The passage of time in Wellington and elsewhere
So we awoke with a snow lined vista. It is chilly and the heat pump is doing its job.
Early opening of the Santa stockings for very large children and then out for a walk.
A lively chat with Joe last night. A beautiful warm sunny day for him in contrast.
We found ourselves at the Royal Festival Hall last night for The Messiah. The last time we saw it was three years ago at the same venue but with a negative review.
This time it was a fabulous experience. The choir of 99 and the orchestra did a great job.
The choir sang so well, perfect timing and a great vocal range. The soloists all did a fine job. We thought they the female alto coped with great vocal demands.
The orchestra was not huge in number but provided a great sound. I did not the work of the female bass player. She stood for the whole performance. Her accompaniment for ‘My Redeemer Liveth’ to the singing soprano was great to admire.
The music particularly after the first act just got better and better. One the better Messiah events for us. Great.
And the views from the bar’s balcony:
The day after the big athletic event was time to see some more fine architecture and art.
A climb to the top of the dome with EQ via a narrow staircase , some few hundred steps. The view was nice though not outstanding. The closer views of the painted dome were in the end no better than looking from the floor of the cathedral.
The inside of the cathedral was relatively bland compared to the to some recent viewings. I appreciated the clock above the west door which shows the time since the last sunset. Clearly a measure of real local time!
The visit to the crypt was very interesting. As ever not easy to piece together the timeline of the changes but still good. Great mosaics and a partial fresco from the mid 14th century.
And part of the mosaic which was done by African migrants apparently.
Super effort today by EQ.
On a chilly morning she ran the line distance in the beautiful surroundings of Florence.
Mum and dad went from one part of the course to another in order to offer cheer and encouragement. Shaz almost lost her voice from all the encouragement of the runners, while both of us had sore hands from clapping!
The atmosphere was great and the city is a fine backdrop to an event.
A trip to the Uffizi gallery today to see part of a huge collection of art.
There is so much to see and appreciate but in reality it is so difficult to absorb so much.
Medieval art with clearly religious themes-recurrent. So good and so easy to admire. The nature of the art does change through the centuries. Plus the Roman sculptures. A selection:
After a longer than expected journey yesterday we arrived in Florence.
EQ is doing the marathon tomorrow. Well cool.👍
We arrived early having taken a flight from Marseille just about 6am.
So to the hotel to leave the bags and out again to see some sights.
We walked and saw the Plaza d’Espana and the gardens next door. Tapas for lunch before a Power Nap.
A large church very close by. Very Baroque apparently. I find it all a little overpowering.
I did not capture the many altars but the stain glass windows were in comparison simple.
This is actually day 3. This morning we went to the renowned cathedral. It is the second largest in Europe by size not height. It is built on the original site of a mosque. Our overall impression was of size and not quality. As a church it is too large and the art content is not so inspiring.
And Shaz in the courtyard:
