someone noticed a little lizard on the wall! He was quite cute. We tried to catch him but, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) he proved too elusive for us.
We grabbed some gelato, which was creamier than most of the gelato in Rome (but still heavenly!) and then went back to the main square of Ravenna. There was some graffiti on the wall on one of the major buildings, and we all thought it was kind of sweet.
After our tours were finished, we again had a couple hours to go explore the city. Everyone got pizza for lunch, and while we were sitting around eating, someone noticed a little lizard on the wall! He was quite cute. We tried to catch him but, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) he proved too elusive for us.
We grabbed some gelato, which was creamier than most of the gelato in Rome (but still heavenly!) and then went back to the main square of Ravenna. There was some graffiti on the wall on one of the major buildings, and we all thought it was kind of sweet.It means, "I love you because you make me dream."
We chatted and chased pigeons for a while, and then I spotted a little church off to the side that we hadn't heard much about. The girls and I decided to go inside, and it ended up being one of our favorite places from the entire day. What struck me the most was its sheer simplicity. Coming from San Vitale, this church (San Giovanni Ev.) was a refreshing change, and we took our time as we walked around, looking at paintings and enjoying the stillness. We stopped to pray for a while, lit some candles, and left feeling happier than we ever anticipated--ALL of us! We just laughed and hugged each other and skipped over to the grass to pick daisies until it was time to get on the bus. I must have handed out at least 15 mini daisies in about five minutes! We all had them in our hair or tucked into our coats. 
Haha, the picture just below this makes me laugh, because just before this picture was taken a huge wave splashed up on us and soaked our feet and ankles! It was at that point that I decided to just take my shoes off completely. Below (from left to right) Sarah, me, Kelly, and Heather.
We stopped again a little bit later to see the sunset over the Po River. Dr. Prebys was slightly perturbed by how long we had taken at the Adriatic Sea, so she shortened our time to see the Po to three minutes. Still chattering from our little adventure by the sea, the group responded enthusiastically to these latest restrictions, and we all sprinted off the bus and up the hill to take these pictures! We then sprinted right back as fast as we could, laughing at how ridiculous the situation must have seemed from the outside.
We ended the day with one last stop in Pomposa, I believe? We were supposed to see a church that ended up being closed, but it was nice to get out and walk around for a while. I know I've already put up a tower picture, but I liked this one too and thought I'd end with it! We went right back to the hotel in Ferrara after this and had a little mini-feast with our cheese and jam sandwiches. It was a fantastic day!
We chatted and chased pigeons for a while, and then I spotted a little church off to the side that we hadn't heard much about. The girls and I decided to go inside, and it ended up being one of our favorite places from the entire day. What struck me the most was its sheer simplicity. Coming from San Vitale, this church (San Giovanni Ev.) was a refreshing change, and we took our time as we walked around, looking at paintings and enjoying the stillness. We stopped to pray for a while, lit some candles, and left feeling happier than we ever anticipated--ALL of us! We just laughed and hugged each other and skipped over to the grass to pick daisies until it was time to get on the bus. I must have handed out at least 15 mini daisies in about five minutes! We all had them in our hair or tucked into our coats.
But the best was yet to come. We took a side trip to the Adriatic Sea!!
I've never seen a sea before, so this was pretty exciting. Dr. Prebys told us to take just five minutes and then get back on the bus... that didn't happen. The moment I saw the sea, some inexplicable force thrummed to life inside of me, and my eyes lit up. I caught the eye of my friend Kelly, and we both took off sprinting towards it! We chased the waves for a little while, picking up random seashells and prancing around like little kids at Christmas. Five of us (myself included) actually took off our socks and shoes and started splashing around in the freezing cold water! I really don't know why we got so excited... it just felt so good to escape from the smoke and noise of the city, and to breathe in the sea air, let the wind blow our hair into our eyes, and feel the sand between our toes. The sea, or oceans, or even the Great Lakes make me feel so alive! We were out there for about ten minutes, and it was probably the greatest rush of happiness I've felt in a while. The locals, of course, thought we were insane. An older couple was passing by, saw us running around barefoot, and stopped to gesture towards us and ask, "Americane?" I suppose we made it pretty obvious.
In spite of how cold and dirty my feet got, and how gray the sky was, that little stop was one of my favorite moments from all my time in Italy.
Haha, the picture just below this makes me laugh, because just before this picture was taken a huge wave splashed up on us and soaked our feet and ankles! It was at that point that I decided to just take my shoes off completely. Below (from left to right) Sarah, me, Kelly, and Heather.
We stopped again a little bit later to see the sunset over the Po River. Dr. Prebys was slightly perturbed by how long we had taken at the Adriatic Sea, so she shortened our time to see the Po to three minutes. Still chattering from our little adventure by the sea, the group responded enthusiastically to these latest restrictions, and we all sprinted off the bus and up the hill to take these pictures! We then sprinted right back as fast as we could, laughing at how ridiculous the situation must have seemed from the outside. 
We ended the day with one last stop in Pomposa, I believe? We were supposed to see a church that ended up being closed, but it was nice to get out and walk around for a while. I know I've already put up a tower picture, but I liked this one too and thought I'd end with it! We went right back to the hotel in Ferrara after this and had a little mini-feast with our cheese and jam sandwiches. It was a fantastic day!
posted by Sarah @ 12:58 PM
1 Comments:
I'm glad that other people get to experience the "joys" of your shower singing ;)
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