Art

Public art seems to be everywhere in Florence.  

I love the idea of the Loggia dei Lanzi, which is like an open air museum.

There was also plenty of unauthorized art and I had fun collecting it.

Maybe it was the tourist version Pokemon Go.

We also visited Clet's studio and learned a bit more about his work.  According to information provided there he is

"an Italian artist with Breton origins... The artist's main purpose is to actively claw back public spaces.  Road signs, symbol of undisputed authority, signifying obligations, duty and limitations, are modified in order to contradict the strict conception of legality as an absolute religion."

 I also searched for Blub works, which are also called, 'Art Knows How To Swim,' (L’arte Sa Nuotare).

This was outside Clet's studio.

I would encourage you to poke around the web for more images and information.

Florentia

Yes, Florence = Firenze = Florentia = Florenz = Florencia.

In addition to the crowds and everything related to the church and House of Medici, there were other things that caught my eye.

Floors and other tiles - ideas for our fireplace in California?

This silver altar was in the Duomo museum and it is something that is better
to see in person because of the details, which remind me of the miniatures I loved as a kid.

Probably an art history course could spend one class on each panel.

Maybe that is where Mr. Rogers go the idea for the Land of Make Believe.

I ate pasta and pizza and had some wine, but I think the best food was the fried zucchini blossoms. And Italian plums.  Sorry I forgot to take any gelato pictures.

Pasta, chestnuts, persimmons, artichokes, endive (who eats that?), and zucchini with blossoms

I have so many pictures and it is so hard to pull everything together.  Today is just a mishmash post.

Florence

Our first trip out of town was to visit friends who are having their second stay in Florence as part of a study abroad program (someone needs to be there to teach the approximately 7000 U.S. students who are there each year). Having hosts who can navigate the town and the language was a treat, but it was still overwhelming. I can't remember seeing so many amazing works of art in one place, which is probably why there were so many tourists in one place!

I wrote almost a whole post, but it seemed like it could have been written by anyone who had visited. The pictures were nice but nothing unique.  I think I won't finish that post and instead just write about a few random things.  I strongly encourage you to poke around the web and find more awesome pictures, essays about art, and details about history of the area.

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Climbing to the top of Giotti's Bell Tower was worth the challenge.
Here you can see the carvings representing the guilds on the lowest level,
the representations of planets on the next level, and saints above that.

The Grand Museum of the Duomo has the original works, which were great to see close up,

but a whole room of them is a lot to absorb.  We tried.

On the first day we also visited the Baptistry of San Giovanni, rebuilt where one had been in the 4th or 5th century.  The doors are

Firenze

Details to follow.

School Saga

What happens when you would normally start eighth grade and your parents put you in a school where your classmates started learning their fourth language the year before?  Chin up and figure out how to fit in.  It does to seem to help to be able to keep in touch with people back home electronically.

A. has been doing his U.S. math during math class, keeping up with his English reading during another class, and having Spanish lessons during another.  Lucky for him about a third of the classes are taught in English, a language he excels in.

The ride to school is not particularly bike-friendly, but he manages the 15-20 minute ride safely. Once a week he has orchestra and a cello lesson so he catches the public bus, along with other students from a couple schools.  Some kids make the trek to his school all the way from Barcelona, either by public transit or charter bus.  A. is very happy not to be doing that.

One hard part has been the timing.  School starts at 8:50, there is a break from 10:30-11 when the kids have a snack many call breakfast, and then there is a break from 13:30-15:00.  During that time A. has soccer twice a week, cello lesson once a week, and paddle tennis once a week.  School lets out at 16:40.  It is fairly standard to have a long lunch break because of the tradition of going home for a hot lunch, but the late dismissal is still something he is adjusting to.

Outside of school A. is enjoying Pokemon Go, drawing, listening to Harry Potter, and evaluating the local bakeries.  He has also made a friend who likes to toss an American football, which A. enjoys, too.

I hope he looks back fondly on this time!


**Breaking news**
When A. asked where to park his bike he was told one had asked that before.  They found a place, but yesterday he told us they installed a bike rack!  Too bad he liked the old space better.

Buckeyes

Over a month ago I wrote that my good thing of the day was finding a cluster of buckeye trees not far from home.

I was amazed that we were able to fill this bowl.
I learned that because I don't have competition from squirrels I could fill it each day.

This picture was taken before I got rid of most of them because the ones at the bottom were starting to get moldy.  Yech.  The good news is that I brought home about thirty on Tuesday and more today.  It is so hard to not pick up every single one, but I am learning to be selective.

I always have a buckeye in my pocket.  The unusual shape of this one makes it a keeper.

I do not use Pledge furniture polish on them like I did as a kid, but I hope natural oils keep them from getting too dry and crusty. 

Federal holiday

I learned that yesterday was, "Thanksgiving in Canada and it's an official statutory holiday except in PEI, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia - however federally regulated institutions do observe Thanksgiving in those provinces too."  

Yesterday was Columbus Day, a federal holiday in the U.S., but not observed by our school district and many other places.  

Tomorrow is a federal holiday here commemorating the arrival of Columbus in the Americas. Because we are in Catalonia it is a bit different.  Stores are closed, but some people go to work on the principle that there is nothing to celebrate (#resacelebrar).

Tweet translated from Catalan, "It fulfills 524 years of Lies, farms
genocidio, oppression and extermination. 12-O, day of shame."

Tomorrow, October 12 to celebrate anything! We fight for freedom, destroy fascism!

Against Genocide and day "of raza" ... #ResACelebrar!

And according to the paper the large monument to Columbus, which is at one end of the main tourist drag where it meets the water, was tagged 12-O (12 October) and Res A Celebrar.

From Google Translate, "CUP upset Barcelona aired photographs that are different monuments that have historical connections with colonialism, like Columbus or Antonio López, painted with slogans such as "12 or nothing to celebrate."Cleaning services of the City Council have begun to remove the paint that has appeared this morning."

School is closed for A. and the weather forecast calls for rain so I am guessing it will be a quiet day around here.