A Well Kept Man

Alli's favorite highlight of our trip to Rome was the Sistine Chapel. To get to the Sistine Chapel, you have to wind your way through the Vatican museum admiring the various works of art collected by the Catholic church over the years. Also there were many statues of granite and marble, a map room where the walls were covered in maps painted directly on the walls, and beautiful courtyards for evening strolls with the Pope and his bishops (all of which could technically be considered as art, I suppose). Some of my favorites included an octagonal courtyard that contained statues of Greek gods, and paintings by Raphael (yet another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle). I also appreciated some artwork that had I not been exposed to as a child, I probably would have just zipped by without much notice. The art was by a Japanese artist named Sadao Watanabe whom my grandparents became admirers of while they lived in Japan (Grandpa was in the military, while Grandma became the inspiration for my current lifestyle as A Well Kept Man...don't read too far into this).

After winding our way through the museum, we finally arrived at the packed Sistine Chapel where we found some seats on the periphery and listened to a one-hour podcast about Michelangelo's (again, another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) most recognized work of art. I never fully appreciated the various aspects of the chapel, as the only nuggets that really ever lodged in my brain were that his back was probably sore from painting the ceiling as well as the more famous scene on the ceiling of God reaching out to create Adam. It also contains many other images from Genesis such as God creating the world, the Temptation in the Garden, and the Great Flood, in addition to various Saints and Biblical prophets.

The wall behind the altar is perhaps one of the most moving as it is a painting of the Last Judgement where Christ comes back to judge the living and the dead (with a self-portrait of the artist himself).

The ceiling was cleansed a few years back allowing the originally beauty of the ceiling to be witnessed by a new generation. The restorers left a small section of the ceiling as it was to enable a comparison of the way the ceiling looked prior to restoration. Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside the chapel, but fortunately it seems that rule is not enforced (it seems that it is really the flashes they don't want). Now I'm not saying the pictures in this post are from my camera, I'm just saying I have some photographs whose origin will remain nameless. They were more strict on dress-code and noise in the chapel in effort to maintain reverence for the space (it is a church after all). This chapel is where the bishops pick the popes, and vigilant Catholics wait outside for the signal of black or white smoke from the chimney indicating whether or not a new pope was selected. It is not easy to see the chimney in question, but I have included a surveillance picture of the roof with an arrow pointing to the pipe. The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel are well worth the time (plan to spend at least two to three hours visiting), plus at the end you get to visit St. Peter's Basilica (stay tuned...).

This is part two in a series of getting my wife off of my back...she seems to think this blog is some sort of diary (do I look like a fourteen year-old girl writing my personal thoughts about the cute boy in science class? Don't answer that...). Anyway, after leaving Barcelona I boarded the high speed train which was much more exciting than it should have been (I am a train dork...I love 'em, always have). The train reached a top speed of 300 km/hr (that's faster than I can run, honest!) which only caused me to get more geeky. I must admit though the weirdest part was watching the Spanish thriller movie about some weird mom who thinks she is being haunted by a ghost (thank goodness I know Spanish, otherwise the movie probably would have been lame, oh wait...it was anyway).

On to Madrid...I arrived in Spain's capital city and immediately set off to find my hotel which proved to be quite easy as it was near the train station (and even nearer the Scientology building in Madrid! I thought about going in to look for Tom Cruise, but decided I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face while listening to their spiel so I continued on to my hotel). I spent much of the next two days exploring all of the wonderful churches and museums of Madrid, while realizing how much colder it was than I expected. Thankfully there was enough sun during the day to keep my bird legs warm, and plenty of Spanish café con leche (that's coffee with milk for the Español challenged). I even managed to get caught up in a protest of sorts as marchers walked down the Gran Via (Main Street) with signs calling for some politician's arrest. It was quite fun!

The Prado was definitely one of the most moving experiences as I was able to see many of El Greco's works (a personal favorite) as well as many of the other Spanish masters. A stop at the Musem Reina Sofia allowed me to see the massive Guernica, one of Picasso's most poignant and thought provoking pieces (the painting itself is about 11 feet tall and 25 feet wide...you feel quite small while absorbing its many messages and motifs). Madrid is home to the Royal Palace, which I decided to leave for another visit as I was trying to avoid going inside on such a beautiful Spanish day (albeit a cold one).

As the strain of living in Europe was weighing on me, I opted for comfort food while in Madrid. While my lunches were more typical of a Spaniard (tapas or light sandwiches), my dinners were very much in line with what I would eat in America (although not North American in origin). The first dinner I had in Madrid was at a Mexican restaurant (guacamole, tacos, Mexican beer...just like home!), and for my second dinner (different night, promise) I ate at an Argentinian restaurant (steak, baked potato, empanadas, Argentine beer...I miss grilled food!). I decided these were acceptable "Spanish" meals as both cultures (Mexico & Argentina) speak Spanish, and have major influences as a result of the Spanish (even if the influences were a little forced)...so don't judge me. :)

Another highlight was the fountain/memorial to Miguel Cervantes, author of the famous Don Quixote (and his pal Sancho Panza). This story is a classic and I strongly encourage you to read it if you haven't...it will change the way you view the world (hehehe). That's me next to the man himself Don Quixote! As you can see from these pictures, I may or may not have decided to grow facial hair that week as I was without my wife, and thus without someone complaining about the way I looked. Unfortunately the facial hair saw its demise soon after Alli's arrival back in Switzerland, but it was nice to have as the weather in Spain was brutal and I forgot my scarf. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Spain as it was a place I always wanted to visit. I can't wait to get back and see more of Southern Spain, as well as maybe go back and see a few of the things I missed...