Dear all,
This past week was my 13th week in Venice! As you may know, 13 is Colgate's lucky number. The University was founded by 13 men with 13 dollars and 13 prayers, we say, so week 13 in Venice was extra special!
Our class is traveling again this weekend! There are a number of tasks that I'd like to accomplish before I leave, but I've written a detailed week plan for myself, so I trust that by Thursday night, I'll have everything checked off!
This past week, we met our Art History teacher at the Ducal Palace, also called the Doges' Palace because it is where Venice's Doges resided. It's one of the top places to visit in Venice.
This past week was my 13th week in Venice! As you may know, 13 is Colgate's lucky number. The University was founded by 13 men with 13 dollars and 13 prayers, we say, so week 13 in Venice was extra special!
Our class is traveling again this weekend! There are a number of tasks that I'd like to accomplish before I leave, but I've written a detailed week plan for myself, so I trust that by Thursday night, I'll have everything checked off!
This past week, we met our Art History teacher at the Ducal Palace, also called the Doges' Palace because it is where Venice's Doges resided. It's one of the top places to visit in Venice.
It's a really beautifully constructed palace with lavish interior decorations. It's full of paintings by the best artists in Venice's history such as Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese, whose works I have learned to appreciate. Paolo Veronese is my favorite painter of the three because he painted with integrity. For instance, he painted a huge soffitto Veneziano (a Venetian ceiling often with paintings) that he knew would be far away from the viewers eyes, yet when my teacher showed us photos of the paintings up close, she pointed out how he completed the work having paid very close attention to the small details. I think that what we do when we think no one sees often reflects our true character.
Back to the Ducal Palace! Haha Here are a few photos of the interior:
Back to the Ducal Palace! Haha Here are a few photos of the interior:
We had a very nice view of Venice from the upper floor.
We saw our last live opera this week, :-( but it was great! Hands down, it was my favorite of all the operas we have seen. We watched Mozart's The Magic Flute at La Fenice. Children were in the audience this time! The cast performed very well, the set appealed to the visual senses and incorporated modern technology, and the plot adaptation creatively respected the original setting.
The show had three main sets. It opened with the school room setting pictured below. The blackboard lifted to reveal a white room where the Queen of the Night sang her big arias, and the entire wall lifted to reveal a forest with actual trees! I was very impressed haha.
The show had three main sets. It opened with the school room setting pictured below. The blackboard lifted to reveal a white room where the Queen of the Night sang her big arias, and the entire wall lifted to reveal a forest with actual trees! I was very impressed haha.
Throughout the show, the black board had moving images projected onto it, and actors would reach into a slim opening between the board and it's frame and pull out a 3-dimensional version of the object, giving the illusion that the board had produced the object. It was a very fun and clever incorporation of technology.
A friend of my professor who performed in the production is coming to talk with our class on Wednesday!
A friend of my professor who performed in the production is coming to talk with our class on Wednesday!
On Thursday, I had my Art History midterm, and that evening my class got together for a potluck dinner. How appropriate for our 13th week abroad as Colgate students! My housemates and I were in charge of bringing the salad. One classmate made stuffed apples for dessert and it was really delicious. As we walked back to our apartment after dinner, we passed through a tourist and pigeon-free St. Mark's Square! The glowing lights of the Procuratie reflected off of the surface of the Square's tiles, and for a few moments, I took in a pure view of St. Mark's Square.
On Friday, I'm heading to Rome/ Pompeii for the eagerly anticipated Archeology class trip. Afterward, we have about 2 weeks of vacation. I'm planning to visit a 2 countries on my dream travel map: Spain (Madrid and Barcelona) and France (Paris)! I have friends studying in both cities in Spain, and I'm excited to spend time with them.
I most likely won't have another post until the last week of November! Please pray for my classmates and me as we travel!
Ciao!
J McKoy
I most likely won't have another post until the last week of November! Please pray for my classmates and me as we travel!
Ciao!
J McKoy