Jan. 10, 2008 -
Hey Everyone! How are you? Wow, a lot has happened since i last wrote on this.... I think the biggest one is that we are NOT going to Europe... instead we will be going to New York to sing in Carnigie Hall! Talk about cool! I am disappointed about Europe but New York is cool too! So I guess I am going to start reacearching new York and writing about that! So I am going to go work on a article about something in New York!
I bid you all farwell!
Amanda
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Oct. 1, 2007 - Versailles, France.
Bon jour!
Well, I do believe that I am finally back with you for a while now. Today's topic is Versailles, France, but we will get to that in a few minutes!
First, I would like to thank Bluejane for awarding me with the "Blogging with a purpose award!" Thank you so much bluejane for all the nice things you said about me! you are truly a wonderful friend! I miss you!
Ok! now onto France!
Versailles, France (pronounced Ver-sI, with a long "I" sound at the end like the word "eye") is a very old and historic town about 12 miles outside Paris.
Some historical landmarks include the....
Palace of Versailles. Here is an article found on www.whatsonwhen.com about the palace followed by a picture of the magnificently large palace.
--The palace of Versailles became the official residence of the Court of France on 6 May, 1682 under the direction of King Louis XIV, the Sun King. His chief architects were Philibert Le Roy, Louis Le Vau and Hardouin-Mansart, whose work transformed the hunting lodge built by Louis XIII into a home fit for a king during a period of feverish building activity from 1661-1710.
Louis XIV fitted up his palatial quarters with gilded ceilings, decorated by the great painters of the day. He appointed Charles Le Brun (1619-1690) as Chief Painter to the King, who directed the team of artists who decorated Versailles. His Grand Apartment, Hercules Salon and famous Hall of Mirrors, where the First World War peace agreement was signed, are still open to the public today.
The Queen's Suite, which was lived in by Louis XIV's wife, Maria-Theresa, as well as Marie-Antoinette, is also on display. The nearby Queen's Bedchamber still has the sumptuous four-poster bed where the ill-fated queen was attacked during the initial phase of the French Revolution and to which she never returned after being taken into custody in 1789 (and then later executed) by the French Assembly.--
-- The Hall of Mirrors : Close-Up on a Masterpiece
The hall measures 73 metres long, 10.5 metres wide, and 12.3 metres high. At one end is the Salon of War, at the other is the Salon of Peace. Seventeen windows overlooking the garden are matched by seventeen arcaded mirrors along the wall. These exceptionally large mirrors were made in a Paris workshop founded by Colbert to compete with Venice's glass factories. The arches are set on marble pilasters whose gilded bronze capitals are decorated with the symbols of France_the fleur-de-lys and the Gallic cockerel_according to the new 'French order' of architecture invented by Le Brun. The finest ancient statues in Louis XIV's collection, as well as busts of Roman emperors, dot the walls. The solid silver tables, lamp holders, and orange-tree pots that originally adorned the gallery, however, were all unfortunately melted down by Louis XIV himself in order to finance his wars.
The Hall of Mirrors was not only the symbolic focus of the kingdom during the ancien régime, but also continued to play a key historical role after the Revolution. In 1919, the First World War officially ended when Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors; Hungary signed the treaty the following year in the Grand Trianon--
Well, I think that this is all that I am going to cover in this entry. Maybe when I get back from Europe next summer, after visiting Versailles, I will have more to say about this beautiful city.
Au revoir,
Amanda
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Sep. 6, 2007 - The Veiled Christ
This monument lies in the Sansevero Chapel in Naples, Italy. It is a Baroque explosion mourning the body of Christ when it was in the grave. The Piece in made entirely out of marble and is a body lying on a pillow under a very realistic veil and there is a crown of thorns lying at his feet.
If you study the incredible statue you will see that as you walk from the feet to the head you will notice that his facial expression from suffering to peace, and if you stand directly behind it you sill see that the veil over the face disappears.
Nobody knows how Giuseppe Sanmartino (1720-93) created the veil over the body and yet you can still see the features beneath it. But it is regarded as one of the most beautiful pieces of Christian art in Italy.
Quote of the day!
"To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping"
~Chinese Proverb
I bid you all adieu,
Amanda
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Aug. 26, 2007 - Stonehenge, England
STONEHENGE, ENGLAND.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in England about eight miles out of Wiltshire and north of Salisbury,it is one of the most famous monuments in the world. Stonehenge is a large group of standing rocks in a circular setting.
The stones are aligned almost perfectly with the sunrise on the summer solstice, it is almost unquestioned that Stonehenge was built as a spectacular place of worship. although the religion and faith that is was built for remains unknown, and the sight has become a pilgrimage destination for many pagan religions.
Stonehenge attracts over 800,000 persons per year, and several thousand to see the sunrise on the sunrise of the summer solstice (picture 2). The currently standing stones are only part of the original Stonehenge, the original stones have been damaged and worn down by weather and time.
PICTURES
“We may run, walk, stumble, drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow along the way"
- Author unkown
I bid you all adieu,
Amanda
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Aug. 20, 2007 - La Sagrada Familia
Temple Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia,
the Translation of this is "The Expiatory temple of the Holy Family"
This Unfinished Temple was started in 1882, under the direction of Antoni Gaudí for 40 years. After his death, the continued under the direction of Doménech Sugranyes until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1935. During the war part of the building were lost and destroyed. The design that is now being constructed is based on rebuilding the lost parts and also on modern adaptions.
Every part of the design of La Sagrada Familia, is filled with symbolism. The eighteen high towers represent the twelve disciples, the four Evangelists (Matthew, mark, Luke and John), the Virgin Mary, and the tallest of all, Jesus Christ. The towers are decorated with words such as "Hosanna", "Excelsis", "Sanctus", and words from the apostles Creed. The temple had three grand Facade's, the Nativity, Glory and Passion.
The Building is expected to be completed in 2026, the 100th year annaversery of Gaudí's death.
PICTURES
This is the Nativity Facade
This is the Passion Facade w/ lots of tourists!
la Sagrada Familia
La Sagrada Familia
"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." -- Jawaharal Nehru
Farewell,
Amanda
If there is a place that you would like to here about, let me know and I will research it for you and post it in an entry.
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Aug. 20, 2007 -
Hello everyone! This is my first blog entry on this blog.... I have another blog here http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/poetichugs . This blog is dedicated to my love for traveling and Europe. Although I have never been to anywhere besides the west cost of The United states, traveling the world is my greatest dream! Every time I add an entry, which will be about once a week, I will talk about a certain destination or landmark and I will provide a quote by some famous person about traveling or something like that, and a picture to go with the destination.
I have a chance to go to europe next summer with a choir, so who knows by then I may be able to post some pictures of my own travelings.
adieu,
Amanda
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