Glenda Cook | FindPenguins

Northern Italy
Duomo of Florence
10 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
We had been to the Florence Duomo (cathedral) on a previous trip, but I had failed to get an adequate picture of Ghiberti's self-portrait in the doors of the Baptistry. This time I made sure that I got a good one. In 1334 the Florentine Signory approved the design by Giotto of the campanile tower. It is distinguished not by its square shape (which Giotto had hoped to top with a spire), but by its lovely Gothic tracery windows, the reliefs, and in the colored, carved lower panels in marble, carved by Giotto. After his death, the work was carried on by Pisano, Donatello, and Francesco Talenti, to whom the tower owes its crowning glory--the highest arcade with its single Gothic window. There is a story about Brunelleschi's selection to design and construct the dome of the church. He was one of many candidates who interviewed for the job. He told them he would top the tower with a dome, the largest to be built since the Romans built the Pantheon. They asked him how he would do it. He refused to tell them on the grounds that once he explained it, every other architect would copy the idea and claim it as his own. They persisted. Finally he said, "If you can tell me how to stand an egg on its end, then I will tell you how I plan to build the dome." After three weeks of trying to stand an egg on its end, they relented and asked Brunelleschi back for another interview. "We cannot figure out how to stand an egg on end. How would you do it?" "Simple," he said. He took a hard-boiled egg, tapped the end slightly, then set it up on end." "Oh, that's easy," they responeded. "You didn't figure it out," he told them. "We could have done so," they said. He answered, "Similarly, once I build the dome, everyone else will say that they could have done it." They gave him the job, and he built the dome.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
At the Grand Hotel Baglioni
10 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌧 59 °F
The Grand Hotel Baglioni was our home while in Florence. It is a lovely old structure that has been meticulously maintained. Although it is old, it is quite comfortable and very clean. It has a wonderful ambience that makes one wonder whether French and German spies from the world wars are still hiding in some out-of-the-way closet. The dining room was elegant, and often evening meals can be taken on the lovely rooftop garden. It gives a wondeful view of the whole of Florence. Right across the street are the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and the train station.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Holy Trinity Ice Cream
9 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
A recommendation from our guide led us to the Gusta Pizzaria and afterwards to the Santa Trinita Ice Cream Store. It got this name because it is located just at the western end of the Santa Trinita Bridge. We arrived too early. Pizza wasn't served until precisely 7:00 pm. Even so there was already a long line along the street. At the stroke of seven the doors opened, we ordered our pizza, and we sat at one of the few perches available in the store. We left the store as soon as we finished eating to allow others still waiting to have our seat. We wandered around a few blocks and found a wonderful street market, then happened upon the Pitti Palace. Though it was closed for the night, it still is an impressive structure at night with all the lights shining on them. We made our way to the Holy Trinity Ice Cream shop where they had at least thirty flavors of gelato that I had never heard of. I got a chocolate nugat gelato that tasted like a Snickers candy bar. It was all delicious. Again, to avoid crowding, we took our ice cream out onto the Santa Trinita Bridge and had a ball eating there in beautiful, historic Venice out on our own. We saw the lighted Ponte Vecchio behind us, then strolled back to our hotel, stopping to wander through several old palaces that have been renovated to contain malls, offices, or meeting venues.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Bella! Bella! Florence
9 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
After driving through the region of Lake Como, we arrived at a high overlook atop the city of Florence. We could see it all. Above us was a reproduction of Michaelangelo's famous statue of David. In front of us was a red Ferrari. Our bus driver was especially interested in the car. As a young man he was the personal driver for Enzo Ferrari. We checked into the Grand Hotel Baglioni, a lodging that looks as though Errol Flynn could have stayed there during one of his adventures. It has been well maintained, though, and is a lovely old girl. We got a tour of the Academy and saw the original statue of David, and some unfinished works by Michaelangelo. I happened to see Matt Evans, one of my Goldsboro District pastors, with a church group at the academy.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Tre Pini
9 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
We stopped for lunch at the Tre Pini Restaurant on the south side of Florence. The fact is, despite the restaurant's name, one of its three pines was struck by lightning. So actually there are only two pines there now, not the three which the name suggests. There was good food, and good music provided by an excellent guitarist and a proficient female singer who offered everything from Italian favorites to the Portuguese "Cuando, Cuando." Tre Pini is noted for the blue aperitif it offers, which is imported into the U. S.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
St. Mark's Cathedral at Night
8 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
We went to St. Mark's Cathedral at night for a presentation by Art Historian Susan. She began the program in total darkness, giving an account of the retrieval of the body of St. Mark from Muslim Alexandria in Egypt. Then at the appointed time, all of the lights of the cathedral illuminated the golden domes inside. She was careful to tell us that if it looked like gold, it was gold. The effect was overwhelming.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Venice Academia
8 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
Art historian Susan taught us all afternoon in the Venice Academy of Art. Her lessons were simple enough for us beginners, though one could tell she was accomplished in her field. I could not escape my impression: other galleries throughout the world have a smattering of art from Venice's golden age. Here in the city of its birth, Venetian art is ubiquitous. It was overwhelming.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Lunch at Dante's Vineyard
8 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌫 57 °F
We had lunch at the Alighieri Winery. This property was bought by Dante Alighieri's son about the time of his father's death. It has been in the family ever since. We were served a lovely Tuscan meal complete with wine and a tour of the vineyards.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Cruise Around Burano Island
8 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌫 59 °F
We cruised in the rain over to Burano Island, a smaller, quieter version of the Venetian experience. This island is known for its colorful buildings. They were lovely despite the rain.
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Northern Italy
Verona: Rome, Romeo & Juliet
7 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
When we entered Verona we discovered first that the traffic was congested so that nothing could move. There is an international horse show here that has brought visitors from all over the world. Nothing is moving, so our bus driver is taking back routes to get us into the city. The other thing we discovered is that the Adige River is overflowing its banks. The city is not flooded yet, but the water is still rising. We saw the hill where the first Roman fortress was located to guard the Empire from the barbarian hordes that were overtaking this place in the fourth century. The tomb of Cangrande della Scala was magnificent. We also saw the traditional home of the Capelli and the Montecchi, who became known to the world through Shakespeare as the Capulets and the Montagues. The situation was not simply that the families of the lovers were feuding. It was that Europe was feuding. The Capelli were Guelphs supporting the temporal power of the Pope in Rome, and the Montecchi were Ghibilines supporting the Holy Roman Emperor. We finished up by visiting the ruins of the Roman Collosseum here, one of the best preserved in the world.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
European Chocolate Fair, Ravenna
6 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
When we left two of the oldest and important churches in the world, we strolled out to the Piazza Populi and found that Ravenna was hosting an international chocolate fair. I said to Glenda, "Yes, there in a God." We got several small bags full of truffles and other goodies and enjoyed them for the rest of the trip. We also got to have a wonderful meal together, and then walked by the tomb of Dante, the writer who standardized the Tuscan dialect as the national language of Italy.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Church of St. Apollinare, Ravenna
6 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌧 61 °F
We walked through the Piazza Populi to visit the Church of St. Apollinare, one of the imperial churches of the late Roman Empire. As at the Church of San Vitale, the mosaics here exemplify the finest early Christian iconography in the world. Our guide showed us that the building has required considerable repair over the centuries. She also showed us that an honorific inscription showed the face of the Emperor prior to the one who actually made the endowment. As far as these Christians were concerned, an Emperor was an Emperor, so they used the image of his predecessor. She also showed us several places where a mosaic image was incompletely "erased," leaving evidence of the previous image.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Church of San Vitale, Ravenna
6 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌧 61 °F
We started our day in Ravenna at the Church of San Vitale, a church of the late Roman Empire. This temporary capital was built by the Romans in the Western Empire as they were fleeing the many invasions from the north. The church contains some of the oldest and purest Christian iconography in existence. I was pleased that the curators have raised funds to keep the ancient mosaics looking pristine and beautiful.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Bologna: University, History and Cuisine
5 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌧 59 °F
The River Countess docked at Chioggia, and we are taking a bus to Bologna. Now we are passing through a beautiful little town called Monselice, where there is an old, medieval fort atop the Eugenian Hills. There is very flat land here with small farms and terra cotta roofs. At 9:00 am it starts to rain. We are in the back of the bus with Ray and Ada from California and also with Beth and Pete from Portland. Our bus guide is Monica, whose English is not the best. She overuses the expression, “Oh, my God.” Many church steeples in the distance are poking up from flat land. I see many lines of trees used as wind breaks. We had dinner with Jim and Betty from Richmond, VA; Chuck and Debbie from Houston. Chuck and Patty live in a haunted house. They are missing their luggage. Linda is the heavy girl with a cloud of dark brown hair. In Bologno we visited the cathedral in the rain. Then I went to the university and Glenda went to the markets. The university has what may be the oldest medical school in Europe. The old lecture room has carved wooden statues of the great minds of medicine. It also has two anatomically correct carvings of male bodies with the skin removed supporting the sounding board over the lecture stand. Before lunch we went to a Bolognese cooking school where Glenda was chosen at random to go up and participate in the making of tortellini. She was chided by the instructor. She didn't seem to enjoy raw beginners. Our guide also barked at Glenda when she suggested that we sometimes put both garlic and Parmesan cheese on pasta. Apparently doing so in Bologna constitutes culinary heresy.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
St. Anthony and Friends
4 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
Took bus to Padua. Visited Church of St. Anthony and the University of Padua. It claims to be the oldest university in Europe. We enjoyed military band outside the Pedrocchi Coffee Shop in commemoration of the armistice ending World War I. All the Italians say, “We got on the wrong side in World War II, but got it right in World War I.” So they celebrate the Armistice more than VE Day. We enjoyed coffee at Cafe Pedrocchi, the finest coffee shop in the world. It also boast several bullet holes in the walls, inflicted during one of Italy's revolutionary outbreaks in the nineteenth century.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Sailing to Chioggia
4 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌫 54 °F
While traveling to Chioggia we heard a lecture by art historian Louisa. She says the best book on the Scuola di San Rocco is by Tom Nichols. We passed by the Lido, both a beach and a residential area of Venice. It was unfortunate that as we passed Isola San Spiritu that the buildings on it are now abandoned. It has been a prison, an insane assylum, and a hotel. On San Clemente Island Hilton Hotels is now building a resort. We met Ray and Ada from Southern California. They got together over the Internet. She is of oriental background. When we came abreast of the inlet just north of Chioggia, we felt the swells of the Mediterranean Sea. Obviously this river cruise ship was not made for the open ocean. I couldn't figure out why Uniworld decided to bus us to Padua from Chioggia, when it's actually closer to Venice.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Frari Church and Scuola di San Rocco
3 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌫 59 °F
The Frari Church of the Franciscans and the nearby Scuola di San Rocco contain the finest collections of renaissance Venetian art in the world. Our British guide Susan has lived in Venice and studied art here for twenty-nine years. Though we were not allowed to take photos inside either building, I was able to snap one shot of Tintoretto's masterpiece, Virgin and Child with the Saints just as I entered the narthex. The church itself frames the work, which is itself the altarpiece. A carving of the work tops the tomb of Tintoretto, which is also in this church. We had dinner with Beth and Pete, from Portland, Oregon. Beth grew up near Glenda in Mount Holly, NC, though they did not meet until this trip.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Inside the Doge's Palace
3 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌫 55 °F
The interior of the Doge's Palace has some of the most beautiful art and architecture in the world. The Doge was elected for a term, then replaced. One person could, however, serve multiple terms, and some of the Doge's became quite powerful. The largest room is the hall where the assembly met. They were reminded of their duties by a wall covered in Caravaggio's depiction of the Last Judgment. Inside the building there was a prison. Some of the cells have walls holding poignant graffitti. The Bridge of Tears led away to the place of execution.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Assembling at the Doge's Palace
3 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌫 50 °F
We all assembled in the courtyard of the Doge's Palace and went inside to see one of the most beautiful buildings one can imagine. One noteworthy feature on the outside, which I did photograph, is a box for the collection of complaints against one's neighbor. Its recepticle is in the shape of a face. One can only wonder about what action the state took against people whose neighbors tattled on them. Inside there was a prison.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Walking Tour from the Garden to St. Mark
3 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌫 46 °F
In the morning a walking tour led by guide Immanuela. To the Arsenale, through streets east of St. Mark’s Square. Trail is marked by the GPS coordinates of the photographs Glenda took with the Nikon Coolpix 510. We went through several of the campos, originally fields surrounding churches. We spent time at the Arsenale, the old shipbuilding facility that built one ship per day in the fifteenth century. In the fog the buildings were lovely. Glenda was especially interested in all of the shops. In Italy, as in much of Europe, there are not supermarkets. Rather, there is a shop for meat, a shop for cheese, one for flowers, a separate vegetable market, and so on. All of the food looked good and fresh.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
First Evening on the River Countess
2 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ 🌙 61 °F
We returned to the River Countess to enjoy a delicious dinner, went out onto the sun deck to photograph a passing cruise ship, the MSC Fantasia, and then put away our luggage, squared-away our stateroom, and went to bed.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
$The Altair is Often Docked By the Venice Port Authority \$
Murano Glassworks on Giudecca Island
2 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
Our cruise director, Tony Campaillo, let us to our own private motorboat, which took us to the glassworks. First we saw a demonstration of how glass blowers ply their craft, and then we went to the showroom. There were all sorts of the most beautiful and fantastic works, from small figurines to large chandeliers. It was unfortunate that we were prohibited from taking photographs, although a Japanese-American named Steve totally disregarded the prohibition.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Lost in Venice
2 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
We almost made the mistake of getting on the boat that would have taken us to the boat via the airport, about a two-hour addition to our schedule. Such an option was not acceptable to us, because we needed to return to our boat by 2:30 pm in order to join the group that was to visit one of the Murano art glass factories on Giudecca Island.

On the vaporetto I decided to go astern to photograph St. Mark’s Square from the water. There was a German family there with a father who acted as though he wanted to be the commandant of the whole world. Unlike his sons, he never acknowledged that I was even sitting in front of him. When I took their picture, he looked straight up, as though if he were not looking at me, then I could not see him.

We returned to St. Marta’s, in view of the ship. The only problem was that we found a locked gate between us and our boat. We asked a policeman on a bicycle how to get back to the ship. He told us, in broken English, to get on the “People Mover,” and to get off at the first stop. This would lead us to the street we saw on the other side of the chain-link fence going to the River Countess. With some confusion and difficulty we made our way to the People Mover and found our way to the ticket machine and up one storey to the loading platform. After just a few seconds I saw that we passed over the road leading back to the ship, and continued to travel toward downtown Venice. The sense of helplessness was palpable. We got off at the next exit, and found that we were in the Piazza le Romana. Both Jim and I had maps. We charted a course back to the ship and started making our way south. Unfortunately, there were several places where the name of the street did not precisely line up with the street’s location. Betty and Glenda got worried, though Jim and I basically knew where we were, and were confident that eventually we would make it back to the ship. We wandered through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city. Though I did not know it at the time, this walk through a less visited part of Venice would be one of the high points of the whole trip for me. When we saw the ship we hit another obstacle. We were separated from it by a chain link fence with a locked gate. So we had to backtrack several blocks, trying to remember exactly where the ship was until we hit a street that went without obstruction to the south. Finally we found one, and came out at the ship. We did manage to get back to the River Countess in time to go to the glassworks on Giudecca Island.En savoir plus
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Northern Italy
Vaporetto to St. Mark's Square
2 novembre 2014, Italie ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F
We retrieved our luggage, and Jim said that he wanted to do a general tour of Venice via the Grand Canal. I figured that the cheapest way to do this was not by gondola, but by vaporetto. The closest vaporetto station was St. Marta’s, so we got on a boat that took us to another station, where we transferred boats. As we debarked from the first vessel, I saw before me a lovely church. I went inside and took a few photos of the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus Santa Chiara. There were some women inside preparing the altar for mass. They did not seem bothered that I was taking pictures. I found the interior remarkably beautiful for just a common parish church. Glenda snapped a shot of the nest of a homeless man, where a generous donor had left a new pair of shoes for the indigent man. My baby Italian was sufficient to get us onto vaporetto #2, that would take us under the Rialto Bridge, and ultimately to St. Mark’s Square. The canal was bustling with tourist and cargo traffic, but we made it safely to St. Mark’s. We took only a few minutes to look around because, as it turned out, the boat that was to take us back to the Venice Port Authority, where the River Countess was docked, was to arrive shortly.En savoir plus
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Alaska 2
Saying Good-bye in Vancouver
14 juin 2014, Canada ⋅ 🌧 55 °F
As we sailed through the channel toward Vancouver we saw more industrial cargo ship passing us going to the west. We had the traditional dessert of Baked Alaska on the last night of the voyage, and said good-bye to the Wrinkles, the Friedmans, and the other new friends we have made on this cruise. We can only say that we saw parts of Alaska that we did not see on our first trip here. This land is so vast that I imaging every time one visits, he comes to a different country. Alaska has many parts, and as we fly home we feel that we have only touched the surface.En savoir plus
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Alaska 2
Sea Day
13 juin 2014, Coastal Waters Of Southeast Alaska And British Columbia ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F
Today is a sea day as we make our way down toward the south and the end of our cruise at Vancouver. Here are some shots from around the ship that show what a lovely vessel she is. We spent some time this morning after breakfast sitting in a sofa out by the Wheelhouse Lounge reading. I am still trying to correct this intermittent malfunction of one of the switches on my Canon 60D. I think maybe water got into the camera during the heavy rainstorm that caught us outside at Copper River. At dinner I ordered mussels, a Caesar salad, and a bottle of Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier (California). Glenda liked it better than any wine we have enjoyed on the cruise so far. We packed up and prepared to leave the ship tomorrow morning. Baked Alaska parade. Waitresses were Vaneza from Brazil and Branny from Serbia.En savoir plus
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