Lessons from Venice: Day 2

Sunday was really our only free day during our weeklong stay in Venice, so mom and I decided to take the train to Verona.  Catching a train in Italy was much easier than I thought and the hour long ride was pretty enjoyable.  When we arrived at Verona Porta Nuova we were faced with the challenge of buying a bus ticket and a Verona pass so we could set off on our sightseeing expedition.  Armed with my trusty Rick Steves' guidebook I was sure we could find the tourist information center and kill two birds with one stone. As you may have already guessed from my Day 1 lesson, my independence got the better of me and some twenty or thirty minutes later (yes, after asking for help) we learned that there was no longer a TI in the train station and that we could buy our bus ticket at the tabacchi.  Oy!

Self portrait taken on the train to Verona

We made it to Verona!

The inspiration for the side trip to Verona came from watching Letters to Juliet...and reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet when I was a ninth grader.  It is a cute little city that is rich with history, a great roman amphitheater, and lovely piazzas.  Being dutiful tourists, we followed Rick Steves' walking tour through the city, made photo stops, and joined the throngs of people in the courtyard outside "Juliet's House".  I didn't feel compelled to go up on the fake, I mean famous, balcony but was content to snap a photo with Juliet's statue and vacate the confined space as soon as possible.  

Roman amphitheater where the annual Opera Festival is held each summer!

Building the stage for this year's performances!

Fountain in Piazza Bra

Declarations of love in the entrance of the courtyard near Juliet's house.

The famous balcony where Juliet stood and beneath which Romeo wooed.

Juliet, will you grant me luck in love?

Of all the stops we made on Sunday, my favorite place in the city turned out to be Piazza Erbe.  You could tell that this is where the locals hang out.  There were lots of parents watching their giggling children as they chased marbles through mazes, drew pictures, and enjoyed someone singing silly songs.  

Piazza Erbe--notice the incredible frescoes on the side of the buildings.

Close up of one of the frescoes.

Old and beautiful!

One of my favorite views.

Following an alleyway...who knows where it will take us!

We ended up running into a statue of Dante which brought back more memories of high school English class!

This staircase is beautiful and leads...absolutely nowhere!

The top of a Corinthian column.

The tomb of one of the members of a prominent Veronese family.

Another tomb, same family.

A fabulous pattern of iron work with a blue sky behind.

Classic:)

Beauty in the details...

What to do if your bridge collapses?  Retrieve the original stones from the river and rebuild!

Love locks on the bridge.

Passing an amphitheater in ruins as we hiked up to a castle on a hill.

An incredible rooftop view of Verona from high atop a hill.

A cross on the hilltop

We also took the opportunity to sample our first gelato and it was amazing!  There were lots of old doors and windows to enjoy, bridges to cross, and views to marvel at in Verona and when it was time to head back to the train station I was happy that we had made the trip but pretty darn tired from all the walking!

Okay, not a very flattering picture of me but we had to document our first official gelato tasting.  Vaniglia...yum!

A break in the old city wall.

I love the treasures hidden below the street level.  A city built on top of an ancient city.

At the train station in Verona waiting to catch our train back to Venice.

Back on the train after a long day of sightseeing!;)

In the planning stages of this excursion I had a vision of what Verona would look and feel like based on what I had observed in a movie and after today's trip I learned this:  to approach each new adventure without expectations and with a mind open to new possibilities.  Truthfully, Verona was nothing like I imagined and that's totally okay!  Usually I am an avid sightseer, but for the first time in my international travels I found myself shying away from the bustle of tourists and more open to exploring without a map or plan.  I saw beauty in unexpected things...like a bicycle leaning against a brick wall, a cross upon the hilltop, the pattern of ironwork in a fence against a blue sky, the carved door on a church, and in frescoes adorning the walls of a piazza that was full of local people going about their everyday lives.

A Week of Lessons from Venice: Day 1

Today started out a bit rough.  Still confused about the time difference, my body had a difficult time going to sleep, and though I awoke to my alarm I was so exhausted that I promptly fell back to sleep.  When my eyes adjusted fully I saw that it was 7:47am...I was LATE!  In a panic, I called Ruth to see which block we were on today and was very happy to learn that it was an "E" day.  Salvation!  I didn't have students until half passed nine!  Usually this would have put a damper on the entire day, but I was determined to make the best of a challenging start and was surprised to see that the rest of the day went smoothly and passed in a flash.  It's now just after 5:30pm and I am tasked with the one thing that will help me regain normalcy--I must stay awake until bedtime!  I guess there's no better time than the present to start on my blog entries about the lessons I learned in Venice.  I have a feeling that this is going to be a humbling experience, but here we go...

The day I left for Venice was a pretty tough day on my body as well, but I managed to make it through the school day, finish packing my suitcase, and joined up with the group of folks taking the bus to the airport.  As my other friends put on their matching t-shirts and headed off to Malaysia I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.  They were, after all, about to spend a week bonding in paradise.  But, when I considered how long I have wanted to travel to Venice to see the city AND take a mosaic class I was confident that I made the right choice in how to spend my first spring break abroad.  My flights went smoothly and before I knew it I was getting my passport stamped in Venezia!  I was relieved to see my mom waiting for me at baggage claim and even happier when my suitcase arrived.  We bought our bus tickets and walked outside to hunt for the express bus to Pizalle Roma.  As we rode I wondered if Venice would live up to my expectations.  Would it look the same as it did in movies?  Would I love it?  Be disappointed?

After arriving in Pizalle Roma it took us some time to figure out which direction to head in order to catch a water bus to our final destination.  Being stubborn, I knew I could figure this out.  Certainly it couldn't be too difficult to spot the canal and buy a ticket.  Mission accomplished, and before long we arrived at Domus Orsoni, the location of our hotel AND the mosaic class.  This place is truly priceless and if you didn't know the exact location, it would be easy to miss.  After several attempts at ringing what I thought was the bell an older lady living across the courtyard and an older gentleman walking by us pointed out that the top button was actually the bell and I had been pushing the intercom for the last several minutes and panicking because nobody answered (I was happy to learn I wasn't the only person to make this mistake!).  Once inside I was in awe!  The entry was really a gallery filled with beautiful mosaic pieces (you'll see these later) and our room was perfect for mom and I.  We made quick work of actually unpacking and then decided to make our way out into the city in an attempt to keep ourselves moving.

First stop, train station.  It was easy to locate and less than 10 minutes from our hotel.  From there we caught a vaporetto to take a cruise down the Grand Canal.  Watching boats and buildings pass by I was just enchanted by this city.  Everything is old, smudged, broken, and absolutely perfect!  

There is something that seems impossible about imagining a city built on the water, and yet here's proof!

First glimpses

We got off at the Accademia stop and decided to go see the Peggy Guggenheim collection--I'd heard from a colleague that she loved it and thought we would check it out.  Peggy certainly had eclectic tastes and although I am an art lover, there's only so much you can appreciate after five hours sleep and twenty hours of travel.  

Mom looking pretty awake after a long day of travel!

Outside Peggy's house/museum

I saw this on the wall in the courtyard and took a liking to it.

A Tree of Desires gifted by Yoko Ono...look at all of those wishes and desires.

My first exposure to what would be a week filled with many languages!

From there we headed back to the canal and started walking in the direction of San Marco.  I have a cloudy visual of what the islands of Venice look like and I'm not sure how this works exactly, but it seems that nearly every street eventually leads to San Marco.  Piazza San Marco was filled with people, pigeons, and souvenir stands.  Not exactly the picturesque setting one hopes for, but it was a reality of Venice.  By that time, we were getting hungry and we were already tired so that meant frustration wasn't far away.  We tried in vain for almost an hour to locate the Hard Rock Cafe (come on, I just wanted a salad!) and although we eventually found it here's where the major lesson of Day 1 comes in...sometimes I just need to ASK FOR HELP!

Have you seen the movie 28 Days with Sandra Bullock?  Her character is forced into rehab after ruining her sister's wedding and driving a limo into the side of someone's house.  As part of her treatment she is forced to wear a sign that says, "Ask me if I need help."  It's difficult to admit it, but I am a master of avoidance and, being a firstborn child, I want to do everything on my own.  I hate asking for help...and I usually won't do it until it is too late and I am overwhelmed and exasperated.  As I try to reconcile this truth about myself, I can only explain by saying that asking for help reveals weakness, imperfection, and allows others to think that I am not good enough.  I'm beginning to think that maybe I need one of those signs too.  Unfortunately I didn't really learn the first time, and this lesson was learned again and again throughout the week as I tried to navigate around Venice.  Now that I am back at home, I am making a concerted effort to recognize that I am not perfect, I do not have super powers, and sometimes I need to call on others to help see me through something...or give me directions when I am lost.  I can do this...and now I have a sign in my office to remind me.

Reflections of Venice

I arrived back in Seoul last night a complete wreck.  I was exhausted from nearly 24 hours spent traveling yet completely wide awake because of the drastic time difference, sick to my stomach, and feeling very introspective about the week I had just spent in Venice.  So many emotions were cropping up that I'm not sure I understand yet, but I do know that the last week was one of the best travel experiences I have ever had.  It wasn't the sightseeing (because we hardly had time to see much) or shopping (nope, not much of that either) that made this trip memorable.  Instead, I think it was the sense of connectedness I felt to the city and the people I met there.  I didn't go out and take the city by storm and that was entirely okay with me.  As I sit here writing this, I feel content that I saw a snapshot of the real Venice without all of the touristy hype and I absolutely loved it.  Had someone given me the opportunity and financial resources to make a permanent home in Venezia I would have taken them up on it in an instant.  That sounds absolutely crazy, doesn't it?  As I sort through everything I learned over the last week I'll start writing some blog posts that will give you a look at what I spent the week doing and how it has caused me to do some serious reflection about where I am now and what the future might hold.  A week ago I thought I was simply taking a vacation to an incredible place...I certainly wasn't prepared to be changed.  I guess that's the great thing about travel--it is full of unexpected experiences.  Stay tuned for more this week...  

At War...with Mother Nature.

I've been a bit delinquent on keeping up with my blog, mostly because life goes on as usual and I'm not out blazing trails around Seoul.  In an attempt to procrastinate (ahem, I have a test and a review guide to be writing) I thought I would write a quick update. 


About a month ago I was feeling a bit of cabin fever so Rebecca and I decided to take a trip to the War Memorial Museum.  I came to Seoul knowing little about Korean history, or the war which devastated the nation so it was high time to make this visit a priority.  To top things off, the museum was also hosting a Da Vinci exhibit that showcased his genius inventions.   We set out on the 110 bus (the metro and taxis here are fantastic, but I am really starting to appreciate the fabulous bus network here too!) and headed toward the army base near Itaewon.  It's a fairly long ride and for most of the time I had no directional sense meaning I could not have told you where in the city we were exactly, but the bus dropped us off directly in front of the museum.


The first thing that catches your attention are these incredible statues.  Had it not been so unbelievably cold outside I would have lingered a bit longer to appreciate the faces of those who fought for this nation.  We took the long way to the museum entrance and passed walls covered in plaques listing all those who fought and died in the Korean war.  The numbers were staggering and it seems as if the walls would never come to an end.  It amazes me how involved the United States was in this conflict.

One view of the amazing statues in front of the museum.

...and the other side!

Inside we headed straight for the Da Vinci exhibit and spent over an hour marveling at the inventions this one man conceived.  Unfortunately there were no authentic models of the inventions Da Vinci dreamed up, the replicas sufficed in giving the viewer and idea of the depth of this man's imagination.  We saw everything from scuba suits to war machines.  It was pretty incredible.  We were also treated to an exhibit about Mona Lisa which revealed her true colors.  Having seen Mona several times now it was interesting to see what she may have looked like when Da Vinci worked on her.

Yes, this is me taking a contraband photo...but this box of mirrors was too cool and I couldn't help myself:).  By the way, I now understand how the contestants on What Not To Wear feel when they have to go into the 360 degree mirror!

Doesn't my face look like Mona's?

I like this one better!

Since we were already at the museum, Rebecca and I spent the next hour wandering through the different floors and halls.  Some exhibits depicted the triumphs of various dynasties, others showed scenes from the Korean War.  In one area, there was a tribute to every nation who supported the South Koreans during the war and listed how many soldiers were lost.  I was surprised to see nations in Africa, South America, and the Middle East provided support during the war.  Here's a taste of what we saw as we roamed the museum halls...

The museum entrance.

A huge, and beautifully decorated, drum in the entry hall.

Early war practices.

A very cool dragon boat!

Mother Nature sure is at work in this part of the world.  After MANY weeks of bitter cold we were treated to two solid weeks of temperatures in the 40's and 50's and sunshine.  Recently, the cold has returned and while we are all anxiously awaiting the coming of spring, it seems that she has other plans.  As I sit here writing this blog post, snowflakes are drifting down from the overcast sky.  In the last month, we have also seen the wrath of nature as we had news of a large earthquake that brought the city of Christchurch, NZ to its knees and observed the effects of a gigantic earthquake that struck Northern Japan late last week.  Every day I cringe as I read the news and learn of thousands more casualties from the tsunami that hit the eastern coast of Japan or hear about another explosion at a badly crippled nuclear power plant.  I cannot even begin to imagine the tragedy that my neighbors just to the west are facing.  I feel lucky to report that South Korea was not at all affected by the quake or tsunami.  


My students have countless questions about what is happening and why...questions that are extremely relevant to our studies in science as we learn about the structure of the atom and nuclear chemistry...questions that show their concern for the well being of others...questions that reveal their fears that something like this could happen to them in their lifetime.  I have students in my classroom who have family members affected by the devastation, however, all have confirmed that their loved ones are still alive.  The only way I can explain the magnitude of what we feel having witnessed a tragedy of this scale so close by is looking back on Hurricane Katrina.  The unpredictability of nature provides a constant threat causing people to be continually on alert.  All we can do is wait and pray that peace and safety will be restored soon as so many people try to put their lives back together and try to extend a helping hand in any way possible.