Thursday, May 31, 2012

Ognissanti - All Saints




















These are all interior shots from Ognissanti (All Saints church).  The same church in which Botticelli is buried.  This was the first Church we went inside.  Very very beautiful altars and vaulted ceilings in the chapels.  The church nave features a fresco in which linear perspective tricks the eye very convincingly into thinking the ceiling is receding into space.  Very cool.  Florence (obviously) is the perfect place for people who are both art and history nerds.




Wednesday, May 30, 2012

On Monday





















 A nice door at Poli Moda (a fashion school in Florence).  Florence is full of amazing wooden doors.  I'm sure someone has already made a doors of Florence book.  Poli Moda is where we'll be having class every Monday.





















 Visited this Church on Monday.  This is where Botticelli is buried.  The name of it is Ognissanti I believe.  I have more pictures of the interior, which is really beautiful.  I'll post those soon.






















 Exterior of the Medici Chapel.  The interior is one of the most lavish I've ever seen in my life with tons of marble and inlaid precious stones, and Michelangelo sculptures.  Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside.














A panoramic view of the Baptistry of St. John and the Duomo behind it. 

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Italy I am Here


 It's nearly 3 in the morning here in Florence and I think I may be a bit jet lagged.  Went on a long walk around the city first thing.  It's a very walkable place and we got all the way to the Duomo.  I'm loving the narrow streets and the architecture. I love the way the buildings shoot straight up and make canyons of the street. There just aren't cities this old in the U.S. so the atmosphere is incredibly different.
The flight over was smooth.  Watched two movies and didn't sleep.  Landing at Charles de gaulle was just like landing in the Mid-West, but the landscape of Italy, even from the plane was different.  I was seeing something I know I've never seen before, which is always a stirring feeling.
One of the most beautiful things I've seen so far was the sunrise over the Atlantic as we flew east yesterday.  It never really got completely dark.  We went from sunset to sunrise, though stars were also visible.  I also saw tiny little lone lights from ships out on the water in the middle of the big ocean, and I wondered who they where.
















































The sunset bouncing off the walls of the plane making a pretty orange glow.
At Charles de Gaulle we borded from the tarmac.  I love doing that.










This is the exit sign here.  I must have looked really silly snapping pictures of it.  Especially because later I realized that it's everywhere.  It appears to be just the general exit sign for the country.  But I just thought it was so funny.  The little figure looks so panicked.

Stuff so far...

- Had my very first airport full body pat down (thanks CDG)

- Really nice hot shower here

- Ate two great nectarines one cost me 1.30 E and the other .44 E (hence people will overcharge you if they think they can)

- Had to ignore a gypsy lady who was calling me bella and asking for money, it was hard and she made a disgusted noise like she thought I was a snob.

Saturday, May 19, 2012





















An old pic of my Dad I found.  I must have taken it at my brother's high school graduation in 2003.  I think he looks pretty radiant.  Glad I found this one.  I miss him every day.














Some friends of mine in their old apartment in Bushwick.  Photos taken back in 2008, but only just recently got around to scanning the negatives.