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Europe 2008

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:10:08 GMT

Miss a stop? Need to relive the glory days? Here's a complete list of entries from the Blakent European Extravaganza.

London

Ireland (video)

Prague

Budapest

Vienna (w/video)

Venice

Milan & Genoa

Cinque Terre

Rome & Vatican City (video)

Scotland (w/video)

Return to London

My favorite stops were probably Ireland & Italy. What were yours? Are you feeling inspired for a trip across the pond?

Dr. Horrible

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:35:44 GMT

You say you like Joss Whedon? You loved Buffy, Angel, and Firefly? You think everything that man touches is gold? Then go check out Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog!!! Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day, it's a musical about superheroes and supervillains - what's not to love? It's completely free, but only until Sunday at midnight after which you'll have to pay to download it from iTunes so watch it while you can - you'll be glad you did! (Act III releases tomorrow.)

Europe part 11 - Return to London

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:45:07 GMT

After flying in from Scotland, we had one last full day in Europe and this was our chance to take in London. We began at Buckingham Palace, along with a few hundred other people, for the changing of the guard. Just before 11:30 AM it began with groups of guards approaching the palace. Some were in bright red with the stereotypical tall black hats, some were in blue, some were on horseback, and some were in Indian garb. There were also two different bands with them providing music throughout. The entire ceremony took longer than I expected, around 45 minutes total, but it was definitely worth seeing, even if at times we weren't sure what we were supposed to be seeing because it mostly took place behind a large fence. I was also surprised by some of the music they played such as the theme to Superman!

Leaving "Buck House", we hopped aboard a big red double-decker sightseeing bus for a trip around the city. We rode through Piccadilly Circus, around Trafalgar Square, by Westminster & Big Ben, then along the Thames past the London Eye & St. Paul's Cathedral, over the Tower Bridge, and finally ended at the Tower of London. Once there we hopped a boat for a cruise back up the Thames. It was quite cool to again take in the sights we'd seen on our earlier stop in London, but this time from the water. We sailed under London Bridge and Millennium Bridge, chugged past St. Paul's Cathedral, Shakepeare's Globe Theater, and the Tate Modern Museum, before finally putting in to dock at Westminster.

Seeing Big Ben towering overhead let's you know you're really in London! We walked around the block, taking in the home of Parliament from all angles. We also strolled by Westminster Abbey, but were too late to actually go inside. From there we crossed the Thames once more, grabbed a cheeseburger at McDonald's, then bought tickets for a flight aboard the London Eye.

The London Eye is a giant observation wheel sitting on the bank of the Thames. It has a commanding view of the broad river along with numerous London sights. We climbed into our air-conditioned capsule with a dozen other sightseers for a thirty minute ride above the skyline. As our Jetson-style tube rode high into the sky, our eyes could trace the curve of the Thames, a half-dozen bridges arching over it. The dome of St. Paul's peeked above the business buildings to the north and Big Ben dominated the western bank. As our bubble descended, the setting sun lit the buildings with a fiery orange glow.

From there we took a last few pictures of Big Ben, hopped the tube back to our friends' neighborhood, stopped in a local fast food place near the bus stop for hot wings, chips and Tango orange soda, then collapsed for a final night of sleep before the long plane ride home.

That was it. Four weeks in Europe, twenty-eight eventful days, had come to an end. A few months earlier I wasn't even considering going abroad and now here I sit with nine countries in my rear view mirror. Life is good. I think Blake would agree.

King Blake Wesley I

London II pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2249294&l=b0668&id=7012064

More London II pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2249294&l=b0668&id=7012064

Europe part 10 - Scotland

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:35:39 GMT

From Rome we flew into Glasgow then hopped a bus to Edinburgh. Actually, it was much more involved than it sounds and took us several hours but I'll spare you the gruesome details. But we finally arrived at our B&B, woke up the owners to let us in, and crashed.

The next day we began by walking from our B&B, past the University of Edinburgh, and up to the Salisbury Crags that run along the east edge of Edinburgh. We hiked up a winding path along the base of the cliffs and then down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's Royal Residence in Scotland. Prince Charles was actually staying there while we were in town so we had to settle for a few pictures from outside. Next to the palace is the new Scottish Parliament. After not having their own parliament since 1707, in 1998 their parliament was restored. To celebrate, the Scots spent an amazing $800 million on a new parliament building. Equally amazing is how completely hideous it is considering the price tag. I think I could have done better for $80.

From the palace we started up the Royal Mile, so named because it runs between the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle. Along the way we passed St. Giles Cathedral where John Knox, the Scottish version of Martin Luther, preached the Reformation. Eventually we reached Edinburgh Castle, an impressive edifice high atop a hill surrounded on three sides by cliffs. As we were milling about the inner gate Blake said, "Hey, is that Chris Tomlin?" I wasn't sure what Chris Tomlin looked like but the fellas with him looked like they could be in a band so Blake went over, introduced himself, and sure enough it was him! They were in town for the Fringe Festival and had a day to kill so they were visiting Edinburgh Castle too. (FYI: Chris Tomlin is a singer/songwriter and worship leader.)

After the castle we walked along Princes Street, past the Scott Monument, then down high-dollar George Street. We were tired so we headed back to the B&B and asked the owners for a recommendation for dinner. They suggested a nearby Turkish place called Hanedan Restaurant. I'm glad they did because it may have been the best meal I had in all of Europe, and that's saying something considering the amazing food we had in places like Rome and Budapest!

We gave our compliments to the chef and staff then took a leisurely stroll towards our B&B. Along the way we decided to drop into a pub for some local color. The place we happened to choose was a bit noisy, with locals belting out Sinatra songs on the karaoke machine, complete with Scottish accents, but we found a place at the bar and ordered a couple pints. While we were standing around soaking in the atmosphere a rather large man walked over and began chatting to us. A few minutes later his wife came over and the four of us stood around talking for probably two hours! They were very friendly and treated us like honored guests, telling us stories and buying us drink after drink they said we had to try. Eventually we had to go so we exchanged email addresses and ambled home. Towards the end, our amble turned into a near sprint as our bladders were ready to burst from all the complimentary beverages!

The next day we took our first, and only, guided tour in Europe - a two day journey into the Scottish Highlands. (Our tour guide, Marty, was extremely entertaining and we dubbed him the Scottish Curt Harlow, both for his physical resemblance and his sense of humor. Six months out of the year he lives in Scotland giving tours, the other six he lives in Canada performing stand-up comedy.) The first day we saw Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument from a distance, Doune Castle (which doubled as Camelot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail), Inverlochy Castle, Rob Roy's grave, the Three Sisters mountains, bagpipers, and hairy cows named Hamish. We also got to try two distinctly British dishes, haggis and fish & chips. I was a bit leery of the haggis but it was delicious and I had it at least two or three more times before we left Scotland.

We spent the night in Fort William then it was off to Eilean Donan castle, the most photographed castle in Scotland. But before we left our B&B it's worth mentioning the full Scottish breakfast we had. Very similar to the full Irish breakfast, it's pretty much cardiac arrest on a plate but dang it was yummy! It consisted of bacon (what we'd call ham), sausage, egg, tomato, mushrooms, bread, potato, and blood pudding - all fried, yes, even the bread.

Once our host broke out the defibrillator and revived us, we met up with our tour group and headed to Eilean Donan. It's been featured in numerous movies, most notably for me, in the original Highlander movie, also known as "the good one". After exploring the amazing castle, we took a cruise on Loch Ness aboard the Royal Scot. Our captain, Ricky MacDonald, was a notable expert on the monster and claimed to have seen it seven times over twenty years along with another nearly 700 sonar sightings. The boat was equipped with sonar screens and we did indeed see two large blobs at one point he claimed were two of the famed beasts but I remained skeptical. Regardless, it was a beautiful day for a lake cruise, even without fabled leviathans rising from the depths - though that would've been cool!

After some more haggis and a few additional stops, we made it back to Edinburgh. The next morning we visited the Royal Botanic Gardens then it was off to the final destination of our European Extravaganza: London - the place where it all began.

Edinburgh pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2247112&l=05549&id=7012064

Highland pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2247178&l=64d71&id=7012064

Blakent Recap of Scotland
(filmed very quickly in California)

Hellboy on INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:38:14 GMT

I surprisingly enjoyed the first HELLBOY movie and am looking forward to the sequel. (Thanks to JQ for first showing me this!)

Delightful...

Italy 2008 Recap

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:38:23 GMT

We actually recorded this after we'd returned to the States. We only had a few minutes, as Blake was flying back to Nashville shortly after this, but here is the hurried result.

Europe part 9 - Rome & Vatican City

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:36:37 GMT

(Warning: This is gonna be long!)

From Cinque Terre we took a train along the coast then over to Rome. Fortunately, this train ride was much less eventful than our first and we arrived into Rome mid-afternoon on June 3rd. Still following our lesson learned, we first dropped off our bags at our B&B before heading into the city for dinner and a nighttime walk. We found several potential restaurants near the Piazza Navona, so after perusing their menus and assessing their crowds, we finally settled on one where I ordered the gnocchi with pesto, combining two of my favorite Italian foods. Over dinner, Blake and I also practiced our Vinny Vedecci impersonations, the character Bill Hader plays on SNL.

After dinner we walked through the Piazza Navona, admiring the scaffolding and construction largely hiding Bernini's masterpiece Four Rivers Fountain. Thank you for that Rome. Leaving the Piazza, we found the Pantheon - Rome's best-preserved building from antiquity. Originally a temple to all gods, it eventually became a Christian church and so was spared by the barbarians who later sacked Rome. Its also represents several, almost unimaginable, feats of engineering. The columns on its portico are 40 foot long, six foot in diameter, single-pieces of granite hauled intact from Egypt to Rome. The dome is 142' high and wide. If it was a complete sphere it would sit inside the square building perfectly like a ball in a box. The dome is six feet thick at the base, tapering towards a circular hole in the top. Not bad for a building built without electricity or power tools in 120 AD! Even Michelangelo and other Renaissance masters came here to study the dome's architecture before constructing their own masterpieces, such as St. Peter's Basilica.

Leaving the Pantheon, we walked through the Piazza Colonna and on to Trevi Fountain, still powered by ancient Roman aqueducts. Hundreds of Romans and tourists were lounging in the square surrounding the fountain, enjoying the cooler nighttime air and sounds of rushing water. After a few pictures and some people watching, it was down the Via Propaganda (what a name) to the Spanish Steps. Our next adventure was trying to figure out how to get home. We only knew one bus route that ran back to our B&B and had no clue where the nearest stop was, nor if it was still running so late (it wasn't!). But after some charades and broken English with several policemen, we eventually found our way back to Termini Station (the city's main train & bus station). There we accosted, I mean approached, a friendly Italian teenager who spoke excellent English and enlightened us on which of the seventy buses to take home. Just another small adventure in traveling!

The next day we immediately hopped a bus across town to the Vatican. It was a Wednesday and the pope was performing his weekly address to the faithful in St. Peter's Square, so we headed around back to the Vatican Museum hoping there wouldn't be any crowds. Amazingly enough, we were right and were able to walk straight in! The Vatican Museum is an astounding, overwhelming collection of art. There are statues, paintings, sculptures, reliefs, artifacts, and relics from all over the world. There are masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Bellini, and hundreds more. It is exhausting and impossible to truly enjoy, as after awhile everything blurs together and the five hundredth statue looks a lot like the four hundred ninety-ninth. But we did our best, snapping a hundred pics along the way, eventually working our way to the Raphael Rooms.

The Raphael Rooms are adorned on every surface but the floor with amazing frescoes. Frescoes are not really paintings, rather they are constructed by mixing paint with wet plaster and quickly applying it before it dries. After a small section dries another is applied and the process repeated over and over until the entire wall is covered. Can you imagine how tedious it must have been to create people, armies, and animals complete with details like clothing and hair from tiny splotches of colored plaster? It is amazing to me the detail Raphael and his students created basically using colored spackle! After the Raphael Rooms, it was on to the pièce de résistance, the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, this is the one place in the Vatican Museum you cannot take pictures due to some goofy deal with the company that restored it several years ago. So we did our best to burn it into our memories before taking the shortcut to St. Peter's Basilica.

Wow. I know they say a picture is worth a thousand words, but even pictures cannot communicate how enormous and impressive St. Peter's is. The place is HUGE. St. Peter's covers six acres and can accommodate 95,000 standing worshipers. Looking straight up from the main altar, it's 450 feet to the top of tallest dome in the world. Over the main altar is Bernini's bronze canopy which itself is seven stories tall! Encircling the church, high above at the base of the ceiling and dome, is a golden band inscribed in Latin with every quote from Jesus to Peter in the Bible. The letters, that look tiny from below, are actually seven feet high! The statues of baby-like cherubim are larger than most men. Are you getting the idea yet? It is giganto-enormo-huge-tastically monstrous. And to top it off, it's filled floor to ceiling with unparalleled works of art. Those Catholics know how to impress a guy!

After straining our necks and boggling like a couple of hillbillies in the city for the first time, the grand finale of St. Peter's was Michelangelo's Pietà. Protectively placed behind bulletproof glass after some wacko started beating on it with a hammer a few years ago (since restored), it is ... I cannot think of the words to describe it. Just looking at the pictures of it awes me and even makes me a bit emotional. Carved when Michelangelo was only 24, the pietà depicts Mary cradling the dead body of her son, Jesus. The folds of Mary's garments, especially the cowl encircling her face, make it hard to believe this is actually marble and not cloth. (Click this link to more fully appreciate it.)

We definitely spent more time in Vatican City than we initially anticipated, and I don't regret it one bit, but we did have to hustle from there to try and make up for lost time. We hoofed it across St. Peter's Square, past Castel Sant'Angelo, through the Piazza Navona, and back to the Pantheon for a daytime look and peek inside. Then it was on to the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II and Trajan's Column, heading towards the Colosseum. By the time we got to Trajan's Column, however, we realized the Colosseum and Forum would both be closing soon so decided to save them for the next day. We found a bus to shuttle us back to the vicinity of our B&B then scouted out a restaurant where I had some amazing pasta with mushrooms for dinner. (Have I mentioned how great the food was in Italy?)

The next day our time was limited, as our flight for Scotland left that afternoon, so we made tracks for the Colosseum and Roman Forum. You only think the sights you've seen in Europe are old until you get here. In America, we're amazed by buildings that have survived since the Civil War. In Venice or Prague, we "ooh" and "aah" over cathedrals built in the 1400's. Then you get to the Colosseum that was completed in the year 80. Eight-zero. 2,000 years ago. Folks that knew Jesus were still walking around. The mind boggles.

We bought our combo ticket for the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and Colosseum, and began our tour of ancient Rome. First stop, the Arch of Constantine, in between the Colosseum and Forum. The Arch of Constantine was dedicated in 315 to commemorate Emperor Constantine's 312 AD victory over his rival Maxentius. This military coup was a monumental turning point in history as it led to Christianity becoming the state religion of the entire Western world. A few years before this battle you could be killed for being a Christian; years later you could be killed for not being one.

Next, we worked our way through the Forum - the center of ancient Rome and home to ruined temples, basilicas, statues, arches, and more. We saw the remnants of the Temples of Saturn, Vesta, Antoninus & Faustina, Castor & Pollux, Venus & Roma, and Caesar. We walked inside the Curia Julia, one-time home to the Imperial Senate. We stood on the spot where Julius Caesar's body was burned after his betrayal and assassination in 44 AD. We passed beneath the Arch of Septimius Severus and around the Arch of Titus, the latter inscribed with reliefs portraying the sacking of Jerusalem and Herod's temple in 70 AD. We walked along the travertine paving stones that Caesars, Emperors, senators, and even apostles once walked. Amazing.

Finally, we visited the Colosseum. Aptly named, it's another astoundingly colossal structure, especially when you consider when it was built and the technology available. 50,000 screaming fans could watch the brutal spectacles inside, while staying dry beneath the huge retractable canvas awning, making it the first covered stadium! The wooden floor has long since rotted away, revealing the network of passages beneath that once housed gladiators, prisoners, exotic animals, and workers who labored furiously to put on elaborate shows. Dozens of elevators were used to stealthily raise roaring lions or warriors into the midst of the fray, keeping the combatants on their toes. But after 500 years of continuous use, the last games were held in the Colosseum during the sixth century and it fell into disuse and disrepair over the ensuing centuries.

We could have spent another week in Rome, and still not seen it all, but our time was up and the Highlands of Scotland were calling. Arrivederci Roma!

Rome pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2244722&l=f6179&id=7012064

More Rome pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2244760&l=c9c31&id=7012064

Vatican Museum pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2244774&l=cc4e2&id=7012064

Vatican pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2244813&l=65796&id=7012064

Europe part 8 - Cinque Terre

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:46:50 GMT

After our nightmare day of travel, we finally arrived late in the evening into Vernazza - one of the "five lands" making up Cinque Terre (cinque = five, terre = lands). Our room was in a great location overlooking the main road through town, although it was also directly across from the Blue Marlin Bar which enjoyed sharing their music with the neighbors. But we went for a stroll down to the harbor, snapped a few pictures, then came back and collapsed into bed, exhausted, hardly even noticing the noisy nightlife.

The next morning we had to make up for lost time - only one day to visit all five towns! Fortunately, none of the towns are very big. Unfortunately, the weather is about the worst we've had in Europe - overcast with occasional sprinkles. First, we walked through Vernazza, winding our way down towards the natural harbor. An open plaza scattered about with tables from local restaurants overlooks the water, as does a centuries old church and a "castle" (really a tower) on a hill guarding the town from pirates. From there we hopped the local train to Riomaggiore.

Once there, we rode an elevator to the top of town then strolled down main street past the pastel homes piled practically atop each other. On the edge of town we began the Via dell'Amore, a scenic walk along the Mediterranean between Riomaggiore and Manarola. I'm sure the water and view would have been truly spectacular with some sunshine, but even so, it was amazing. I'm also sure that some of the promised amore would make it better as well, but alas, it was only Blake and I.

Manarola sprawls down a ravine towards its harbor, surrounded on three sides by terraces built over centuries to support the area vineyards. (One little factoid we picked up while there is that the miles upon miles of unmortared stone terraces constructed by industrious Italians in Cinque Terre contain as much stone as the Great Wall of China!) At the top of Manarola is a small square faced by a church dating from 1338 and a bell tower overlooking town. From there we walked along and through the vineyards around the ravine's rim, through the town cemetery, and down to the train station where we chugged along to Corniglia.

Corniglia is a tiny town of only a few hundred people, but its another slice of beauty carved into the Riviera coast. As we took the short walk from the train station down to the water, we stopped along the way for fresh gelato made with local honey that was unique and yummy. (Also unique and yummy was the gorgeous Italian girl in the striped shirt ordering gelato ahead of us. ) Then it was back on the train and off to Monterosso.

Monterosso al Mare is the most resort-like of the five towns, with a couple of long beaches and several hotels. After another stroll past pastel edifices, we took a winding path above town called the Switchback of the Monks to the Church of the Cappuccin Monks, a former convent and hotel now housing monks privy to a stellar view. An impressive cemetery with elaborate tombs, some old and some new, sits adjacent to the church, all overlooking some of the most beautiful coastline anywhere in the world.

As the day wore on, the skies finally cleared and the sun peeked out, making the blue waters and brightly colored buildings all the more gorgeous. We ended our tour of the five towns back where we began, in Vernazza. Arriving at the train station, we returned to the harbor and climbed the steps towards the castle overlooking town, stopping in at Ristorante Castello for some homemade pasta. Sitting on the terrace, sipping the local sciacchetrà wine, and watching the sun set over the water and behind the hills was a great end to a day that was over far too soon. One day is truly too little time to spend in such an amazing corner of the world, but I'll be back!

Cinque Terre pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2244261&l=4de1c&id=7012064

More Cinque Terre pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2244316&l=2329a&id=7012064

Europe part 7 - Milan & Genoa

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:20:05 GMT

Ciao Venice, bongiorno Cinque Terre! Wait a minute, not so fast there mister. Remember that baggage handlers strike in Venice? Well, today there's a train strike in Florence - you know, that key city between you and the Italian Riviera? Yep, that city. Those Italians loooove their strikes! So what should take you about five hours will instead take around fourteen. First, let's send you to Milan, maybe you can get a train from there to Cinque Terre. Nope. Hmm, let's send you to Genoa. Close, but no cigar. (I think Mussolini was on to something when he promised to make the trains run on time...) But the "good news", if you can call it that, is we got a long layover in Milan followed by one in Genoa and so got to briefly take in the highlights. (The bad news is it cost us our half-day in Cinque Terre. )

Once in Milan we hit up tourist information in the train station basement and asked the lady what to see with only three hours. She pulled out a map, circled a few spots, pointed us towards the metro station and we were off! First stop, Duomo Square, home to the largest gothic cathedral in the world - Duomo Cathedral. It is impressive! Hmm, what's that music? Turns out Andrea Bocelli was performing on the square the next day so the orchestra was practicing. Missed him by one day! Also on the square is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a giant glass-domed shopping arcade lined with high-end shops. Every girl's dream in one of the fashion capitals of the world! After the square we hit a couple churches, the national theater, took in a few statues, then it was back to the train station and another layover in Genoa.

We didn't have as much time in Genoa, not to mention we were incredibly frustrated and tired by this point, but we did walk around a bit in the immediate vicinity of the train station. We saw a statue of hometown boy Christopher Columbus, a church, the port, a cool lighthouse, and then grabbed some dinner - pasta, of course! (Spaghetti alla vignole to be precise.) Finally, after a bit more confusion at the third train station we, along with a hundred other disgruntled passengers, figured out the local train schedule and made it to Vernazza.

Milan & Genoa pics http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2244263&l=94db0&id=7012064

In the Bleachers

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:29:02 GMT