And So I Don't Forget...

Visiting Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Maybe the most famous. Yet many of her visitors, thousands upon thousands each year, leave feeling underwhelmed. Personally, I've spent more time watching the crowd than looking at the painting itself.

Mona Lisa is smaller than expected, 0.77 metres by 0.53 metres, and although a beautiful and enigmatic painting, it's not really artistic merit that has her so famous.      

In 1911 Mona Lisa was stolen off the wall of the Louvre. Three Italian handymen, employed to build glass cases for some of the museum's prized works, hid in a storeroom overnight and removed the painting Monday morning while the Louvre was closed. It wasn't until the next day the theft was discovered, but when the museum released a statement it made headline news around the world.    

Crowds gathered at police headquarters, wanted posters appeared on Parisian walls, the French border was closed and all departing ships and trains were searched. When the museum reopened a week later Franz Kafka was along the thousands of people who queued to view the empty spot on the wall.  

Conspiracy theories abounded; Pablo Picasso was among those bought in for questioning. By the time Mona Lisa was discovered two years later, when one of the thieves attempted to sell her to an Italian art dealer, she was the most famous painting in the world.    

I think Mona Lisa's history, including vandalism attempts, hanging in the bathroom of the king and the unanswered question of why da Vinci kept this painting with him, makes her all the more interesting. The estimated value of $770 million doesn't hurt either.

She's worthy of a visit the next time you're in Paris. 

TBT: The Sweet Spot

Today Mike and I made the first booking for our next holiday. After months of debating, umming and ahhing over whether to go away or not, we are now in the sweet spot of holiday planning; a trip is definitely going to happen but we haven't yet had to organise all the other pesky details.

Flights, accommodation, transfers, car rental, visas, local currency, house sitter, time off work, budgeting...it's no wonder planning isn't my favourite part of travel. At the moment our trip - a few weeks in Italy and Croatia - is all possibility. With every decision we make we will narrow down the options, choosing this location over that one, a few extra days here in favour of there, this hotel over that one, second guessing yourself all the while.

But this right here, a trip on the horizon and nothing but possibilities, this is the sweet spot. 

TBT: Quick Friendships

After a long, last day at Disneyworld Mike and I sat down at table of the restaurant/bar at our hotel, New Orleans Resort French Quarter, to have a late dinner. When one of the ladies on the next table spilled a drink on herself, much to her disgust and the amusement of her friends, we were pulled into conversation. 

These four ladies were nuns, based in different orders around the country now but together again to celebrate, belatedly, a 60th birthday at Disneyworld. Nuns at Disneyworld; it blew my mind in the best possible way.

We talked about Australia's recent military involvement around the world and the role of religion in American politics, the decline of religiousness in Australian society and the impact that has on developing communities, and Mike was quite open about being an atheist. I was a bit apprehensive about that - who tells a nun they're atheist!? - but he was respectful and they were fascinated. They had never met an atheist before and wondered how we could still be such good moral people.    

Chairs all pulled together, we had one of those great conversations that make you sad when it's time to say goodbye. And when we eventually did, they offered us a blessing before remembering Mike's beliefs and repeating the sentiment in secular language.   

I can be somewhat cynical when traveling, often treating a greeting from a local with caution and a check of my pockets and bags. But while that reaction does have a place, genuine interactions with locals have resulted in some lovely travel memories. From the Egyptian toilet attendant who put a cold compress on my forehead when I had heatstroke to the Japanese gentlemen who all but grabbed my camera and hustled us into a better position for a photo to four American nuns at Disneyworld, sharing kindness and conversation can be wonderful.  

San Francisco's Painted Ladies

October 2010.

Taj Mahal, Agra

I have a vertical version of that photo printed BIG and hanging up in my house. 

It was a hazy, polluted dawn when I took these photos, people everywhere even at that early hour, and yet the Taj Mahal was breathtaking. Majestic, imposing, delicate, detailed.

Iconic. 

As I traveled through India and saw all these amazing buildings and palaces and forts, I often questioned how it was that the Taj Mahal was so familiar to us but we'd never even heard of these other wonders. Sure, the Princess Diana photo made headlines around the world (that's 'Lady Di's chair' in the background), but why? Why was this place so special?

Then I went there myself, almost giddy with that 'I can't believe I'm actually here' feeling. 

I don't know why it is that special, but it is. It really is. 

North Seymour Island, Galapagos Islands

This was the island excursion that made us go wow. The first time, anyway.

North Seymour Island was the morning stop on our first full day cruising in the Galapagos Islands. We rode the Zodiacs to shore then followed our guide along the path through the island. I was amazed how close we were to the wildlife; in some cases they were right in the middle of our path!

We saw Blue-Footed Boobys. 

A Sea Lion pup that was, at most, 6 hours old. 

Frigatebirds all puffed up, trying to attract a mate. 

Those that were nesting. Baby Frigatebird.

And Land Iguanas.  

It was fascinating. The animals had this amazing lack of fear. In many cases we could have reached out and touched them, but they just continued on with whatever they were doing, unperturbed. 

I've never experienced anything like it. 

Gion District, Kyoto

I adore these traditional wooden building; simple and calming, minimalist and yet there are so many textures and details. And behind the facades there is a whole different world. 

Gion is home to Kyoto's geisha district, one of the most exclusive in all of Japan. The geiko, as they are called in Kyoto, and maiko, apprentice geisha, entertain in tea houses, known as ochaya. It is a private, exclusive world that exists behind innocuous wooden doors. 

We were lucky enough to see a few geiko, or possibly maiko, as we strolled through the streets of an evening. On one occasion a geiko was walking right behind me for a way, but Mike couldn't work out how to signal discretely. They seemed so self-possessed and elegant, and I felt giddy with excitement. 

Travel Bug Tuesday: Lima, Peru

With only one full day in Lima, Mike and I spent our time doing laundry (oh, the glamour of travelling!), eating and taking a tour of the city. Our little group, minibus sized, wandered the streets with headsets, listening to the tour guide. 

Miraflores is an affluent area of Lima, home to many hotels, including ours, as well as many parks and gardens. The district is named for its many flowers. 

The Plaza Mayor is in the historic centre of Lima; an amazing square surrounded by the Goverment Palace, the Cathedral of Lima, the Archbishop's Palace, the Municipal Palace and the Palace of the Union. Parts of the square were roped off and there were audio checks happening on a big stage while we were there. It would be an amazing place for a performance and I love to see that Plaza Mayor is not just left to history.      

The Basilica Cathedral of Lima. 

The Archbishop's Palace of Lima. The wooden balconies were so detailed and lovely. 

Government Palace of Peru. 

As we approached the Church and Convent of San Francisco a large flock of pigeons flew round and round in circles. That's enough to get my non-bird-loving adrenaline going!

We followed it with a tour of the catacombs under the church. With low ceilings, a dank smell and some skeleton parts of the thousands of bodies buried there visible, I wasn't too fond of that either. ;)      

That stonework though, I always love me some stone carving. :)

 

 

Travel Bug Tuesday: Cusco, Peru

Cusco is a mountain city, with an altitude of around 3,400 m (11,200 ft). We spent a few days here on our honeymoon, both before and after we walked the Inca Trail.

This city was the capital of the Inca Empire, believed to be laid out in the shape of a puma, a sacred animal.   

After the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1530s, many of the Inca temples and buildings were destroyed, the foundations and stone reused to create the churches and cathedrals there today. 

Cusco is filled with tourists, but still incredible to see.

It's also where I had the most relaxing massage of my entire life. A small flame lamp burning away under the massage table and a coca-laced massage oil...I walked away so relaxed I was loopy!   

TBT: Jewish Cemetery, Warsaw

On the weekend BoyF and I saw the movie The Monuments Men (really enjoyed it). Our conversation after made me think of here, the Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw, Poland. It was one of the most haunting places I visited in Europe.

Reclaimed by forest, headstones broken and in disarray, the cemetery tells of community that disappeared.    

(And yes, I did cut my photos into ovals. I recommend that people NOT do that.)