Harvey Travel Arts

On our way to Milan, Brian and I drove through the Swiss Alps. They are an incredible sight to behold! Snow capped mountain after mountain around each corner, in front of us, behind us. We were driving along a highway, but how fun it might have been to be on a "twisty road" as Brian puts it. Anyway, you've got to get around the mountains somehow, so we drove through what seemed like endless amounts of tunnels to get there, the longest being nearly 17 kilometers. I cannot fathom how the first engineers came up with a way to blast through and cut roads into rock! But when I start to wonder and become amazed at man's feats, I realize how much MORE AWESOME is a God who can create these enormous wonders in the first place.

Brian and I went to Milan, Italy this past weekend. The trip was mainly to visit Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper" but we were not able to photograph the beautifully restored painting. We were, however, able to take some photos inside a chapel that had been painted by unknown artists. Usually frescoes are not as vibrantly maintained/restored as these. Also, the subject matter is more often scenes involving Jesus, Mary, angels, the Apostles, etc. Rarely do we get to see Noah's ark. I loved the vibrancy and detail of these three...especially the first one, where all the animals are lined up, two by two. This is usually the scene in Children's Bibles and Bible stories, the happy-go-lucky animals. We rarely see scenes such as this one, where the people are caught up in the despair of a flood. It is a very sobering reminder of the importance of listening to and obeying God. Afterward, we have a picture of God's promise, never to flood the entire earth agai...

The Bronze Monkey of Heidelberg is not something people expect to see in Germany. Monkeys? Really? But, there has been a monkey of some sort in the city near the bridge for centuries. This particular version was installed in 1979 by Professor Gernot Rumpf. The first time I lived in the city, our FLAG class (Families Learning About Germany) took a field trip and visited the monkey. Now I love to show it to visiting friends and family. It's humorous and I daresay rubbing it is said to bring "good luck"--something I don't believe in, but a fun little thing for a photo op. And for those of you who are wondering; yes, there are some fun photos of me, Brian and friends with the monkey.

Continuing on last week's theme, this is another creative piece that Brian and I saw in Paris last month. Just like the city streets that popped up from the ground, these "ruins" appear to have fallen and the statue is trapped within. I like the fact that unlike most statues that are standing in a set position, this guy seems like he could jump down and start running any minute now. Once again, the artist has thought way outside the box.

A couple weekends ago, Brian and I went to Paris. We had last visited five years ago when we lived in Heidelberg the first time, and really wanted to see a few things that we had not yet seen. More on that in a later blog. Anyway, we came across this fun piece of art and wondered who thought it up. I love the design! A sidewalk bubbling up quite literally with a fountain. The whimsy of this piece, right in the intersection of a busy Parisian square reminds me to stop and laugh at life. All to often we are going about our days, focused more on the worry, the 'gotta get this done', the busy-ness of it all to smile and have a little fun. Perhaps that's what the artist was thinking when this piece came to fruition. Perhaps today you can think of something, smile, and relax, if only for a moment.

"We want...a shrubbery!" If you've ever seen Monty Python, you'll know what I'm talking about. My senior year in high school, I transferred to public school and we watched that movie in our creative writing class. Now you know where your hard earned tax dollars are going. Anyway, the perfectly trimmed hedges at a chateaux in the Loire Valley made me giggle. One wonders if they were trimmed in such a way as to amuse us all, or if it is simply aesthetically pleasing... I'm sure a lot of care and attention goes into keeping them nice and neat, and that someone gets frustrated over these things when one doesn't shape up as well as the others. (see the little sad one in the front on the right?). Anyway, I hope I've provided a little laugh for you today. If not, I'm terribly sorry...Shrubbery!

Sometimes I wonder why my ceilings don't look like this. Or my windows? I guess nobody wanted to hand lay the beams, carve the designs and paint intricate details the day my rented town home was being built. Perhaps the stained glass contractor was sick that day, or on vacation, and that is why my windows are large, plain-jane square boxes. Instead of wooden shutter doors, my windows have the German style roll down shades, which are nice, convenient, but still plain. I actually like the simplicity of my house, but I sometimes like to think about the skill these builders must have had. No modern design programs on computers, but rather paper, hands and talent.