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The look of astonishment on their faces (obviously feigned somewhat by Mitch!) is something I look forward to every year. I love to take my Art History students into the heart of Florence with no indication of where we are going or what we are first going to see. So after droping the bags at the hotel we head down the street from the Piazza Signoria toward one of the great sights of all Europe. And it is that sight that they are getting their first look at - the Florence Cathedral! It is spectacular! There is just no other word for it! Made of the typical Tuscan colored marble of red and green and white, it is a masterpiece of Italian Gothic decoration and design. There is no facade in Western Europe that is as stunning, and to see the looks on the faces of my students when they see what we have only seen in pictures is just great fun! Giotto's tower rises beside the cathedral and gives a commanding view for miles around, and gives a great look at the gigantic dome that Brunelleschi put on top of the cathedral. In all respects this is one of the great buildings in the world. And just as they are recovering their wits I remind them that just opposite the cathedral facade is one of the sculptural masterpieces they have been waiting for - The East Doors of the Baptistry of Florence Cathedral!

Created by Lorenzo Ghiberti, none other than Michelangelo gave them the name they are know by - the Gates of Paradise. That is what Michelangelo called them when he first laid eyes on them, and Michelangelo did not go around passing out complements. For him to give a nod to another work of sculpture means something. And these doors, 17 feet tall with individual bronze panels three feet square detailing scenes from the Bible in remakable three dimensionality are among the very peaks of Western art. Needless to say, this group of students was impressed as well.

I love Florence. It's spot on the Arno river is beautiful, and the great Uffizi gallery is a gem of a museum. We had a great time in there, with the first room showing the work of the most important painter in the history of Western art - Giotto. Astounded looks all around as the scale of his altarpiece Madonna Enthroned struck them, and they saw first hand his revolution of three dimensionality in painting. Raphael, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Fra Fillippo Lippi, Caravaggio, Van Honthorst, the list went on and so did the smiles. But Florence itself, astride its beautiful river, is equally the star of the show.

Yea, it leans. It leans a lot. I had forgotten. The last time I was here was 1989, and memory hasn't served me well. In fact, they have straightened the tower by nine feet since I saw it last, so when I saw again how dramatic the tilt is, how astounding that the thing stays up, I really can't imagine that I climed it when it leaned out another nine feet! Sheesh! And, as far as Pisa goes, this is it. Back on the train and off we went to Lucca,

I like Lucca. We all liked Lucca. Far lest touristy that any other place on our Italy itinerary, it was just fun to wander around and enjoy. Best of all was the medieval rampart, a huge wide earthen wall lined with stone that has now been converted into a wonderful pedestrian and bike way that goes all the way around old Lucca for 2.5 miles. On rental bikes we were off for a leisurly five mile ride under great plane trees and beautiful views of the city. We all highly recommend it.

Venice is like no other. Elegant decay is the best description I can come up with for this unique water world. Venice's blessing and it's curse is us - the tourist. Without us Venice would have been lost to crumble and the Adriatic. With us it is a crowded warren of humans elbow to elbow. The only way to really enjoy Venice, to my mind, is to be up and out at 5:00 A.M. That way no one is around, and you have the experience of Venice above. Quiet, serene, rotting and beautiful, Venice captures your imagination and your heart like no other place I know. But not at noon in St. Mark's Square with the rest of humanity!

Hangin' With the Pope!

Yea, that's the Pope alright. For the third year in a row now he and I have hooked up, so to speak. Earlier in the day it was me and Mohamar Khadafi - honest! Oh the people you meet in this wonderful city! Today is the big Gay Pride parade, so in two days we have seen one of the worlds most infamous terrorists, have seen the Holy Father, and have seen trucks full of gay guys with squirt guns. And in between that, we've seen some pretty cool art and architecture.

Looking up into the dome of St. Peter's Basilica is one of the great sight of this town. It just soars' and before you see this you have already been thrilled by the sheer size of the building as you entered through the front door. I wish I had a picture of the tour group as the walked in, jaws dropping in unison as the scale and the beauty of it all hits you immediately. It is one of the moments that really make a trip like this. So is the that architypal Roman building - the Colosseum.

Pictures cannot do this place justice. Placing yourself in it, taking in its scale, that is the only way to appreciate what the emperor Vespasian pulled off with the ten year project of its construction. Its more that you can imagine. Our group was, to say the least, overwhelmed.

So yea, were in Rome. The Sistine Chapel and the gelato are as great as ever, the group is tired but loving all of it, it is very hot, and who knows who else we'll run into before the day is through!

What a great place!

Awake in Rome

Back again at last. It all feels very comfortable these days, having spent so much time here over the years. I am reminded why it is my favorite city in Europe on my jet lag walk - the first thing I do after dumping my bags at the hotel.

The familiar tourists are here, but not in the droves of past summers. Seems the economy took its toll. But some are here just the same, the serious ones who are here to learn something, the college kids taking a break (or unable to find a job right now) the fun loving and the crass. The Romans take us all in stride, and after a day or two or rummaging around town I have yet to talk with a Roman who is exasperated at our presence.

It is warm. Summer his here, and with it the high temperatures and the humidity. Taking a break during a busy day, drinking lots of water, seeking some shade, all make Rome much more enjoyable this time of year and are a must if one is to survive the gauntlet of must-see attractions in this incomparable city.

Rome is a city of churches, nearly every one an architectural jewel in some way or another. Stoping in on what looks like a rather unpromising church from the outside you can be taken aback with wonder at mosaics and marble, at paintings and tombs. Never judge a Roman church by it's cover. Then again, there are some spectacular facades on nearly every street as well. It's all just a bit dazzling.

All of this was taken in during my mid day stroll on my first day back in Rome. A stop at the grocery store for fruit and juice and bread and cheese, and it was off to one of the quietes parks in Rome, the trees and grass (weeds, really) surrounding the ruins of the baths of Trajan. It seems the Romans have taken to the whole Family Home Evening thing, for the park was filled with laughing children, happy parents, and ond coupled arm in arm on benches, still very much in love. It was an idyll of family life and love in this incredible city of cities. Ancient Romans kept the idea of family sacred. Modern Romans, the few who are having families anyway, seem to me to treasure them as much as ever. When I got back to my hotel I called my wife in far away Utah, to share a few moments of the same feeling.

It has been a good day - a really good day. A good day to be back in Rome.

Won't Be Long Now!

In 24 hours I'll be somewhere over Nova Scotia on a flight across the Atlantic bound for Rome. In my minds eye I can see the beautiful Umbrella Pines in the fields around Fumacino Airport - those unique trees that first caught my eye in 1989 as my plane approached the runway on my very first trip to Europe. I've never forgotten that sight, and the 23 times since that I have landed at Fumacino I always look for those pines. I know then that I am back - back to my favorite city in the world!

Rome is a baptism by fire. It is an intense first taste of Europe, loud and busy and warm and crowded, full of ruins and churches everywhere you look, and at the same time serene and sublime and beautiful and magnificent. Rome overloads every one of your five senses, and even encroaches on your sixth, as you wander back in time to the first Romans, then the early Christians, then the marauding bands of Germanic warriors, then the ascension of the Catholic church with their Baroque churches, and finally modern work-a-day Rome.

But through it all the Romans, the people that live here, still take time for a long lunch and slow evening stroll after a late leisurely dinner. They don't live to work here in Rome, they work to Live. For the fine art of living in a bustling urban center, you can't beat Rome.

And so it is to Rome that I first take my tour groups. I go a couple of days early to soak in the European lifestyle so that I am a good teacher of how to be a temporary European. When my group arrives and I greet them at the airport, it is with that goal in mind that we begin our wonderful journey through a part of Europe together. I love every minute of it. I can't wait to get on that plane, I can't wait to see my Umbrella pines!

Welcome

Welcome to Kelly Oram's European Travels blog. As Kelly travels through Europe, he will leave a travel log of his adventures here so we can become part of the experience.