Adventures with Audrey

The Descubridoes was so cool to see because how how huge it is and learn about the history tied to it.  The Descubriodes is known as the Monument of the Discoveries.  The stature of people was so big and I like how Henry the navigator was the highest figure and was place in the center of the structure. All the figure craved in the structure were important figure in Portugal for discoveries of the world.  One thing I notice about the figure was that most of them have an object attach to them that represent what they did for Portugal. Henry has a sail boat representing discovering new places for Portugal, poets have a piece of paper, knights have a sword or shield, and kings have a crown. I like how these monument is dedicated for all the important historical people in Portugal.  I believe the Descubridoes is important historically to Lisbon by being a monument to all the important figure in Portugal history.  "The monument was reconstructed in 1960s to mark the d...

  My favorite site to visit from Portugal was  Quinta da Regaleira.  There many towers and spiral staircase to walk up and the caves and well was so interesting to walk through.  My favorite thing to see was the palace. It is a gothic palace filled with pinnacles, gargoyles and octagonal towers (wikipedia). The inside of the palace was so beautiful. I could only see the first floor but each room was so different. One room was filled with painted wall of people. Another would had this green, white flower wall paper which was so cool to look at. My favorite thing I see in the palace were the door handles. The door handle was a lion face holding the handle. The lion could represent nobility which is well deserving to Quinta da Regaleira. The history behind Quinta da Regaleira is so interesting. "It first belong to the Viscountess of Regaleira and then was sold to Carvalho Monteiro. He was a millionaire and sometime the place is know as "Palace of Monteiro the Millionair...

  One woman that stood out to me in Lisbon was Queen Maria II of Portugal. She was born in Brazil to Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil. Her Father became King of Portugal but her turn over that title to Maria when she was only seven. He made an agreement with his brother that the brother would marry Maria when she old enough but the brother removed her and declare himself King. She later got her title back (wikipedia). In class, I learn that she had a strong stance for public health and she fought for a better public health standard. She also push for education to be available for everyone no matter their status. One thing I admire about her was that she loved her country and wanted a to make Portugal a better place. What did Maria II of Portugal contribute to Lisbon? Like I said in the paragraph before this, she cared about public health and about people access to education. One thing I would like to point out was that she was named the Queen at age seven. The people of Portugal has w...

  The room that really stood out to me was the room dedicated to the prehistoric age (caveman era). This room really opened my eyes to how inventive they were back then. They weren't wasteful and made sure everything they collected had a use to it. Animals bones and rocks were use to make weapons and tools to help out their society. They were also very creative and incorporated artwork into their society. They painting in cave told stories important to them and craved images into bones to shows their status in their society. They cared about pottery and used objects to show off their status just like we do in modern times. I think the prehistoric ages are important to Madrid historically because it is literally dedicated to how the people back then used their environment to function in society. That era shows the deep history of Madrid and give example of what's tools they used to get food and to make art. It also bring people a deeper understanding on what was important to Spa...

One things that I really enjoyed seeing all over Lisbon were the painted tiles. I like how these tiles were on the outside of building and were made for everyone to see them. You can tell that a lot of hard work and times goes into each tiles. One thing I notices about a lot of tiles I have seen that they have the colors white, green, or many shades of blue incorporated in to the painting. It makes them pop up and remind me of summer and the beach. The design are usually some type of flowers, some wavy lines and unique abstract shapes. I like how the tiles are made for the public and are a huge part of Lisbon. I think the painted tiles are important historically and culturally. Historically, the tiles, which are known as azulejos, are from the Iberian Peninsula. Portuguese were amazed by the tiles and decided to adapt it into their culture and architect (Portugal-the-simple-life). The tiles show important events in Portugal or told stories about their culture. They are made to stand ou...

  One thing I love is music. I love getting introduce to new music and learning about different artist I didn't know so getting to learn about Amalia Rodrigues and Fado made me so excited. Everyone in Lisbon knows and loves Amalia. She was the first women to be bury in the Pantheon in Portugal (wikipedia). I learned a lot about her from the tour guide in her house. She was a very smart women and know how to speak five languages. At the time she become popular, she was the only women in Portugal to hold so much power over the country. She was the symbol of freedom of expression but in reality that wasn't completely true for women. I loved seeing all her clothes and jewelry and wished I could have her closet. I think Amalia was an amazing person and didn't let her power corrupt her. I think what makes her contribution to Fado and Portugal important was that she was a huge figure for Portugal and for feminism too. Portugal made her the center of their country and used her as a...

  Out of all the painting I saw in Madrid, the Guernica by Pablo Picasso left the biggest impression on me. I think what drew my attention to this painting was how chaotic it looked. I had to really focus on this painting because there was so much going on.  One thing I really like about this painting was the color of it because it goes along with the theme Picasso was going for. The black, grey, and white color mad the image look depressing but interesting to look at. I like how you can tell when the light hits from the sun and how the artist played with shadows. Another thing that stood out to me was the figure he used. to my interpretation, he painted a bull and horse to represent Spain culture, a mother grieving her baby to represent people who lost someone in the bombing of Guernica, and made the painting chaotic to resent how chaos and sadness the bombing brought to Spain. I could look at this painting for hours and still be amazed by it.  Like I pointed out in the ...

  Another woman that stuck out to me in Spain was Emilia Pardo Bazar. She was an amazing feminist for her time. She was a Spanish novelist, literary critic, professor, translator, and editor in her life. She was a realism and naturalism writer. She was the first woman to become a literature professor but that came with a lot of difficulty. The male professor would boycott her classes by threatening the student to fail them if they attended her classes. She didn’t let that get in her way. She still continue teach as different unvisity and hold lecture for people. I like how she different her gender get in her way from accomplishing great thing. (Wikipedia) I think what makes Emilia Pardo Bazar's contribution to the city important is that she paved the way for women to have access to higher education, especially in literature. She broke the barriers of the idea that women shouldn’t be yea her literature and didn’t let anyone get in her way. She brought new idea to literature like w...

  Today I got to see Toledo Cathedral. When I first walked in the cathedral, I was amazed about how beautiful it was. There is so much detail in the Cathedral that if you weren’t paying attention to it, you would have missed it. My favorite part of the Cathedral was El Transparente. In that part, you can see the sculpture of the Last Supper, San Ildefonso, and the Theological Virtues. I like how the artist incorporated gold into the sculpture. It makes the sculpture pop out more and catch the attention of the viewer to look at the pieces near the gold. The gold flower in the middle really helps direct the viewer's eye to look at certain pieces. The piece flows togethers and there is always something to look at.  I think this cathedral is important because it has so much history to it. The Toledo Cathedral is a gothic church made for Roman Catholics. This cathedral has been through a lot. It was first a Visigothic Basilica but got turned into a mosque when the Muslim invaded To...

  Concepcion Arenal was an interesting woman to learn about. She is a great example of feminism in Spain. To go to law school, she had to dress as a man and be separated from the man in her classes so the men wouldn't feel inferior for having a woman in their classes. Later in life, she kept on dressing like a man so she could be taken more seriously in society. She was also the first woman to be an inspector in prisons. She advocated for women to have access to an education in prison. Fun fact, she was actually kicked out of one prison because she was asking a prisoner about their experience and letting the prisoner actually think about how they were being treated in the prison. She wanted a better future for women and for them to have more rights in society. I think what makes Concepcion Arenal's contribution to society is that she brought new ideas on what makes someone a bad person and fought for social justice for women. She thought that everyone, mainly women prisoners, d...

  Today I got to try Balinese food in Amsterdam. When I think about Amsterdam and about the food I will have there, I would never imagine that I would have Balinese food there. To be honest, it was the best meal I ever had.  Walking into the restaurant, it was decorated with many objects and statues that belong to the Balinese culture. For the meal, the restaurant had six traditional bowls (curry) that four people shared with and it also came with rice to pair with the curry. Each bowl had a unique flavor that was so delicious and none of the flavors really out flavored the others. The only difference I can find between having Balinese food in Amsterdam and in Bali is that in Amsterdam they give you a couple more dishes than Bali. The question that I have is why is Balinese food important to Amsterdam or to the Dutch in general? Back in 1602, the Dutch East India Company was created in the Netherlands so that they could trade in Asia. It was made so that they can sell spices...

  An art piece that stood out to me in Amsterdam was “The Threatened Swan” by Jan Asselijn. When I look at this painting, the thing that pops out the most is the Swan posture. I can tell that the Swan is in a fighting position by having its body open towards the audience. The body is  painted in a triangular shape which leads the audience's eyes towards the swan's head. The Swan is the main focus of the painting and people can tell because it is mostly taking up the whole frame. It’s like the Swan is trying to protect its environment from people. To me, this painting is important culturally and historically to Amsterdam. Culturally, it shows how important art is to Amsterdam. Amsterdam wants to show that they are a cultural capital and the best way to show that is to have art be one of the main focuses in the city. This painting contributes to that. Historically, people think that the artist painted the goose to symbolize the Dutch statesman Joe de Witt. Like how the goose w...

  A woman that really stuck out to me was Aletta Jacobs. She was a physician and a women suffrage activist. She was also the first woman in the Netherlands to go to university. She created the first birth control clinic in the world and advocates for better working conditions for women. When she was practicing medicine, she became more aware of health issues in the Netherlands especially for sex workers. I really liked how she stuck up for the people who were mostly overlooked. She saw an issue and wanted to find a solution to it. I like how she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion on women suffrage rights and for sex workers to have better work conditions. I think what makes her contribution important in the Netherlands was that she wanted to improve the conditions of people who were prostitute. A quote that comes to my mind is “who is more at fault? People sinning for the pay or people paying for the sin”. Jacobs saw that prostitution was a paying job for people. She wanted them ...

  Today I got to walk through the place where Anne Frank and her family hid from Nazis for two years. Anne Frank is well known for writing about her experience of the holocaust. She was only 13 when she had to go into hiding. She was just a kid and had so much to live for. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it out of the holocaust alive.  Even though she was limited to stay in the house, she still had hope for the future and tried to see the positive in things . Honestly, Anne Frank is an inspiration in my life. She was so young when she had to go through something bad but she still had dreams. She reminds me to alway look at the positive in things. I think what makes her contribution in society important was her age. In her diary, readers can totally see Anne’s personality. She wrote down what she was going through personally. People feel sympathy for her because she was robbed of so much in her life. It shows how bad the holocaust was. Having Anne be the symbol of what Jews we...

Today I got to go to Ghent and Bruges. In Ghent, I got to see the Ghent altarpiece. That painting was so lovely to look at. I got to walk around the city and admire the castle. I also got a hot chocolate from the best coffee shop there (not my words). After Ghent, I took a train to Bruges. Let me tell you that Bruges is my favorite town. The city is so cute to walk around. It's a medieval town and looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale. I loved walking around the city. I got to see the Madonna statue which was cool. I also got some mint chocolates which was delicious. Ghent castle Ghent altarpiece Madonna of Bruges  

 Let me just start this off with that I am so happy that I only have a backpack and carry on to haul around Europe. Honesty I first was a little sad to bring a carry on because that meant that I have to repeat my outfit every week but after traveling to Brussel from Paris I grateful for that carry on. It's not that heavy and very easy to move around. In Brussels I got to walk around the city. I went inside the city hall and learn their history. I also got to go inside the EU parliament building. I of course got waffles and fries which were so good. I also got to see Manneken Pis statue. Manneken Pis is a statue of a little boy peeing. They also have a museum dedicate to the outfits of the statue. Brussels also has good chocolate. I just enjoyed walking around the city and seeing all the street art. I enjoyed my time in Brussels. City hall lit up and night my "comfy" ride to Brussel city hall Manneken Pis and his outfits Parliament budding seats waffles (The strawberries l...

Today I got to see the Ghent Altarpiece. This painting was so cool to in person. The room where the painting is kept was so dark that the lights made the painting stand out. I liked that because it shows that you should only be admiring the painting and everything else in the room doesn't matter. The panel I want to focus on is the middle panel on the bottom row. On the top middle, the dove (Holy Ghost) is shining lights beam across every one. The sheep (Jesus) is under the lights and everyone is surrounding and looking at it. There are four main groups that all have different background. I believe that shows that Jesus Christ should be in the center of your life no matter your status. This painting is very interesting to look at because no matter where you look at, your eye always go back to the lamb. I believe that the Ghent Altarpiece is important to Belgium culturally and historically. Culturally, it shows the importance of arts and religion in Belgium. This painting is center ...

Today, I got to walk through EU Parliament building.  This is the building where the European Union meets together to adopt and amend legislative proposal. The room picture above is where the member meet to debate and decide what laws to amend. One things that cool about seating in this room is that instead of seating with your country, the member instead sit with their political party. I found this cool because it unites the countries instead of dividing them. People can be around other people with the same political view as them and it doesn't matter what language they speak. I also like how translator are there so they language doesn't stop divide people. I believe the EU Parliament building is important historically because it shows how far along Europe has came to united governments policies. The parliament was first a common assembly for the European Coal and Steel Community. At first the parliament had no legislative power but with it's complex structure and already ...

       "No matter how intelligent, how insightful in business matters a woman may be, it is not allowed for the man to acknowledge her abilities". This is one of my favorites quotes from Marie  Popelin. I think Marie was a really important figure for feminists. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and always follow her heart. Marie was a feminists for political power for women. She was educated well for her time a went to school to get a degree in law. When she apply to the bar, she was decline because of she was a female. Instead of giving up her passions to be a lawyer, she decided to sue Belgium for dealing her. She lost the case but her message to Belgium made a huge impression on them. Belgium needs to actually follow through with allowing women to have position of power instead of decline them of that power.      I  think what made her contribution to society important...

 My last day in Paris! :( In the morning we got to see a piano concert. Honestly I was amazed at the pianist. She played this 30 minute piece without a music sheet in front of here. I wish I can play as good as her! After the concert, I got to go inside the louvre. Did you know if you look at each art piece for 30 seconds, it will take you more than a month to get through the whole museum. I got to see the Mona Lisa and admire all the sculptures. It was cool to walk around the place but also tiring at the same time. MONA LISA I then got to walk across the seine and look through the green boxes. I loved looking at all the posters and books for sell and I did get more pins.  MICKEY COMICS!! My favorite part of the day was going to Shakespeare and Company. It is the cutest English bookstore ever and if you’re a huge book nerd or not, you need to go there. The inside is so tiny and filled with all types of books. You can go upstairs and read books in the cutest reading rooms. It i...