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!