Milan and Venice

This past week I went on a field trip to Milan and Venice. I remember thinking the Science Museum was an awesome field trip. This week just blew the Science Museum out of the water.

Bravo: In Milan I had the opportunity to tour the design work room of Achille Castiglioni. He has designed many famous products. His work space was so systematically organized! We had a tour led by his daughter who's personal insight was fascinating. He was such a logical thinker, everything had a specific purpose. Also while in Milan one of the art museums we went to had an exhibit on Frank Gehry, who happens to be one of my favorite architects. I loved being able to see his projects from conception to completion. I also got to see the ballet Giselle. After two days in Milan we took a three hour train to Venice. The minute you walk out of the train station you are greeted by a canal and water taxi stand. I have always known that the city is built on a marsh and uses canals rather than streets, but I don't think I ever anticipated how scenic it would be and also how many canals there actually are! The city is so beautiful, historic, and romantic, the architecture style is much more middle eastern than Rome. On Saturday my roommates and I sat along the main canal that runs through the city and had lunch over looking the water and basking in the sun. One of the days we took a longer boat ride out to the island of Murano, there we had the opportunity to watch an actual glass blower make a lamp as well as a tiny pony.

Bruto: Milan and Venice are both about a four hour train ride north of Rome, it was significantly colder. The temperature was definitely an issue during one of the art exhibits we saw in Venice because the venue it was in an old arsenal and was not heated.

Interessante: In the same exhibit that was not heated there was a piece of art that covered the majority of a wall (approximately 30'x30') made entirely of human hair. Grose. Interessante #2: November is the rainiest month in Venice. Due to its location and nature of what the city is built on the city often floods during this time of year. When we arrived the city it had not begun to flood but along all the sidewalks were platform sidewalks raised up about two feet off the original so that when it floods people will have a place to walk without their feet being completely submerged in water.