Padova (with stops for The Last Supper and Sirmione)

Friday, July 27 - Sunday, July 29, 2007



On Friday we had tickets to see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Super in Milan. Since we were planning to go Padova over the weekend, we drove the car and parked it at a metro station on the outskirts of the city and rode the train in. The fresco was so much bigger than I thought it was going to be and it was quite a moving experience to see it in real life. Since no photos are allowed, I had to rely on stock photos from the internet to post here. One photo I found was of a filming crew in front of the fresco and I hope this shows the size of the painting.


(If you put your mouse on the slideshow and then click the little white box on the left, you can read the captions. Alternatively, if you click directly on the slideshow, you will be taken to our picasa webpage where you can see larger images.)

After seeing the Last Supper, we took the train back to our car and headed to Padova (in English it is Padua). We were going to Padova to see the Scrovegni Chapel, which contains a fresco cycle by the artist Giotto depicting the life of Jesus and Mary. It is one of the most important masterpieces of Western art. Again, we were not allowed to take pictures so I relied on photos from the internet. In fact, we were hardly allowed to take photos of the inside any of the sites we visited in Padova.

On Sunday on our way home, we stopped in Sirmione. Sirmione is a small town located on a small peninsula in Lago Gardo. It is known as the pearl of Lake Garda. It is a resort area and so was over run by people since we were there on a summer Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiflu place though.

We had a great weekend and we are looking foward to our next trip which is to Poland.


Map of Lake Garda


Sirmione

Stockholm, Sweden

Friday, July 20 - Monday, July 23, 2007

We had a nice summer holiday in Stockholm this past weekend. The cool weather was such a nice break from the hot weather of Italy. While we found Stockholm to be fairly expensive, the city was beautiful and there was so much to do! Plus, because it is so far north, it stayed light until about 11pm. We would love to go back and see the rest of the country one day but for now, the capital was a good start.


Family photo in front of Drottningholm Palace.
The Drottningholm Palace is on UNESCO´s World Heritage list and was built in the 1600s. The current Swedish royal family uses this palace as their main home.


view of Stockholm


The Vasa warship was complete in 1628 and sunk after sailing only a mile into her maiden voyage. She was salvaged in 1961.


Detail of the Vasa. She was 95% complete when raised.


Lunch outside the Vasamuseet (Vasa Museum)


A traditional farming house from the 19th century preserved at Skansen, an open air folk museum that preserves the heritage of Sweden.


Petting the goats at Skansen.


Wren learned that a goat says maaa and a sheep says baaa!


Folk dancers at Skansen


This wooden statue of St. George and the Dragon is the most famous treasure in Saint Nicolaus Cathedral. It supposedly contains the relics of St. George and two other saints. The cathedral is more commonly known as Storkyrkan.


Jason and Wren near Storkyrkan and the Royal Palace of Stockholm. The Royal Palace is the palace situated in the city of Stockholm though the current royal family lives mostly at Drottningholm Palace.


The royal box in Tyska Kyrkan, the German church of Stockholm.


Interesting art on an island in Stockholm.


A view of Stockholm. The brown building on the left is the Vasa Museum and the big building with the spire is the Nordiska Museet.


Jason in one of the many cool, artsy metro stations in Stockholm.


Momma getting a big hug in front of a large lion in the Historiska Museet (Museum of National Antiquities).


Wren on a rainy and chilly day.

Ravenna, Rimini, and San Marinio

July 14-15, 2007

This weekend we took a little overnight trip to Ravenna, Rimini and San Marino. Our main destination was Ravenna to see the 1,500 year old Byzantine mosaics. We LOVED Ravenna! It is a great little town. We went to Rimini and San Marino because they were close to Ravenna. Rimini is a seaside destination but we went there because Jason wanted to see the Roman arch (Arch of Augustus built in 27 B.C) and the Roman bridge (Tiberius' Bridge from the 1st century A.D.). San Marino interested us because it is the third smallest country in Europe (only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller). All three places were about an hour away from each other.


The Basilica di San Vitale is the most famous site in Ravenna. It was completed in 548 A.D.


Mosaics in the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna.


Inside the Basilica


Detail of the Dome


The Mausoleum of Galla Placida dates from 430 A.D.


Inside the Mausoleum of Galla Placida.


Mosaics of the Mausoleum of Galla Placida. It dates from 430 A.D.


Mosaic of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, with his flock in the Mausoleum of Galla Placida.


the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo dates from the mid 500s A.D.


Mosaics in the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo.


Dante's Tomb is in Ravenna


A kitty on a sarcophagus in Ravenna



The Mausoleum of Theodoric was built in 520 as the tomb for Theodoric the Great. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 because it is a rare example of an early Christian monument in the Gothic style that owes its design to neither Roman or Byzantine influences.


The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe which is in Classe, a town just outside Ravenna, dates from the mid 500s A.D.


Mosaics in a the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe which is just outside Ravenna. It dates from the mid 500s A.D.


detail of moaic - I really liked the sheep which represent the 12 disciples


Arch of August in Rimini


Tiberius' Bridge


San Marino


a view from San Marino

Our last days in Huntsville

June 27 - July 5, 2007

Our last days in Huntsville were mostly spent at Sissy and Pappy's house in the pool. Lee Anne caught up with a few friends and we went to a 4th of July band concert. It was a great finale to a fun trip!


Wren liked the pool toys.


Trying out the goggles.


This is Wren's smug, "look at me" look.


Wren loved playing in the shower.


Wren with Sandy and another little friend, Elise, at the 3rd of July band concert.


Wren and Elise in front with a pretty sunset.