Notre Dame du Haut

Published on April 18, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

I came across a sign to Notre Dame du Haut while driving from Zurich Switzerland to Troyes, France today. So, you can be assured this was an unplanned visit, but when I saw the sign for it along the interstate, I had to see it in real life! It cost 8 Euros to visit, and you couldn’t even see and photograph the outside without paying. Usually I find this extremely annoying, but I think this is going to the upkeep of the building, so I consider it both a donation as well as payment for photos I can use when I teach Art History.

Here are a few of the photos I took – quite nice I think. 🙂 Click on the photos to see them larger!

Piazzale Michelangelo

Published on February 6, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

This is a bronze copy of Michelangelo’s David! It is at a Piazzale Michelangelo – which is very high on a hill! It overlooks Florence – Awesome!!! We walked from our Apartment across the river then up a very steep hill to see the Piazzale Michelangelo. It was worth it, but I was afraid I wouldn’t make it due to my very bad knees.

It rained the whole way and by the time we got to the top we were freezing and stopped in a very nice restaurant to have drinks. We got warmed up and dry then walked back to our apartment.

Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore: Day 3 in Firenza

Published on February 5, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

February 5th, 2018: Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower

The building started in 1296 and was completed in 1469 with the placing of Verrochio’s copper ball atop the lantern. The façade was finished in the 19th century.

still the largest masonry dome in the world.

Day One in Florence – The Basilica di Santa Croce

Published on February 3, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

February 3, 2018: The trip from Venice to Florence yesterday was very easy. We left our excellent 5-star AirBnB (a review will be in another post) around 10:30 am and we arrived here in Florence (AKA “Firenze”). We took a taxi from the train to our new Florence 5-star AirBnB arriving at 4:40pm. We did a quick walk to the grocery story and found that food is a bit cheaper than in Venice. Makes perfect sense since Venice has to have everything transported in and carried to the stores on boats/by foot carts.

It was very difficult to decide what to do today; the list is way too long. Academia was first on my list, but with a bit of research I found that it is free on the first Sunday of the month, which is tomorrow!! So, we decided to visit Michelangelo and Galileo’s tombs, which are housed in The Basilica di Santa Croce (see my photo above). It was an excellent choice! Though it cost 9 euros each to get in we spent several hours looking through the main Santa Croce Basilica as well as touring through the Pazzi Chapel and even saw a leather making school(?).

To make a long day short… I took over 400 photos and to break it down for my future failing memory, I’m listing photos in sections below:

Photos from The Basilica di Santa Croce

The Tomb of Michelangelo’ Michelangelo It is currently being worked on, so it has a scaffolding in front of it. But I was still able to capture some photos.

The Tomb of Galileo Galileo Galilei

Other Tombs and Icons from Santa Crosa

Pazzi Chapel

Salute – Last Day in Venice! Saint Mary of Health… :-)

Published on February 1, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Still not feeling very well, but we planned one last visit to a Basilica, specifically the Santa Maria della Salute! Good news – this Basilica is Free and you can take photos as long as you do not use a flash! Wonderful, Im giving them a 10 out of 10! I would like to know more about who decides the charges as well as whether photos can be taken in Italy. Hmmmm….

More about Santa Maria della Salute… in English “Saint Mary of Health, commonly known simply as the Salute, I think I needed to visit to hopefully gain some good health!

Here is the “backstory” from Wikipedia …. Beginning in the summer of 1630, a wave of the plague assaulted Venice, and until 1631 killed nearly a third of the population. In the city, 46,000 people died whilst in the lagoons the number was far higher, some 94,000.^[1] Repeated displays of the sacrament, as well as prayers and processions to churches dedicated to San Rocco and San Lorenzo Giustiniani had failed to stem the epidemic. Echoing the architectural response to a prior assault of the plague (1575–76), when Palladio was asked to design the Redentore church, the Venetian Senate on October 22, 1630, decreed that a new church would be built.^[1] It was not to be dedicated to a mere “plague” or patron saint, but to the Virgin Mary, who for many reasons was thought to be a protector of the Republic.^[2]

Santa Maria della Salute on the Grand Canal

It was also decided that the Senate would visit the church each year. On November 21 the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin, known as the Festa della Madonna della Salute, the city’s officials parade from San Marco to the Salute for a service in gratitude for deliverance from the plague is celebrated. This involved crossing the Grand Canal on a specially constructed pontoon bridge and is still a major event in Venice.

As usual here are a few of my photos from this, last trip in Venice!!

A few more excellent photos from the internet:

January 27th, Trip to Cimitario

Published on January 27, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Today we sent to Isola di San Michele, AKA “Cimitario.” It is an island north of the main island we are staying on. Actually, we saw it on our first walk, our first day in Venice and had no idea what it was. A quick search on Google Maps answered the question. So, as soon as I found out what it was, I wanted to visit. One might say that I have a morbid interest in how cultures take care of their dead… not too unusual – I think. And I may have found some distant relatives as well!

To see Cimitatio you have to cross the water. As of yesterday, we had not taken a boat trip. We have been touring Venice for over a week – on foot. We priced tickets and visiting Cimitario would cost around 16 to 18 euros for both of us. That with the 14 for us to go to the train station the day we leave we opted for the 7 day pass each… 120 euros, but we can travel as much as we like city wide and to most of the little surrounding islands. You can see more about the travel cards and downloading the Venice travel Ap here.

OK, now for my “tips & tricks” concerning taking the public water buses in Venice…. get ready to jump on and jump off as soon as the boat pulls up to the dock. They do not wait! We were sitting in the lower part of boat 4.1 on the way to Cimitario; the boat was packed with people!! When we knew we were almost the Cimitario stop – we got up and started toward the upper part of the boat and the driver barely stopped – and then BOOM – we were headed for the next stop! What?! So, get ready ahead of time and perhaps yell? We ended up on another island called Murano. And waited for another waterbus to get to our goal.

I must admit that it was great getting out on the water for the first time! A whole new view of Venice! Here are the photos of Cimitario as well as my first water photos!

San Marco … enough said

Published on January 24, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

What can one say about the most famous and one of the oldest Basilica in Venice? Breathtaking? Amazing? Inspiring? All of the above? Want to go straight to their website? Here is a direct link – great info: http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/?lang=en

The photos of the building online do not do it justice and my photos do not either. It is huge and quite detailed. Amar said, “It is supposed to show the greatness of god and it actually shows the greatness of man.” I couldn’t have said it better. The amount to time, resources and craftsmanship that went into the designing and building is mind boggling. The photos (even professional) fail to show the detail… the golden images are mosaics, made of very tiny tiles. From a distance they look like paintings… almost. Quite amazing.

Want more information? Another great source for information about traveling in Italy is Jen’s Reviews! Follow this link to check out her website: https://www.jenreviews.com/best-things-to-do-in-italy/

Some quick Wiki info:

History
45°26′04″N 12°20′23″ECoordinates: 45°26′04″N 12°20′23″E
Location	Venice
Country	Italy
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Saint Mark’s Basilica
Earlier dedication	1084, 1093, 1102
Consecrated	1117
Architecture
Status	Cathedral, minor basilica
Style	Italo-Byzantine and Gothic
Groundbreaking	978
Completed	1092
Specifications
Length	76.5 metres (251 ft)
Width	62.5 metres (205 ft)
Number of domes	5
Dome height (outer)	43 metres (141 ft)
Dome height (inner)

Here are my photos for those interested in seeing more. If you ever get to Venice, San Marco should be first on your list of places to visit! 🙂

Here are some nice photos from the internet…..

Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Lyon

Published on January 16, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

We visited the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste on January 16th 2018, and it was very interesting. It was easy to walk to from our place between the two rivers. This Cathédrale is in the old city.

Architectural styles: Gothic architecture and Romanesque architecture
Opened:1480
Region: Rhône-Alpes

The most interesting item in the Cathedral is the Astronomical Clock. Here is some more information about the clock I found through research:

Astronomical clock

The astronomical clock of the Primatiale is one of the oldest in Europe.
Horlo2
After Cluny (1340, now disappeared), Strasbourg (1354), it is in Lyon in 1379 that a clock clockwork with astronomical mechanisms is installed. The first document relating the existence of the clock of the cathedral dates from 1383.

The clock is composed of a square tower of 1.80 meters side surmounted by an octagonal turret in which evolve automatons. Two fixed statuettes represent the first two bishops of Lyon: Saint Pothin and Saint Irénée. The work ends with a dome supporting a rooster that rises 9 meters above the ground (the total height is 9.35 m).

The clock rang every day at 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. The automata then start moving: An angel on the left turns his hourglass, another on the right makes the conductor Rooster sings 3 times, raises neck, opens bill, flaps wings Three of the six angels surrounding “The Heavenly Father” operate the hammers of the bells playing the hymn of St. John the Baptist: “So that we may sing the marvelous facts of your life, wash the sin that defiles our mouth, O Saint John the Baptist

UT queant laxis
REsonacre fibris
MIra gestorum
FAmuli tuorum
Pollute SOLVE
LAbii reatum
Sancte Ioannes.

The Swiss turns quickly, starts his round, salutes with his head and hand Mary turns to the Angel Gabriel, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descends from the ceiling that opens “The Heavenly Father” blesses his people by three times The Swiss finish his round while the big bell under the cock sounds the new time

To complete the perpetual calendar, an ecclesiastical almanac specifies in particular the dates of Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent), Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Advent until 2019.

Here are some more photos from today’s adventure:

Visiting Montmartre Cemetery on my birthday

Published on January 14, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

January 14th, 2018 I turned 54, yes I’m getting old! And I have been looking forward to visiting Montmartre Cemetery since I first saw it when exploring the sights of Paris. So, today is the day! The address is 20 Avenue Rachel, 75018 Paris, France, which is with in walking distance to our AirBnB. Most of it is situated below a bridge we cross to go to downtown Paris. So, more steps, but much less than the Bicillica! And I think it will be worth it.

So, the trip was very good, cold and lots of walking, but very interesting. There are many different graves, old and new in the same place. It would be interesting to know more about the history of the cemetery. This is all I could find when searching online:

History In the mid-18th century, overcrowding in the cemeteries of Paris had created numerous problems, from impossibly high funeral costs to unsanitary living conditions in the surrounding neighborhoods. In the 1780s, the Cimetière des Innocents was officially closed and citizens were banned from burying corpses within the city limits of Paris. During the early 19th century, new cemeteries were constructed outside the precincts of the capital: Montmartre in the north, Père Lachaise Cemetery in the east, Passy Cemetery in the west and Montparnasse Cemetery in the south.

The Montmartre Cemetery was opened on January 1, 1825. It was initially known as la Cimetière des Grandes Carrières (Cemetery of the Large Quarries).[1] The name referenced the cemetery’s unique location, in an abandoned gypsum quarry. The quarry had previously been used during the French Revolution as a mass grave. It was built below street level, in the hollow of an abandoned gypsum quarry located west of the Butte near the beginning of Rue Caulaincourt in Place de Clichy. As is still the case today, its sole entrance was constructed on Avenue Rachel under Rue Caulaincourt.[2] A popular tourist destination, Montmartre Cemetery is the final resting place of many famous artists who lived and worked in the Montmartre area.

See the full list of notable interments here.

More photos that I took are here:

Visiting the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris

Published on January 12, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Today we visited the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris. The featured image above was taken in the summer I believe – but it is quite a nice photo of the Basilica, so I prefered it for the TOP! I’ll be posting my photos later on in this blog post. First, I must say, the steps were killer… besides being on the 4th floor for our AirBnB apartment (with no elevator) I have discovered that climbing stairs is really killing my knees… very painful, and going down stairs is even worse. I’ll be planning around that in all future travel. So, the number of stairs required to visit this Basilica are quite dramatic.

The Basilica is very pretty when looking up at it from a couple blocks from where we are staying. But as you climb up to see it, it quite stunning. According to internet research it is a minor Basilica, and seeing this one before the larger ones like Notre Dame is probably best.

Quick facts about The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France.

Here are some photos of the Basilica today: