Molly's European Travels

       The piece of art I have chosen to write this blog post on is “Landscape in a Park” by Eugène-Louis Lami. This beautiful painting is located in the Gulbenkian museum. One of the first things I noticed about this painting was how whimsical the trees look. I feel like I can see them moving as a cool breeze blows through them. Another thing that stood out to me was the colors the artist used. The colors almost feel muted and it gives the painting a memory-like quality. This definitely looks and feels like an impressionist painting to me. Something that adds to my suspicions of this is the outfits the ladies down by the water are wearing. I have seen hundreds of impressionist paintings on this trip and the clothing worn by women looks the same way it does in this painting.       The Gulbenkian museum is the home of Calouste Gulbenkian's personal art collection. My professors told me that Calouste was a very wealthy man that would buy the best of...

       I had the privilege of going to Quinta da Regaleira today! Ever since I came to Portugal last year and was unable to find the time to go, I have been so disappointed. But now I don’t have to be disappointed anymore! I thought it was just one building so I was surprised to find out that there are multiple buildings on a large plot of land. The buildings and structures gave me gothic vibes and low key fairytale vibes. The forest surrounding the paths was the perfect green to offset the stone structures. My favorite part was the network of caves and passages under the ground. Marie and I went in one and it was pitch black. It felt like the perfect setting for a horror movie. The inside of the buildings were also pretty cool to see and not really what I was expecting. The mansion was much more inviting than I had pictured and had the classic Portuguese tiles in it. It was a very cool experience to walk around this place!      The history of Quinta d...

     O n our first day in Portugal we visited the famous Descubridores monument. On my trip to Portugal last year I remember seeing this monument but I never went up close to it. I was shocked at the scale of the men on the side. I bet that I am the same length as one of the mens calves. One of the professors said the statues are that big because they are supposed to be “larger than life”. This idea and style is used in fascist buildings/statues/monuments, so it makes sense that this was used. All the statues had immense amounts of details on them. One statue in particular, a knight, had such fine detail in his armor it must have taken the artist a long time. Something I noticed that made me laugh was that the majority of the statues all had the same ugly hairstyle. Only a few of the statues don’t have this hideous hair style, so you have to rely on the clothing and what they are holding in order to tell who they are.       This monument was built in r...

     I chose to do my Portugal women of choice blog on Queen Maria ll. When Dr. Hegstrom was telling the class about her all I could think was that I am very glad that I did not have her life. She only lived to be 34, maybe this will happen to me too though, only time will tell. Something I know will not happen to me is becoming the queen of Portugal. She was only 7 years old when her father gave her this title. Along with this title, she was engaged to her uncle. Luckily, she did not have to marry him because he turned out to be a terrible person who wanted to run the country in a terrible way. Maria ends up becoming the Queen after a civil war at only 15 years old. Besides being queen, Maria was a mother. She had 13 children and motherhood is what ended up killing her when she died in childbirth. As someone whose greatest wish in life is to be a mother I find it devastating when a woman dies this way. I really enjoyed getting to learn who Queen Maria ll was.  ...

     This blog post is about the incredible Fado singer, Amalia Rodrigues . This week we were able to visit her house and I was able to learn a lot of fun facts about her from our tour guide. One of my favorite facts I learned about her is that she loved perfume! I am addicted to perfume so this really resonated with me. I think it is cool that I was able to find a similarity with her. Amalia became someone I strive to be. From the stories our guide told us, I can tell that she was a very kind woman. Apparently, you could knock on her door, say you loved her and she would invite you up! She would host people all night and wanted people to feel welcome. One more thing that I loved learning about her was that she grew up fairly poor. She wasn’t able to move into her beautiful home until she was 36. Knowing this about her can serve as an inspiration to others. She worked hard to get where she did, which is very admirable.       Amalia  is known as ...

     I loved getting to visit the Toledo cathedral! Its full name is the Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo. It was a huge cathedral, maybe the largest I have ever been in. The exterior of the building is quite exquisite. The cathedral was made in a gothic style. It has very tall towers that seem to touch the sky. The exterior of the building contains so many fine details it makes it hard to look away from. You could spend hours looking at every carving and statue on the exterior.  On the inside you can see the classic gothic pointed arches in the ceiling structure. There is also some amazing stained glass on the inside. The stained glass in churches and cathedrals is always my favorite thing.       This cathedral contains a rich history. This cathedral is actually a Roman Catholic Cathedral. The Romans started construction on the cathedral in 1227. The fact that this cathedral is still standing is amazing and serves as a great way to learn...

I know this is not a very good pic but this is us in front of the Museum. We were unable to take pics inside.       I am choosing to write this blog post on the painting titled las meninas by Diego Velázquez. I had the privilege of studying this painting in art history so it was super cool to see it in real life! The scale of the painting was much larger than I expected. The figures are rather life-like in size. It makes the illusion that we are a part of the painting much more real. I love the different layers of the painting. The little girl and her ladies in waiting are in the foreground of the painting. Diego is a layer away from them. The mirror of the king and queen is in the layer before the background, and then in the background there is another person who I can not make out. The composition of this painting and its use of layers makes it so interesting to look at.       I think this painting is important historically and culturally. I thi...

     I have chosen to write my women’s choice blog on Emilia Pardo Bazán. I was able to learn a lot about her when we were by her statue! She was a writer! She wrote over 600 stories. Professor Pratt once set a goal to read one of her stories everyday! He got to about 40-ish days and then decided to call it quits. However, he said they were all very good. She was the 22nd person in Spain to have a telephone. She was pro technology but also couldn’t see how planes could be useful. Planes are my favorite technology so I think it’s funny she didn’t think they would be useful. On a more serious note, she used to give great lectures and even became the first woman to be a professor at the university. Sadly, the male professors didn’t like this and would boycott her lectures. This also caused a lot of the students to not attend them as well because they were scared of the repercussions. She ended up leaving the university and went back to giving lectures outside the university....

       I have chosen to write this blog post about an exhibit in Madrid's archeology museum. The exhibit I chose is from the Iberian culture. The exhibit is all the animal/creature statues that are found outside of graves! I thought this exhibit was so interesting. All of the creatures were a sandy color and about the size of a golden retriever. I was able to learn that they were all made out of limestone! Some of the statues were missing legs or faces making them really look quite ancient. They all were really ancient, all being made in between the 5th and 6th century. Some of the statues also had scratches and marks in them. It makes me wonder what they have endured over their lifetime. Something I found really interesting was that the different creatures had different meanings. For example, the Sphinx was said to protect the deceased on their final journey and the Griffin was known as the protector of tombs.       I think this exhibit is import...

       While in Spain I had the opportunity to learn lots about Concepción Arenal! Something that I learned about her is that in order to go to law school she had to dress like a boy. She had to do this for the men's sake. This really stuck out to me because I feel like we are still being told how to dress because of how males will take it. It is crazy that she died 110 years before I was born but we can both relate to this. Another thing I have learned about her is that she was an advocate for women in prison. She cared about how they were being treated and took action. I found it crazy that she was fired from being a prison inspector just because she was trying to help them. I think this makes her very honorable.      Concepción Arenal was an amazing feminist that fought for the right of women's education! I think this is a huge deal. It is because of women like her that I have the ability to go to BYU and write this blog post! I also think her contr...

     While in Amsterdam I had the privilege of eating Indonesian food for the first time. I was expecting it to be a bit like Indian food, which I am not the biggest fan of. I am pleasantly surprised to say that It surpassed my expectations! The meal was served family style! There were lots of different dishes placed in front of a group of four of us. We were able to try a bunch of dishes and then get more of the ones we liked! One of my favorites was the peanut chicken on the stick! It didn’t look very appetizing but it was very good. Another dish I liked was the curry vegetables. They were very colorful and warm! All of the dishes had different flavors but complemented each other very well.       This food is historically important to Amsterdam because the Dutch East India trading company was responsible for lots of importing and exporting. Some of these imports were spices from Indonesia! These spices introduce new flavors to the Dutch! While coloni...

       I chose to write my Amsterdam art blog on Rembrandt's painting titled “Night watch”. I studied this painting in an art history class I took so it was super cool to be able to see the painting in person. The first thing I noticed about the painting was the scale of it. It was so big! Taller and wider than me. Another thing I noticed was the eye in the background of the painting. The eye is located behind two men. I was able to learn that people think this is Rembrandt's eye. This is such a cool idea! He might have thought it would be too obvious to paint himself in the painting so decided to just do his eye. Another thing I noticed about the painting is how chaotic it looks. I love how it looks like a frat party. Men are everywhere, talking to each other, wearing different clothes, holding up sticks, playing the drum, etc. I love the chaos of it, I think it adds to the realism of the painting.       I think that “Night Watch” by Rembrandt i...

         I chose to do my women’s choice blog on Alida Bosshardt, also known as Major Bosshardt. She was a very strong and brave woman. One of things I learned about her is that she joined the Salvation Army at only 18 years old. Another thing I learned about her was that she ran an orphanage. While she ran this, she would take Jewish children in and hide them from the Nazis. Learning this made me respect her so much. As someone that wants to work with children, hearing about someone risking their life for them makes me so grateful. Another thing I learned about her was that she helped the women of the red light district. She opened the first good will center for working women. I also gained a lot of respect for her from learning this. A lot of women judge “working women” but instead of judging them, she helped them. She tried to make things better for them, help them feel safe. I had never heard about this woman before the trip but she sounds really amazin...

          I have had the privilege of learning a lot about Anne Frank while in Amsterdam. One thing I learned about her was that she was only 15 when she died in a concentration camp. She was so young, it makes me so sad. Another thing I learned about her was that she always dreamed of being a writer. She may not have fulfilled this dream while she was living, but her dad made sure that it was fulfilled. I think this is just so special. Her story and her words deserve to be heard. I hope that she is happy knowing millions of people around the world have read her work. I have very positive feelings towards her. She has definitely made a difference in this world. Hearing about all the good her father has done in her name is wonderful. I hope that her foundation stays around.       I think her contribution is important because it gave the world an inside point of view of how people were being treated. It gave the 6 million Jews that died du...

         I chose to do my art blog about the Manneken Pis. The first thing I noticed about this iconic art piece was the size of it. It is so small. It’s probably about the length of my leg from the knee down. Another thing I noticed was that the material of the man doesn’t match the fountain it is standing on. I was able to learn later that this is because the man has been stolen too many times so they have put up a fake in its place. It is sad to think that people can’t enjoy the real one because of a few people who think it’s funny to steal it. Another thing I noticed was.      Historically I don’t think it is that important but it may have some cultural significance! When we were in the city hall our guide told us that there are numerous stories about this statue. One of them is that a little baby scared away invaders because it started to pee when the invaders came into its room. All of the stories like this are super fun and get passed...

          I have chosen to do this blog post on The House of European History, not on the parliament. This was such a cool experience! The layout of the building was done very well. You could weave through different exhibits very easily. They did a great job with their use of space. I also liked the varied scales of the exhibits. It makes your eyes really catch on certain things. It also is nice to have things on different scales because it just looks more aesthetic. Lastly, they made the experience interactive through our tablets which was so cool. We were able to learn about what we wanted to by clicking the exhibit we were close to. They did that “museum” so well and I feel that I was able to learn a lot.       I think The house of European History is so important. It is so important to know the history of our world. Learning from the past is one of the best things we can do for our future. This museum is a great way to learn the hist...

          I learned a lot about Marie Popelin today! She grew up in a family where she was very well educated! She worked with Isabelle Gatti. She worked in a girls school, and she was a headmistress. All of these things did not last very long so she decided to switch her life path and go to law school! She was the first woman in Belgium to graduate from law school, however when she went to apply to the bar they refused her based on her gender. She was not okay with this so she found an attorney to help her fight this! Unfortunately they lost, and when they tried to appeal they lost again. After this experience it inspired her to form the Belitung league of the rights of women. She fought to help women be able to have “liberal” jobs. I would say that she is pretty inspiring. Not only did she help women but she showed us that you don’t have to pick one thing and stick with it. I feel like a lot of the time we feel that we have to pick something to do in coll...

       church of St Joan of Arc      I chose to do my women’s choice blog on Joan of Arc. I was able to visit the City of Rouen which is where Joan was killed. She was tied to a stake and burned. This would just be an absolutely terrible way to die. Joan of Arc was seen as an early feminist and a symbol of freedom and independence. I learned that Joan was only a 19 when she died so within her few short years on this planet she was able to make a big impact. She was so brave. She joined the French military when she was only 17. She was captured and turned over to the English where she was tried with numerous accounts. These accounts lead to her being burned. I can not believe she did this at such a young age. I know for a fact that if I didn’t have to fight in a war I wouldn't go within 50 feet of the battlefield. Her courage is inspiring.       Her contributions were great. Firstly, she helped with a French victory and helped Charle...

I love this painting so much. It is an impressionist painting which is my favorite style. I was able to find that this painting was done from 1915 to 1926. When I look at this painting I am able to see some nice soft movement. The lily pads give the vibe of moving around due to the light summer breeze that is blowing. There is some great color contrast in this painting. The light flowers against the dark blue background are stunning. The scale of this painting was huge. The landscape view of it stretched across an entire wall. Something I thought was really interesting was that it was a curved painting. It wasn't just straight against the wall, it was curved so it could be hung on a circular wall.  I think that when you hear the words impressionist style, one of the first artists people are going to think of is Monet. Then when people think of Monet they tend to think of his iconic water lily collection. His brush strokes inspire tranquility and peace. His depiction of nature is tr...

  I have learned a lot about Simone de Beauvoir during this trip, and I am not sure how to feel about her. She definitely did some great things but she also believed in some questionable things. One thing I have learned about her is that she wrote The Second Sex which is a book that discusses the treatment of women in the present society as well as throughout all of history. In Simone de Beauvoir's work she goes after both men and women which I kind of like. Another thing I have learned about her is that she didn’t believe in marriage. She had a long time partner but they also were in an open relationship. Both of these ideas I don’t believe in. I can understand why a woman may not want to get married because they essentially became their husband's property, but not believing it as a whole I don’t love.  Simone de Beauvoir was a trailblazer in women's academics, especially philosophy. She helped pave the way in being comfortable to speak out against societal gender roles ...

     I have had the privilege of learning a lot about Agnès Varda. Some of the things I have learned are really important and serious facts while others are just fun little facts. One of these little facts I have learned is that her signature hairstyle was bright red hair grown out so that the top was gray! I thought this was such a funny little fact and it was so unique. Another thing I have learned is that Agnès started out as a photographer. I think this definitely helped her because as a director you have to be able to see the big picture of the movie. Another fun little fact is that her love of photography inspired her to live on the street named after the person who invented photography! One of the really cool and important facts I have learned about her is that right away she had great respect from male film makers. She was considered one of them. Women were not typically given this amount of respect so this is amazing and just shows what a talent she was.  ...