A Weekend Away to Prague...

Eleni, Nikki and I spent the past weekend in the wonderfully beautiful city of Prague and please tell me that it wasn't real!! We travelled Friday morning and arrived with a sign that, believe it or not, had my name spelled CORRECTLY except that it said "Mr. Tumey"....dad, were you there?? The car driver appologized (in Italian!!) and dropped us off right in front of our apartment. Now let me explain: This company (yes it's professional) rents apartments all over the city and then rents them by the night to tourists and guests. It was cheap and easy and you would not believe the apartment that we got!!! I was newly renovated just two weeks ago. We practically lived in an IKEA catalogue and were loving every minute of it!!













Everything was in walking distance including all of these things we saw:
The Old Castle...when we thought we couldn't find it we found out that we had been walking around inside it all morning! haha What is it with me missing these things? First the Pantheon, now the CASTLE?!?! In our defense it is no longer an old castle but just the existing walls with newer buildings creating the "fortress". In the middle of the castle walls, and the focus of the hill is St. Vitus' Cathedral, a massive, towering Barroc-style cathedral. From start to finish the catherdral took a total of 600 years to build, being consecrated finally in 1929.
















































Charles Bridge...What a beautiful civic element with a beautiful history. Karluv Must (that's it's Czech name) "is more than just crossing a river". There are 30 statues evenly placed across the 1.700-foot long, cobble stone paved bridge. Musicians and souvenier sellers line the walk, which takes a leisurely 5 minutes to cross.

















Fred and Ginger...Oh, Frank Gehery, you have done it again! In all honesty it wasn't that bad, but apparently Pragians HATE it. Fred blends in with a twist on traditional Prague architecture. Ginger on the other hand (although Eleni swears "she is so sexy") disregards contextual precedence. Nonetheless, with detailed connections and handsome curves, the building was well worth the walk across the river.


































Next was the Staromestska Radnice, or Old Town Hall. This is the location of the famous Astrological Clock installed in the 19th Century. The vast square serves as a gathering place for the whole city and we got a sense of friendly community on Saturday afternoon. People from all ages were playing soccer, reading, walking, eating and chatting, waiting for the bells to chime on the hour, everyhour.

















I also found out some interesting facts while in Prague:
-Eleni and Nikki are deathly afraid fo puppets. Yea the ones on strings! They were everywhere (since Prague is known for beer, garnets and puppets) and the two of them would run by every stand or storewhen they saw them. WIERD! haha
-The beer doesn't taste like crap! We had lunch in one of Prague's largest beer factories right in the heart of the city. Their house dark lager was not too shabby...and I don't even LIKE beer!
-The Czech Krown is cheap (their currency).
-You cannot beat a city tour in an old '60s convertible with a crazy driver who has an Orlando Magic hat on. Enough Said!
-I would live in Prague! (sorry mom hehe)

Southern Italy, Sicily and the water....

Bright and early Thursday morning of January 25th, 24 groggy, confused and hungry students meet in the Campo, bags in hands, on shoulders and on backs ready for Southern Italy. The walk to the bus, although it has been done many a time before, felt never ending, and my bag heavier than it was the night before. But I knew this was just the beginning of our trek and if we could just make it to the bus everything would be good! Haha wow was I wrong! After two ATMs rejected my card, a phone call to mom (thanks mama!) at 3am USA time made everything work out. The train tide to Naples was nothing but sleeping babies with concerned and watchful parents by their side. That’s right, if you want babies to sleep, take them for a car/train ride. In about 5 minutes we were all out cold with Dave, Stanley and Mama Hallit watching over us. A short 2 and a half hours later we arrived in Naples, well rested and excited…we were piled into a frenzy of even more excited cab drivers who were willing to take us anywhere we wanted. Our taxi driver, mind you who was more fashionable than Prince in his prime, zoomed in and out of traffic. Sorry New York but your taxi drivers are slower than the DMV compared to Naples. That’s right, we just cut off the polizie while blasting “American music”…I guess bad 70’s disco does count as American music, whether we want to lay claim or not!

Overall Naples was beautiful, colorful and lively including the Galleria Umberto. I took some wonderful artsy shots at almost every window and fruit stand. The people of Naples really enjoy Americans; we were greated with smiles where ever we went, along with the American flag and songs. I thought I butchered our own music while singing in the shower, but I have passed the torch to the guitar players of Italy, especially Naples. But nonetheless, it was wonderful……ok minus one situation that occurred when Eleni and I went shopping that involved thirteen-year-old boys, eggs, and my hair. Yea….that’s right, laugh in disbelief because when the egg came towards my head, saturated my hair and jacket, and ricocheted into Eleni’s eye we did about the same. Well at least is was a very nice shower in the hotel, and my hair is still shiny and silky smooth! Take that Napolian brats!!!



The next stop was Palermo in Sicily. To reach our destination we boarded an over-night boat that happened to be stuck in the 70’s disco era…hmmm ring a bell?? Sleep wasn’t too bad on the boat due to minor waves, but the children felt it necessary to rock the boat. No no, not like that!! The boys started a slap fight which turned into a wrestling match which woke up pretty much the entire floor…oh boys! We pulled into port as the sun was rising over the misty mountains. First impressions of Palermo, which well never really changed: dirty, smelly and just…not it. Over the next few days of walking around, we found some really nice spots, got the cobble-stoned streets back and I wasn’t feeling as “Rome sick”. Good things did come out of Palermo: the small towns of Monreale and Erice, and finding that I loved Rome more than I thought. We visited Monreale on the first day. This is when we first met our AMAZING bus driver!! He took us everywhere for the full time in Sicily and didn’t run over small cars in the process, which is always a bonus in Europe! We sketched the duomo and cloister in Monreale, which are situated on a mountaintop overlooking the city of Palermo and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Two days later we visited the an ancient Greek temple of Seguesta and the secluded, preserved and charming town of Erice. No building is over three stories tall, and we walked the parameter in about 30 minutes, which was shorter than the bus ride up the zig-zag road of the mountainside.

This quaint little town had grass growing through the small cobble stones of each street and the smell of pastries flowed into the main piazza. Marco and I took a walk after lunch and found a street to sketch out. We continued walking and eventually came upon the old Castle that was founded in the 5th century BC. It hit me how old this place really was...and how beautiful the Sicilian terrain truely is!

Later on in the week we traveled to Cefalu, where we would be spending a majority of our time in Sicily, gathering information for our next project's site analysis and getting a feel for the city. We also had the grand pleasure of "meeting" with mayor....with sarcasm because, as most of us felt, this was all publicity and politics and we were just here to sketch! Cefalu was beautiful nonetheless and I loved seeing the smaller toans of Italy, as compared to the larger metropolis of Roma and Palermo. I described Cefalu as the town where you can follow your nose to a good meal. Most of Italy I have found ot be like this, but as we walked the narrow streets at night, searching for a good meal, my nose took the lead and we found a great place for some of the most amazing seafood I have ever had (yea mom, this rivals Savannah!). Another aspect of Cefalu that we witnessed each day was the natural color of scenery and water. The Sea yeilded a fresh blue-green color in the mornings as we walked to town and reflected the white sky later in the evening on the walk back to the hotel. The beach promenade, which we will be improving in our next project, gave us magnificent views and reminded us exactly where we were each day. Eleni and I watched the sunset over the water almost every night and it was magnificent! I hope I can remember the color of that water for the rest of my life...

Well I have to say that after 12 days of backpacking, walking and hiking it has never been so good to see Rome Sweet Rome again. I have made some great memories, met wonderful people, and touched my bear feet to Sicilian sand that is as soft as powder. But give me cobble stones, give me gipsy children, give me Rome and I will be happy!!!

PS, again the internet is acting up...more pictures to come!!!

First Week of Exploring & Sketching

So one week is done...wow! It feels like I have been here for a month already! I have a favorite place for all my food, favorite shopkeepers, cafes, and clubs. This was our first week of classes and Dave and Stanely took us to some classic, beautiful sites to sketch. Here are a few....


Pantheon: yea, I missed it! Eleni, Marco and I took a night walk to the Vodafone store. We took a new way, and as I bit into my freshly made, warm Margarita Pizza Eleni asked if I had been to the Pantheon yet. No, I said, hoping that we would maybe walk by on the way back to the apartment. Was it too far out of the way though? "Oh, well that's it!" Eleni said to me, pointing to the VERY LARGE AND OLD brick cylinder that was approximately 50 feet from us. Wow, I'm a dumbass!! And yes, it's bigger than you think, and just as old as everyone says. The night lights lit up the purple Egyptian Marble columns which were quaried as one piece. Well I was torn: eat the pizza or throw it out and walk inside? I ate the pizza and walked inside for the first time two days later when I took this shot! I always thought they were made in photoshop...no, I did it myself!!! It's all real!


Next was Campidoglio. OK, kids, history lesson: just near the Colloseum is the ancient Forum of Rome. Ceasar and his friends partied it up, ate food, lounged around and watched people get eaten by Lions and Tigers...and some Bears all in his own backyard...oh Roma! Michaelangelo created a formal piazza just west of the Old Forum, drew some lines on the ground with marble and named it Campidoglio! Okay, all kidding aside this urban space floods down the hill into the streets of Rome and faces St. Peters and the Vatican. Michaelangelo made the bold statement that Church and State are not seperate. Pretty cool that you can say that with a building! Similarly, fast-forwarding to WWII when Mussolini came to power, he built the monument to Vittorio Emmenual. This grandeous scale building is, with affection, commonly called "the typewritter" or "the wedding cake" by Italians. (that was sarcasm! They hate it!) Mussolini physically turned the back of the building to the Campidoglio, stating that he did not have care or respect for the state. At the end of the war, the Italians hung him. Don't mess!!


A few days later we visited Ville Giulia, which was the house of Pope Pius III. On the bus ride there, Judy Hallet (Stanely's wife) got pick-pocketed. Just another experience on the Rome public transportation. After almost getting run over and loaing half the group, we arrived at Ville Giulia. It consists of three outdoor "rooms" which were used for partying and entertainment. I think I could get married there!!! This was the first time on this trip that I had felt the presence of ancient Roma. I could see men walking in robes and grand parties with wine, music, and dancing. What more could I ask for?

If anyone has been to rome, you know that everything is small here. Lets just say the Hummer is larger and can fit more people! Needless to say, not all of us made it on the bus, so we decided to walk back. We stopped for a cappuccino (thanks Dave!) and as the sun set, I walked into the Pantheon at night. yea, I think that will do for a front foyer in my house!!

The weekend led to great dinners (Friday night's made by yours truely!), sleeping in, dancing, and SALDI, the government mandated sales which last a month! Lines of people, elbows bumping...this was worse than 5th Ave at Christmas time for one reason: the only thing worst than a New Yorker is a rich, angry Italian woman who got pissed because you grabbed the dress she wanted! Oh and those shoes, she'll take those too!!

And there's so much more to explore!!!

Arrivederci & Buongiorno!

The scene at Dulles International in Washngton, DC was one of pure excitement and nervousness. As Spiro, Eleni and I stepped through the security gates, waving goodbye to our loved ones and family, I knew it would hit me on the plane. Well, that didn't happen. I was assigned to the 23rd row, while Spiro and Eleni enjoyed each other's company in the emergency aisle. They looked so comfortable! I didn't mind, though. When you put the map in front of me with our location, and put me in a window seat I become a five year old at a carnaval! I saw Long Island, Maine, Canada, England, and my favorite sight: Dublin. All at night from the air! (Okay, maybe I am into urban design, but it was still cool as shit!)

We landed as the sun was rising above the clouds in Frankfurt, Germany. Although the skies were overcast, I was still disappointed that I didn't see any castles....do they even have them? Well, it may be Europe, which is different from the US in some regards, but apparently they got the memo to have their airport under major renovation. Hand-written signs and some sketchy dead-ends later, we finally exited the stairwell-of-death (named after Eleni's almost tradgic slip and fall) through a door which I was sure to send the K9s and AK47s our way with a violent alarm. I am happy to report: nothing happened! I made my first purchase in Euros at the airport drugstore for a warm bottle of water. No, it wasn't cold, and no, they don't believe in ice. We boarded our next plane and were soon flying over the Alps....and absolutely breathtaking sight! White jagged edges peirced the clouds below as we cruised into Italian air-space. After flying on a large 767, the Lufthansa Airbus was a little shakey in the landing. Wine vinyards: here we come!! We landed safely, all body parts intact, and headed to baggage. With little wait we had all our 10 bags and passed through customs. Literally, we just walked through the door. Nice. Well the wait was eternity for our reserved driver who never showed. Spiro used his persuasive Greek smile to hitch us a ride. Only problem: this, ladies and gentlemen, was Mission Impossible. 10 bags, 4 people, 1 Mercedes sedan. Want a visual? How the Grinch Stole Christmas! That's all I have to say! No, it probably wasn't legal, and yes Eleni's legs were falling asleep, but we were in Rome! ROME!

Well the taxi driver was excited that we were here to study architecture, so he gave us a breif city tour while grazing pedestrians at unmanagable speeds! He pulled right into the busy market in Campo di Fiori, parked and said "OKAY! We're here!" ....right....we almost crashed on the highway five times over, made hair-pin turns which left luggage falling on my head, took the TRAM LANE in the city and ran over about 7 people including 2 children. Thank God we're here!!

So 12 hours and two plane rides later, we finally made it to our apartment which overlooks the hottest night-life area in Rome. As well as an open-air market during the day, Piazza Campo di Fiori ("Field of Flowers") offers bars, restaurants, panini shops and cafes which I visit everyday! This is going to be awesome......