Visiting in Vienna

On Saturday we arrived in Vienna, Austria.  Our overnight train left little to be desired  so we were anxious to get there and move on!  When we stepped off the train we were greeted by my cousin Carmen and her husband, Joshua.   We were delighted to see them as it has been a few years since our last visit.  (Far too long...)

Carmen and Joshua were the perfect hosts.  We went to see the Habsburg family mansion that now houses an old private library collection.  (Obviously, I loved this!)  We also went the Schaumbrann Palace, saw the Worlds Fair Farris wheel, visited a local market, and strolled through a music festival.  Joshua was such a fantastic tour guide and made sure we saw Vienna's "Best of the Best" during our short visit.  

Best of all we were able to relax and catch up with our family.  We met Joshua's mother Gina and are looking forward to her visiting us on her next midwestern trip.  Carmen and Joshua's hospitality was sincere and overwhelming.  We can't thank them enough!

Beautiful Prague

Kurt and I just wrapped up a wonderful 3 days in Prague, Czech Republic.  Now we completely understand why everyone loves this beautiful city.  It truly feels like we have stepped back in time, and are living in our own fairy tale.

We arrived on Tuesday and set off to explore the Old Towne.  We found our way to the "hub" of the city, Old Towne Square.  We strolled around and found a few of the landmark glass companies that keep shops along the edges of this busy and beautiful place.  We walked in and out of stores and galleries that held either traditional Czech crystal or unique Bohemian blown glass.  Glass shops are plentiful here but the pieces are different than any we've seen on the trip.  I was so excited to be in this city and experiencing a place that has such a strong history and deep pride for the glass art on display.  

It started to rain (no, it started to POUR) so we took cover under an awning and had a nice meal.  We watched everyone get soaked and enjoyed our dry clothes and good food.  This rain has been following us around for the past few days but never really putting a damper on our plans.  Instead it has cooled off the daytime temps, which has been welcomed.  

On Wednesday we went to see the Prague Castle in the morning and then Kurt's sister Ali and her fiance David meet us to join in on our adventures.   We were so thrilled to finally see them and we strolled the cobblestone streets for hours just talking and exploring.  

On Thursday morning we all hit the road and headed out to the country to a small town called Nizbor.  We went to the Ruckle Crystal Factory and toured the facility.   This was the first time I had seen glass art in more of a business setting and I'll admit it left me a bit saddened.   While everything this company makes was done by hand, it was hard to see an assembly line of glass production, as opposed to one lone artist working on a piece of art until completion.  I guess in my mind I wanted to think that every piece of glass is made by a talented craftsman who is putting their artist expressions into their work, though I knew in reality that is not the ways of a successful glass business.   On the upside to the tour I saw glass being blown and used with molds for the very first time, as well as crystal being cut by hand (I was very curious as to how this was done.)  I learned quite a bit from this small factory and am grateful for this opportunity.  (Even if it felt like I had pulled the curtain back and saw the real Wizard of Oz.)

On Friday we head out for the last leg of our trip Zurich, Switzerland.  We are driving through the countryside with Ali and Dave and plan to stop by the Munich Hofbrauhaus along the way.  We will spend the last few days of our trip in Zurich (Ali & Dave's hometown) before we fly home on Monday.

MAVERICK WE'RE ON OUR WAY!

Visiting Murano

On Friday Kurt and I took the vaparetto to the island of Murano. This small island just off of Venice is the mecca of glassblowing. The small streets along each canal are loaded with glass shops and fornaces. We strolled in and out, admiring the beautiful pieces and speaking with the store owners, sales people and artists.
We were able to see some demonstrations inside some of the fornaces. We watched a man pull and press molten glass and within about 45 seconds it became a horse. This spectacle was more for the tourist’s amazement than it was in making a beautiful piece of artwork, but alas, we were all pretty impressed.
Best of all we went into the Murano Glass Museum where there was an impressive collection of ancient glass, old tools and tons of information about the process. The curator’s cards were so informative that I begged a museum employee to copy them for me (so that I wouldn’t be tempted to steal them!) As is the Italian way, they happily obliged and I am very grateful for all the information they shared! Graci!
Eventually, Kurt and I headed back to Venice, totally wiped from a day of strolling and staring at all the artwork. We decided a gondola ride would cap off our day perfectly. We leave Italy on Saturday and head to Vienna to visit with Sawyer’s cousin Carmen and her husband Joshua. We are thrilled to catch up with them and visit their new home town.

Sorry no pictures for this post yet! Our camera is packed in our bag at the moment! Will post pictures later.

Glass Stress Art Exhibit

Welcome to Venice! This city is so beautiful and romantic, yet Kurt and I are the "armageddon tourists" that are fixated on the idea that it is sinking. We are so stupid. :O) Seriously, the buildings and architecture are breathtaking. Beyond my wildest dreams! Last night we had dinner on the Grand Canal and then took the vaparetto all around the island. Truly, amazing.

Yesterday we went to St. Mark's Square and found the prestigious Pauly & Co. and Venizian glass shops. The price tags on the items inside we outrageous. I was nervous just looking at the glass. I took lots of pictures and the people were pretty accommodating to the tourists who couldn't buy these pieces with a decade's worth of teacher's salary. There was one shop that made me laugh as you had to be buzzed inside, they allowed no pictures even from outside their store and they actually had a sign that said "Please don't touch...you can always ask to stare." HA!

Today we walked the streets and it wasn't hard to get lost. This city was designed by a maniac. We wandered and wandered and spent tons of time looking in the shops at all of the beautiful art glass. Eventually we arrived at the InstitutoVeneto diScienzelLettere edArt (my translation would call this the Venice Institute for Science and Art?) We bought tickets to the GlassStress exhibit. Inside was a fantastic collection of contemporary glass art from all around the world. Wild pieces that were totally crazy and completely genius. The talent of the artisans was astounding. Some of my personal favorites were the table covered in glass organs and a floor to ceiling collection of glass bubbles that looked so thin that if you'd blow on them they'd POP! The exhibit was the highlight of our day and perfect example of how glass has transformed into a modern art (even in this ancient town.)

Rome = No Internet

Greetings Friends and Followers! We arrived in Rome to find out that the Internet was down in our hotel. We were able to find a small internet cafe and have uploaded a few posts...enjoy! We leave tomorrow for Venice and hope to have better luck with the internet at that hotel. Rome has been AMAZING and we are excited to travel on!

Roman Glass

Ah! Jackpot! While wandering the streets of Rome Kurt and I stumbled upon the most beautiful blown glass shop. We went inside to meet the owner and in house glass artist, a man by the name of Mazen Rankoussi. Mazen was beyond welcoming as he talked to us about his treasure trove of art glass, all handmade by himself. Mazen showed me some of the books he uses to gain inspiration and which pieces in his shop reflected Roman, Venetian, and Murano techniques. He talked to me about his life as a glass artist for over 21 years. He has lived in Roma for over 20 years, and considers himself a native of Italy. His roots however, take him back to his birthplace of Syria where he told us about how glass was discovered there dating 2000 years before Christ. That a massive fire burnt along the Syrian coast turning the beach sand to molten glass. Mazen’s work was absolutely beautiful, his shop unbelievably quaint, and his hospitality overwhelming. He gave each of us a glass bead as we left the shop wishing us good luck during the rest of our trip. Meeting Mazen and seeing all of his beautiful handmade Roman art was a total surprise and pleasure.

Vatican Museums

What an amazing day! On our quest for art both ancient and new Kurt and I set off for the Vatican Museums. We met Maria our private guide and she took us on an unbelievable journey back in time as we looked at some of the most ancient and influential art known around the world today. We looked at countless Roman sculptures, tapestries, and painted frescos. We saw the artwork of the master’s like Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini. We were in awe of the Sistine Chapel, and amazed by the grandeur of the Basilica. We were told that because of the size of the museums we wouldn’t be able to see (even close) to everything. While we didn’t get to see much in the means of glass, we couldn’t believe all of the ancient treasures that were laid out in front of us. Because of the history of the city, they can’t dig into the ground without uncovering a new site to excavate. So there is such a wealth of art (mostly sculpture) that has been found, and at the same time, much left undiscovered. Interestingly, Maria talked to us about the difficulty modern art has in the current Roma art scene. That the city still prefers the baroque style of its past to most new and contemporary works. Hands down, the experience of visiting the Vatican Museums was made by our guide Maria, who earned her Art History PhD while studying in the Vatican libraries and museums. Thank you, Maria!