Amsterdam

Canals of Amsterdam

We noticed that all of the buildings sort of tilt forward along the streets...our guide said that there were actually several reasons for this. First, you can also notice the little pulleys attached to the top of the facades...this was used to haul stuff up to the top floors of the "row houses" because they are so cramped and the stairs are honestly almost vertical.

The windmills of the Netherlands. The city keeps building and developing new areas of the Netherlands by creating new islands where the city and suburbs can expand. Because these places are way way way below sea level, they have developed a system of windmills that constantly pump water out of the areas and that is the only thing keeping these new developments from sinking back into the water. If these windmills are to stop working, the entire place would be submerged again (about 200,000 people live here).

P.S. Thanks for the rain boots mom, they were really handy here. Amsterdam is very rainy and cold and windy.

A really ugly building that my professors insist is a wondrous marvel of modern architecture.

The really ugly (and tacky) housing development.

Brian Williford...this is one sketchy guy. (hehehe)

Riding around Amsterdam on bikes. We have decided that engineers (or maybe architects) need to develop a new type of bicycle seat that is actually bearable to sit upon for more than 3 hours (we rode for 8). We rode around all of Amsterdam and at the end of the day, the guide said we'd ridden about 40 km (something like 25 miles). OOOOUCH. But it was a lot of fun.

PRECIOUS little Dutch children were everywhere! And they're all blonde and happy (Dutch children are the happiest in the world, but its because their parents are so liberal). Everyone in Amsterdam rides bikes, so when the parents take the kids around with them, they have these cute little seats with a mini little handle bar set up for the kids on their bikes' handle bars. It is too cute.

A row of Amsterdam housing. Amsterdam is known around the world as a prime spot to find the most innovative and funky architecture. They are constantly building new projects and trying new experimental designs and they get away with it because unlike the rest of Europe (and the world) the Dutch do not build with the intention of having that building last forever...they build something and then in 15-30 years they tear it down if its not successful. The cost of construction is also 1/3 less here than anywhere else in Europe. They also use really cheap materials and construction is fairly shoddy and quick...as a result the buildings don't wear very well.

The Clemson biker gang (lol).

Its hard enough trying to keep everyone together on walking tours...it was near impossible with 25 retarded college students on bikes. Janis and I were in the restroom towards the end of our lunch break and we came back out and realized that everyone had left us...we had no phone, no itinerary, no map, and no IDEA where we were. Thankfully some people noticed we were missing and came back. Still it was about 5 minutes of quality freak-out time.

A housing development that has a shuttered facade that kind of resembles my project this semester.

These apartments are an example of the 'experimental' architecture that is frequently done in Amsterdam.

This was a really cool art and mixed media museum/gallery. The front and back walls were made of this multi-colored glass that was really beautiful when you saw it from far away (and up close) in the context of the other buildings around it.

There was a large stadium seating area that filled maybe 1/2 of the entrance level where you could eat or read or whatever.

Genova Port / RUNNING

Industrial Genoa


Tons of yachts everywhere (the site for my project this semester is behind the big yellow building)


The port of Genoa


Windmill sculptures that are inspired by the palm trees

Genoa is a port city so it reminds me a lot of Charleston in that there are tons of boats everywhere and palm trees and the cargo containers (and corresponding cranes). Its really starting to warm up here...

Valentine's Day from my insainly sweet and absolutely ADORABLE boyfriend

I go downstairs on Valentine's Day after only 2 hours of sleep, and I'm HUNGRY, and I'm grumpy because I can't be with Brandon and my project is frustrating, and then I walk into the dreaded studio...and I find this monsterous floral explosion sitting on my desk...and I think "Oh my goodness, I am gonna KILL that boy!" Brandon Walter's been at it again, watch out!

HOLY CRAP you've got to be kidding me, this thing is HUGE...and its beautiful and it smells wonderful and I LOVE it!

Yup, I LOVE it!

Love it,
LOOOVE it!

I counted 26 roses (red ones, pink ones, an orange one, yellow, pint and white striped, white, EVERY COLOR) and then there are tulips, freezia, and some sort of camellia or cabbage rose.

Braaaaandon, you really are too much...thank you ;)

A Couple Randoms...

A medical students' anatomy lab classroom. They would disect the body in a 24 hour class in which the best student stood inside the ballastrud with the body while the professor (who never touched the body) indicated with a long pointer where the student was to cut. The students could not ask questions, take bathroom breaks, or eat during the class, which was held once a week. The entire room is made of wood because this material best absorbs the smells of the disection. Bologna is credited with having one of the oldest universities in the world...the university offered a wider variety of other schools of its time and was also unique in that it was a public university...meaning that if you could pay you could attend (despite gender, class, race, etc).

A slightly awkward fountain in the Main plaza of Bologna...I mean, what does one say about such a statue? "That's...nice(?)" "How...interesting(?)". I just don't know...but it reminded me of the Will & Grace episode where Grace's waterbra springs a leak.

The legend of the town is that this giant bowl in Bologna is the bowl that Pilot used to wash his hands during the trial of Christ.

In front of the Arch of Constantine in Rome.

On top of the Duomo in Florence....this is really only 1/4 of the group...we tried to get this guy to take a group photo of us but he didn't understand the "group" part so we ended up with a bunch of random pictures.

At the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

The naked fat man riding a turtle (a really random statue we found in the gardens of one of the Palazzos in Florence.

Part of the really pretty garden in Florence where we found the fat naked turtle man.

I am not one to get all excited about cars, but this one is preeeety sweet...a classic 1950 or 60 something Farrari at the Farrari museum...we wanted to get a tour of the factory but apparantly only Farrari owners are allowed.

Siena

Climbing the tower in the main plaza in Siena (503 stairs).

The absolutely amazing Tuscany countryside viewed from the top of the tower in the Centro de Campo in Siena.

Hot Boots!

Everyone ended up getting a pair of boots...everyone in Europe wears them everywhere. They actually prefer boots with no heel (like riding boots) because they wear them around during the day...however, most of us went with a heel because that's how we do in the states and lets be honest...heels are hot.

oh man, oh man, oh man!

Absolutely awesome! This is perhaps my new favorite building: Richard Meier's Jubilee (ahem, Catholic) Church, Rome Italy.

The white shell of this building was specially designed and engineered for this project to be self-cleaning so that it always remains pure and white.

Lookin' good even from the back.

Unfortunately the church was closed for siesta...so I couldn't check out the interior BUT apparently there is no interfering walls that interrupt the view through the building, and light just fills it during the day.