In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace -- and what did they produce? The Cuckoo Clock. -Orson Welles I like this quote because to me sums up the reality of the artistic temperament. In order to produce great art you have to go to the extremes of emotion. You have to be inspired and possess the arrogant belief that your vision is valuable, not just to yourself but to others. That your taste is that of an artist. You must withstand criticism from people like me who just refuse to admit that a dead palm tree on the floor is a work of ... read more

Hi Everyone! I am here in Florence, home of Michelangelo's David...and other interesting things. When I thought of Florence Michelangelo's sculptures are the first thing I thought of, and every one in the tourist industry here is happy to profit from that acquisition. I wonder how Americans would behave if their city contained works of art that were over 500 years old and created by one of the all time best artists in history. I must say that it is hard to immerse yourself in culture when you are surrounded by beggars and souvenir hawkers. But on the other hand for 4 euro you too could own a four inch made in China plastic David model. Believe me I was tempted. It wasn't until I was planning this trip that I learned that Michelangelo's David represents ... read more

Hi Everyone! In order to arrive in Rome three days ago, I took the overnight bus from Vienna. It cost 44 Euro, less than half the price of the train. It was also completely insane. I was on the bus for 17 hours 2:30pm to 7:30am. And less you think that an overnight bus would provide space, or seats that are larger or more spacious than a regular bus let me disabuse you of that notion. I got maybe a hour of sleep if you add up all the 10 minutes that I managed in between people going to the bathroom and shining the bathroom light in my eyes. When I got to Rome and found my hostel they let me leave my luggage, but I couldn't check into my room until after 2pm, so I ... read more

It seems to me that Vienna is a city that likes everything to be beautiful as well as functional, and if it can’t be both, it should be beautiful. The city is full of gardens, statues, fountains, and picturesque scenes. Metro stations are architectural marvels and a 40km manmade island stretches across part of the Danube River solely for the purpose of sunbathing in the summer. Clothing optional. July and August are interesting months in Vienna as two main attractions, the Spanish Riding School and Vienna boys choir are both on vacation but there are several free festivals that run for both months to console tourists as well as entertain locals. There are three different open air movie festivals in different parts of the city specializing in different types of film as well as an international ... read more

Hi Everybody! In the last few days I have seen the Dancing House, the Prague Castle, the Kriski fountain, and I took a day trip to Kutna Hora to see the bone church. Because Prague was largely undamaged in WWII many of their architectual marvels still exist. Prague Castle is considered the largest ancient castle in the world. It has existed in some form since the 10th century. The highlight of Prague Castle is the St. Vitas Cathedral which was started in 1344 and not finished until 1929. Yes, 1929. It took them over 600 years to complete the cathedral. They even changed architectural styles in the middle of construction! Prague Castle was also the place of the second Prague defenestration (which is a Czech code word meaning: throwing people out of windows). This defenestration was ... read more