Three things that stick in my memory from this trip are experiential learning, the importance of material culture and how myth has been used and is still being used to this day. There are many other things that I learned on this trip which are also significant but these three stick out particularly to me.
I learned how important experiential learning was and how enjoyable it can be. When I had thought of experiential learning prior to this trip I always thought of learning from one’s mistakes, something that I think I am a pro at now. But on this trip I learned how one can learn from all experiences, especially the good ones; one doesn’t always need a negative situation to learn something valuable.
Also learning about material culture, and how almost anything that you see can be perceived or thought of as material culture. I have never thought about architecture, statues, art, etc. being able to tell a viewer about the culture of the people and time in which it was made and even where it is kept. Often we look to understand what we are told about objects but when thinking about an object as material culture one must learn to think about it out of context, for example why certain materials were used in the piece or work and maybe why the object was made in this particular way?
Finally learning about myth and its use has been very interesting. I have noticed the use of myth in many paintings, sculpture and literature on this trip. Paintings such as Two followers of Cadmus Devoured by a Dragon is a fantastic example, for it tells the story of the founding of Thebes. I realized myth is often used to make a place or person seem more majestic or powerful than they are or it actually is. If the story of the founding of Thebes was to be about some regular guy founding a town it would not receive as much attention or fame. Myth increases the value of a place or person by adding in unlikely information which makes it seem grander. Over all I really enjoyed the trip and wish I could experience it again.
The trip is nearing its end and as it slowly creeps upon us I anticipate it more and more. I have thoroughly enjoyed being on this trip but at the same time I await its end with a certain amount of excitement and anxiousness. We are currently in Belgium and have just completed our day trip to Bruges in which many of us enjoyed a tour of a local brewery. Before arriving in Belgium we traveled from Paris, which was both an expensive and beautiful city. Prior to visiting Northern France we enjoyed staying in Zug Switzerland, which had a lovely lake to swim and cool down in. Over all of the other countries I think that I was most fond of Germany. It was my favorite because of the people there. I remember that they were very friendly and helpful whenever I stopped to talk with them. Part of my positive impression of the German people was formed by our hosts in the castle where we stayed just outside of Dresden. I also remember having a very friendly taxi driver who I spoke to on our way home from the soccer game we attended in the city of Dresden.
I also appreciated the architecture that we saw in Germany, such as the Glockenspiel and St. Michaels Church. The Glockenspiel is a great example of German material culture. It shows the German peoples’ love for art as well as music. St. Michaels is also a prime example of material culture. I was especially intrigued by the the statue of the archangel Michael defeating Satan on the facade of the church. During the Reformation it was viewed as St. Michael defeating the Protestants, as the majority of the people in the city at that time were Catholic. The statue also reminded me of our myth course as it can be viewed as a mythological battle between Michael and Satan as well as the Protestants. Overall, Munich was a great city for viewing the material culture of the German people.
Thus far the trip has been amazing. We have visited Spain, Southern France and Italy. As I sit here thinking of what to write the most dominant thought in my mind is how much I enjoy the architecture that we have been seeing. Such sites as the Sagrada Familia, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Duomo in Florence and the walled city of Carcassonne have truly amazed me. I was particular intrigued with Carcassonne and St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s hard to explain what in particular attracted me to Carcassonne, but I believe that it was the medieval feeling one receives when walking through the city. One could almost imagine himself as a merchant arriving in Carcassonne and bustling around the city exploring the walled city’s culture.
St. Peter’s Basilica was the most impressive site that we have visited in my opinion; I especially loved Michelangelo’s Pieta that is housed there. One thing that intrigued me while viewing the Pieta was the fact that Mary was so sad even though she knew the destiny of her son. I then drew a connection between Mary’s sorrow and that of a parent with a dying child. Although a parent, in this day and age, may be told how much time their sick child may have left to live it does not make their death any less tragic. In fact it makes it harder for a parent to know of their child’s inevitable death and knowing there is nothing they can do to change the outcome. I believe that it is so difficult for a parent to lose a child because in most cases the parent will die before his or her children. Though these experiences and losses tear people down it is possible to grow and learn from such situations. Persisting through adversity will hopefully build an individual’s faith and establish a closer relationship with God. Overall, it was interesting having such feelings come to the surface from these pieces of art and architecture.
I am writing this blog quite a bit late, though I feel that I can still freshly recall the information we learned in our intensive, prior to our take off to Barcelona. I can remember my initial anticipation to travel overseas, particularly excited to see such grand sites as Sagrada Familia, Dresden, and the Eiffel Tower. Looking back on my anticipations, I now notice that they were almost completely architectural pieces with historical significance, but now that I am on the trip I noticed that I am beginning to appreciate the artistic nature of the sites I have visited. The architecture of the sites still amazes me but I find the art within some of these sites as impressive if not more than the building which holds them. For example, I visited the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, which made me think of John Donne and his poetry, and how beautiful they both were yet slightly controversial yet the building that held this piece was nothing but a small and almost humble chapel in Rome. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am finding a new appreciation for art as well as connecting many pieces I see to other significant historical works. From this experience I have learned that instead of anticipating a certain piece or site I should enter each new place with an open mind, or as Peter Fitch and Soren Kierkegaard would say, “ a teleological suspension of disbelief.”
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