Updates, reflections and realizations

Dear friends and family,

I have learned, over the past 2ish months, that it is hard to maintain a meaningful, interesting blog. I haven't posted an update in a while because, frankly, nothing interesting has happened to me. I have been giving more tours and getting to know the newest batch of interns, but that's about it.

One might ask, "well, why isn't she out exploring the city, finding interesting things to talk about?!" The answer to that question is that I work a full-time job, and I am tired a lot. I feel like a grown-up. Aside from this stint in Venice being a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I am beginning to see my time here as a warm-up for the real world, an incline between college and life.

This thinking all started a week or so ago when the new interns arrived and nearly all of my friends left. The only intern left from June is Whitney, my dear friend from Lake George, NY. Besides general experience gained over time, Whitney and I survived Biennale opening week, including brutal 18-hour workdays (complete with 6-hour guarding shifts in heels and formal gowns). We are seasoned pros, and the new interns - sans Biennale bustle - are learning at a snail's pace. There is something to be said for being thrown into something and working your way through it. It makes you tougher and wiser. Whitney and I are - by far - the toughest and wisest interns. So, naturally, we get a lot of questions. And responsibilities. And headaches.

Even though it may sound like I am complaining, part of me enjoys the attention. I like knowing about the collection and how it functions. At the same time, there isn't much more for me to know; I am simply a doer and teacher at this point. I like learning, and I think that my complacency is related to the lack of things to learn at this point in the internship. My mind and body are ready for something else.

Never, not in a million years, did I expect to leave Europe happily. But I will leave Venice with a smile on my face and arrive in the States with an even bigger one. I will always come back to Europe, but I will always return to the States again. That is something I didn't expect to learn this summer. There is something to be said for home even if you tire of it sometimes. I will miss the PGC when I leave, but my time here is almost done. For now, that is...

With love,

Lindsey

LIST: Interns and their countries

Canada: Amanda
France: Santiago
Great Britian: Catherine
Holland: Stefanie
Hungary: Zsofia
Italy: Fanny T., Fanny L., Giulia T., Giulia R., Francesca, Elisa, Roberta & Anita
Malta: Matthew
Spain: Cristina
Switzerland: Brigitte
Turkey: Sena
United Arab Emirates: Alia & Khalid
USA: Whitney, Renee, Sarah, Alex, Naomi, Kaitlin, Kamal & me

Whitney and I are the only two left from June. Sad. We will see how the newbies shape up.

PHOTOS: Festa del Redentore

Redentore is a Venetian holiday that commemorates the end of a plague in the 16th century. The city builds a bridge from the main island to the Redentore church on Isola Giudecca and puts on a fantastic fireworks show. It was such a good time.

PHOTOS: Castello Miramare, Trieste

Here are a few photos (in no particular order) from our intern trip this month. We went way up north of Italy to a city called Trieste and visited Castello Miramare. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

PROFILE: My favorite (only) Aussies

Australians are such lovely people. They are also they reason I just used the word "lovely". From left to right: Jilly, Rebecca, Cam and Kelly.

Jilly: Jilly is a rising junior at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. Like the other three in this picture, she is originally from Sydney, Australia. Jilly has a serious appreciation for food and is forever poring over guide books and reviews to find the best of everything. She is also a fabulous hostess. She and Marianna, another intern, have had two parties so far, and they have both been beautiful and tons of fun. For their most recent party, Jilly made a heirloom tomato and watermelon salad with feta and arugula. Yummm.

Rebecca: Rebecca is the big sister I never had. I am inspired by and in awe of her. She is absolutely wonderful, full of life and infectious energy. Adults love her, children love her, and she is the most enjoyable of friend to have. Rebecca has her Master's in art history and curatorial studies from the University of Sydney, and she is currently working in a contemporary Asian art gallery in New York. I miss her desperately.

Cam: Cam is the most mature, interesting and well-traveled 18-year-old I have ever met. He has model good looks and a heart of gold. A hug or smile from Cam will cheer you up in a split-second and conversations with him are delightful. He always wears acid-washed jeans, and his mother is a famous sex therapist. Those two things are not related. He is exceptionally intelligent and thoughtful, especially considering that he just graduated from high school. I look forward to seeing how his life unfolds.

Kelly: Kelly, like Rebecca, also has her Master's in art history and curatorial studies from Sydney University. She moved to Berlin after her stint at the Guggenheim ended last month. Kelly was such a huge help to me when I first arrived in Venice. As an assistant to my supervisors, her job was to make sure that all of us newbies were settling in nicely. She is an extremely warm and kind person, a great friend to have.

Well, that's a brief introduction to my favorite Aussies. My only Aussies, actually, hahaha. I hope you have enjoyed "meeting" them.

Love,

L

View from the PGC's roof terrace

Sigh.

Yoko Ono is following me around

First at JFK, then at the PGC. I can't shake her.























Yoko at the PGC in front of the tree she gave Peggy, June 2009

And the settling continues

Hello all,

As I reported a week or so ago, things have really settled down here in Venice. I get more and more used to living here every day. My greatest 'I live here' moment was last week, when I sought out, purchased and assembled a fan for my room. It became too sticky and hot to sleep without one. Whilst navigating the alleys, consulting salespeople and following assembly directions in Italian, I felt quite independent.

Everything is going swimmingly over at the PGC. I have my first paid tour July 19. I will be guiding 30 college students around the entire collection for an hour. This is a pretty big step for me as an intern; it signifies my veteran status, if you will. Another exciting thing is that I have a meeting next week with our publications department. Hopefully I will become an assistant up in the offices and my days guarding the galleries will end. I would rather spend four hours designing rather than standing around. In conclusion, I am doing what always do: making my skills known and making things happen.

It is strange to think that I am almost halfway done with this internship. In some ways time has flown, but mostly it has passed at a modest pace. The first two weeks of July have not been as action-packed as the first weeks in June, and the new interns are not as fun as the old ones. I think all of these things have slowed the days down a bit, which is OK, I guess. I don't want to return to the States and start my adult life yet, but I do miss all of you at home.

Well, everyone, I have to go. I am at work right now, and I have to give a break to one of my fellow interns. I hope all of you are having fabulous summers where ever you are. Ciao for now.

Love,

L

LIST: Interns and their Countries

INTERNS (New ones in bold)

Australia: Jilly
Canada: Nico
France: Anna and Santiago (who is Peggy's great-grandson)
Great Britian: Rachel
Greece: Kelley
Holland: Stefanie
Italy: Marta, Anita, Cecilia, Barbara, Antonio, 2 Giulias
Malta: Matthew
Mexico: Angie
Serbia: Nevena
Spain: Angela
Switzerland: Brigitte
Turkey: Sena
USA: Lila, Marianna, Whitney, John, Maud, Caroline, Renee, Me!

One month down, two to go.

Hello there!

It has been quite a while since I last regaled you with stories of Venezia, la serenissima. I'm not going to lie to you: I looked up how to spell "regaled" just now. The intricacies of the English language have left me for the most part, as I speak mostly Italian during the day. I catch myself thinking and reasoning in Italian also, which scares and excited me a bit.

Without further ado, here's an update on my charmed life:

I have been settling into a routine here in Venice for the last couple of weeks. It is true that Venice is more like a village than a city; I see the same people, do the same things, and feel at ease here. As I walk to work, I see the gondoliers polishing the gulls of their boats, the shop-owners Windex-ing their windows, the man with the three bulldogs conversing with a friend as they cross the Accademia bridge.

At the PGC, we have become a make-shift family for each other. Like any other family, we are a little too big and a little too loud, but the deep love and respect we have for each other is evident nonetheless. Of the 33 interns I started the month with, 17 are leaving. Last night was our farewell bash: la festa di fine mese, or the end-of-the-month party. I never thought I could be as moved and changed by a group of people as I was by CUAB, but the PGCers managed to draw a few tears out my eyes. (Just a few, though.) Tomorrow the newbies arrive, and I get to meet 10 new people who have totally different backgrounds than me but are some how eerily similar. I could not be more excited.

Because so much time has elapsed since my last post, I will not attempt to summarize the events that have transpired. Some of the highlights were Mom's visit last week (see image of Venice from the San Giorgio Maggiore bell tower, wow!) , various dinner parties, and late-night tea drinking, scary story telling, Sex and the City watching, bruschetta eating marathons. I wish you all could have been here to take part.

With that being said, I will now introduce to you a new wave of blog posts. I am going to try my hand at listing, profiling and extended photo captions. Here is one try at each new genre:

LIST: Types of delivery boats
These are different boats I have seen. If I was anywhere but Venice, these would be trucks instead. Just imagine my delight at seeing these cruising the canals:

1. Ice Cream boat
2. Coca Cola boat
3. UPS boat
4. Fruit and veggie
5. Animal control boat

PROFILE: Allison
Allison is a delightful little sprite of a human being who hails from New York and currently attends Bard College. She always has a small notebook and a fountain pen with her and is constantly writing notes or sketching. She wears a giant orange barrette in her hair. Before she left the US for Venice, she was walking by an American Apparel store, and they asked her to come in for a moment. Wondering why, Allison obliged. They offered her $1000 in merchandise to take a few Polaroids; they were so stricken by her manner and style. She accepted, and has since offered to buy anyone anything they want from the store. She could never use it all herself, she says. That's just a little bit about my friend Allison.

PHOTO: Burano
Burano is a quaint fisherman's island in the northern lagoon. Venice just one of many islands in the larger lagoon connected to the Adriatic sea.

I visited Burano with my mom when she came to visit this week. We had a lovely time exploring the tiny streets and had a wonderful picnic lunch along the water. Twas a great visit.

A note about the houses: All of the row houses are painted different colors. It is said to be so as an aid to the fishermen that leave there. They are out at sea for so long that they forget where they live, so the wifes simply remind them of the color of their home before they return. Cute story, eh? I thought so.

Well, folks, that's all I have for you today. I am off to my friend Rebecca's for lunch. Until next time, I hope you all are well and enjoying your summers. Ciao for now!

Love,

L

Le fotografie della mia vita

I thought you all deserved a break from reading. Aside from a few short captions, this post is all pictures of my life here in Venice. Enjoy.

1. A view from beyond my apartment: The Grand Canal from Piazza San Marco.


2. Corte Torretta, the courtyard where my apartment building is.

3. A view from my apartment window.

4. My kitchen wasn't as tidy as I would like, so I decided to take a picture of my lunch instead. Fresh mozzarella, Sicilian tomatoes (fresh and pureed), tagliatelle noodles, olive oil, garlic and herbs.

5. The finished product: Homemade tomato sauce with fresh tagliatelle, mozzarella and bread. Mmmm.

6. More Italian produce. Yum again.

7. A view of my cube. The "Taxi Driver" poster was left for me by the previous tenant. How sweet.

9. Another view. The poster on my door is of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. The poster to the far right is named "Pesci di Mare," and it has all of the fish in the Venetian province on it.

10. Yet another view. The poster on the wall is of a Magritte in the PGC. On my wardrobe are Biennale posters, fliers and postcards I have collected so far. I also have a dartboard on the right that I use as a bulletin board.

11. The infamous shower. Showering is definitely memorable here in Corte Torretta.

12. We are out of my apartment now (obviously) and on my route to work. Here is a view of a group of gondoliers about 5 minutes from home, 10 minutes from the PGC.


13. Here is a view of the PGC from the Accademia Bridge, one of the two bridges that crosses the Grand Canal. (The museum is the low-lying white marble palazzo two buildings from the right.) We are about 3 minutes away from work at this point.


14. The view from the other side of the Accademia. The boat on the far left is a vaporetto, or water bus.

15. Really hot billboard man I ogle at everyday when I cross the Accademia.

16. A view of the Fondamenta Zattere, a fun road to stroll along or to stop along to have a drink. The grocery store I go to is at the end of this road, about 10 minutes away from the museum and 25 minutes away from my apartment. The Grand Canal is on the left.

18. The Canal is so beautiful with the sun shining. I like Venice, sigh.


That's all for now. I hope you have enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for another installment in a few days. You may be getting some more pictures if you're lucky :) Ciao!

Love,

L

Biennale

From the Biennale Web site: "The Venice Biennale has for over a century been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Ever since its foundation in 1895, it has been in the avant-garde, promoting new artistic trends and organizing international events in contemporary arts."

More plainly, the Biennale is an international exposition of art. Each of the 77 participating countries has a pavilion or a garden, and they select one contemporary artist to represent the country. The US artist is Bruce Nauman, whose work has been displayed at the Tate Modern in London and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

The PGC's role in the Biennale is a large and complex one. Because it houses all of the most important modern art in Venice and it positioned prominently on the Grand Canal, the PGC is a favorite site for pre-Biennale parties and functions. Everything will become more clear as I talk you through last week's events.

Monday, June 1: Pre-chaos Meeting

My first day of work at the PGC. After a normal day of work, the staff briefed all of the interns on the upcoming week of Biennale events. They basically just scared the shit out of us and told us we would be on our feet in high-heeled shoes and formal gowns and suits for 16+ hours everyday catering to the most important people in the art world. Keep in mind that Sunday was my training day and the first time I had ever set foot inside the PGC.

Tuesday, June 2: VIP Tour

The museum is not usually open Tuesdays, but we were open for Biennale stuff (including a rooftop-terrace breakfast for the Tate Modern director and a huge press conference for all of the Biennale artists). After work, Susan Davidson, a curator at the Guggenheim in NY, gave the interns a tour of the temporary exhibition she hung at the PGC called Gluts. The Gluts are assembled metal works by Robert Rauscenberg, a prominent American artist who died one year ago.

Susan was accompanied by RR's widow, son, granddaughter and his boyfriend (yes, his widow and his boyfriend). She decided to talk with us so we could best answer questions during our tours and guarding duties. It's not everyday (or every lifetime) that one gets a tour of a show from its curator and the family of the artist. I felt quite special and learned a lot. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Wednesday, June 3: Guggenheim Foundation Gala

We had a huge gala at the PGC for the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation board members. Very rich and important art people flew to Venice from all over the world for a big shindig. My role in all of this was to pin my name badge to my formal dress and guard the galleries, protecting the artwork from wayward elbows and red wine.

Important people present included the directors of all the Guggenheim branches, directors of the Tate Modern in London, Museum of Contemporary Art in LA, and the Whitney Museum in NY (a bunch of prominent curators and art patrons were there too).

I have never seen such beautiful clothes, shoes and handbags in all of my life (aside from later in the week, that is). I was like all of the manakins in the windows of Dior, Versace, Gucci and Prada sprung to life and decended on the museum. I do love a man in a designer suit. And the women were all so graceful. I was jealous even though I was formally dressed as well. My feet still hurt from guarding the galleries last week in stilettos.

Thursday, June 4: US Pavilion Party

We had 1200 of the most boring people in the world in the garden Thursday night. Everything was set up beautifully, but the company was dry and the people were pompous and rude. To write about this party would be a waste of time. Skip to Friday for a good time.

Friday, June 5: UAE Pavilion Party

The work day Friday was totally normal and uneventful. As the sun set over the Grand Canal and the royals began arriving, however, things got quite festive quite quickly.

It was a spectacular scene. There were giant flower arrangements on all of the mirrored, elevated tables placed around our garden. White and red silk tents interspersed with strings of lanterns graced the courtyard. White leather chaises and ottomans were brought in for the guests to lounge on. The food looked and smelled wonderful, and they had a fully-stocked bar with everything from cognac to champagne.

Once the guests began arriving, the most amazing DJ started playing mashes of traditional music with contemporary hip hop and techno. I have never seen a royal family let loose before, but oh how they danced. There were over 800 people there, and they were all having the time of their lives. I wish I had been allowed to partake.

There are too many details to share here, but just know that the UAE royal family knows how to throw a good party. And they were all exceptionally appreciative and polite. Go, UAE.

Saturday, June 6: Catalogs, L'acqua Alta & Intern Party

Saturday I was working with Silvio, the PGC head librarian, and he sent me out to collect catalogs from the various pavilions for our archives. At first listen, this task sounds great: walking around, seeing art, meeting people, etc. But there are a few important things about me and Venice that you must consider:

1. I am spatially retarded, and I have been designated to trek to obscure corners of the city by myself. Not good.

2. Venice is a labyrinth of bridges, alleys and canals. It is very easy to get lost (see number one) and you quickly tire from all of the steps. Keep in mind that I have to lug scores of catalogs too.

3. When it rains anywhere in the Adriatic region, Venice floods. On this particular day, the majority of the streets on my route were flooded, leaving my legs soaking wet and aching from all the water aerobics. Dirty canal water up to your knees is not fun in any circumstance, let alone when you are carrying at least 40 pounds of catalogs.

Anyways, sigh, I ended up having an OK time, minus the water. I got lost probably 17 times, but I quickly noted and corrected all of my wrong turns. At the end of three hours, I had secured catalogs from the Montenegro, Georgia, Croatia, Taiwan, Morroco, Ireland and Northern Ireland pavilions. I was given the most beautiful poster from the artist at the Georgian pavilion, which I will take a picture of as soon as I charge my camera.

After I went home, changed my soggy, smelly jeans and ate lunch, I took my four tote bags of heavy books to the PGC and hung out in the intern lounge til they told me I could go home (two hours early, hooray!) I got back to my apartment, got cleaned up and went to a huge party down the Fondamenta for PGC interns past and present.

It was a great party, and we had a fabulous time unwinding from our crazy week. On our way out to bars from the Fondamenta, we discovered there was still high water in the streets, so we frolicked. (I will post the pictures of me pirouetting through the 2 feet of water in Piazza San Marco as soon as my friend Whitney sends them to me, haha). I will not continue on with details of our drunken debauchery, just know that we all had a damn good time and got home safely.

Sunday, June 7: Queen of Norway

The Queen of Norway arrived promptly at 9 a.m. Sunday morning with her posse of secret service men. The director of the PGC, Dr. Rylands, was giving her a tour before the museum opened to the public. After the seeing the UAE royal family, I expected the Queen to be dripping in diamonds and rubies and adorned with the finest Norwegian furs. She was, however, classically dressed in a Chanel suit, pumps and hat. She was very elegant, yet simple. She was also very kind and relaxed. I think if I was an old lady we could be friends.

Monday, June 8: Breakfast on the Terrace & Intern Party 2

I had a normal day at work. I was at the ticket office. Time flies when I work there, which is nice. After work a bunch of us interns went for drinks of the Fondamenta Zattere along the Grand Canal before going across the canal to Rachel's for a party. She had 20 of us over for pasta, salad, hors d'oeuvres and wine. At 4 a.m., after learning drinking songs, games and toasts in 4 different languages - I passed out on her fold-out couch. We had a great time. Everyone I work with is absolutely wonderful.

In conclusion, I had one hell of a week, filled with extraordinary happenings. I feel very lucky to be here in Venice and experience all the things that I have so far.

I join you now from just beyond Piazza San Marco, where I live. My roommate Kristen and I just made a banana chocolate cake, which smells delicious, by the way. I did laundry for the first time, and I'm generally enjoying my day off (aside from a tiny hangover). I hope you all are well, and I will talk to you soon. Cake is calling.

Cheers,

L

The PGC (Peggy Guggenheim Collection)

Here is a rough idea of what I do everyday, where I am, and who I'm with:

1. Location

There are six sestieri, or districts, in Venice. The PGC is located in Dorsoduro, a residential sestiere, across the Grand Canal from San Marco, where I live. It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to work each morning, and it isn't confusing at all because there are signs the whole way. The collection itself is housed in a palazzo, or palace, on the Grand Canal.

2. Collection

The PGC is the premiere museum for modern art in Italy, and it houses some of the most important modern pieces in the world. It is a small collection, but the phrase quality over quantity definitely applies. See this link to look at some of our permanent collection pieces (click on the rooms to see what's in them): http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/museum/map.html

3. The People

I am working with the most diverse, intelligent, interesting group of people you could imagine. Aside from CUAB, I have never been associated with such exceptional individuals. To give you an idea of the diversity, I will list the countries we come from:

- Australia (Cam, Rebecca, Kelly, Jilly)
- Canada (Vikki, Nico)
- England (Rory, Rachel)
- France (Anna)
- Germany (Cornelia)
- Greece (Kelly)
- Italy (Claudio, Anita, Angela, Chiara, Cecilia, Marta, Kaitlin)
- Japan (Yoshiko)
- Lithuania (Grazina)
- Mexico (Maria)
- New Zealand (Winsome)
- Serbia (Nevena)
- Spain (Manuel)
- USA (Mardee, Francesca, Marianna, John, Lila, Allison, Rachel and Me!)

We range in age from 17 (daughter of a major art appraiser) to 27 (established lawyer and art scholar). Most of us are 22-25. I don't have nearly enough time or room to introduce everyone to you, but I assure you that everyone is exceptionally kind, smart and wonderful.

I have two supervisors, or capi, Grazina and Anita. Grazina is from Lithuania and Anita is from Lake Como, Italy. They are both super accomodating, and they will both speak English with us if we need help. We are expected to speak to the other staff members in Italian, but they will also help us if we need it. Overall, I feel very welcome and happy at work.

4. The Job

When the director of the museum spoke to us on our first day, the first thing he said was this: "You run the museum." He wasn't exaggerating. Below is a list of the things I do everyday.

MORNING DUTIES

- Take the pajamas off the artwork: Yes, all of our pieces wear pajamas to bed. The pjs are sort of slip covers to protect the art, and we have to take them all off and fold them before the public arrives.

- Wipe the nose prints off the windows: We have many windows that overlook the Grand Canal, and these windows are often smudgy with finger and nose prints. We Windex them before opening.

- Clean bird shit off the artwork: Using distilled water and cotton balls, we wipe bird shit, pollen and dew off of the sculptures in our garden. We also pick up cigarette butts around the bases of the artworks.

- Sweep the leaves off Peggy's grave: Peggy Guggenheim is buried in the sculpture garden with her 14 dogs. We have to sweep the leaves and pollen off of their graves every morning.

OPEN HOURS

- Tickets and audioguides: The interns sell tickets and audio guides to the public upon their arrival to the museum. I know how to sell a ticket in 5 different languages (not very well, mind you). We are encouraged to speak the language of the visitor if at all possible. German and French are the hardest for me. French people are definitely the hardest to work with.

- Cloakroom and entrance: All visitors must check their bags in our complimentary coat room for the safety of the artwork. Interns take visitors' bags, check them, and then tear their tickets for entry.

- Guarding: The interns guard all of the galleries in four hour shifts. We make sure no one touches the art or takes pictures of it. We also answer any questions they have about the pieces. If you were wondering, four hours is a long time to walk around the same room. My throbbing feet and I are getting to be well acquainted with the art, though.

- Shop, Library and Taxi: These are three of the easiest jobs. Our days are divided by an hour for lunch, and we usually have one harder half (see above) and one easier half (see below) over the course of the 8-hour work day. If you are working for the shop, you go into the storeroom and bring out the merchandise the museum shop needs to restock. You also roll posters and put them into plastic sleeves for the shop. Rolling posters is actually relaxing and fun. If you are assigned to the library, you help the librarian, Silvio, re-shelve and clean the library. If you are on tax duty, you pick up VIPs from the personal taxi dock along the Grand Canal and bring them to the museum. There are more VIPs that you would think.

When we close, we put the PJs back on the artwork, and go home.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITES

- Peggy talk: We are expected to give a 10-minute talk on Peggy's life to the public once every three weeks or so. We usually stand by her grave and talk about her eccentricities and sexual promiscuity (she had many famous lovers and husbands, including the artist Max Ernst) for as long as our audience is enthralled. I learned recently that Peggy had the last private gondola in Venice, and her father and his mistress died on the Titanic. She was pretty crazy and awesome.

- Permanent Collection highlight: We are expected to give another 10-minute talk to the public on a piece of artwork in the permanent collection that interests us. I think I will talk about the silver headboard that Alexander Calder made for Peggy. It has mobile elements like hanging fish and coral in relief, and it is extremely beautiful.

- Temporary exhibition talk: Once a month we each give a 30-minute tour of the temporary exhibition. Right now we are showing Gluts: Robert Rauschenberg. It is an extremely awesome show, but I know nothing about it. I have a ton of research to do. I will tell you more about this when my time to talk gets closer.


There are tons of other fun things that go along with being an intern. I will detail them later, because I feel that I have already said too much. Just know that my job is challenging and tiring and the people I work with make it absolutely worth it. Anyways, I love you all, and I will talk to you soon!

L

My Apartment, roommates, etc.

Hello all,

Sorry it has taken me so long to write about my apartment, one of the most crucial elements of my stay here. The other crucial element - my job - is the reason why I have not written you in a few days. Busy, busy times here in Venice.

Anyways, here it goes:

1. Location

There is an iconic square, or piazza, in Venice called Piazza San Marco. It is where all of the pigeons and tourists flock each day to prey on the city. Don't get me wrong; the area is quite beautiful, but it is jammed full of people constantly. The downside to this location is also it's upside: it is always jam-packed with people, making it safer to walk around later at night.

Anyways, my apartment is in a tiny courtyard called Corte Torretta. My apartment is on the top floor, and there are a lotttt of stairs;we're talking 13 flights. Once you get up to the top of the mountain of stairs, there is a tiny landing with two chairs, and another tiny staircase leading to my door.

2. Layout

My apartment is essentially a long hallway with four doors off of it. Directly behind the front door, at one end of the hallway, is the bathroom. It deserves it's own paragraph: stay tuned. The first door on the left is Kristen's room. I have two roommates - Kristen and Heather. Heather's room is behind Kristen's, so she walks through there to get to her space. I will tell you more about the two of them later on. The first door on the right wall of the hallway is the kitchen. For Venice standards, and city standards in general, we have a huge eat-in kitchen. I have my own shelf in the food cabinet and my own drawer in the fridge, too. The door at the end of the hallway, opposite the bathroom is my room.

3. My bedroom

My room is 14 ft. cubed: 14 feet wide by 14 feet long, with 14-foot ceilings. I have two huge windows, which let a lot of light and air into my cube. I have two little book shelves for toiletries and books, obviously, and a giant wardrobe for my clothes. We are talking Narnia-sized, people. One side has three shelves and a long area to hang dresses and place jeans, tees, and laundry, and the other side is split in half. I use one half for shirts and the other half for pants ans skirts. I have the perfect number of hangers for all of my stuff, eerily enough. I have two beds in my room, both twin-sized. I sleep on one, obviously, and the other hangs out by my door and serves as a couch (and, right now, a hamper, hahaa). I also have a long bedside table for my computer, cell phone, etc.

The quirkiest thing about my room is the wall decor. I have one poster of all the fish that live in the Adriatic sea, another of Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, one of the Rene Magritte pieces called "Voices of Space" from the Collection, and another of the Guggenheim Bilbao. Each resident of my room has left a poster for posterity's sake, and it makes for an eclectic atmosphere.

4. The bath room

There is one bathroom in the apartment, and it is on the opposite end of the hallway from my bedroom. The toilet and sink are normal. Then there's the washing machine, just hanging out next to the toilet. Strange? Yes. Totally unheard of? No. The shower, however, is the most peculiar thing. Imagine a 2 ft. X 2 ft. piece of porcelain with a hole in the middle, accompanied by a faucet sticking out of the wall into your rib cage. No curtain. No tub or lovely little soap shelf. To give you some perspective, I will quote my roommate Lauren as she was giving me a tour of the apartment: "This is the bathroom. Yes, that is the shower. You will learn to use it in your own way." And I am, slowly but surely, learning.

5. Roommates

My roommates are both very nice and very busy. The few, fleeting times I have seen them have been great. Heather is very tall and thin Canadian woman with a mane of curly blond hair. She is very carefree and energetic, and she has a very animated way of talking, which is entertaining. She has been living in Venice for a few years, and loves it. Kristen, my other roommate, has also been living in Venice for a few years. She is petite with short brown hair. She is way more reserved than Heather, but she is just as nice and very interesting. I like them both very much, and they are very easy to live with.

That's all for now, everyone. I will reveal more apartment and roommate details as the summer progresses. I will also post some pictures when my room is clean and my roommates are present, hahha. Have a good day, and look for a post about the Collection very soon.

Love,

L

My First Non-Work Day in Venice

* This post was written yesterday in Word and just now pasted into Blogger.

Hello all,

I just ate a wonderful dinner of fresh bread, tomatoes and mozzarella, and I am now sipping on a half liter of Coke Light (which is far superior to Diet Coke), watching the sun go down outside my hostel. (Insert contented sigh here.)

Before I start this post, I would like to reference my initial promise to your regarding this blog. I said that my goal was to give you snapshots of my life here in Venice, and I fully intend to do this still. My thinking, however, is that I need to orient you before I can dramatically shorten my posts. With that being said, I will be writing three more long posts. The first is the one you are about to read, about my first full day in the city. The second will be about my first day at work (tomorrow), and my third will be about my apartment. After that, expect shorter posts. I’m not writing the next great novel for you all, as much as I love you.

So, when I left you all yesterday, I told you I would be telling you the story of my new friend. Intrigued? Read on.

Christie

After I got settled into my hostel yesterday night, I realized I was starving. With one basic human need (shelter) met, I decided to satisfy another: I went in search for food. Because I slept the whole time I was in Zurich, I didn’t eat anything. (Kevin just shook his head in disgust, I’m sure.) I had two food goals for my first day in Italia: eat a pizza smothered in seasonal vegetables and drink a few glasses of wine from a cask. I succeeded in both of these tasks; you can continue reading now without suspense.

So, now that my parents, grandparents and Kevin know that I did not starve, I will tell you how I met my new friend. I set out on the Fondamenta Zitelle, a boardwalk of sorts along the edge of Isola Giudecca, to find some pizza and vino. All of the smaller, cheaper spots had closed after lunch and never reopened, so my choices were limited. After walking for a minute or so, a young woman in sweats, tennis shoes and a bright pink scarf stepped out of an alley in front of me. I began to follow her. She looked safe and knowledgeable, and the color of the sky was darkening by the minute. After a minute or so, I realized that she was doing the same thing I was: walking up to the restaurant windows, glancing at the menu, and continuing on her way. I made another assumption about her at this point. She was hungry too. At one point, she stopped long enough in front of a café for me to walk up to her without running or being too creepy. I moved in towards the menu too, and said, “Hey, are you staying at the hostel?”

She stared at me blankly for a split second, so I asked her if she spoke English. She laughed, apologized, and said she did, in fact, speak English. The subsequent reaction made me feel a lot better than her initial blank stare. From there we conferred and decided we both wanted wine, and I would eat pizza while she had some dessert. We turned around, and went back along the Zitelle to choose a restaurant.

While we were walking back along the Fondamente, we began to talk about ourselves. Her name is Christie, and she is an artist originally from California who now lives in Colorado. She had been in Venice for a month doing a residency at a local university. I was, of course, very interested at this point. She was pleasant and engaging; I hadn’t spoken to anyone in English for over 40 hours, and I was so happy to be having a simple, straightforward conversation. She told me that she had been working in the print studio (like you, Gabs!) on etchings. Now that I knew that she was an art person, I didn’t feel bad about giving her some details about the Guggenheim. “My friend Kristen Cavagnet works there,” she said.

Kristen Cavagnet is one of my roommates in Venice! GASP! How strange and wonderful is that?!

After that affirmation that the world is, in fact, the size of a silver dollar, we spent the rest of our night talking about ourselves, our friends, and our families. We found food – I had pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and eggplant and she tiramisu – and wine, and enjoyed the perfectly cool Venice night along the waterfront.

Unfortunately, Christie was leaving Venice in a few days, so our time together would be short. She was planning on sightseeing the next day, and I asked if I could join her. It was perfect, almost serendipitously so, that we had found each other. It almost felt like we were balancing each other out; she was leaving, I was staying, we were making peace with the city before departure and upon arrival. All was right with the world as I practically skipped back to my hostel: I am in Venice, and I made a friend!

Lindsey and Christie visit Piazza San Marco

Even though most of the time I am one, I don’t like tourists. Not all tourists, but all tourists who appear to be and act like tourists. I’m sure there are thousands of others who try to be polite and discrete as I do, but they do such a good job that I don’t know they are there. Therefore, the indiscrete and the impolite catch all the grief.

Knowing that Piazza San Marco would be filled with these intolerable individuals before I left Giudecca this morning allowed me to get into the right mindset. I mentally prepared myself on the vaporetto ride across the Grand Canal. The morning was cool and crisp, even with the sun flying high above the water. Christie and I had decided to meet at 8:30, and I was, of course, way early for our appointment. Taking my time, I strolled leisurely down the Fondamenta Zitelle, trying to look as Italian – or simply un-American – as possible. I watched bar owners prepare their storefronts for the day, locals walk their dogs and old men heatedly discuss the front page of the city newspaper, Il Gazattino. About five minutes into my 10-minute walk, I saw a frutteria, which is basically a produce stand inside a storefront. I smiled as my mind wandered back to my time in Rome, when I went to my first frutteria.

It was my birthday, June 3, 2007, and I had just arrived at my apartment in Rome after an exhausting trip from the airport. I didn’t know anyone or anything about my neighborhood, but I set off to explore anyways. Knowing my tendency to become disoriented and get lost, I picked one of the streets that extended from my piazza and set off on a stroll. The first store I came to was a frutteria. I walked in – which was essentially like stepping into the doorway of a walk-in closet – and quickly decided that I would like some cherries. I had seen the word for cherries (le ciliege) before, but I wasn’t sure how to say it. So, I pointed, and the shopkeeper confirmed my request: le ciliege, phonetically chee-lee-ay-gee. That was the first word I learned in Italy.

Spurned by nostalgia, I bought some cherries, found a public bench, and watched the comings and goings of the Canal. Christie arrived at exactly 8:30, and we set off on our mission.

Throughout the morning we hit all of the big tourist spots: Piazza San Marco, Basilica San Marco, Palazzo Ducale and Museo Correr. Because this post is already super long, I will let pictures do the talking. (From top to bottom: Venice in the morning (above); Basilica San Marco; a detail from BSM; view of the Grand Canal from BSM; and a mosaic on the facade.)

I said goodbye to Christie around 1:15 after a fantastic morning filled with beauty. It was so great meeting her, and we had such a good time together. I wish she was going to be in Venice longer, but instead I have a friend in Colorado! I got to my hostel at 1:30, and promptly passed out. I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I was exhausted. I slept until 6:30, got up, and walked along the Fondamente. Now I’m here with you!

I hope you enjoy this post and the pictures. Look from the second of the final three long posts sometime tomorrow or the next day. I love you all, and I will talk to you soon!

Lindsey

JFK > ZUR > VCE

Hello, all!

Thank you all for reading! I am thoroughly enjoying your comments so far. Unfortunately, I was not able to capture Yoko on camera before she left. C'est la vie. Because I do not have a Yoko pic for you all, I have included two really good ones in this post.

Now that you have been promised pictures, I will begin to detail the remainder of my journey for you. I will split this post up for you all into a few sections, as indicated by the title. The first will be JFK > ZUR, my flight from New York to Zürich.

In typical JFK style, we boarded the plane on time but then taxied for an hour. Lame. I had, however, slipped myself some Benadryl after I got situated on the plane, so I was set. I slept through take off, and woke up to a very unpleasant sound. What, I asked myself, could be making such a guttural, painful noise on an airplane. I opened my eyes to discover that it was the woman beside me about to be sick. I was mortified. The flight attendants were gathered all around, pressing bags of ice against her face and chest, and I immediately recoiled against the freezing cold window. I will not continue on this subject because it is unpleasant, but - so you know - she did not get sick. Phew.

The flight itself was uneventful, no turbulence or anything like that. The food was mediocre, but that's what I was expecting. I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic, and it was mediocre too. I was, however, impressed by the flight attendants and overall flight experience. I learned during my time on Swiss Air flights and in Zürich Airport today, that the Swiss are a pretty savvy group of people. They know how to sell themselves and sell their products. For example, the intra-terminal train in the Zürich Airport had flat screens with gorgeous pictures of the Swiss countryside while playing soothing nature sounds. Different vendors were giving away chocolate everywhere, and chocolate, combined with the mountain stream running through my head, put me in a very pro-Swiss state of mind. It doesn't hurt that the airport was super clean and well-organized with huge windows looking onto the Alps, my new favorite mountain range.

ZUR > VCE

I was laid over in Zürich from 11:15 a.m., when I landed, until 5:40 p.m., when I left for Venice. During those 6ish hours, I slept; I slept hard. My bags were still checked from my first flight, so I took my purse, wrapped the strap securely around my arm, and crashed on a three-seat bench overlooking the stunning Swiss countryside. It was blissful.

Now comes my favorite part of my whole journey (besides arriving safely in Venice): the Swiss Alps. If I was any good at geography, I would have realized that, on a flight from Zürich to Venice, I would pass directly over the Alps. But I'm not. In fact, I am spatially retarded (Mike and Al - tell them how bad I am if they ask). So, we took off, and the flight attendants were giving out chocolate when I nonchalantly glanced over my shoulder out the window. My jaw dropped. It has been a long time since I've been completely overwhelmed by the beauty of nature. I don't have the words to describe the experience, so I took pictures (The one in this post is the best one I could take through the 17 layers of airplane glass).

After an hour or so, the Alps faded into the clouds behind me, and the Adriatic came into view. Slowly, Venice became clear. A huge smile broke out on my face. I couldn't fight it. Even though the plane could've crashed and burned at that very moment, I didn't care: I had arrived.

VCE

The only leg of my journey that involved some planning was VCE > .... well, VCE. I figured out Wednesday that I required a motor bus, a water bus (or vaporetto) and my feet to reach my hostel on Giudecca, one of Venice's many islands. (I am writing to you know from my hostel, and I will stay two nights here before I am able to move into my apartment.) Surprisingly, this whole process was extremely easy. I arrived at my hostel after an hour on the vaporetto, and I promptly went to the edge of the Grand Canal, that it faces, threw my bags down, and watched the sun set. Sigh. It was so damn beautiful.

With these images, I will leave you. There is another part of this story that I will write about tomorrow. Let's just say that I made a friend on my way to dinner, and we are going sightseeing tomorrow. Did I mention she's friends with my new roommate? GASP! OMG! It's such a small world. Stay tuned!

I love you all, and I will talk to you soon!

Lindsey

P.S. I'm 97% sure that Yoko Ono is sitting next to me

I'm at Au Bon Pain, and who is a table over from me? Yoko Ono. If she wasn't three feet from my left elbow, I would take a picture.

She is with a middle-aged white man with slick hair in a camel-colored silk suit and an elderly Asian woman. Agent and sister? I think so. Random? Yes.

If it is her, she looks great for a 70ish-year-old. OK, that's all the could-be celeb news for now :)

Live from New York: It's Thursday Afternoon!

Hello, everyone!

I am writing to you from the food court of JFK International Airport in New York, USA (fancy, right?). I have divided the post below into subsections to allow for easier reading and skimming. I am, as you all know, a huge fan of efficiency and readability. That being said, this is my first try at a realio-trulio blog post. I am experimenting with a few different styles of writing, so bear with me. Let know what you think.

The First Leg: Charlotte to New York

I awoke this morning at 4:20 to my screaming cell phone alarm. That's all I will say about that.

Barely awake, I stumbled into the shower; out of the shower; into my clothes; into the kitchen; out of the door; into the car; out of the car; and into the airport (is that Twitter-y enough for you Twitter people?). I said good bye to Mom and Austin, and dutifully sorted my carry-on items into different bins to be scanned.

* * *

For the first time in my life, my flight was on time out of the gate and early into the next gate. Twas a memorable moment when the flight attendant came on the loudspeaker and said we would be landing 20 minutes early. I flew JetBlue, so I had a mini TV screen of my very own to watch whatever I pleased. After a quick scroll, I settled on The Scripps National Spelling Bee on ESPNU (The bee beat out a History Channel special on the French Revolution by a hair).

For whatever reason, the ESPN folks were airing the 2007 championship instead of the most recent one. Nevertheless, I was fully entertained for the entire flight by the 15 finalists, who are a motley crew to say the least. I was particularly taken by one boy, Evan O'Dorney, who is an amazing speller as well as an ingenious mathematician and musician.

At the age of 13, Evan had already written a piano concerto in his own numerical language; he assigned numbers to musical notes and wrote music as strings of numbers instead of on staffs. If you have three minutes to spare, you should watch his bio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFGz0IkfP30 (start at the one-minute mark). In addition to be a genius, he is endearingly awkward.

As the spelling bee ended, we descended into New York. I have been roaming around ever since, either physically or mentally, preparing for the next leg of my journey to Venice. Below are a few musings of mine since I've been in New York. You may continue on if you like; keep in mind that I am still on my training wheels as writer :)

Goodbye for now, everyone. Look for another post in a day or so; I will be joining you from Zurich, Switzerland.

Until tomorrow,

Lindsey



MUSINGS: I, II, III

I. Airports

Airports are strange places. I never know exactly what to do or how to act, but I realized today - after my 5th hour of sitting in one - that you do whatever you want (within the confines of federal law). I have been kind of out of it all day, and I thought it was due to sleep deprivation, but I think it's because of the airport environment. I have been doing some prime people watching, focusing only on the subjects I have chosen and nothing else.

During the pockets of time when I was focused, I practiced my Italian. I have fully resigned myself to the fact that I have only an elementary understanding of the language at this point in my life, but I need to be quasi-conversational to do my job. As I read through the materials I brought, things started to surface in my mind - useful phrases and words, some attached to fond (and not so fond memories). I will share one of these with you.

I have a 5-subject notebook that I used during all five semesters that I took Italian. I didn't plan it that way; I was - in my first-year diligence - going to have a section for notes, one for homework, one as a homemade dictionary for useful words and phrases, etc. It turned out, however, that I used one tab for each semester, conveniently taking down all of my notes in the same notebook. I was flipping through that notebook this morning, and I was delighted to find my vocabulary lists from Italian I. I drew, yes drew, a icon or picture for every single word. (See image above) Gone are the days when I had enough time and enthusiasm for my homework. I am hoping that my time abroad will rekindle my love of learning, which has slowly fizzled out over the last year or so.

II. Luggage

I hate suitcases. They never seem to fit all of your stuff, and they are ridiculously cumbersome. As you all know, I am not a graceful lady to begin with, so I feel especially uncoordinated balancing a huge backpack, a purse and a massive suitcase. I also have a coat, which conveniently slips and slides away from the backpack strap it is tied to and wanders all over my torso and back. I have successfully hit three people at varying angles and speeds with at least one of my bags. Isn't that wonderful? Long story short: I can't wait until I can check my huge bag, put the others in a locker and take a nap.

III. Apprehension?

I have been devoid of any significant emotion all day today. I am excited, deep down, but I am not allowing myself to be so until I am safe in Venice. Perhaps it is the cynic in me, but I will not allow myself to become excited...yet. My feeling today is similar to that of my feeling in February, while I was waiting to hear from the Collection. The only time I thought about the impending news of my acceptance/rejection was while I slept. I apparently allowed my sub-conscience to go through all of the "what if" scenarios, just not my conscious mind. It is the same now as it was then: I am sitting, waiting, and secretly wishing for the best while going through the necessary motions (or, in today's case, stations).

I will leave you now with all of the words above, and these few words below:
I love you, I miss you, and I will talk to you soon.

L

Pre-flight Check-up

Hello, everyone!

Thank you all for tuning in. As you know, I am leaving Thursday for Venice, Italy, where I will intern at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, a small modern art museum. While I am in Venice, I will attempt to keep this blog up-to-date.

Over the next three months, I will collect information and catalog it here: people I meet; artworks I like; words I learn; and photos I take. I'm more of an artist than a writer, so I will attempt to make a virtual collage for you. I won't drown you in details; I will provide just enough information to orient you and make you really, really jealous. Ha!

OK, that's it for now. I am going to be delayed in New York for 12 hours Thursday, May 28, the day of my departure, so look for another post then. Ciao for now!

Lindsey