Verona, Bologna, Ravenna

Saturday June 25

We spent a bit more time in Verona, and here are two highlights. On Saturday night, about an hour after a thunder-and-hail storm that came and went very quickly, we joined a very large crowd at the Roman Arena for a performance of "Aida." It took at least a halt hour just to get into the arena, and with our unreserved seats, we were packed onto the stone steps like sardines. Like the olden days at Stanford Stadium, except that the Arena is even older. There's a tradition before the opera starts of lighting candles, which were handed to us as we jammed our way in, and (this being Europe) some people had lighters, so it worked:

Though we were in the nosebleed section, the stage and orchestra were easy to see, if at a distance:

Having been at this for over 100 years, Verona really knows how to put on an opera. 

On Sunday, we hadn't planned to spend any time at the plaza beside the Arena, but there happened to be a gathering of classic sports cars and we hung out for a while. In addition to old Alfa Romeos, Jaguars, Mercedeses, a Citroen, and a couple of totally cherry Mustangs, there was a Triumph TR3. I told its owner that my father had had one (also British Racing Green) and that I had learned to drive in that car. He invited me to sit in it, which was a thrill:

Monday June 27

After yet another smooth quiet train trip, we arrived in Bologna to stay with a family we met last year through HomeExchange. We had been in the city ten years ago, and wanted to see a few things again. Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is the oldest in the world, and they taught medicine there as early as the 17th century.  Here are two photos of the anatomy theater, where students watched dissections on the marble table, under the skinless wooden sculptures supporting the lecturer's seat:

If we come to Bologna again in ten years, we'll go see that room again!

On Wednesday, we took the train to Ravenna for the day, to see the stunning mosaics. Here's Theodora, the wife of the emperor Justinian. Some say, and I can believe it, that she inspired Gustav Klimt when he visited Ravanna in 1900:

We had never heard of the Arian (not Aryan) heresy, and I can't do it justice here. With apologies to all who are better educated, my summary: Some time around 350 AD, a priest named Arius promoted the view that Jesus was indeed the son of God but not actually divine himself. This view did not sit well with many Church leaders, and around 500 AD Justinian tried to destroy all remnants of Arius's heresy. He missed a small building now called the Baptistery of Arius, which has some fine mosaics, including this, showing Jesus as a boy being baptised by John the Baptist:

I can't explain a lot of what I just wrote -- was baptism a Jewish rite? I don't know -- but I do know that I've never seen an image of Jesus naked, looking a bit chubby. Memo to self: learn more about this. 

I'll end with another photo from Bologna. There's a series of outdoor showings of old movies, and I can't resist Marcello:

Bike Trip day 6: Floating Piers

Friday June 24

Some things are worth getting up early. In this case "early" was 4:30am, to allow us to load our luggage into the van and drive out of Torbole by 5. Lake Iseo, about a 90-minute drive west of Lake Garda, is the site of an installation by the artist Christo. If you don't already know about the Running Fence in Sonoma county or the Gates in NYC's Central Park (to mention only two of his many works), you have something fun to look up: http://christojeanneclaude.net/mobile/artworks/realized-projects

The Floating Piers are Christo's latest; see 

http://christojeanneclaude.net/mobile/projects?p=the-floating-piers#.V3KsK5BXerU. It's three kilometers of cloth-covered walkway across the lake, connecting two islands to the mainland. It opened on June 18, and Your Happy Correspondent is one of the many (hundreds of?) thousands of people who will have walked on the water by the time the installation closes on July 3.

The start/end point of Sulzano is a mass of parking lots, shuttle buses, bicyclists, and huge herds of people, all cheerful and well-behaved, as far as we could tell. We got to our first parking lot before 7am, but its shuttle wasn't due for maybe an hour and we decided to try going closer. The second lot we tried was already full, but the third had lots of space and we had only a short walk to the shuttle stop. Because we had good reconnaissance and started so early, we didn't have any excruciating waits, and we were on the water shortly after 8. We had the good judgment to walk less than the full route -- a good idea, as it was already very bright and hot by 10am. It was Really Fun. 

The start:

Toward the island of Monte Isola:

A mood shot:

This view made Dan think of The Seventh Seal. (Those ants are people.)

And a final shot to give you another sense of the scale:

And really finally, here are my feet:

As I said earlier, this wasn't just a "bike" trip. 

Bike Trip days 4-5: mountains, city, lake

Wednesday - Thursday June 22-23

We left Caldaro on Wednesday and rode to Trento, through more vineyards, apple orchards, and asparagus fields. The bike path we've been following all this time is fabulous: good pavement, bike-only tunnels, good signage, no cars, some walkers and runners, and many many bicyclists. Most are spinning along faster than we are, but there are plenty of slowpokes too. Here's Dan gazing over his domain:

And a handsome sign to remind us that we are pedaling in some jurisdiction of Trento:

I'm still working on pronouncing "ciclabile" without tripping over my tongue. 

In Trento, we had a guided tour of some sights, including the former home of the prince-bishops who ruled the area

and the cathedral, where the Council of Trent opened in 1545. It was the Catholic Church's answer to Martin Luther, and over the next 18 years the convening bishops re-confirmed the fundamental tenets of the Church. There's obviously much more to say about the Council, but there are much better sources than this little travelogue. (It did seem ironic that as our guide was giving us a summary history of the Protestant heresy, the formally-robed priests were preparing for Mass.)

On Thursday we left Trento and rode to Torbole, on the north shore of the very large Lake Garda. The combination of riding without a guide and a small construction detour resulted in our getting a bit lost, but cellphones and local resources helped. By now it was hot (like ~30C/85F), in contrast to the chill when we started riding on Sunday (~4C/39F). Some of us appreciated riding in the van over the pass. 

At Torbole, the wind was brisk on the lake, apparently very much as usual. We saw windsurfers ripping along to rival those at Crissy Field or Hood River. Of course one can rent sails and boards 

and some people even have places to sleep on the beach. 

Bike Trip day 3: Iceman

Tuesday June 21

We stayed in Caldaro for two nights, so Tuesday's ride was a loop to Bolzano and back. This is a typical view of our rides:

Bolzano is another city of mixed Austrian/Italian culture. This church (whose name I have disrespectfully forgotten) reminded me of St. Stephen's (as I remember) in Vienna:

Less culturally specific is this new addition to my collection of door-knockers:

and what may or may not be a reference to the bulls and bears of the stock market:

All of this was very nice on a warm day, but the best was the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, the home of Ötzi the Iceman. The whole museum is devoted to their discovery of his body and accoutrements in 1991, and all the science applied to understanding the discovery ever since. Photographs are not allowed, so I can't show you directly what we saw; go to www.iceman.it for the whole story. The summary is this:

Two hikers found a seriously decomposed body in the Schnalstal glacier in the Ötztaler Alps. Various theories arose about the age of the body and the circumstances of its being there, and it was eventually determined that the Iceman (called Ötzi) is a uniquely well-preserved (actually freeze-dried) relic of the Copper Age. He is believed to have lived about 5300 years ago. All kinds of archeological research has been done on every aspect of his body -- e.g., intestinal contents, DNA, fingernails -- through non-invasive techniques like CAT scans. His clothing and tools have been similarly analyzed in thorough detail, and all of this is linked to research on the plants, animals, rocks, climatic conditions, and anything else you can imagine of his time and place. 

The museum has very informative exhibits on all of this -- and nothing else. It's only about Ötzi and everything related to him. It's very focused and totally fascinating. You can even see the body, through a little window into a chamber where it is kept at a constant temperature, with some mix of nitrogen in the atmosphere and a regular spray of water, to preserve it.

All amazing. Go: www.iceman.it

Bike Trip days 1-2: Reinhold Messner

Monday June 20

Sunday was a rainy chilly day. We started our bike trip, with a company we highly recommend, based on a number of trips we've made in Italy, France, and Mallorca. Look them up: Customwalks.com. 

The trip began with a ~two-hour drive south from Innsbruck into Italy. More precisely, I should say the autonomous region of Alto Adige/Süd-Tirol, of which more later. We got the bikes out of the van and started riding in the chill, reaching the lovely city of Merano (Meran in German) in time for showers, naps, pre-dinner drinks, and a fine dinner (trout for me). The view from our room:

Monday included something totally unexpected and wonderful. It started as a sunny, breezy day in Merano. Like some other areas, the Alto Adige/Süd-Tirol is a region of strife.  Vastly oversimplified, it's a disagreement over being German/Austrian or Italian. Look up this history if you're interested; I can't summarize it here with the respect it deserves. 

The ride was very pleasant.  We ended the day in Caldaro (Kaltern in German), both near the Adige river and the larger city of Bolzano (Bozen). Along the way, we stopped at an amazing place. It was originally a medieval castle way up on a hill above the valley, which might have been enough reason to visit and enjoy it.

But it's now one of several museums created by Reinhold Messner, a famed mountain climber who became dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism during his many expeditions. Lions greet you at the entrance to the castle

and Tibetan images appear throughout the tour, which takes you all around the castle, down below and up above 

The exhibits include tributes to many other mountaineers, and there are displays of equipment, books, and photos of Messner's stupendous climbs in European and Asia. All were interesting, but I was really caught by the history of the Süd-Tiroleans' efforts to return to Austrian control. Lots of people here really don't like (to put it mildly) being part of Italy. Signs all have both Italian and German; at least a few people refuse to speak Italian at all (as one of our party who is fluent in Italian learned). Protests have called for the return to Austria since 1919 when the area was ~given to Italy. In 1954, a huge demonstration was held at this very castle, with the cry of "Free from Trento" (the capital of the region).

That demonstration may have resulted in the area becoming an autonomous region, which makes it somewhat independent of Rome. 

After a few hours of castle keeps and cellars, mountaineering, Buddhism, and history from the middle ages to the very recent, we pedaled on down, then mostly up, to Caldaro. This is more than a "bike" trip. 

Innsbruck days 2 and 3: mountains and museums

Saturday June 18

Our two full days in Innsbruck were happily almost rain-free until late afternoon. Fog covered the tops of the mountains, but that's OK:

On Friday, we started as always in the main square of the old town, where we saw evidence of Someone's Big Mistake:

That's what I think is called a Denver boot, which means you have a more expensive parking ticket than usual. 

Happy that we're not driving, our main expedition was to the Tirol Folk Art Museum, which displays all kinds of tools, furniture, handcrafts, and religious items. One favorite was a full-size guard in the vineyards or fields, dressed in a way to scare off both animal pests and human miscreants. I wish the display case didn't have this annoying glare, but you can get the idea. This made me think that Native American festive dress looks very staid by comparison:

Among the many tools were woodworkers' planes (for making thigs smooth and flat). They had more personal character than modern tools:

On Saturday, we took the tram up the mountain to Hungerburg for a panoramic view

Because of the fog above, we didn't continue on up via gondola to Seegrube or Hafelekar (both of which some family members may remember from one or another Christmas trip in the previous century). 

Back down in the city, we went to the Tiroler Landes Museum, showing an eclectic collection of art from the Baroque . . .

to the modern

Though it has its street-sleepers like other cities, Innsbruck is very clean. There are many trash cans around, with signs to encourage their use. For this one, you need to know that "rein" rhymes with "sein," which means "to be."

The rough translation is "Clean or not clean. That is the question."

On this one, you need to know that "müll" means "trash," and you need to know how to say "a thousand thanks" in Italian

Innsbruck day 1: lavish decoration in Tyrol

Thursday June 16

Another smooth train ride took us to Innsbruck (by way of Rosenheim, which means something if you saw "Bagdad Café"), and the mountains are all around. 

The above photo illustrates another feature of the city, especially in the old town: beautiful signs hanging over the sidewalk. This is for our hotel:

And here's another:

We started our stay here with the usual walking around. Two churches got our attention -- the Court Church and the cathedral of St. James. The Court Church contains the stunning sarcophagus of Emperor Maximilian, surrounded by larger-than-life statues of other 16th-century notables:

And an impressive pulpit

And if that looks lavish, try St. James:

Whew. We were forced to end the day's walk with strudel and capuccino. Then the thunderstorm  caught up with us, and our lucky streak may be over. 

Go Warriors. 

Munich day 3: the Residenz

Wednesday June 15

Again rain threatened; again we were spared. It did rain, but we were inside. We visited the Residenz, a huge complex of chambers, chapels, waiting rooms, and endless hallways. It was the home and showpiece of the Wittelsbachs, who ruled Munich for 500 years. Many of the interior rooms are Rococo to the max. In the Ancestral Gallery, there are a few more portraits than we have in our home:

And here's the Ornate Chapel, not to be confused with the Court Chapel:

Then there's the Antiquarium, where a Wittelsbach collection of ancient statuary was housed:

It's now used as a presentation space, hence all the chairs. Every one of the niches along those long walls has works like these:

So enough of the monumental, and on to the fine detail. Some pieces are based on shells 

and others on rhinoceros horn

and many incorporate pearls, including mis-shapen ones, as in the upper body of this little figure

Try to make out the snakes, the snail, and the eagle in this piece, which is supporting another cup made from a shell:

And finally, my favorite. In 1810, Marie Louise of Bavaria became the second wife of Napoleon, and this traveling set was made for her. It includes dinner service for two, a complete toiletry kit, a ruler, a drill, a set of dentistry tools, and much more, all ingeniously packed into slots and drawers that pull out of the case made of exotic woods with fine ivory and silver inlaid decorations:

I don't think it would get through the security checkpoint even with Global Access.