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Blog 17: Culinary differences

Throughout all of the countries and cities we traveled to so far there have been many culinary similarities and differences that I have noticed.. An interesting aspect of the food in Italy was the fact that we typically received multiple courses, most of the time having an appetizer or pasta first and protein second, and sometimes even having dessert and espresso as well.  The food in Italy was very good, but in comparison to some of the meals in France it did not seem as adventurous. Our first meal in Nice at L’Antica was one of the most striking to me on the whole trip with the braised duck as well as the spectacular dessert. I even ended up going back to the restaurant the next day where I got chicken that was prepared with a great combination of herbs and spices. Montpellier also had great food with what I believe was herb crusted cod on top of a bed of mashed potatoes.  The fish was an especially nice change of pace with being so close to the Mediterranean and getting to try some of their seafood. In France, we tended to have dessert and espresso afterwards as well, but the actual meals did not seem as large as in Italy, perhaps because we were not eating so many carbs. In Spain, the food was also great with the tapas places being one of my favorites. This was great because you could choose from a myriad of different foods, yet still not eat too much. One of my favorite things that I ate all trip was cod fritters from a tapas restaurant which were drizzled with honey, not something I would typically have with fish. At this same restaurant I was able to have some great mussels and a sort of bruschetta with the tomato only being rubbed on the bread, just leaving a sort of paste that I also enjoyed.  All of these countries and cities had wonderful food that was great to experience with their own styles that made them so good.

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Blog 16: Less is More

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe’s German Pavilion that he created for the World Fair in 1929 is a structure that was revolutionary in the changes it made as compared to past architecture. One of the large reasons it was so innovative is due to the focus on the human experience within the structure. This structure is very striking in its almost seamless transitions from inside to outside. Mies uses a lot of hard forms throughout the structure, only having one or two rounded shapes, such as the curtains, within the whole structure. Mies also uses lots of different materials, utilizing various types of marble, travertine, and onyx. The differences in color and feel further help to distinguish areas throughout the pavilion as you travel through it, but the changes still remain fluid with the similarities between the different sections. In his design of the pavilion, Mies had to be cognisant of the ways in which people would use this space, allowing lots of room for people to congregate and travel throughout the building. It is not just the walls that are significant in this building's design for people traveling through but the roof as well. The roof almost feels as if it is floating with the lack of columns throughout as well as the openings to the outside. One of the striking features for me was the support column in the shape of a cross, making it much lighter and less noticeable while still performing its task. With the building acting as its own sort of exhibit for the World Fair, it also played into the environment surrounding it such as the trees right next to it and overhanging it in some areas. The building's overall layout and position forces people to travel through it in a certain way, being encouraged by the placement of the walls to go in certain directions. This structure seems so simple, but there had to be much more thought put into it than it seems.

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Blog 13: Presence of the Roman Empire (Pont du Gard)

The Pont du Gard is a living embodiment of the vastness of the Roman Empire. It is spectacular to see that a place we had to travel hours to get to from the heart of Rome still have connections to the empire. Another impressive part of this is the methods with which this would have to been built at the time in the first century AD. The Pont du Gard required an excessive amount of limestone which would need cranes and pulleys to be put in place. Roman ingenuity allowed for people in Nîmes to receive water for many different purposes for centuries. There have been traces of the Roman Empire in almost every place we have been so far, spanning Italy, France, and Spain. The Pont du Gard is one of my favorite structures that we saw which stemmed back due to the Roman Empire due to its beauty in its construction as well as the use for it in peoples everyday life, although they may not have thought about it often. This reminds me of all of the infrastructure we have in place today that we do not even realize affects our daily lives. It is also amazing that the Pont du Gard is still standing today after 2000 years. Although there have been renovations, this speaks to the thought that was put into this structure and the lasting impact it would have on society within the Roman Empire and the empires following it.

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Blog 9: 3 italian elements in Nice

In Nice, many features of their architecture are clearly influenced by Italian architecture. Ann noted how they have a very eclectic style there, taking from a mixture of styles. One striking element from Italian architecture was the stonework on some buildings as shown in the first picture. This stonework clearly displays the separations of stones, making its sizing and placing clear, which is a typical Italian style. Another element from the typical Italian style is the terraces posed on supports. This is typical of the Italian style and could be seen in Rome many times when we were there. These terraces also seemed to be fairly stripped down which is typically attributed to the Baroque style. A final element commonly seen in Italy was the use of columns. There are examples from many of the orders including Ionic and Corinthian ones pictured below. These columns may stray slightly from the typical of those orders, such as not having the columns be fluted, but they are still very similar. Another column aspect is the double columns we saw, which was very popular with Michelangelo. All of these ideas things were very reminiscent of the Italian style.

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Blog 10: 3 First impressions of France vs Italy

Some first impressions that struck me upon entering France as compared to Italy is the differences in their food, seeing a Russian Orthodox church, and France seems to be more modern in architectural style. In Italy, the food generally consisted of the classics you think of such as lots of pasta and pizza on both the group lunches and dinners as well as just going out on our own. The portion sizes in Italy and the number of courses seemed to be a lot larger as well as compared to France. In France it seems as if a lot of the food is more experimental such as the duck we had for lunch. I found seeing the Roman Orthodox church so surprising due to the difference from all of the places we visited in Italy. I believe that every church we visited before this was Roman Catholic in nature when we were in Italy. It was very interesting to see a different church that drew from other sources in its design. The top of the cathedral consists of spires and little onion shaped domes that differ from everything that we had seen before. France was more modern architecturally in many of the buildings we saw. This could be seen at buildings such as Le Nauge, Hotel de Ville, and Pierre Vives. Although we were only able to see the facades of these buildings, they still embody modern architecture with the designs and materials that were used. Meanwhile, in Italy almost all of the buildings we saw were Romanesque or Gothic in nature. These were three of the most striking differences between France and Italy for me.

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Blog 6: Picture of facade

My favorite facade from this trip so far has been the Duomo di Siena’s. This may be partially biased due to knowing more about it from my presentation, but it still stands tall as one of Italy’s famous churches. As you can see the facade combines nice l of lil  styles as time goes on. The bottom consists of more of a Tuscan Romanesque style while the top is more Gothic in nature. This also seems to be one of the first churches in Italy to experiment with a style like this. Although we heard about Pisa being one of the first cities to build a grand church, Siena seems to be the first to experiment with the different styles of architecture. In terms of specific architectural elements, the facade consists of a variety. The cathedral’s facade contains Tuscan Romanesque features such as acanthus leaves decorating columns and the green and white horizontal stripes along the bottom of the facade. As you go up the facade you can see more of the Gothic architectural features such as the ornate decorations and statues lining the facade, large windows, and some of the more elaborate design. The facade interacts with the environment in an interesting way. It’s position at the highest point of the city center makes it stand out so much more. The large plaza area outside of the cathedral allows people to congregate and see it’s beauty. The Duomo di Siena’s facade is a great showing of different styles of architecture in a singular building.

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Blog 14: Moment at Parc Güell

Gaudi’s Parc Güell is a work of art with the combination of his creations and nature. The part that stood out the most to me at the park was in the Roman amphitheater esque space. This space managed to evoke feelings of ancient Rome while also seeming like a more modern park with the bench surrounding the edges. This bench stuck out to me in particular. The two reasons this bench was so interesting was based in his artistic ability as well as his focus on comfort and ease of use. Gaudi did not just create his mosaics to be something to look at, but something to use as well. Gaudi even made the bench more ergonomic by adding back support to make it much more comfortable. The thought that Gaudi puts into his works make them that much more impressive. One of the main points of Gaudi’s aesthetic is his works and nature intersecting. There are palm trees surrounding the amphitheater giving a very tropical feel, while also not overreaching and still giving open space for people to move around. Gaudi also introduces nature into his mosaics. Gaudi uses a style of trencadis, combining together different shards and broken chinaware. With this style Gaudi depicts many different aspects of nature in the bench he made. Antoni Gaudi successfully cemented himself as a great architect through the use of his own aesthetic in all of his projects, and especially Parc Güell.

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Blog 7: Florence public spaces

For this blog post I chose to look at both the Piazza Santa Maria Novella and the Piazza della Signoria. These two public spaces in Florence are available for the public to use for a variety of activities. The Piazza Santa Maria Novella includes a basilica there which is a main attraction along with the art museum located in the square, but the space also includes places to sit and relax as well. What is impressive about this space is the way in which it still includes green spaces in the middle of a city. The Piazza Santa Maria Novella is a great, smaller space to relax in a typically busy city. The Piazza della Signoria is a large W-shaped square in the heart of Florence. This space is located directly in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s town hall. This location makes it easy for people to congregate here for business or for pleasure. There are many great pieces of art to look at all around the plaza as well. Due to its location it seems to be more busy than the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, but both of these places still have their purposes for the people of Florence.

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Blog 11: Moment at the Foundation Maeght

This picture and sketch is the moment I chose at the Foundation Maeght. This shape reminds me of a ship that can take one anywhere. The convex shape of the structure further emphasizes this point. The white color all over makes it look pure and almost holy in a way. The structure also consists of sections that almost resemble painted wooden planks, further establishing it as a ship in my mind. It’s position on top of the glass windows and doors further establish it floating on air, as it would on top of water. This is just my take on the structure, and it could be different for any person depending on the the elements that they interpret.

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Blog 4

Three resonating design features that exist in both the Chiesa di Dio Padre Misericordioso and Basilica di San Pietro include construction materials, size or dimensions, and decoration within. Travertine is one main materials that was used at both churches. However, the ways in which they are used differ vastly. At Chiesa di Dio Padre Misericordioso, the plain travertine gives a very modern feel with the lack of decoration on top of it. There was a lot of glass windows that allowed for natural light to spread throughout the entire building, allowing for a open feeling. At St. Peter’s Basilica travertine was also used, but lots of gold and other decorative material covers it up. This gives St. Peter’s Basilica a more flashy feel while Chiesa di Dio Padre Misericordioso had a simple yet clean feel to it. The size and dimensions of the Chiesa di Dio Padre Misericordioso also helped to contribute to the open feeling of the building. The sail like walls that extended upwards gave the feeling of being on a boat that could go anywhere. St. Peter’s Basilica and it’s overall design seemed much grander and left visitors in awe of its splendor. The vast dome and massive church create a different user experience as compared to the more simple, smaller Chiesa di Dio Padre Misericordioso. The decoration within and around both of these buildings differs greatly too. The Chiesa di Dio Padre Misericordioso once again relies on a simple setup with not many statues or decorations throughout the church. This can allow the user to truly focus on the open feeling of the church. St. Peter’s Basilica has a vast amount of statues and paintings which catch the user’s attention at every turn. There is always something interesting to look at within the basilica, but these decorations can also take away from some of the feel of the church as a whole. All of these features give both of these churches a unique experience for the user.

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Blog 5

Three distinct cultural differences between Siena and Rome are the citizens pride in their city, the pace of life, and their focuses on tourism. In Rome, it seems as if people their did not have much pride in their city with trash lining the streets in some places. Meanwhile in Siena, it seemed as if the people there actually appreciated their city and the history surrounding it. This could be due to Siena’s smaller size and wanting to have an identity. Rome has so much more popular history, so the people that live there may not feel the need to care for their city. The pace of life in both of these cities also differed. In Rome, it seemed as if everything was fast paced which was especially obvious from the traffic in some places with everyone trying to get to their destination first. In Siena, people took time to hang out at the Piazza del Campo. Siena had much more of a feel that the people there were appreciating the people and environment that surrounds them. Tourism is a very large part of Rome’s identity and it seems as if it almost takes away from their own culture in some ways. Sometimes it can feel as if everything was done to pander to you as a tourist rather than being able to appreciate a culture that they have in place. Meanwhile, from the short time we had in Siena it seemed as if they did not focus as much on it. Obviously, they still rely on the tourism industry slightly due to the great sights they have there, but they don’t let it take away from their own culture.

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Day 2 Reflection

The columns at the Colosseum vary based on the level. On the first level the columns are from the Doric Order. The Doric Order consists of a plain, unadorned column capital with a column that rests on a stylobate. On the second level the columns are from the Ionic Order. The Ionic Order consists of a capital with volutes with the capita being enriched with an egg and dart. On the third level the columns are from the Corinthian Order. The Corinthian Order consists of an ornate capital structure with stylized acanthus leaves. These different orders throughout the Colosseum show the progression of Roman architecture.

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Day 1 Reflection

Some cultural impressions in Rome that are different from American culture include the landmarks that are so prevalent in this area and the orientation of buildings as a whole. Citizens here most likely grow used to these amazing places and structures while people from all over the world come to see it as one of the highlights of their life. America seems to have much more modern to postmodern architecture while Rome is almost completely classical. The facades of many buildings make it feel as if you are taking a step back in time while everything else surrounding it is caught up with the modern world. Another striking aspect that differs is transportation. Rome as a whole is very walkable which may also apply in some American cities, but it is not possible across most of America. I was able to walk around aimlessly for an hour or two in the area surrounding our hotel just taking in the sights of the city and gained an appreciation for ancient history while if I did this at home it would not be possible for the most part. The cars here are also much smaller and seem to be parked just about anywhere that they can possibly fit. It is also striking how accessible Rome is for English speaking tourists. Almost everywhere has translations for English and it seems as if the majority of people speak at least a little bit. Meanwhile in America it feels as if you are expected to learn English if you are visiting. These are just some of the differences that exist between the cultures of Rome and America.

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Richard W. Sankey Hall is my favorite building on campus at Elon.  This is due to components from both the exterior as well as the interior.  Sankey Hall opened very recently in 2018.  The building was constructed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and was named after Richard W. Sankey.  It is home to both the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Chandler Family Professional Sales Center.  Sankey Hall is one of the many buildings here on campus that is made of a brick exterior.  The facade consists of a very symmetrical style across the whole outside.  This includes the windows, columns, and other elements that can be seen.  This building seems to pull from the style of Georgian architecture.  This style includes elements such as symmetry, sometimes using the golden ratio, the use of brick, and having many window panes.  The columns that are in place near the entrance are from the Tuscan order, similar to the Doric but with a smooth shaft.  The backside of the building also has columns at the doors, but these are more of a style from the Composite Order as you can see in the picture.  These columns still have the leaves at the capital from the Corinthian Order, yet there are still elements from the Ionic Order in the volutes. The front and back entrances also consist of doors that appear to be Roman arches with the keystone at the top.  The interior consists of a more modern style, yet it still has some elements such as an atrium that were common in Ancient Rome.

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Abroad Personal Objectives

In our time in Europe, I have many objectives for myself. The top five for me in no order include: 

1. To grow in my understanding of structures throughout Europe while we are there and learn not just about the structures, but the history surrounding them. I hope that this can also translate to my life after this trip in just being more inquisitive of some of the places and things that I see in daily life here at home.

2. I hope to grow in my sketching ability over the time of this course.  I believe that this would be a great skill to develop and one that I could enjoy if I continued to work on it even after the trip. I believe that this could help in looking at all of the components of a place rather than just having a general view of it.

3. Although we are only there for a short time, I plan on trying to immerse myself in the languages of all three countries as much as possible. I have only taken Spanish in middle school and Latin in high school/college, so I think it would be great to learn more of some other languages. I think it would be a great challenge to try and use as much as I can of these languages while we are there and potentially continue afterwards.

4. I hope to learn more about the cultures of all three countries and their differences from the United States as well as each other. Although it may be tough to interact with people we do not know with COVID I hope to gain as much experience as possible. I think that this could help me become more of a global citizen and gain an appreciation for these different cultures.

5. On this trip I hope to be able to become more adventurous in my life.  I plan on doing many things that I would not typically do here or even have the ability to do.  Whether it be eating something different or exploring different places, I think this trip offers a great opportunity to put myself out there.