Tonight we’re sleeping in a monastery ….well, almost. Our hotel is a bona fide UNESCO World Heritage sight. It was built here right beside the Maulbronn Monastery in Southwestern Germany (and these days it comes with Wi-Fi) The grounds of the monastery, which was founded in 1147, and the enclosed cloister are strikingly well preserved. I […]
312 AD was an important year. The Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and soon after, while based in Trier (in present day Germany), started building an awesome church and other amazing buildings. Basically, Trier was the boondocks of the Roman empire, so the big shots living there got lots of money to fund amazing buildings so they […]
We were in and out of the Cathedral of Aachen, in Aachen Germany, all day today. While I’ll give you the yummy details later when I’m not jet lag’s bitch, I’m here to testify that it SO FREAKING AMAZING and I’m so happy I finally got to see it. This town is all about Charlemagne–we […]
We’re headed to the airport on our way to see outrageously excellent art and architecture, six UNESCO Word Heritage sights and an opera. Guess where? Our cat Janacek is providing a hint below:
I remember the exact moment: after a morning of winding our way uphill through the medieval Albayzín neighborhood of Granada in Southern Spain, we reached the San Nicholas Viewpoint. We picnicked while taking in the enchanting view of the Alhambra and surrounding mountains and I mentioned to HOB that, according to our guide book, this […]
I’ve been meaning to write about visiting Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy in an academic way, letting you all know that it was constructed in 1580 from Andrea Palladio’s plans based on a reconstruction of an ancient Roman theater ,etc, etc, because you, my readers, need the facts. But I’ve got to be straight with you: as soon […]
I’m clumsy, my spelling is atrocious, I suck at math and I’m a total slob, but people, I am really super-spanking good at writing a travel itinerary. Here’ s what works for me: Research like crazy and keep a list. No, I don’t mean a bucket list of far away fantasies, I mean a realistic […]
Have you read that new book on medieval church art? It’s called Carvings Under Choir Stalls by Seymore Butts. LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, okay, butt seriously, the next time you’re in an old church with a wooden choir, look under the seats. See something funny? It’s not an appropriate space to put a holy image, […]
It’s the perfect fresco for Easter: Christ steps proudly from his tomb super hero-style in his bubblegum pink robe. Those poor dupes, the guards, are sleeping and miss the drama. The composition is symmetrical, and a perfect triangle from the top of Christ’s head to the bodies of the guards below. It was only once […]
It’s Good Friday and I’m thinking about the pilgrimage we made to see the Isenheim Altarpiece, the bizarre crucifixion by Matthias Grunewald in Colmar, France. This is a perfect example of an artwork I couldn’t comprehend until I saw it in person. The altarpiece was created in 1512-1515 for a hospital that treated patients suffering from skin diseases, […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 