Pisa and Milan

Pisa:
No need to prebook train ticket from Florence to Pisa, but DOES require prebooking to go up Pisa. Unfortunately we didn't do that, so we just took a lot of obligatory silly pictures:
     

Funny to watch all the other tourists doing funny poses:


The church nearby was also really grand and beautiful:


Easy walk from Trainstop to Pisa. And easy to get return tickets.
Other place you can go from Florence is Cinque Terre - wish we had gone, but heard there were mudslides there, so they closed off some hiking trails.

Milan:
Quite the fashion city, very metropolitan. However, the cathedral is AMAZING! You can get tickets to go to the top, but we accidentally didn't get tickets to go inside. And going back in line to get tickets would be another hour. :( Ah well, after 2 weeks of visiting churches, we were fine with that.

Interesting juxtoposition of the old and the new

At the very top of the cathedral!

      

Very fashionable Milan:


The Scala Theater:


Yummy Luini Pastries:


Finally back to the States! (NY)

911 Memorial

Florence (Firenze) Italy

In Florence, we stayed in a hotel next to the Arno River. No view, but we got to have a nice stroll along the river when we went into town.

Pont Vecchio on the Arno River

The first day, we went to the Uffizi - the most famous, largest art museum in Florence (maybe in Italy).  All the museums are free every 1st Monday of the month, so we were expecting super long lines especially since it was both Monday, and July - the busiest month. Sure enough, the line wrapped around the Uffizi, but being relatively early, it was tolerable and we only waited an hour. There are skip the line tickets for those who can't wait.

The Uffizi

We were so fortunate to come upon Steve Rick's guide to Florence, which had a complete guide to the Uffizi. It gave very interesting descriptions of the early Christian art, led us to the major artwork of Michelangelo, Raphael, and many other artists. It also helped lead us past some of the lesser known artwork that we wouldn't really appreciate anyways. 

Ognissanti Madonna alterpiece byGiotto di Bondone: also designed new bell tower of the Florence Cathedral. One of the first pieces to show perspective

Adoration of the Magi alterpiece by Fabriano, one of the masterpieces of the gothic style

Alan regarding Madonna of the Goldfinch, by Raphael

Hercules and the centaur Nessus sculpture in the hallway

Trying to copy the famous Dukes of Urbino, by Francesco.  Did you know this duke was blind on the right that's why he  only showed his left side?

La Primavera by Botticelli

The virtues

OMG! Birth of Venus by Botticelli!

View of the Pont Vecchio - on top is the corridor where royalty used to cross the bridge from the Uffizi without having to walk with the commoners

 

Venus of Urbino by Titian - sooooo pretty...

The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci

Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci

Sacrifice of Isaac by Caravaggio

Medusa by Caravaggio

After the Uffizi, we made our way up to the Galleria dell'Accademia. But on the way we found a street lady selling some local food, consisting of beef stew and beef stomach sandwiches. It doesn't sound very appetizing, but with some spices, it was pretty delicious!


We ate our sandwich while admiring the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (St Mary of the Flower). It was beautiful! It was made of different colors of marble from different places: white (Carrara), pink (Siena), green (Prato).


The exterior was so ornate and the interior is supposed to have one of the most beautiful marble mosaics as well. It has a Gothic structure and a cupola and tower that looks over the city. We didn't book in advanced or set aside time to stand in line, so we didn't make it to the top. As one of the largest cathedrals in Italy, it has the largest brick dome in the world. 

Even though the Galleria dell'Accademia was relatively small compared to the Uffizi, the grandeur of Michelangelo's David was worth it. The first thing we noticed was the sheer size of David.

Apparently, Michelangelo was given a piece of marble that others have rejected saying it was too large and too shallow, but Michelangelo carved a masterpiece out of it. The unusually large hands were supposed to indicate the power of God that possessed David to be able to shoot a sling shot that killed Goliath. From the front angle, it appears that David is serene, perhaps after killing Goliath, but when looking at David's face straight on, one can see the furrowed eyebrows and tense face, indicating it was before killing Goliath. Rick Steve also said his head is proportionally large because the statue was meant to go on top of the cathedral and the proportion of head would have been correct if viewed from below. However, before the completion, they soon realized the statue was too large to be lifted on top of the church. After taking a walk around David, one can see no detail was left undone, including the bulging veins on the dorsum of David's hand. 

Before David, were some of Michelangelo's unfinished work. It consisted of statues of slaves at various stages of being sculpted. Michelangelo apparently didn't plan or outline his work ahead of time like most other sculptors. Instead, he would work in periods of frenzy, chipping away at pure stone. Looking at these people climbing out of stone really makes one appreciate his amazing skills.

Another section of the museum showcased busts carved by art students in the nearby art school. Definitely not as good as the master...

The last interesting section was a museum of ancient instruments, including the first piano. 

We then walked to the Loggia dei Lanzi, a 14th century wide-arched open-air gallery that showcased Renaissance sculptures:

Loggia dei Lanzi

Hercules defeats the centaur Nessus; Rape of the Sabine Women 

Rape of Polyxena

For the evening, we had a leisurely stroll across the Ponte Vecchio and through the Boboli Gardens.

Ban Assault-Style Weapons and Protect Children from Gun Violence

Given the recent tragedy in Parkland, Florida, I urge you all to send emails to your representatives to protect our children. You can look up your officials here: https://federaladvocacy.aap.org/home?14
Here's a template:

As a [pediatrician and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)], I urge you to ban assault-style weapons such as AR-15's. Children need common-sense policies that protect them from gun violence, not that put them at greater risk for harm.

Among children and youth under 19 in 2015, over 70 percent of all homicide deaths and over 40 percent of all suicide deaths were the result of a firearm. Each day, an average of seven children and youth under age 19 die from a firearm-related injury. 

Gun violence is a public health epidemic, and must be addressed that way.

The recent mass shootings (Newton, CN; Aurora, CO; Santa Monica, CA; Orlando, FL; Las Vegas, NV; Sutherland Springs, TX; Parkland, FL) have all been due to easy and unnecessary access to the AR-15. The semi-automatic nature of the AR-15 makes it too easy to kill many people in a few seconds. In addition, an 18 year who isn't allowed to buy a pistol, should also not be allowed to buy an AR-15. In fact, the AR-15 was outlawed under the assault weapons ban, but the ban has lapsed since 2004. 

All children deserve to be safe from gun violence where they live, learn and play. I urge you to ban assault-style weapons such as the AR-15 and work to advance meaningful, comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation. 

Thank you for all you do for children and families.

1 Year Anniversary Thoughts

Well, it's been a year. Boy did time fly. It seemed like it was just a little while ago when we got married! Here are some general thoughts:

*Didn't seem that difficult to adjust to married life given we saw each other nearly every day prior to getting married. Although there were a few things of adjustment such as snoring, alarms, etc. Maybe AB has a different perspective.
*Somehow we simply split chores up among ourselves naturally without needing to designate him or I to do certain things. I like cooking; AB doesn't mind washing dishes; we got a robotic vacuum because we both don't like to vacuum; doing the laundry when our clothing runs out; AB tends to throw out the trash. It helps that we both try to help the other out when we see the other doing chores. So then we often end up doing chores together. Given both of our love languages are quality time, it really helps.
*Occasionally, since we know each other so well, it can be a little difficult not to use the "irritated voice." But AB catches on quickly and asks if I'm in a bad mood, and that helps diffuse irritation or at least remind me to be caring and nice when I speak, even though I know he'll love me no matter what. I've learned that when he doesn't talk, he probably is tired or upset, both of which requires some cool down time.
*Sometimes I do get irrationally upset or anxious sometimes. It helps when AB points it out. I also told him to hug me whenever I'm upset. That helps too.
*It's nice to have lazy days here and there to just sit on the couch and talk.
*Sometimes I wonder when the honeymoon period is gonna run out. Hm...
*We've developed some routines such as asking how each other's days went after work, watching Jimmy Kimmel every weeknight at 10:35pm, grocery shopping on Sunday nights. It's nice to have some regular things to look forward to.
*Financially we're both pretty frugal, so it helps to be on the same page.
*It's been really fun watching AB take care of kids during church. He laughs at the kids, I laugh at him laughing. Haha.
*It's also been fun to do each other's activities: tennis, swimming, baseball, kickball, football. It's really nice to always have a buddy to do everything with.
*Our first big trip together was to China - didn't really go too well given us being ill, the cold weather, some beguiling tour guides, pollution... Our second trip to Italy was massively planned, and went much better. I think we had more realistic expectations of what each other is comfortable doing each day. I generally like to over-pack my schedule, and AB is more a relaxed tourist. With some compromise, we had a great vacation.
*Premarital counseling was really helpful
*I like it when AB sends me messages during work - whether it's just a text about what to do at night, traffic update, or anything.
*We should really finish those marriage books we started.
*It really is the day-to-day that makes married life great. Not so much the extravagant dinners or shows (although those are nice in small bursts), but just the happy thought that I get to see my best friend every day!

Love you sweetie! 💗

Butterfat

Ah, this chart would have been helpful for baking in the past. If I didn't have a particular type of cream, I could just make it... Well, now I know. Man...so much butterfat in heavy whipping cream. Makes me kind of sad that's what I use for making ice cream. :(

butterfat content trying to reach = A
highest butter fat content that I have = H
lowest butter fat content that I have = L

To get 1 cup: Cups of high butter content = (A-L)/(H-L)

Last day in Rome

For the last day, we had a train leaving around 4p, so we had a chill day.

Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini

In the morning, we took a tour at Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini. It was just some site that I found on google with a really good rating (4.7), so I booked a tour a few days before (good to book a tour just in case). It was pretty cheap (12 euros), but it was one of my favorite places in Rome! It is located near the Alter of the Fatherland, Piazza Venezia, and the Trajan Column. It consists of a tour of ancient Roman excavations beneath a 16th century building with multimedia features. The multimedia features included projections, virtual reconstruction, hologram, showed what life might have been.

The Palazzo Valentini itself was built by a cardinal in the 16th century. But recent excavations of the palazzo's basement found the remains of an ancient patricia "domus" or home of Imperial Rome. It likely belonged to powerful families with its beautiful intricate mosaics, decorations, bathing spaces, and many more.

The first room we entered involved a large bath and also an area where the slaves worked to keep the bath hot. There were channels beneath the tiles that created heated flooring. There was also a balcony with intricate roof tiles and mosaic on the floor with marbles of 4 different colors.

In another room was a cold bath, while another had a grand staircase as the narrator describes what might have been. In the kitchen, there were remnants of plates and bowls with unfinished food within as well. In another area, it seemed as though a road ran straight through the house. The road gave insight to how roads were made in ancient Rome where gigantic rocks of 10-25kg were paved across Italy, all leading to Rome. Through really cool hologram/lighting, it showed a potential cause to the end of this beautiful house - fire.

In a separate exhibit, through hologram, a narrator tells the tale of the Trajan's conquest of Dacia, present day Romania, through the exquisite details on the Trajan column. The carving was magnificent in itself, but it had so much detail, such as depicting the different clothing of the different ranks, the god's helping Trajan from above, and much more.

There is a gallery of some of the sites: http://www.palazzovalentini.it/domus-romane/index-en.html#gallery

Villa Borghese

For the rest of the time, we spent some time biking and walking around in the Villa Borghese. After walking all the time, it was nice to get on the bike and breeze through the Villa. This is a lavish Villa designed by Ponzio and Vasanzio. It was used by Cardinal Scipione Borghese as a party villa and as a place to house his art collection.

The Pincio hill on the south side of the park offers a beautiful view of Rome.

Within the villa is also a museum - Galleria Borghese, a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, a zoo (even the outside of the zoo looks ancient and grand), an equestrian arena (Piazza di Siena), and various lakes including one that holds the Temple of Aesculapius.

Can you believe this is the entrance to the zoo?

Spanish Steps

For the rest of the time, we picked up our bags and hung around the Spanish Steps that led up to eh Villa Borghese. It was soooooo crowded, and we slowly made our way to the top. Afterwards, we wandered around and looked at all the expensive shops in that plaza (Tiffany's, Luis Vuiton, Versace, Gucci, etc.).

Spanish steps!

Phew! Made it to the top!