What we saw?

With many thanks to my colleague Bryce Meacham from our university's Department of Music, I can share with you a list of the numerous sites we saw while on our eighteen day journey through France, Greece, and Italy.

August 19

Walked by Petit Palais and Grand Palais to the Alexander III Bridge

Hotel des Invalides (Military Museum) and Napoleon’s Tomb

Eiffel Tower

River cruise on the Seine

August 20

Train to Versailles

Toured the Chateau

Gardens including the Latona Fountain and Grand Canal

Grand Trianon

Pettit Trianon

Marie Antoinette Theater

French Pavilion

Temple of Love

Hameau de la Reine (Queen’s Hamlet)

Gardens including the Grotto of Thetis, Orangerie

August 21

Train to Chartres

Chartres Cathedral

Train back to Paris

Saint Denis

Sacre Couer

Montmartre area

August 22

Mass at Notre Dame

St. Chapelle

Drive to The Somme

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

Thiepval Memorial

Ulster Tower

Dinner at Flunch

August 23

Louvre

Arc de Triomphe

Champs Elysees

August 24

Flight to Athens on Olympic Air (Five Star service!!!!!)

Dinner

The Pnyx

August 25

Mars' Hill

Acropolis

Theater of Dionysus

Acropolis Museum

Temple of Zeus

Gyros at Monastiraki

National Archeological Museum

Agora and Temple of Hephaestus

August 26

Delphi

Temple of Apollo

Amphitheater

Stadium for Pythian Games

Museum

Lunch in modern Delphi with views of Bay of Corinth

Stop in Arachova

August 27

EasyJet flight to Rome

Lunch around Termini (Rome's railroad station)

Train to Florence

Some walked around town and went to the Baptistery

August 28

Santa Maria Novella

Ufizzi Gallery

Met at Loggia on Piazza de la Signoria

Santa Maria del Carmine

Brancacci Chapel

Outside of Baptistery–Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise

Santa Maria del Fiore–Duomo

Palazzo Medici–Riccardi

Gozzoli’s Procession of the Magi

August 29

Mass at Santa Croce

Accademia di Belle Arti

Michelangelo’s David

Cappella dei Principia at San Lorenzo

Sarcophagus of the Medici family

Florence Baptistery or Battistero di San Giovanni

August 30

Train to Rome

Catacombs of San Callisto

Baptistry of St. John Lateran

Scala Sancta–Holy Steps

St. John Lateran

August 31

San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains)

Colosseum

Constantine’s Arch

Palatine

Domus Augustana–Imperial Palace

Circus Maximus

Roman Forum

Arch of Titus

Basilica of Maxentius

Temple of Antonius and Faustina

Temple of Vesta

Temple of Castor and Pollux

Temple of Saturn

Curia (Roman Senate)

Arch of Septimus Severus

Piazza di Campidoglio

Bronze Statue of Marcus Aurelius

National Monument of Victor Emmanuel

Trajan’s Column

Borghese Gallery

September 1

Santa Maria del Popolo

Ars Pacis Augustae

Piazza Novano

Sant'Agnese in Agone

San Luigi di Francesi

Parthenon

Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

Saint Ignatius Loyola

Church of the Gesù (Chiesa del Gesù)

Trevi Fountain

September 2

Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martir (St. Mary of Angels and Martyrs)

Santa Maria della Vittoria

Capuchin Crypt at Chiesa di Santa Maria della Concezion

Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls (Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura)

September 3

Vatican Museum

St. Peter’s Basilica

Mars' Hill

Looking down on modern day Athens from Mars' Hill.

Looking up to the Acropolis from Mars' Hill.

In Acts chapter 17 we read of the Apostle Paul speaking to the Athenians of his day. That great discourse took place on Mars' Hill just outside Athens. Mars' Hill still exists and those who want to climb up the slippery and rough marble rocks can do so. I had the opportunity one morning to climb Mars' Hill with Jerry Hansen so he could explain on camera the importance of Mars' Hill.

It was a great experience to stand where Paul once stood and then at the end of our trip, stand where he is buried at Basilica San Paolo Fuori le Mura (St. Paul's Basilica) in Rome.

NOTE: If you follow the previous link, be sure to click on the "Vitural Tour" button. You'll see how amazing this basilica is, second only to St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Here is the text of what he said on Mars' Hill from the King James Version of the Bible:

22 ¶ Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are ^atoo superstitious.

23 For as I passed by, and beheld your ^adevotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE ^bUNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ^cignorantly worship, him ^ddeclare I unto you.

24 God that ^amade the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, ^bdwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25 Neither is ^aworshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and ^bbreath, and all things;

26 And hath ^amade of ^bone ^cblood ^dall ^enations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath ^fdetermined the ^gtimes before ^happointed, and the ⁱbounds of their habitation;

27 That they should ^aseek the Lord, ^bif haply they might ^cfeel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28 For in him we ^alive, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his ^boffspring.

29 Forasmuch then as we are the ^aoffspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto ^bgold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s ^cdevice.

30 And the times of this ^aignorance God ^bwinked at; but now ^ccommandeth all men every where to ^drepent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will ^ajudge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ^bordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath ^craised him from the dead.

32 ¶ And when they heard of the ^aresurrection of the dead, some ^bmocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

33 So Paul departed from among them.

34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the ^aAreopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Respect

A sign commonly seen at churches in Italy.

One thing that caught my eye a lot while in Italy were signs at the entrances to the great cathedrals that we saw similar to the one above. You don't need to know Italian to understand what is is asking those who enter. From the Spanish that I know I can decipher that part of the sign is asking you to "dress with dignity and respect to the sacred location." In all the churches we visited to see specific pieces of artwork, not once did I hear a person complain when they were asked to cover themselves up better if they weren't appropriately attired. In some churches, they had disposable shawls that women could use for free to make sure they were covered where they needed to be as per the request.

This brings me to my main point. Why is it if our employer asks us to dress for success or only wear nice jeans on "Casual Fridays" or a school asks us to wear a specific uniform or to not wear certain items of clothing that we complain? Why can't we show respect of these requests and dress appropriately without complaining that it's a stupid rule or request. Just a thought.

The Vatican

During the summer of 1964, my dad had to go to Fort Lee in Petersburg, Virginia for six weeks of federal government training. Instead of going by himself, he cashed in his airplane ticket, borrowed a travel trailer from a friend, packed up my sister and I along our mom, and we were off in our station wagon for an adventure of a lifetime. Even though our parents are gone, my sister and I still have fond memories of this trip.

Once we got to Virginia, we set up "camp" and then traveled to different historical sites. This became a great education for my sister and I. Of course we traveled to Washington D.C. to see the sites there and then to New York City. While we were in New York City, we took a day to travel over to Flushing Meadows to visit the World's Fair of 1964-65.

There are many exhibits that I have great memories of like Ford (where you got to travel through their exhibit in a brand new Ford convertible), G.E.'s "Progressland, and Pepsi's "It's A Small World."

I recall with reverence being able to see the Vatican's exhibit. I'm sure it amounted to more than what I remember, but seeing Michelangelo's "Pieta" at a distance was a true treasure.

Today at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican I had the opportunity to see it again. This time I was able to see it at a closer distance than all those years ago in New York.

Michelangelo's Pieta inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

St. Peter's Square is enormous. This picture doesn't do it justice as I was attempting to show the front of the Basilica. Not sure who the guy in the red outfit is, but he wound up in all three pictures I took of the front of the Basilica!

England has it's royal guards and here are two of the Vatican Guards in their colorful outfits.

One last thing, one cannot go to the Vatican and not see the Sistine Chapel. I always thought that it was part of St. Peter's Basilica but it's part of the Vatican Museums. Seeing the Sistine Chapel is an amazing experience even if it was very crowded. No picture of Michelangelo's masterpiece can do it justice. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed to be taken in the Sistine Chapel so I can't post any here.

Here's the official website of the Vatican Museums where you'll find photos of the Sistine Chapel.

Angels and Demons

Anyone who has read the book or seen the movie Angels and Demons, knows that author Dan Brown guides Robert Langdon through Rome with numerous clues. Over the past few days as we have toured Rome to learn more of it's history, architecture, and art, we have been to some of the locations mentioned by Brown. Sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini plays an integral role in the clues that Langdon follows. Here are two of Bernini's sculptures that play an important role Angels and Demons.

At Santa Maria della Vittoria we see Bernini's

St. Teresa in Ecstasy (1652)

At the Piazza Navona we see Bernini's

Fountain of the Four Rivers (1648-1651).

This is where Robert Langdon saves the last of the

Preferiti from drowning.

More Trains!

For some reason this didn't play properly with the other pictures I posted of our train trip from Florence to Rome. This is the Trenitalia Eurostar that we rode on coming into the Florence railway station.

Three Coins In A Fountain

We actually had the chance to walk by the Trevi fountain in Rome today. A very famous scene from the classic film Three Coins In A Fountain was filmed here in 1954. The small plaza where the fountain is located was jam packed with tourists. The shot below lets you see the fountain without all the tourists sitting around the fountain and taking pictures of each other.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome

Listen to Doris Day as she sings the theme song to Three Coins In The Fountain with scenes from the movie.

Another Room With A View!

I know it's not a view of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, which is only three blocks away, but this is the view out the window of my room where we are staying in Rome.

Sunflowers

Saw these sunflowers at the corner flower shop just across the road

from where we are staying in Rome!

The Colosseum, Bernini, and Caravaggio!

Bernini's Pluto and Proserpina.

Caravaggio's David with the head of Goliath.

Today we began our first full day in Rome by heading off to the famous Colosseum. In it's hey day it would hold somewhere between 60 and 80 thousand spectators. The place is so immense it is hard to get the whole building in a single photo.

An exterior view of The Colosseum from just outside the Metro stop.

Inside The Colosseum.

If you could read this eye chart from a long distance,

you could become a Roman gladiator!

After our tour of the Colosseum, we walked over to the area of Roman ruins that holds the Forum, the palace, Circus Maximus, and the Senate. The Senate building itself was not all that large.

The final stop of the day was a visit to the Borghese Gallery and Museum. This small gallery and museum is a must see if ever visiting Rome. Just in the ninety minutes we were able to spend in the museum, I grew to have a new appreciation for the sculptures of Bernini and the paintings of Caravaggio.

Michelangelo's "David"

Travel Tip: If you ever plan a trip to Italy, make sure Florence is on your itinerary!

On our second and last day in Florence, we saw more amazing sights! First thing in the morning David Peck and I walked to the Baptistry to record an introduction. David stood in front of the golden Gates of Paradise. Inside, an unbelievable mosaic is presented to the visitor. Dante, at the age of eleven, was present in the Baptistry when the mosaic was unveiled. His thoughts at the time later provided the inspiration for his Divine Comedy.

As a group we then walked to the Academy where we were able to look at Michelangelo's statue of David. This is an awe inspiring and imposing piece of art! Being able to sit and view it from several different angles provides the viewer with a great experience. While sitting and viewing it from the angle seen in the photo below, Terry Gorton came and sat next to me. He asked me my opinion on what was the most impressive part of the statue. I replied that the overall definition of items like the muscles and veins most impressed me. Terry mentioned he thought the eyes really said a lot. In those eyes you can see David sizing up Goliath and is silently sending a message to the giant thorough his eyes.

Lastly we walked to the chapel of Santa Croce where we were able to see the tombs of Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo. There is a statue to Dante and many think he is entombed there as well, but that is not the case.

For Brighton!

My grandson Brighton and I both love trains. Our group has been on several train rides while here in Europe. So for Brighton, here's some pictures of our train ride from Florence to Rome today!

Trains at the Florence train station.

Our train arriving at the platform.

Here's Grampa Ron on the train!

The Tuscan countryside seen from our train.

Ponte Vecchio and Gold!

Not only is Florence known for its artwork and leather goods, but there are many high end stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, and Chanel. But what surprised me were the number of shops selling gold jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio is a bridge that spans the Arno River. The first version of the bridge was built in 1042. It is one of the most picturesque spots in all of Florence.

The Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River

One of the many shops on the Ponte Vecchio selling gold jewelry.

The Art of Florence

Santa Maria Novella

Our first visit this morning was to Santa Maria Novella. Construction began in October of 1279. Although we couldn't shoot still pictures or video at this location, it still is a very important place to see in the world of art. The fresco below done by Masaccio is called The Holy Trinity. What makes it so important is that it begins the era of Renaissance paintings. It is the earliest attempt to create a three dimensional view of the subject for the viewer. If you look closely you can see vertical lines that start near the top and end in a vanishing point at the bottom of the fresco. This work by Masaccio is also important due to the fact that Michelangelo studied the works of Masaccio.

Uffizi Gallery

Most of us have heard of the Louvre in Paris or the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, but what do you know of the Uffizi? This is a must see gallery of early Renaissance art that is a must see if you are ever in Florence.

The main focal point of this fabulous collection of art are the eighteen or so works by Botticelli. I am sure we have all seen the picture below, it's his famous Birth of Venus. Seeing a work of art in a text book does not even compare to seeing it on a wall in a gallery. My guess is that the overall size of this work is around six by eight feet. Botticelli's Primavera is also in the same room.

Again, no photos or video was allowed, but to be able to stand in awe of the works of some of the great masters is reward enough.

Fabulous Gelato!

Do you ever tire of the same old flavors of ice cream that we have in America?

If you do, come to Italy and venture into one of the many gelato shops. The flavors and tastes are amazing!

Different kinds of cones to choose from in a Florence gelato shop.

Check out those cups of fresh fruit and different types of gelato to choose from.

The mountain berry gelato is to die for!

A typical sidewalk cafe in Florence.

Some of us had a great thin crust pizza at a similar cafe for lunch today.

Hotel With a View

The Acropolis from the rooftop of our hotel.

Yesterday morning before leaving Athens, I went to the rooftop of our hotel (Hotel Attalos) to shoot some video of the Acropolis. Since it was such a nice vantage point, I shot some still photographs of the same scene.

It is not uncommon to see video journalists in this part of the world doing their live shots from atop a building so you can see the overall area that they are reporting from.

So in Paris I could see the Eiffel Tower from my room, and in Athens I could see the Acropolis from the top of our hotel, but what kind of view do I have here in Florence (Firenza, Italy)? How about the railway station!

Delphi

At the ancient Greek oracle of Delphi.

The temple to Apollo is behind me.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Travel Tip: If you ever visit Athens and climb Mars' Hill where the Apostle Paul spoke to the citizens of Athens, make sure you have shoes with good traction. The worn down marble stone that you must climb is extremely slippery.

Today most of our group took a day trip via tour bus to the ancient Greek city of Delphi (pronounced dell-fee). Here is where the famous Greek oracles resided. People from all over Greece would travel by boat to come here and ask one of the oracles questions to help them in life. Although the ancient Greek alphabet is still used today, during the time of Delphi the language did not use any spaces like we do today. So your reply would be one long string of Greek characters. This lead to many possible answers to the person asking the Oracle for guidance.

Besides the location of the Oracle, which is at the bottom of the hill at Delphi, you can also see an ancient treasury, the temple to Apollo, a theater, and at the top of the mountain, a stadium where races took place. Looking at this ancient stadium reminded me of the Mayan ball courts in southern Mexico. One wonders if the Mayan ball courts were patterned after the Greek stadium found at Delphi.

After returning to Athens, we were able to spend some time browsing through the multitude of shops.

Athens

Standing in front of the eastern facade of the Parthenon.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Travel tip: If you ever visit Athens in the summertime, and take the trek to the top of the Acropolis, make sure you do it in the early morning. The heat later in the day will wipe you out. We went early and the temperatures were still in the lower 90s.

Our flight on Tuesday from Paris to Athens was one of the nicest flights I have ever been on. There were "so many" passengers of this Olympic Air flight that each had our personal row. The flight gave me some time to work on my Paris journal. Not sure when I'll have more free time to write about the last three days in Paris, but I will get to it.

Riding on the Athens Metro system is a downright treat. It looks like it was totally renovated for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games so it is very modern and clean. Bottom line: it is a much nicer Metro system than what we found in Paris. Keep in mind that Athens has only three lines compared to the multitude of lines that Paris has. The Paris system is also much older.

It was about a 40 minute Metro ride from the Athens airport to where we are staying, close to the Acropolis. When we emerged from the station, and looked to our right, we could see the imposing view of the Acropolis. Turning to our left we found ourselves at the Hotel Attalos, our home base for the next two days.

Today, Wednesday, we worked our way to the top of the Acropolis. Once we got to the western facade of the Parthenon, Brian Merrill and I began recording a short stand-up of the importance of the site. We were interrupted by a worker who asked us what we were doing. After showing IDs that we were from a university and were only shooting for classroom purposes, he let us complete our shooting. We decided to next go around to the eastern facade so we could be in better light. We had barely started shooting when we were interrupted again by two more workers. They seemed to have more clout and told us that the only way we could shoot video is if we went all the way back down to the main office and get official permission. Initially, those in the main office wanted us to delete all scenes where Brian was talking on camera. After they saw the scenes they changed their mind. Their main concern was that we were attempting to promote a commercial project or deface the antiquity of the site. So with a lesson learned, at each of the next few sites we asked permission if we could record video inside the site. We would ask permission again to record a standup if a worker was close by. By doing this we didn't have any additional problems the rest of the day.

A long day with a lot of walking in the heat made the welcoming air conditioning of our hotels rooms very inviting. On Thursday some of us are going on a bus ride to Delphi, the Oracle of the ancient Greeks.

The Paris Journal - Day Two

The front of the Palace of Versailles.

It's so large you are only seeing half of it!

Versailles: Friday, July 20, 2010

Today started with a short subway ride to one of Paris’ train stations to catch the train to Versailles. Versailles is some 80 minutes or so by train to the west and a little south of Paris.

I think Gilbert in is book Living With Art best sums up the opulence of Versailles when he writes, “the Baroque style was characterized by ornamentation, dynamism, theatricality, and overstatement. What could better exemplify this style than the reign of Louis XIV and the Palace of Versailles?”

Seeing the lifestyle that Louis XIV and then Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, there is no wonder why the French Revolution came about with the starving masses in Paris who couldn’t even buy bread. Upon hearing this, Marie Antoinette states her very famous line: “Let them eat cake.” Undoubtedly, she had plenty of cake as well as other foodstuffs to eat while living in one of many palaces at Versailles.

As I mentioned in my previous day’s journal, each historical site has their own rules for what you can and can’t do as far as video at their specific site. There was no problem shooting video at Versailles, as long as you do it without a tripod. This presents a major problem for the videographer in making sure that the talent they are shooting will be seen in the final product with as little handheld camera movement or shakiness as possible. Over the years I have found out that if you zoom your camera’s lens to it’s widest possible, and then place yourself in the proper location in relation to your talent, your audience should see minimal unwanted camera movement. The moment you begin zooming in on your talent, you lose camera stability.

We had another gorgeous azure blue-sky day to shoot outside after we had shot video inside the main palace. The main issue with shooting inside the palace was the mixture of daylight coming into a room that was already lit with incandescent lighting. With the daylight overpowering the artificial room light, it caused some rooms to have a bluer tint on the video and not allowing the room to be shown in it’s natural color. To overcome this, it is best if the videographer has any exterior windows to his or her back.

The enormity of Versailles is just overwhelming for anyone who visits. The entire estate comprises some twenty-five square miles. The gardens are the envy of anyone who enjoys gardening. And locations to shoot video are never ending.

If you ever visit Versailles, you might consider renting one of the electric golf carts to assist you in getting around once you get out into the gardens. And the end of our time at the palace we found ourselves walking some thirty-five minutes to get back to the main palace.

Just wish we had more time to spend, but we had to catch our train back to Paris!

The Paris Journal - Day One

An Introduction to Paris: Thursday, July 19, 2010

After an eight and a half hour flight from Dallas, our group landed in Paris at Charles DeGalle Airport northwest of the city center. The trip into Place d’Itale where our hotel was located took another forty minutes by train and subway. The subway system in Paris isn’t traveler friendly for those lugging suitcases and backpacks up and down stairs to the various levels. At least on the way out of the stations there are escalators that help a bit.

Once we checked in to the Hotel Mercure Place d’Itale, our home base for the next five days, we met in the lobby to begin our journey of art and architecture through the City of Lights.

Upon emerging from the Metro to our first site as I saw the architecture all I could say was “WOW!” During the 1850s and 1860s, Napoleon III rebuilt Paris into the city that we see today.

Our first video set up found us at the Pont Alexandre III. Here Jerry Hansen shared information on the importance of this bridge. “It was built between 1896 and 1900 to celebrate the alliance between the Russians and the French…On the pylons on the right bank are representations of medieval France, while on the pylons on the left bank are statues of Renaissance France and the France of Louis XIV.” (Note: Any quotation in my blog entries are direct quotes from the World Foundations 2010 Faculty Inservice Trip guide booklet compiled by Jerry Hansen.) Many of these statues atop the pylons are in gold and were astounding to see through the viewfinder in the shimmering afternoon sun with a gorgeous blue sky. A videographer couldn’t have asked for a better day to shoot video!

After recording Jerry’s video introduction to the bridge, I spent some time shooting closeups of the various things he talked about. One thing a videographer must do, especially when working by yourself, is pay close attention to what is being said by your talent so you can enhance their narration with visuals for the intended audience.

At the western end of the bridge we found ourselves at our second location. Here David Peck and I recorded a short video intro to the Hotel des Invalides. This Baroque complex includes “the Dome and the Church of Saint Louis that stretch between Palace Vauban and the Esplanade des Invalides…It’s construction in 1671 was designed as a refuge for old and invalid soldiers who were often forced to beg for a living. It was finished in 1676.”

Shortly after shooting David’s intro, we encountered our first dilemma with shooting video on our trip. Around the entire complex is a small retaining wall that is approximately two feet in height. Just inside the retaining wall is a moat that must be about ten feet in width. Next is another two-foot tall retaining wall. Many museums and other historical sites where you must pay a fee to enter will not allow you to shoot video with or without a tripod. Such was the case at Les Invalides. We could shoot all the video that we wanted outside the exterior retaining wall, but not from inside the interior retaining wall some ten feet closer to the complex. It seemed like a ridiculous rule to me since we were able to get what we wanted whether we were inside or outside of the zone that was designated for shooting video.

Inside the complex a visitor will find the French military museum with artifacts on display from all of the various wars that France has been involved in. But the most interesting is the Dome and Church of Saint Louis. Here many important French military leaders like Foch are buried. It was Foch who stated that the Treaty of Versailles was just a twenty-year cease-fire agreement and that the world would be at war again in twenty years. Foch was correct as in 1939 Hitler invaded Poland with threw the world in World War II.

The most important homage to a French leader found the the Church of Saint Louis is the tomb of Napoleon I, better known to Americans as Napoleon Bonaparte. If you read British history, Napoleon is not discussed in an admiring light. But to France, Napoleon is the great leader who brings France out of their Revolution and into the modern age. A rotunda of numerous bas-reliefs surrounds the unmarked sarcophagus where Napoleon had been laid to rest.

After our time at Les Invalides, it was time to walk over to the Eiffel Tower. “The Eiffel Tower was built in for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution.” As to be expected, large crowds were gathered around the tower’s base providing a party-like atmosphere. The lines to take the stairs or elevator up the tower were extremely long so we paused long enough to take photos. Due to its height it was impossible to shoot video of the tower. From a distance I didn’t think that the Eiffel Tower was all that tall. I could see it from the window of my hotel room. But when you get up close you realize the enormity of it.

The tower is 1,050 feet tall and is painted every seven years. It was in the process of being painted during our visit. From what I understand, it takes two years to paint the tower using 40 tons of paint. As we walked further to the north towards the Seine River it was easier to get a photograph of the tower, but still too close to shoot video.

On the spur of the moment we decided to take an hour-long tour boat cruise up and down the Seine. This open-air environment allowed we to shoot a lot of establishing shots of important Parisian landmarks (The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, The Louvre) that undoubtedly will be used in the classroom videos we are creating.

It was getting dark and most of us were extremely tired. Personally, I had been up for almost thirty-six hours and needed some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be another long but fruitful day.

The Somme, 1916

For Europe, it was The Great War. For Americans, it was World War I. Since America got into the war at such a late date, we are taught very little about the great sacrifices that many made prior to our entrance into the war. An excellent example of this is the Newfoundland Regiment and their great sacrifice on July 1, 1916.

At approximately 9 o'clock that morning, Sir Beauvoir de Lisle’s 29th Division, the Newfoundland Regiment, began an attack on the German line. The regiment, consisting of 25 officers and 776 men, began their walk through the downward sloping No Man's Land to their objective some 700 to 1000 yards away. The Germans, well dug into their bunkers on the other side of No Man's Land, easily stopped the progress of the Newfoundlanders. The furthest distance the Newfoundlanders could push ahead was some 45 yards into No Man's Land to a place called the Danger Tree. The Newfoundlanders used the Danger Tree as a rallying point since the German defense would not allow the Newfoundlanders to progress any further. Unfortunately for the regiment, staying in one place in No Man's Land made them easy targets for the Germans.

Within 30 minutes, it was all over and the Newfoundland Regiment was all but wiped out. Later that evening, only 68 responded when roll call was taken. All 25 officers had lost their lives in this short-lived attack.

Canada has created a very moving memorial in Beaumont Hamel, France on the same ground where this horrendous battle took place. It is a humbling experience to walk this hallowed ground where so many gave their lives in such a short time.

There are other memorials to the fallen in the battles of The Somme not too far from Beaumont Hamel. These include the Ulster Tower and the British Memorial and can be found not too far from the town of Armiens north of Paris.

Standing by the Danger Tree, the middle of No Man's Land,

The Somme, France:

David Peck, Ron Weekes, Brian Merrill, Terry Gorton

What remains of some trenches at the Beaumont Hamel Memorial,

The Somme, France.

Read more about the Newfoundland Regiment here.

That Mona Lisa SMiLE!

Today is our fifth and final day in Paris and this is really the first time I've had a spare moment to write about what we've seen. Since this was our last day here, we made our pilgrimage to the Louvre. What a massive museum of great art pieces from around the world. It is my hope that while on our flight tomorrow from Paris to Athens, I'll actually have some time to put together a "Paris Journal" and let you know exactly what we've visited here and some of the circumstances that have arisen while trying to video around different parts of the city.

Nice time for the camera battery to go dead!

People waiting to see DaVinci's Mona Lisa at The Louvre in Paris.

A classic sculpture: Venus de Milo

Planes, Trains, and Accordion Players

On Friday's train ride to the Palace of Versailles, this gentleman got into our car at one of the stations along the way and showed us his musical skills!

I know I haven't written much about the trip thus far, but we have been very busy traveling from place to place around the Paris area. A more detailed description of what we are seeing will be forthcoming!

Room with a view!

This is an early morning view from my hotel window.

Yes, that is the Eiffel Tower in the background!

Here are two quick shots of some of the great things I've seen in Paris thus far. More will come, I promise!

From the main gates of the Palace of Versailles

"So what are you excited to see?"

On the evening before our flight to Paris, a small group of us drove into downtown Salt Lake City for dinner. The discussion had been either Mexican (The Red Iguana) or Thai. The consensus was Thai so a few minutes later we found ourselves at the Café Trang on the southwest corner of 200 South and 300 West.

As plates of Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese entrees were passed amongst the group, our conversation quickly centered on our pending in service expedition. After a few minutes the question was posed as to “what are you excited to see on the trip?” As each person took their turn to express their thoughts, many of the answers included the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Acropolis, and Saint Peter’s Basilica.

During this exchange I thought about what my answer would be when it was my turn. Greece immediately came to mind, mainly because of its cradle of great thought that still affects us today from the great Greek thinkers and teachers such Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. As a young Mormon missionary in Mexico many years ago we used the Socratic method of directed questions to share the beliefs of our faith with those who were interested in hearing our message. Additionally, any college level public speaking course will teach you Aristotle’s theories of ethos, pathos, and logos.

When it did become my time to share my thoughts, I mentioned that I was looking forward to the “antiquity of it all.” Even though there have been great ancient civilizations in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres, I personally believe that at least in the realm of classic architecture, Europe far surpasses the Americas. Case in point, the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was begun in the 12^th century. The closest example of such architecture in the Americas wasn’t begun until the 16^th century after the Spanish conquered the Aztecs of central Mexico. The Spanish destroy the Aztecs’ Templo Mayor and in its place begin construction of what is now the great Metropolitan Cathedral in downtown Mexico City.

So the question I pose now is “do we have to travel to great historical sites anywhere in the world to see great beauty?” In my mind the answer is no. Yes, there is great beauty in Europe and other parts of the world that most of us do not call home. But there is beauty right in front of us wherever we live. Have you ever walked down a path that you do on a daily basis and looked down to see the first budding flowers of spring breaking through the warm brown earth after a long, cold, and dreary winter? How about looking out the window of your living room and seeing a gorgeously colored sunset that reminds you of a loved one that is no longer with you?

“For the beauty of the earth” is one song of Thanksgiving that reminds us of the beauty all around us. The next time you are hurried, take a moment and look at the beauty that surrounds you where you are. Smell it, touch it, embrace it, and love it!

Packing for Video

All my video gear is housed in this CineBags CB-25A Revolution Backpack!

As I mentioned in my first post, in May of 1982 three of us went to England to shoot a television documentary. Back then, we didn't have the small-sized camcorders that are available today. State-of-the-art broadcast TV cameras for field use at that time was a separate video camera that usually weighed in at 25 pounds, plus a separate portable video cassette recorder what weighed not much less than the camera. It wasn't uncommon to see a videographer with a camera on one shoulder and a VCR hanging off the other shoulder.

Ironically, today's video camera's whether they are for professional or consumer use are much smaller than what we worked with in 1982, and, they record much better video than 1980s video gear. In fact, I'm not even shooting on videotape on this trip, but a SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) card that is the size of a postage stamp. On the England trip we could only get twenty minutes of video on each videocassette. With the SDHC cards I am taking, and shooting in High Definition (1080p/30frames) I can record almost 90 minutes of video on a 16GB (gigabyte) card.

All of the equipment I am taking for this trip fits into a specialized backpack produced by CineBags in southern California. It's also carry-on size which makes it even more convenient when traveling by air. What is going with me in the way of weight and size is a far cry from the hundreds of pounds of equipment we took with us for two camera crews to England in 1982. Things sure have come a long way! It's going to be amazing what technology brings us next.

Europe By Viewfinder?

You might be wondering why I chose this particular title for this blog. It's pretty simple. During May of 1982 I was able to spend ten days in England shooting a television documentary about New Mexico State University's marching band performing tour throughout the country. As a crew we mostly saw England, and a day trip to Calais, France through the viewfinders of broadcast quality video cameras.

On August 18th, I'll have a similar opportunity again to travel with a small group of colleagues from Brigham Young University-Idaho to France, Greece, and Italy. Our itinerary includes Paris, Athens, Florence, and Rome. The main purpose of the trip is for the professors of the World Foundations courses to visit important locations that they discuss in their classes.

My part in this great adventure? To shoot hi-def video that we will bring back to campus and edit in fifteen to twenty short video pieces. These short videos will enhance the World Foundations curriculum.

So stay with me over the next 18 days as I share with you what I see through the viewfinder in Europe!