July 27, 2017
Today we went to the Uffizi and observed many influential pieces of artwork. The pieces were influenced by the Christian religion and were quite breathtaking. Furthermore, many of them portrayed beautiful images that pertained to the renaissance. For example, the birth of Venus was one of the most incredible pieces within the museum and displayed flawless color schemes as well as immaculate brushwork. Moreover many portraits of important figures during the Renaissance form part of the museums exposition, which signified the close relationship the Medici family had with these people.
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July 25, 2017
This morning, we boarded a train and took it until we reached the Ligurian coast. Next, we took pictures of the spectacular views and hiked for an hour and a half to reach Monterosso in Cinque Terre. Two of us were unable to make the hike up and down the mountain and took a leisurely train ride that everyone else was envious of. We then spent several hours at the beach before eating dinner at a local restaurant. Then, we rode another train back to Florence. July 18
Today we visited the Borghese museum and casually strolled through the park near the museum. We all enjoyed sandwiches heated up in a van and ate an incredible lunch in the park. A few lucky scholars were lucky enough to ride on bike chariots through the park. Rules may have been broken during this adventure but only Nicky got caught. Unlike the other lucky children, Maddie struggled with a bad migraine and we all felt so terrible for her. On July 24, we went up the Duomo. The 400 steps took a toll on some people, especially with the treacherous nature and overwhelming heat. Once at the top, however, it was all worth it. The view was spectacular and you could see the entire city. It was also worth it because we got to see Andrew look scared out of his mind on the balcony and appreciated our own lack of fear. Then we went to the baptistry, which was more grand than it had to be, showcasing the Medici spending on arts projects. We went and saw the actual gates at a museum ad then explored the city of Florence on our own. At night, we celebrated my birthday with cake, pizza and a surprise party. Today we visited Mycenae. It was an incredible site with a variety of different forms pertaining to that of architecture. In a sense, it could be, without a doubt, considered one of the most incredible ruins known to mankind. Specifically, the cyclopian architecture, a type of architecture in which several ton stones display a format similar to an arch, a site which was without a doubt a fantastic phenomenon. Later, we visited a beautiful beach complimented by grainy sands and turquoise waters. We swam in the crispy salty sea and played frisbee as well as conversed about life and the challenges it presents on a daily basis. At one point, we even ventured beyond the buoy in a small boat powered by pedals and observed the water at a much deeper depth. Our day was concluded with a visit to a small Greek town that surprisingly transformed into somewhat of an agora following the setting of the sun. The food was delicious and we had the pleasure of being accompanied by a small stray cat throughout the entirety of our meal; he/she (not clear on the gender) was very sweet and somewhat ravenous. Today was fantastic! Today, we visited the ancient Agora. The Agora was the place where most of the commerce in the city occurred and was the ancient heart. Socrates used to use the site as a means to approach random citizens and test out his ideas. Today, it is a pile of ruins. We found an American group who was excavating the site and learned much about the process of excavation, cataloging, and preservation. In the afternoon, we visited the National Archaelogical Museum. After passing by the Mask of Agamemnon, we saw the rest of the museum, including a famous statue of Aphrodite that is the inspiration for many copies. We also saw the first computer in the world, found on a shipwreck off the coast of Greece. It was used to map the stars, moon and sun and to navigate the sea, although it obviously failed, as the ship wrecked. After our lunch, the group headed down to a bookstore and coffee shop for some famous traditional Greek coffee. Inside the store, Greek books lined the shelves and the language's elegant, foreign letters lined the walls. As a table was cleared for our group, we admired the alien novels in the back of the quaint establishment. The menu came in the form of a small paper book, with mostly Greek covering its pages. Luckily for us, the shop also provided an English version, which had a quote by JD Salinger on its cover: "I'll read my books and I'll drink coffee and I'll listen to music, and I'll bolt the door." Most of the group ordered lightly sweetened double shot coffees along with an assortment of desserts. Sweet bread with nuts, rich chocolate cakes, and apple pie covered our table as our waiter brought out the coffee. Greek coffee tastes very little like your typical order from Starbucks. More like a rich dark chocolate, it has a bold and unique flavor unlike anything you can find in the United States. The coffee grounds remain in your cup and are said to be able to predict your future. After draining the small but powerful cups, we flipped them upside down and onto the circular indent in our saucers. Typically, one would wait ten minutes before lifting the cup, so we filled the time with our stories from our day at Acropolis. When ten minutes had passed we flipped our cups again, revealing the patterns that the coffee grounds had made. Our kind waiter assisted us in understanding their meaning, advising us to look for shapes or letters on the sides of the cup. That concluded our afternoon of laughing and learning, before we headed back to our hotel for some rest.
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